Happy Springtime!

Hi!

Thought I'd give ya'll a little springtime update.

Let's start with some things I've been working on:

The end of February I was able to spend a nice, snowy evening with Speedy Ortiz. This newish band was started by Sadie Dupuis, who's previous band, Quilty, recently split up. Speedy Ortiz plays some really fun, catchy rock music that definitely makes a nod to bands like Pavement, the Amps, Polvo, etc., while maintaining their autonomy.. The guitars go from clean and fiddly to HEAVY. They boast great dynamic shifts, fantastic lyrics, and O so catchy guitar riffs. I highly, highly recommend checking out their stuff. The project we worked on was start by Paul Q. Kolderie at Mad Oak in Boston. We comped vocals, added Matt Robidoux's (Graph) guitars, and mixed it together. Dig the tracks on their bandcamp page. They got more on the way 2!

Western Mass's very own Psychic Blood and I have just put the bow on top of their forthcoming 9 song, 33 minute noise/punk LP. I'm not sure when it's coming out but get psyched!

Hush Arbors and I mixed their upcoming side of a split LP with Arboretum coming out on record store 2012! The record is being released by Thrill Jockey Records!

Other Record Store Day-related projects I worked on this year:

-Elder
-Heavy Blanket

I began the epic task of mixing Rusty Belle's forthcoming live record. We're just about finished with it so we're hoping it'll see release in the very-near future!

Dinosaur Jr. released a live DVD this past February. The show was recorded at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC this past summer. Tim Herzog (who does FOH for Dinosaur, among many other things) and I were responsible for making sure the set was recorded properly on the night of the show. His microphone placement, my Pro Tools prowess. During the autumn of 2011, J and I mixed the tracks at his studio, Bisquiteen, in Amherst, MA. It's called Dinosaur Jr. Bug: In the Hands of the Fans.

In the works are some pretty amazing projects that I probably shouldn't get too specific about but I can't help but to mention:

1. An amazing combination of musicians playing together to record one amazing song: J Mascis and Lou Barlow meets The Melvins in the studio!

2. J Mascis and Lee Ranaldo recently teamed up for a fun ditty, written by someone else. It's an amazing song that you've probably heard before. It was a hit, yet it was instrumental, and remains that way on this version.

3. A certain three-piece from western Massachusetts has been in the studio since February 1st, 2012 working hard on their third record since their reunion. This band features ex-members of Deep Wound.

I would also like to officially congratulate David Sweetapple and Outer Battery Records. They are new to this world and it's looking like they're gonna make people happy!

Lastly, but certainly not leastly: my new recording studio and practice space complex is VERY close to being open. We're awaiting some official documents and once we get those, we'll start wheeling in tape machines, consoles, amps, drums, pianos, etc. and start wiring this place up! Mark Miller of Slaughterhouse, as you know, is my partner in this venture. We're very close on this and are starting to book sessions from May 2012 on!

In preparation, I've started to build myself some mic preamps. I'm very excited about these. So far I've got 4 OPAMPs built (2 based on the original API 2520 'Huntington' and 2 based on the beautiful-sounding Melcor 1731). I tested out both and honestly could not believe the different between the stock API pre amps and these kits.

Once my actual microphone preamp kits arrive, I'll start tearing through those. I've had the pleasure of using these preamps in other recording studios, and I was very impressed! I have my second API Lunchbox ready for these bad boys!

Thank you for entertaining another scattered rambling of my goings on!

Big Update!

Hi, How are you?

It's been a long time since I've updated this blog, therefor I have a ton to report! Let's dig in, chronological-like..

First, I'd like to update everyone on the goings on within my new studio space. I'm proud to say that we're in the home stretch! There's paint on the walls, floor, electricity pumpin, and we're beginning the finishing touches: doors, floors, etc!

I can't even describe how excited I am to start recording in this space. As doors and such have gone up, Mark and I have been able to witness not only the rooms taking shape, but the SOUND of the rooms evolve. I think they're sounding better and better with every door that goes in.

Here's a shot of our live room, standing in front of Mark's control room:

The first sliding door on the right is what I refer to as the '70s drum room.' It's large enough to record a drum set. There's carpet on the floor and a drop ceiling. This makes for a very nice, thuddy sound. There are no right angles or parallel walls so It's very clean-sounding, too!

The second sliding door down is our small dead room. Perfect for a bass rig or guitar amps.. Or if you're looking for a very quiet room to record your most intimate vocal take in. Also carpeted and with a drop-ceiling.

Third room down is the drum-iso room. It's massive with full 16' ceilings. Bonham would be psyched! Here's a picture of the drum room:

Note the window opening. This window will provide line of site through all three iso rooms.

I'm actively starting to book for April 1st, 2012! If you're interested in a tour, more information regarding the studio, or straight up want to book some time, please reach out.

Here's a look at 2012 thus far..

2012 started out with a bang. The first session I did was with Elder. We tracked in mixed 2 songs in 2 days over at Black Coffee Sound. The recording is to be released on an 12" for Armageddon Records in Providence, RI for a Record Store Day release! Holy heavy! This might be one of the heaviest recordings I've ever been a part of. Big drums and big amps were the theme of the session!

Amherst's Californiax came into Black Coffee Sound to track 2 songs for their new single on The Sounds of Sweet Nothing, a UK based label. These dudes are somewhat new, as this was their first studio effort. We not only had a great time, but made some damn-fine recordings in a day's worth of time! We're hoping to hit the studio again in the not-too-distant future to work through a full length!

Boston's Banditas and I continued work on their forthcoming full length. We took a field trip out to 1867 Recording Studio in Chelsea, MA to cut vocals. The record really took shape with finished vocals! The band is now scheduled to mix this record next week.

J Mascis just completed mixing and approved mastering on his forthcoming solo effort. It's under the name Heavy Blanket and will no doubt, turn heads. I'm not going to say anything else about it. Get psyched for a May release!

Back in January, I teamed up with Rusty Belle to make a live recording. We set up a stage area, brought in many microphones, preamps, and my Pro Tools rig. The goal was to capture Rusty Belle's live set in front of an audience and we most certainly met that goal. The shows spanned 2 nights and were fully-documented. The recordings came out crisp and clean with a healthy dose of bleed from all of the instruments and lack of isolation. What made it work so perfectly is Rusty Belle's ability to play to any room that they're in. They did so, perfectly! We're set to mix this soon!

Speaking of mobile sessions, I brought the rig into Kim Gordon's basement for a short n sweet Body/Head session! They're in EU right now to play a few shows. Very excited about this band and project.

There's been much more exciting things happening.. but this is already a post of epic proportions!

Be cool.

Press!

Yesterday's issue of the Hampshire Gazette had a nice feature in the Arts and Entertainment section about the new studio.

It's partially about the studio and partially about the event we're going to be hosting there next weekend!

Amherst's Rusty Belle is performing live on Friday January 13th and Saturday January 14th. They're be performing before a live audience in our studio and recording the sets for a live album release! We're really excited to be hosting the even and would be excited to see your face at the gig. If you'd like to get a pass for one of the nights, go here.

As for the article.. Take a peek this way..

New year, new beginings.

Hello everyone.

I write this just after sunset of the Winter Solstice of 2011 following a beautiful walk through the woods of Northampton. I'm looking forward to some rest with family and friends through the next week leading up to the New Year's celebration. Following that, I will dive head first into new projects at the new studio and beyond!

I'm really excited about the way things are turning out. The rooms sound fantastic without any sound treatment. The studio is more flexible than I ever could have imagined and every time I stand in the live room, I think to myself, "I have never stood in a studio this large before." It's really quite impressive. Imagine drawing a picture of a room. After many revisions, two years later you're standing inside that room. It's hard to describe but it's really an amazing thing.

I've made some rough mixes in my new control room and even in it's raw state, the mixes sounded fairly balanced and even. Once furniture and sound treatment move in, things will really even out.

Here's some pics from some of the goings on at the new studio..

Banditas - crammed into iso room 2!

Crazy Room! It really sounds CRAZY!

Tapeyness

 

Been a while

Hey there, folks. Been a while since my last post. I suppose I've been busy in the studio and preparing the new studio for a move-in.

I've done some mixing and recording with Northampton's Big Nils. Set up the mobile rig in Kim's basement and tracked their new single. The band came out to my temporary mix room setup to mix with me and it is now complete!

I've also been spending some quality time with John Townsend on his new Bathysphere project. It's coming along, quite nicely. Lot's of amazing drum samples and a cavalcade of guitar and bass tracks - mind-bending, really!

Zebu's forthcoming surf record is now complete and awaiting the final touch (mastering) before being released to the masses!

Speaking of releases, Bunwinkie's new LP is out. It's titled "Map of our New Constellations" and can be had here. I highly recommend picking up a copy now, as it's really the perfect record to slip into yer winter hibernaculum with. We spent about a year and a half recording and mixing it. Dig it! The vinyl comes with a digital download and is on Feeding Tube Records.

Last week I received a packed containing a hard drive, containing the new Sweet Apple record. It's lacking drums and bass and that's just the reason I have it. This week J and I hit up Bisquiteen to begin drum tracking. Soon, Mr. Dave Sweetapple and I will track some Rickenbacker bass!

Now that the new studio construction is coming to a close, I'm actively booking part of December and part of January. To my surprise, I'm almost completely booked! This week the electricians begin their work. Hot on their heels are windows, doors, heat, floors.. Sounds like a lot but we've got a crew in the studio around the clock. The practice spaces are running at the same pace as well!

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed but this. In the best way possible, of course. This studio that Mark Miller and I designed is coming to fruition and it's looking even BETTER than it did on paper. I cannot wait till you all can step into this finished record facility!

Long time, no update..

Hi there faithful blog-readers.

I'm sorry that I haven't made an update in a long time- What can I say? I've been busy.

Since the last post things at the studio have REALLY started to take shape. Mark and I took a trip down to Ikea to buy some lighting, furniture, rugs, etc. All of our lighting has been purchased and ready for installation. The next two weeks will look like mudding, taping, priming, cleaning, doors/windows, electrical work, and then we start to move gear in.

It's looking like 12/1/11 is a solid move-in date for the practice spaces and the studio. I can't really describe the level of excitement I have. This project is something Mark and I have worked toward for the better part of a year now and it's finally coming to fruition. Anyone that I've brought through the space in the past weeks has been impressed. I'm very proud of that. We're building an amazing studio and many incredible recordings will be made there in the coming years.

Another very exciting thing to add is that I've already started booking sessions for December/January! I can't tell you how amazing this feels..

Here are a couple recent picture of the space.

A View of length of the live room. My control room on the left.

A peak at our wall situation. Lots of Quiet-Rock, insulation, soundboard, greenblue, air gap, and another insulated wall.

Standing in the widest part of our live room. Hard to tell in the picture but it's VERY wide.

This studio is so big that it's capable of recording an entire rock band plus horn section or chamber orchestra with total isolation OR all live in one room. Wowee!!

In other news, I've been pretty busy in the studio working on some great projects.

Trevor Healy, local luthier is in a band called Meridians. Years ago in San Francisco, Meridians committed their recording to tape with Tim Green at Louder Studios. Recently they asked me to mix this recording. We're currently in the middle of fine-tuning this beautiful batch of songs.

Big Nils, a Northampton 4-piece recently called me to track their upcoming single. I packed up my mobile rig and brought it down to their basement practice space, set up, and captured some sweet jams!

I spent 4 days at J Mascis's Bisquiteen to mix some tunes for a movie soundtrack J is working on and to record the score for a documentary about renown chanter Krishna Das. In this session, I was able to record a lot of cool things including tabla, harmonium, dotar, Mellotron, and tons of echoed-out guitar. It was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to mixing this next week.

Here are some pics from that..

Studio build update!

Standing outside my control room looking towards Mark's control room.

Standing in the middle of the room, looking toward the back wall. My control room on the left, drum booth on the right.

 

These pictures were taking about 4 days ago and show that the first set of walls are complete. That first wall is made of two layers of quiet rock, soundboard, Green Glue, and blown-in foam. If you look at the top pic, you'll see a metal stud on the ground. That is the stud for the second wall, which will be up by this Thursday.

Once that wall is up, the contractors move to our other space to start building the practice spaces. Meanwhile, we mop the floors, meet with the electrician, await all of our doors and windows and then start to wire this joint up!

Things have taken a little longer than we'd all hoped but the project is almost complete and it's absolutely breath-taking. We have approx. 1200 sq ft. of open playing space with an addition drum room (which is as big as some studio's live rooms!), and two dead iso rooms. Each of us has our own iso room build outside of our control rooms to allow for simultaneous recordings.

Rooms are starting to display their own sounds, too. Standing in the main live room, outside of my control room is very quiet and tight-sounding. As you walk toward Mark's room the sound starts to open up and fill the room up. We have so many options and such an amazing place to make records.

Mark and I will spend the next two weeks building clouds and diffusion panels, then we move in and start wiring.

Another exciting thing to announce is that we've already started to book sessions in this space. It's been difficult because we're trying to plan a lot but it's definitely the most exciting part of this whole process.. the reason we're doing it, in fact!

Stay tuned for info on our open-house!