STUDIO
SO YOU'VE CLICKED ON THE LINK TO THE STUDIO PAGE, WHICH PROBABLY MEANS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE RECORDING FACILITY. BUT IN MY YEARS AS A MUSICIAN & RECORDING ENGINEER I'VE LEARNED THAT 4 WALLS & A ROOF DON'T NECESSARILY MAKE "A STUDIO. " ULTIMATELY IT'S ABOUT PEOPLE, SO IN ADDITION TO THE USUAL "STUDIO TOUR" PROTOCOLS THAT TEND TO APPLY TO PAGES SUCH AS THIS ONE, I'M ALSO GOING TO INCLUDE SOME INFORMATION ABOUT MYSELF & MY EXPERIENCES IN THIS INDUSTRY, AS WELL AS SOME INFO ON MY THEORIES REGARDING THE RECORDING OF AUDIO & THE MAKING OF RECORDS. I THINK THAT THIS MAY HELP YOU WHEN DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT R. M. P. IS THE PLACE TO RECORD YOUR PROJECT, & IF NOT THEN YOU CAN SKIP THAT SECTION & CHECK OUT THE FACILITY ITSELF. THIS PAGE IS "A WORK IN PROGRESS," SO KEEP TUNING IN.
ABOUT ENGINEERING. . . & HOW I "GOT HERE"
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THE BEGINNING- THE NAME'S JAMES, & I WAS BORN RIGHT HERE IN DULUTH, MN WAY BACK IN 1970. MY FATHER WAS A MUSICIAN- A VIOLINIST BY TRADE- AS WAS MY MOTHER, WHO PLAYS DRUMS IN A BAND & STILL PLAYS MORE GIGS EVERY YEAR THAN I DO. . . OR EVER DID, FOR THAT MATTER. MY OLDER SISTER WAS TRAINED AS A PIANIST, & MANY MEMBERS OF MY EXTENDED FAMILY ON BOTH SIDES WORK IN THE INDUSTRY AS MUSICIANS, TEACHERS, & PRODUCTIONS FOLK. CHECK OUT THE CREDITS ON ENOUGH MAJOR MOTION PICTURES & YOU'RE SURE TO STUMBLE ACROSS THE NAME "MATHESON" MUCH SOONER THAN LATER. FOR EVEN MORE FUN, TRY GOOGLING THE NAME. MAKES FOR AN INTERESTING READ, AT LEAST IT DOES FOR ME. |
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MY
MUSICAL TRAINING BEGAN AT A VERY EARLY AGE, BUT I DIDN'T TAKE TO IT
VERY WELL. I WAS STARTED ON VIOLIN IN THE SUZUKI STYLE, THEN SHIFTED
TO PIANO, THEN BACK TO VIOLIN. IN THE EARLY YEARS OF MY LIFE ALL MUSIC
WAS CLASSICAL IN NATURE- AS THIS WAS MY FATHER'S CONCENTRATION- BUT
THANKS TO MY MOM I WAS ALSO EXPOSED TO HARRY BELAFONTE, JOHNNY CASH,
THE KINGSTON TRIO, MARTY ROBINS, CHURCH MUSIC, VARIOUS BROADWAY PRODUCTIONS,
& A PILE OF VINYL MOST OF WHICH ESCAPES ME NOW. LATER ON, MY OLDER
SISTER TURNED ME ON TO MORE CONTEMPORARY MUSIC, BUT I THINK SOMEWHERE
IN THE CONFUSED MESS OF LITTLE BOYS' MINDS I WAS ALWAYS MOST INTRIGUED
BY THE OPEN REEL MACHINES THAT LINED THE WALLS OF MY FAMILY'S LIVING
ROOM- ALONG WITH 2 GRAND PIANOS & A SMALL HANDFUL OF MICROPHONES.
YOU SEE, MY FATHER WAS AN ENGINEER AS WELL, RECORDING ANYTHING THAT
HE COULD GET HIS MITTS ON, & IN THE LATER YEARS OF HIS LIFE IT WAS
ALL THAT KEPT HIM GOING. AT A CERTAIN POINT HE CAME TO LOVE IT ALMOST
MORE THAN PLAYING THE MUSIC HIMSELF. I LEARNED A LOT FROM MY OLD MAN
ABOUT RECORDING, BUT THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT HE EVER KNEW I DID.
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ENTERTAINMENT- THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS ELUDED ME FOR MANY YEARS, BUT TO BE FAIR WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE AGES OF 18 MONTHS TO 5 OR 6 YEARS OLD, SO I FORGIVE MYSELF FOR THAT. EVENTUALLY I FOUND MY PLACE IN VOCAL PERFORMANCE, AND SPENT MANY HAPPY YEARS SINGING THE EARS RIGHT OFF MYSELF. I STILL CROON WHEN I'VE GOT A LITTLE TIME TO SPARE. MY "PURELY VOCAL" CAREER LASTED ROUGHLY FROM THE AGE OF 6 UNTIL I WAS 12 OR SO, CULMINATING IN LOCAL PRODUCTIONS OF THE OPERAS I PAGLIACCI & CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA. BY THE AGE OF 10, THOUGH, I HAD DISCOVERED MY MOTHER'S OLD HARMONY HAWAIIAN- STYLED ACOUSTIC GUITAR STASHED AWAY IN OUR ATTIC, & THAT COUPLED WITH A FEW FRIENDS WHO WERE TAKING LESSONS SENT ME ALONG A DIFFERENT PATH THAT WOVE IN & OUT THROUGH THE COURSE OF MY TEENAGE YEARS. |
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BY
THE TIME I WAS A SENIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL I WAS IN MY FIRST BAND- A PUNK
ROCK OUTFIT CALLED MR. HOOPER IS DEAD- & WAS WRITING ORIGINAL SONGS
& INSTRUMENTALS AS A GUITARIST. I NEVER REALLY TOOK TO THE "COVER
BAND" THING, BUT THEN IT WAS THE '80S, & IT WAS TRUE THAT WE
REALLY COULD ALL WRITE BETTER MUSIC THAN POP RADIO WAS FEEDING US. FROM
THAT POINT ON, THE WRITING OF ORIGINAL MUSIC BECAME A PASSION FOR ME,
& WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A FEW "ILL- CONCEIVED" PROJECTS
THAT COULDN'T REALLY HOLD ME I'VE BEEN INVOLVED EXCLUSIVELY IN ORIGINAL
MUSIC EVER SINCE. MR. HOOPER IS DEAD DIDN'T GET VERY FAR. WE PLAYED
1 SHOW, GOT A POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT WRITER FOR OUR LOCAL PAPER FIRED
(INADVERTENTLY, OF COURSE!), & BROKE UP. BUT LIFE WENT ON.
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FADE TO THE COLLEGE YEARS, & A FEW MORE BANDS, BUT REALLY THE ONLY GROUP WORTH MENTIONING WAS A LITTLE OUTFIT CALLED THE RPMs. WE WEREN'T A PARTICULARLY GIFTED BAND- WITH THE EXCEPTION OF OUR LEAD GUITARIST, WHO WAS LITERALLY AHEAD OF THE CURVE ON THE SPEED METAL BANDS THAT ROSE TO POPULARITY JUST A FEW YEARS LATER- BUT WE WERE GOOD ENOUGH TO GET SIGNED TO OUR FIRST LABEL. IT WAS 1989, & PENDULUM RECORDS, A SMALL OUTFIT IN MINNEAPOLIS, MN PICKED US UP FOR A FEW MONTHS AFTER HEARING NOTHING MORE THAN OUR DEMO TAPE. IRONICALLY ENOUGH, WHEN PENDULUM FELL APART SO DID WE. NEVER EVEN DID A RECORD FOR THEM, ALTHOUGH ONLY A HANDFUL OF THEIR BANDS EVER ACTUALLY DID- MOST NOTABLY A GROUP CALLED MILE ONE, WHOM I STILL RECOMMEND HIGHLY AS "A BAND OF THE LATE- '80s" WHO CLEARLY STAND THE TEST OF TIME. INCIDENTALLY, WE WEREN'T A SPEED METAL BAND, EITHER. |
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IT
DIDN'T TAKE MUCH AFTER THAT. I DID A SHORT STINT WITH A BAND CALLED
ARTWORK RED, & THEN THE YEARS BLOSSOMED INTO THE TIME OF PANDORA'S
TRUCK, A BAND THAT MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED. PANDORA'S
TRUCK NEVER COURTED LABEL INTEREST OF ANY SORT. WE BICKERED SO HEARTILY
AMONGST OURSELVES THAT WE BARELY GOT ANY RECORDING DONE, & NEVER
EVEN RELEASED A SINGLE. BUT MUSIC FANS CAME IN DROVES TO SEE US DO IT.
WORD OF OUR BAND GOT OUT QUICKLY, MOSTLY THANKS TO OUR OPENING SET FOR
CHAN POLING- THE KEYBOARD PLAYER FOR A POPULAR MINNEAPOLIS BAND CALLED
THE SUBURBS. WE MADE PILES OF MONEY WHEN WE PLAYED (MOST OF WHICH WAS
ALREADY SPENT, I MIGHT ADD), & HAD MORE FUN THAN IS LITERALLY LEGAL
THESE DAYS, & WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 2 OR 3 SONGS WE PLAYED 3 SOLID
HOURS OF ORIGINAL MUSIC. WE HAD A BALL, & IT WAS UTTER MISERY.
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I FELT PRETTY LOST WHEN PANDORA'S TRUCK FINALLY DISBANDED, & BOUNCED AROUND INTO & OUT OF A COUPLE OF RECORDING PROJECTS UNTIL IN 1993 I FINALLY BURNED OUT, QUIT MY "DAY JOB," BOUGHT A ONE- WAY TICKET TO AMSTERDAM, AND HOPPED ON AN AIRPLANE WITH MY ACOUSTIC GUITAR ON MY BACK. WHAT FOLLOWED WAS THE BETTER PART OF A YEAR SPENT TRAVELING AROUND EUROPE, PLAYING GUITAR WITH & FOR THE PEOPLE I MET THERE, & EXPERIENCING SOME OF THE MOST AMAZING THINGS & PEOPLE THAT A PERSON CAN SEE. BUT SOONER OR LATER A PERSON HAS TO COME HOME, & SO I DID, AT WHICH POINT I RETURNED TO COLLEGE & SETTLED IN FOR THE LONG HAUL. |
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BUT
ONE OF THOSE LITTLE PRE- EUROPE RECORDING PROJECTS HAD BEEN SHOPPED
AROUND BY MY PARTNER IN THE ENDEAVOR, AND HAD RECEIVED SOME GOOD PRESS
IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. BEFORE WE KNEW IT, WE WERE GETTING LETTERS FROM
A LITTLE COMPANY CALLED MGM, TELLING US THAT ALTHOUGH THEY DIDN'T THINK
WE WERE READY FOR THE OPEN MARKET JUST YET, THEY DEFINITELY WANTED TO
STAY IN TOUCH & TRACK OUR PROGRESS. IN THE END NOTHING CAME OF IT,
AS OUR PERSONALITIES WERE TOO FAR ASKEW. BUT THERE WE WERE, ON THE MAP
AGAIN, & IT DIDN'T TAKE LONG BEFORE I WAS FEELING "THE ITCH."
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1995, & THE PEAK OF THE DULUTH, MN ORIGINAL MUSIC SCENE. OF COURSE, SOME WOULD DISPUTE THAT, BUT IF YOU WEIGH ALL THE FACTORS IT'S A PRETTY SAFE ASSERTION. I WAS PLAYING WITH MY FIRST TRIO, A BAND CALLED BUDDHA LOVE JOY. WE RECORDED ALL OF OUR ORIGINAL MUSIC, BUT NEVER RELEASED A THING. WE THRIVED ON THE LIVE PERFORMANCES & CONCENTRATED ALL OF OUR ENERGIES THERE. MUCH OF OUR PROMOTION CENTERED AROUND PERFORMANCES OF MY TAPE 13 PROJECT, WHICH WAS MY INTRODUCTION TO THE INDUSTRY AS A SOLO SINGER/SONGWRITER. AGAIN, OUR MUSIC WAS ALL- ORIGINAL, & THE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR ROAD SHOWS HAS TO HAVE BEEN OUR OPENING SLOT FOR A BAND CALLED SLAUGHTER AT THE NOW- DEFUNCT PACIFIC CLUB IN SUPERIOR, WI. INCIDENTALLY, BLJ WASN'T A METAL BAND, EITHER. OUR LITTLE 3- PIECE CAME TO A SCREECHING HALT WHEN OUR DRUMMER MOVED A LITTLE WAYS SOUTH OF DULUTH, WHICH LED TO SCHEDULING PROBLEMS & OUR DEMISE |
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1999
WAS A RARE- BIRD YEAR, & FOUND ME STRUGGLING TO FINISH COLLEGE &
MAKING PLANS FOR THE FUTURE. A POPULAR LOCAL VENUE HAD CHANGED HANDS,
& THE NEW OWNER APPROACHED ME TO PUT TOGETHER THE FIRST SHOW IN
HIS NEWLY REMODELED MAIN ROOM. FOR THIS VENTURE, A NEW BAND WAS BORN-
THE OSCAR GOLDMANN OVERTHROW INITIATIVE. ANOTHER 3- PIECE, WE WROTE
10 SONGS & PRACTICED UP WITH THE INTENTION OF PLAYING THIS ONE SHOW
ONLY. THINGS ULTIMATELY WENT MUCH FURTHER THAN THAT.
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THE SHOW WAS A FLOP, MOSTLY DUE TO LOCAL POLITICAL CLIMES, BUT THE O. G. O. I. STUCK IT OUT A FEW WEEKS BEYOND THAT TO RECORD THE MUSIC THAT WOULD LATER BE HOUSED ON THE FIRST ALBUM- CELEBATE DIVERSITY. IN OCTOBER OF THAT YEAR, I PULLED UP STAKES & MOVED SOUTH TO MINNEAPOLIS, MN. |
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THE
MINNEAPOLIS YEARS WERE PRODUCTIVE ONES, ALTHOUGH NO TRADITIONAL "BANDS"
WERE FORMED THEN. I CONCENTRATED MOSTLY ON MY SOLO CAREER, WHICH CULMINATED
IN THE RELEASE OF HEADFRIENDLY, A FULL- LENGTH COLLECTION OF
"URBAN FOLK" SONGS THAT FEATURED PERFORMANCES BY A NUMBER
OF MUSICIANS. . . SOME THAT YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD OF, & SOME YOU
DEFINITELY HAVEN'T. THE FIRST O. G. O. I. ALBUM WAS RELEASED AT THIS
TIME AS WELL. IN 2001, JUST AS THE MINNEAPOLIS JOB MARKET WAS BEGINNING
TO SAG A LITTLE, 2 SONGS FROM HEADFRIENDLY & ONE TUNE FROM
MY COLLECTION OF UNRELEASED BUDDHA LOVE JOY RECORDINGS WERE PICKED UP
& PUBLISHED IN JOHN ERVIN'S PRODUCTION OF THE FEATURE- LENGTH MOTION
PICTURE VIXEN HIGHWAY. SHORTLY AFTER THAT I RETURNED TO DULUTH,
WHERE THE MEMBERS OF THE O. G. O. I. WERE WAITING TO TAKE UP THE TORCH
AGAIN.
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2001 WAS THE YEAR, & THE O. G. O. I. BEGAN WRITING, PLAYING, & RECORDING WITH AN ENERGY I'D NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE. BY APR02 OUR SECOND CD- CARPETBOMBING- WAS RELEASED, & BY JUL02 A LABEL CALLED ISLAND/DEF JAM OUT OF NEW YORK CITY WAS ON THE HORN ASKING ABOUT TOUR DATES & AVAILABILITY. BY OCTOBER OF THAT YEAR IT WAS ALL OVER- DUE TO THE LOSS OF OUR DRUMMER- BUT MAN! WHAT A RIDE, LEAVING BEHIND A LEGACY OF TREMENDOUS SHOWS- INCLUDING OUR OPENING SET FOR MOLLY HATCHET- & THE MOST SATISFYING & EXPLOSIVE CD I'VE EVER HAD THE HONOR OF PERFORMING ON- CARPETBOMBING. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE O. G. O.I. THE WEBSITE'S STILL INTACT, & CAN BE SEEN BY VISITING HTTP://WWW.OGOIOPS.COM & TAKING A LEFT AT THE LINKS. |
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2002
WAS ALSO THE YEAR THAT I HIT A FORK IN THE ROAD, & WAS MET WITH
THE OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN UP WITH A COUPLE OF PARTNERS & BUY INTO
BALLYHAUS RECORDING, THE LITTLE DULUTH, MN- BASED STUDIO WHERE CARPETBOMBING
WAS RECORDED, & WHERE I WORKED FOR THE NEXT 3 YEARS AS PRODUCTION
MANAGER & FREELANCE RECORDING ENGINEER. OF COURSE THERE HAVE BEEN
BANDS OVER THAT TIME- IMJ, ADIRONDACK- BUT ENGINEERING WORK HAS KEPT
ME VERY BUSY & ONLY LATELY HAVE I BEGUN TO THINK OF APPEARING ON
STAGE AGAIN. MORE ON THAT AT A LATER DATE.
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SO, WHY ALL THE YACKITY- YACK? I MEAN, YOU'RE REALLY JUST HERE TO SEE SOME PICTURES OF THE STUDIO & EQUIPMENT, RIGHT? WELL, I GUESS IT'S FOR THE REASON I STATED WAY BACK AT THE BEGINNING- PEOPLE. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU KNOW A LITTLE SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR ENGINEER & HIS OR HER BACKGROUND BEFORE YOU DECIDE IF THEY'VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO HANDLE YOUR PROJECT. THAT REQUIRES SOME "STRAIGHT TALK," SO HERE IT IS. DON'T WORRY, THERE'S STUDIO- INFO HERE TOO, & WE'LL GET TO THAT IN JUST A FEW MORE SHORT MINUTES. THROUGHOUT MY CAREER AS A SONGWRITER & ENTERTAINER, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN VERY HANDS- ON WITH RECORDING. . , IN MOST CASES ENGINEERING OR CO- ENGINEERING THOSE PROJECTS MYSELF. I'VE HEARD (& MADE) A LOT OF RECORDINGS & MET A LOT OF MUSICIANS & INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS, & OF COURSE THE LEARNING CURVE ON THAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE IS VERY HIGH. BUT AS I LOOK BACK ON MY ENGINEERING CAREER THROUGH BALLYHAUS, I ALSO SEE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT & IT'S WITH THAT IN MIND THAT I NOW MOVE FORWARD WITH R. M. P. |
| IT'S TRUE THAT BALLYHAUS RECORDING WILL BE REMEMBERED MOST FOR IT'S UNIQUELY "CLIENT- BASED" RECORDING STYLE, BUT LET'S BE HONEST WITH OURSELVES HERE- THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE BEST OF IDEAS. ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT IT IS THIS: WHAT'S THE SENSE IN PAYING SOMEONE $20.00 PER HOUR & NOT MAKING USE OF THEIR SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE WITH REGARD TO PRODUCT QUALITY? THERE IS NO SENSE IN THAT, & WHILE IT'S TRUE THAT EVERY ONE OF US HAS A SOUND THAT WE'RE SEEKING, THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT WE INSTINCTIVELY KNOW HOW TO GET THERE EVERY TIME. FURTHERMORE, IT DOES NO ONE ANY GOOD TO SPEND THAT TIME & MONEY TO TURN OUT A RECORDING THAT'S BELOW PAR- NOT YOU, NOT YOUR ENGINEER, & CERTAINLY NOT YOUR FANS. |  |
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HOWEVER, THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT MUSICIANS & BANDS DON'T HAVE A PLACE IN THE RECORDING PROCESS- FRANKLY THEY'RE ABSOLUTELY INDISPENSABLE, & ESPECIALLY DURING THE MIXING & MASTERING PROCESS! BUT I WANT EACH & EVERY ONE OF YOU TO WALK AWAY FROM THE PROJECT WITH THE HIGHEST- QUALITY RECORDING POSSIBLE WHILE ALSO SUITING YOUR TASTES & NEEDS. . . BECAUSE OUR WORK REFLECTS UPON EACH OTHER- EITHER POSITIVELY OR NEGATIVELY. SO I THINK IT'S ONLY FAIR FOR ME TO LET YOU KNOW THAT AT THE POINT YOU'RE ASKING ME TO TURN THE BASS UP SO LOUD THAT THE ENTIRE RECORDING SOUNDS MUDDY, FOR EXAMPLE. . . I'M NOT DOING IT. I EXPECT THAT YOU'RE HIRING ME BECAUSE THERE'S SOMETHING YOU'RE SHORT OF- EQUIPMENT, EXPERIENCE, ETC.- & I EXPECT THAT MY ACCUMULATIONS OF BOTH WILL BE PUT TO USE. JUST ONE OR TWO MORE SHORT NOTES HERE. FIRST, PLEASE REALIZE THAT I OFFER MY SERVICES AS A RECORDING ENGINEER- NOT A "PRODUCER," & THERE'S A SIMPLE REASON FOR THAT: BEING A PRODUCER SUCKS. IT INVOLVES ARRANGING SONGS & MONKEYING AROUND IN OTHER "BAND BUSINESS" THAT TENDS TO LEAVE EVERYBODY FEELING A LITTLE JILTED, & THERE'S NO WAY THAT ANYBODY IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD WALK INTO A PRODUCER'S JOB FOR THE KIND OF MONEY THAT I CHARGE. SO, I LISTEN VERY CLOSELY TO YOUR SONGS & LET YOU KNOW IF SOMEONE DROPPED A NOTE OR A BEAT, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO DELIBERATE OVER SONG STRUCTURE OR LYRICS WITH YOU- THAT'S THE JOB OF THE ARTIST, THE ENGINEER'S JOB IS TO CATCH THE SOUNDS & MAKE THEM PRESENTABLE & THAT'S A TOUGH ENOUGH JOB AS IT IS. IF YOU WANT TO HIRE ME AS YOUR PRODUCER, GO AHEAD & INQUIRE, BUT BE AWARE THAT THE ANNUAL SALARY I'LL BE ASKING YOU FOR IS ENORMOUS, ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU'LL PROBABLY FIRE ME AFTER THE FIRST ALBUM. FINALLY, & WITH REGARD TO RATES & BIDS. I KEEP MY RATES VERY LOW, FOLKS, BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD THE TIME IT TAKES TO "STRETCH YOUR LEGS" & REALLY EXPRESS YOURSELF IN YOUR RECORDINGS. FROM TIME TO TIME I ALSO OFFER SPECIAL DEALS THAT TEND TO BE SO RIDICULOUSLY- PRICED THAT I'M MAKING NOTHING ON THEM. CONSEQUENTLY, I DON'T COTTON TO MUCH MONKEY BUSINESS WHEN IT COMES TO MONEY. I DON'T HAGGLE, & I DON'T RESPOND WELL WHEN PEOPLE TRY IT WITH ME. RECORDING IS HOW I MAKE MY LIVING, & I'M CONFIDENT THAT THE SERVICES I OFFER ARE WORTH MUCH MORE THAN THE PRICES I CHARGE. YOU DON'T PLACE AN ORDER FOR A CHEESEBURGER AT MCDONALD'S & THEN "MAKE AN OFFER," & I'D HOPE THAT PEOPLE WOULD TREAT THEIR RECORDING ENGINEER WITH AT LEAST AS MUCH RESPECT AS THEY SHOW TO A FAST FOOD JOINT. SO, ON WITH THE SHOW! LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE STUDIO! |
ABOUT THE STUDIO
| SINCE THE DISSOLUTION OF BALLYHAUS RECORDING, I'VE BEEN WORKING ON CONSTRUCTION AT MY HOME IN WEST DULUTH PREPARING TO HOUSE THE STUDIO IN ITS NEW LOCATION. ALTHOUGH I INITIALLY HAD CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT EFFECT THIS WOULD HAVE ON RECORDING QUALITY & EASE OF OPERATIONS, I'M GLAD TO REPORT THAT NEITHER HAVE BEEN ADVERSELY EFFECTED BY THIS TRANSITION. AS I'VE MENTIONED IN OTHER PLACES ON THIS WEBSITE, RECORDING QUALITY SEEMS TO ACTUALLY BE IMPROVED DUE TO EQUIPMENT UPGRADES & MAINTENANCE, & THE NEW CONTROL ROOM IS WORKING NICELY. |
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THE CONTROL ROOM- LOCATED ON THE FIRST FLOOR, THE CONTROL ROOM IS NESTLED IN NICELY & HOUSES ALL THE RECORDING, MIXING, & MASTERING GEAR. THE FLAGS PICTURED ARE DUST COVERS FOR THE EQUIPMENT. THE CLOSE PROXIMITY OF THE EQUIPMENT ALLOWS FOR EXTREMELY QUIET WIRING OF DIFFERENT COMPONENTS FOR RECORDING, MIXING, & MASTERING. ON THE LEFT ARE THE OUTBOARD GEAR RACK & THE OTARI 5050B OPEN REEL RECORDER. ALL ANALOG EFFECTS ARE ACCESSED VIA PATCH BAYS. ON THE RIGHT, THE TASCAM M520 MIXER & TASCAM MS-16 OPEN REEL RECORDER. STRAIGHT AHEAD IS THE JBL 4312 CONTROL MONITOR SYSTEM & THE NEW DIGITAL AUDIO/VIDEO WORKSTATION, WITH IT'S M-AUDIO DELTA 1010 INPUTS TUCKED AWAY BENEATH THE MIXER- AGAIN FOR SHORT & QUIET CABLE RUNS. AUDIO SIGNAL FROM THE CONTROL ROOM CAN ALSO BE SENT OUT TO INDEPENDENT MONITOR SYSTEMS IN THE LIVING ROOM & STUDIO FOR PLAYBACKS & EVALUATION OF MIXING & MASTERING ON STANDARD, "REAL- WORLD" STEREO SYSTEMS, TO ENSURE THAT SOUND QUALITY IS UNIFORM ONCE YOUR CD HITS THE STORE SHELVES. A CLOSED- CIRCUIT VIDEO CAMERA & TV GIVE ME A VISUAL LINE- OF- SIGHT INTO THE STUDIO AREA SO THAT I CAN VERIFY THAT "ALL SYSTEMS ARE NOMINAL.' PICTURED HERE IS AMY CHORNEY OF GREAT GIRLS BLOUSE, WORKING ON SOME VOCAL TRACKS FOR THEIR RECENT ACOUSTIC DEMO. |
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THE STUDIO- THE STUDIO AREA IS LOCATED BELOW- GROUND FOR SOUND ISOLATION PURPOSES. 1768 TOTAL CUBIC FEET OF SPACE MAKE UP THE MAIN RECORDING AREA, WITH PLANS UNDERWAY NOW FOR SEVERAL ISOLATION AREAS TO BE BUILT OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. THESE "ISO- TANKS" WILL BE USED TO HOUSE GUITAR, KEYBOARD, & BASS AMPLIFIERS. THE MAIN STUDIO AREA IS USED FOR RECORDING DRUMS & PERCUSSION, AS WELL AS INSTRUMENT & VOCAL OVERDUBS. THE STUDIO AREA IS ACCESSED VIA OFF- STREET PARKING VERY NEAR TO THE BACK DOOR OF THE BUILDING. A VERY SHORT STAIRCASE LEADS DIRECTLY DOWN TO THE STUDIO. I KNOW, "STAIRS," BUT IT'S A SHORT FLIGHT WITH GOOD WIDTH & HEIGHT, & A VERY SHORT WALK FROM YOUR VEHICLE TO THE DOOR. FRANKLY, IT'S A SHORTER RUN THAN FROM THE LOADING DOCK TO THE STUDIO AT THE OLD BALLYHAUS LOCATION, SO IT'S ALL GOOD. THE HEADPHONE MONITOR SYSTEM, PLAYBACK SPEAKER WIRES, AUDIO SNAKE, & CCTV CABLES RUN DOWN THROUGH THE FIRST FLOOR & BACK TO THE STUDIO AREA, WHICH IS LOCATED BEHIND THE CONTROL ROOM SO THAT CROSSTALK BETWEEN THE TWO SPACES IS MINIMIZED. SOUND CONDITIONING OF STUDIO AREAS IS ALWAYS AN ON- GOING PROCESS, BUT AS CURRENTLY BAFFLED THE SPACE YIELDS A FLAT BUT LIVELY SOUND WITH GOOD ISOLATION FROM OUTSIDE & AMBIENT NOISE. SOLID SEPARATION OF DRUMS & AMPLIFIERS IS ALSO A GREAT FEATURE, ALLOWING FOR LOOSE, NATURAL GATING OF DRUMS & EXCELLENT CONTROL OF INDIVIDUAL INSTRUMENT LEVELS DURING MIXDOWN. WITH EACH NEW PROJECT THIS IS PROVING TO BE A POWERFUL & FLEXIBLE SPACE FOR RECORDING. |
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SO
THAT'S THE STUDIO TOUR. TAKE A LOOK AT THE EQUIPMENT LIST FOR SPECIFIC
DETAILS ON MICROPHONES, RECORDERS, PROCESSORS, & ETC., & OF
COURSE IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS NOT COVERED HERE FEEL FREE
TO SEND AN EMAIL FROM THE CONTACT PAGE & I'LL GET YOU ANSWERS AS
SOON AS POSSIBLE.
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