WE've GOT IT! and Overdubs at Is Chairman of the Board, Lorraine Staff," Lee Continues

Home , Alex Sadkin, Compass Point Studios

54 Sound Business N.Y. Blank Tapes COMPASS POINT POPULAR Studio Expanding Aphex Aural Exciter NEW YORK -Blank Tapes, Inc. Recording Studio In Studios is expanding its Nassau multi -track facilities in Manhattan. Improved, Exec Claims Studio C, now under construction, By JIM McCULLAUGH is scheduled to be completed by the Like Luxury House first week LOS ANGELES -Aphex has The device has been improved, in November. Equipment By SARA LANE will include the MCI -JH 114 24- improved its Aphex Aural Exci- according to Caesar, due to new track recorder and MCI -JH 542 ter, a professional audio process- electronics which increase even NASSAU, Bahamas -It looks dios anywhere in the world for its mixing console with full MCI auto- ing instrument that reportedly order harmonics and almost to- more like a tropical island home state -of-the -art equipment. mation. The studio will also have adds brightness, presence and tally eliminate odd order har- than it does a recording studio. In November, ground will be bro- two MCI -JH 110 2 -track mastering fullness to live and recorded monics. It stands sparkling white in the ken for additional space, doubling machines, EMT echo chamber, 24 sound, reports Marvin Caesar, Bahamas sun, surrounded with lush, the size the In addition, the device also of existing studio at channels of Dolby a Aphex Systems president. green foliage. Inside, it is bright, and Super Red now has greater head room about $600,000. monitor system. Aphex, which began oper- and white and airy with potted greenery also offers greater dynamic range Some of the industry's top name ations approximately two years giving it an outdoor feel. groups have in terms of amplitude. discovered this island ago (Billboard, Sept. 3, 1977), Yet, Compass Point Studios, hideaway, only minutes from bus- has also increased availability of Rates are still the same for the opened 10 months ago at an approx- tling downtown Nassau, capital of Normandy Sound the Aphex units, which resemble Aphex units, indicates Caesar, imate cost of $750,000, can rival stu- the Bahamas archipelago. a flat stereo amp in size and ap- with the device obtainable only WARREN, R.I. - Normandy pearance, to 350 units from an for lease, rental or on a project Sound has updated its facilities with initial 50. basis. The costs are $30 a minute 24 -track here. Aphex processing is being for finished product while tour- Equipment now includes an MCI used on approximately 15% of ing with an Aphex unit runs $100 JH -114 24 -track recorder, Scully the albums that reach Billboard's a day. 280B mixdown recorder, A.P.S.I. record charts now, claims Caesar. custom 26 x 24 console with full Aphex is an acronym for Aural Aphex has also increased its parametric equalization, Altec mon- Perception Heterodyne Exciter worldwide base with 20 offices itors and dbx noise reduction. and is the invention of Swedish around the world and the U.S. The facility, designed by Daniel engineer Curt Knoppel, still a where licensees service those Zellman Consultants, New York, principal in the company. The areas with Aphex. Among loca- features a 1,000 square foot studio device, according to the firm, im- tions with offices are Japan, Aus- with a 250 square foot geodesic iso- proves recordings and live sound tralia and South America in ad- lation booth. by addressing psychoacoustic dition to Europe and the U.S. The new complex also houses a circuitry- including the ear and Aphex has also expanded complete professional audio sales allied nerve systems -in the brain by department and Normandy's becoming the exclusive market - offices of the listener through its elec- STUDIO PARADISE -Looking more like a tropical island retreat than a record- for their affiliated management and tronics. (Continued on page 88) ing facility, Compass Point, located on the island of Nassau in the Bahamas, record companies. offers a state -of- the -art, 24 -track recording studio.

What attracts recording artists to ner Circle, a Jamaican reggae group. Compass Point? In addition to the is mixing its LP. When they are fin- RUSK MUSIC Studio best electronic equipment, a grow- ished Alex will be mixing Eddie SOUND ing corps of experienced producers/ Quansah. We have also tentatively GRINDER engineers including Alex Sadkin scheduled the Rolling Stones." STUDIOS and Jack Huber (both former Cri- Track The recording studio itself is 25 teria employes), Karl Peterson and feet x 35 feet with an oversize control IhN LOS ANGELES -Bruce Botnick is producing Island Records' Chris Blackwell, the room and a 16 -foot pane of glass be- Eddie Money at Larrabee. Sam Brown also pro- location of the studio is ideal, say its tween the studio and the control ducing Al Wilson there for mixes, Simon Soussan owners. It overlooks some of the producing Arpegio, and Fred Mullen producing room. The front section of the studio most beautiful waters in the world is all l:f: Randy Edelman. wood, giving it a bright sound, li and has a problem -free atmosphere while the is Sergio Mendes beginning a new LP project at rear area open for a conducive to creative work, they deader sound. Kendun for his Serrich Productions, Geoff Gil- add. lette and Tery Tlvl More engineering. Also at Currently Emerson, Lake and "Usually," Lee explains, "a studio Kendun: Kent Duncan disk mastering the up- has either a dead or live sound, The Palmer are back working on an al- but The difference coming Alice Cooper LP with producer David we have a combination of both or a bum, the Average White Band re- recording Foster; A &M's Magnet in for vocal overdubs with dead sound can be isolated from turns in December for the third time, the is clear. Stephen Gallas at the board with Joe Laux; and live or vice versa depending the studio Thin Lizzy recorded here, as on Jesse Colin Young and Bruce Walford in to work did client's needs." (213) 462 -6477 16/24 track on Young's Elektra LP with Kendun's John Bob Marley, Robert Palmer (Island 1556 No. La Brea Ave. Golden. Records) Talking Heads, and Althea When the second studio is com- Hollywood, CA 90028 7460 Melrose Avenue pleted, Evelyn "Champagne" King into KSR Studios and Donna (Virgin Records); Third Compass Point will have two Los Angeles, Ca 90046 (213) 655 -2996 fully to do overdubs for a Don Kirshner "Rock Con- World returns in January and Feb- equipped 24 -track studios and cert." ruary; Jerry Wexler's bringing in such facilities as a large client lounge with Dr. Musix expanding here with a second 24- Dire Straits; and Brian Eno pro- a small bar, video games, pin- track studio due to be operational by February. duced "Devo" in the new studio. ball machines and a private lounge A third one is scheduled for June.... Joe Lange President of Compass Point is is- for clients to set up an office with and Robby Adcock co- producing Midnight lander Al Collio, a well -known Nas- phones and a secretary. Rhythm for Atlantic at Golden Age Recorders. sauvian entertainer; Chris Blackwell "We have a large Bahamian ... The Eagles doing vocals WE'VE GOT IT! and overdubs at is chairman of the board, Lorraine staff," Lee continues. "All of our as- Britannia Studios with producer Bill Szymczyk Frazier acts as studio manager for sistant engineers are Bahamian That's right! WE FINALLY GOT IT! In fact... for a new Elektra album. Assisting is studio staff administration and Richard Lee trainees. They're doing extremely we're the first studio in the United States to receive producer Richard Vandagriff.... John Farrar (another former Criterian) is techni- well for people who've had no expe- producing Olivia Newton -John at Group QUAD- EIGHTS NEW IV, Da- cal studio manager. rience with this type of work." vid Holman engineering, assisted by Betsy Compass Point is CORONADO: 40 INPUT, 24 MIXING BUSS Banghart. * * * equipped with There are three assistant engi- CONSOLE WITH COMPUMIX III AUTOMATION the MCI fully automated JLT 500 neers, a maintenance engineer plus a Karl Richardson doing some work on the up- series console with 36 inputs; Dolby full -time cook who prepares coffee, And ... if that isn't enough ... we thought we would coming Bee Gees RSO album at New York's and dbx noise reduction units; an tea and lunch for groups in session. Soundmixers, Dennis Hetzendorfer and Vern add a few more things like . MCI multi -track with 24 and 16- When groups come from the U.S. Carlson assisting behind the board. Also at MCI tape machines MXR phaser EMT 240 reverb track heads featuring the new Quior or Europe, Frazier and her staff se- Soundmixers, Bob James at work on dual proj- Dolby MXR flanger Quad eight RV -10 reverb circuitry; two MCI 110 A two tracks cure lodgings. Marshall time EXR exciter Quad eight digital reverb ects, his own Tappan Zee LP with Joe Jorgensen with 14 -inch reel; a BX 20 and two "We do this as part of the service modulator Urie comp /limit XT -24 interlocator engineering and the new Richard Tee album for Lexicon prime time Quad Eight comp Amber audio EMT 250s; an Aphex Aural Exciter of the studio," she says. "They tell us /limit Tappan Zee, 11m Bomba and Vern Carlson as- Evintide Harmonizer w /de -ess spectrum display (which can be rented); two Evantide what accommodations they need Delta DDL Digital metronome Nakamichi sisting. JIM McCULLAUGH MXR DDL Orban parametric EQ Goodmans DBLs; seven assorted limiters and and we find them. We also can sup- MXR limiter White passive EQ Auratones Pepex units, four sets of Tannoy ply them with maids, baby sitters, Lockwood monitors; Oratones and cooks, whatever they want and need Even For more impressive than our equipment or our the Record Visoniks as well as a dozen or so of We try to make everything as easy as elaborately designed and furnished studio is the way LOS ANGELES -Golden Sound the highest quality microphones. possible for our customers." it is combined to give you the best sound possible! and the Video Studio are the correct "There's no limit to what is being Along with the addition of a sec- names of the new recording and GIVE US A CALL & TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR NEW CLIENT RATE spent on equipment to make this a ond studio, Compass Point is adding video complex being constructed superior studio," comments Richard seven luxury rental apartments with ... After all ... you deserve the best! here at the site of the old Radio Lee. their own tennis and squash courts Recorders at 7000 Santa Monica The studio has been booked solid and a swimming pool. Directly 18730 Oxnard Street Blvd. on a 24 -hour basis, seven days a across the street, five ocean town Tarzana, Calif. 91356 In last week's issue the Video Stu- week, its owners claim. houses will be built, primarily for dio was referred (213) 342 -2626 to as the Video Cen- "Emerson, Lake and Palmer will people associated with the music in- ter. Tim Sacora is vice president of be here through October," explains dustry. CAN -A11 RECORDERS INC. the Video Studio while Bob Doggett Lorraine Frazier. "That's who we're hoping to at- i is president. "In the evenings," she adds, "In- tract to this area," Frazier explains.