Performing Songwriter’S by Mare Wakefield AnnuAl Roundup Professional studios FoR leessSS thAn $100 hr. oK, you’ve written your songs, practiced your EnglEwood New Jersey instrument and honed your craft. You now have a bennett StudioS (pictured above) AddrEss 1 depot Square, collection of 12 (or 10 or 15) perfect songs, ready englewood, N.J. 07631 ownEr dae bennett While more and more artists are to be captured. So now what? TEl 210.227.0200 opting for the record-it-yourself-in-the-closet method, there are still many reasons WeB www.bennettstudios.com to choose a professional studio. in addition to the ears and expertise of profes- ArTIsTs: Suzy bogguss, dave’s true Story, the sional recording engineers, you also have access to expensive and sometimes bacon brothers, Marie Gabrielle vintage equipment, and someone who knows how to run it all. there’s also the UnIQUE FEATUrE: bennett Studios is connected question of acoustics. even if you have the know-how and the equipment, your to the 1,400 seat John Harms theater in englewood by 64 channels of audio and eight bedroom or basement may prove troublesome when it comes to room sound. channels of video, allowing a high quality professional studios have been acoustically designed to sound great. once you studio recording of live events. weigh all these considerations, you may very well decide that a professional Housed in a 100-year-old slate-roofed recording studio is the way to go. victorian railroad station, bennett Studios With this in mind, Performing Songwriter takes a look at studios across North (owned by tony bennett’s son dae) offers not only beautifully designed, multiple recording america in our third annual Studio roundup. We know you don’t want to sell your studios for recording audio, but also has DVD car or take out a second mortgage to finance your recording, and the good news and video services as well. “Having additional content for promotion and sale is essential is that you don’t have to. We’ve researched 10 studios that offer expert services in the current market,” says engineer brian for under $100 an hour, each boasting an impressive clientele and golden ears. dozoretz. “We offer an experienced staff P E r F o r m I n g s o n g w r ite r 74 s E P T E m be r / o c T o be r 2 0 0 5 ProfessIonAl StudIos leSS tHaN $100 Hr. coNtiNued full of producers, videographers, editors and tance of the building itself. “anyone can one another and feel connected. recording engineers.” have great gear,” he says. “What i believe the studio uses pro tools Hd3 with apogee the studio prides itself on providing makes the lodge better than other area converters as well as a Studer a827 24-track, a comfortable, creative atmosphere for studios is the attention we have put into 2-inch analog tape machine, and mixes on a performers. the North room is the largest of the acoustics of our recording spaces and digidesign pro control and a yamaha 02r. the onsite recording areas and was the original control rooms.” in addition to their outstanding collection of waiting room of the train station. the acoustic despite having recorded with high-profile microphones, they offer a wide selection of and sound proofing material are hidden behind artists, Symons and his staff aren’t strangers high-end mic preamps and compressors that victorian paneled walls and ceilings, and the to working within a modest budget. “i tell enable clients to capture just the sound they large windows face neighboring depot park. potential customers we can work at whatever are looking for. live rooms provide great acoustics for single pace you need to get the project done within the studio’s basic philosophy is to players or an entire orchestra, while control the budget you have available,” he says. provide a high-quality, comfortable, creative rooms are spacious and allow everyone to make in addition to recording and mixing, the environment for every artist, and their critical audio judgments on the recording. lodge can hire musicians and producers, impressive client roster and nearby historic bennett Studios offer a 32-channel pro master an album, help with CD graphic design surroundings should help any performer feel tools/apogee 8000 system, an 80-channel SSl and get the CDs pressed and ready for retail, both confident and inspired. 4080 system and a 24-track Studer 820 two- allowing clients to deal with just one contact inch analog tape system. but, says dozoretz, person for their entire project. “all the technology involved in combining digital NashvIllE tennessee and analog recording techniques becomes coMpass SouNd Studio secondary to capturing inspirational moments that happen in the studio.” AddrEss 916 19th avenue South, New orleans louisiana Nashville, tenn. 37212 ultraSoNic StudioS ManAgEr erick Jaskowiak IndianapolIs indiana 7210 Washington ave. AddrEss TEl 615-320.7672 The lodGe New orleans, la. 70125 ownErs AddrEss 3350 roosevelt ave. david farrell and Steve reynolds ArTIsTs: beth Nielsen chapman, victor indianapolis, ind. 46218 TEl 504.486.4873 Wooten, the indigo Girls, darol anger Operations andy Symons ManAgEr WeB www.masterdigital.com TEl 317.568.0000 UnIQUE FEATUrE: compass Sound utilizes a WeB www.thelodgestudios.com ArTIsTs: Smokey robinson, Queen latifah, top-notch headphone system offering each ellis Marsalis, buckwheat Zydeco musician their own headphone mix. ArTIsTs: eminem, pink, carrie Newcomer, the Wright brothers UnIQUE FEATUrE: ultrasonic Studios has more if you’re tired of the bluish glow of the than 70 microphones available for client use, computer screen being the main source of UnIQUE FEATUrE: a 15,000 square-foot from vintage tubes and ribbons to DPA high- light in dungeon-like studios, then compass building houses the lodge’s three studios. all voltage condensers. Sound is for you. the studio was designed this space provides musicians and producers with plenty of windows to let in natural light. an environment that is comfortable and located just a few short miles from New Says studio owner and co-founder Garry conducive to creativity. orleans’ famed french Quarter, ultrasonic West, “i’ve always disliked spending the the lodge ultrasonic Studios compass Sound Studio With 23-foot ceilings and a natural ambience, Studios has recorded and produced some of whole day in studios without windows, not the lodge is the perfect marriage of old- jazz, r&b and zydeco music’s top performers. knowing what time of day it is.” school warmth and the latest in 24-bit the studio features a large, flexible recording in addition to the golden light of day, a clarity. three separate recording studios room surrounded by a control room and four brand new seven-foot yamaha grand piano provide varying rates and features. clients isolation booths. the multiple isolation booths helps to beautify compass Sound’s main also have access to the lodge’s vintage allow for tracking larger bands without any recording room. “We intentionally picked microphone collection. but operations worry of noise bleed, plus they all have full a piano with a warmer tone,” says studio manager andy Symons stresses the impor- glass doors so that the performers can still see manager erick Jaskowiak. “this piano records P E r F o r m I n g s o n g w r ite r 75 s E P T E m be r / o c T o be r 2 0 0 5 ProfessIonAl StudIos leSS tHaN $100 Hr. coNtiNued beautifully and has incredible definition on the and AKGs. also, there are a multitude of success to the old-school sound design low end; it’s been garnering praise from some instruments at the client’s fingertips, like a and the building itself, which producer very discerning pianists including John r. burr grand piano, a Hammond c-3 organ and a Niko bolas calls a “groovy little hideout.” and phil aaberg.” the studio also went all out Horner clavinet. “Nowadays, you can make your recordings on their headphone set-up, implementing a despite all their experience and gear, ‘perfect’ with the help of a computer,” says formula cue 8 system with a handmade power Shaw says the goal at Soundesign is to Wirt. “but there is something better than amp. “everything a musician plays and reacts let the artist be in charge. “our goal perfect, and that is the magic that happens to is influenced by what they are hearing,” is to make singers and artists feel as when the artists are inspired to the very says Jaskowiak. to help clients reach their comfortable as possible,” he says. “doing apex of their abilities and beyond, when best performing potential, each client gets this and keeping artists within budget is people gather around the fire to gnaw on their own headphone box and has complete what gives us all of our return customers bones and the moon is full.” control of eight separate faders for customized and continual new friends.” listening. DurhAm North carolina Santa monIcA california overdub laNe recording Brattleboro vermont 4tH Street recording AddrEss 1408 christian ave. Suite #15, SouNdeSign recording Studio durham, N.c. 27705 AddrEss 1211 4th Street, Santa Monica, calif. 90401 StudIo AddrEss 181 Main Street, ManAgEr lisa lachot brattleboro, vt. 05301 ownEr kathleen Wirt TEl 919.309.0838 ownEr billy Shaw TEl 310.395.9144 WeB www.overdublane.com TEl 866.567.1555 WeB www.4thstreetrecording.com WeB www.soundesign-usa.com ArTIsTs: curt kirkwood of the Meatpuppets, ArTIsTs: fiona apple, George clinton, Nelly katharine Whalen of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, ArTIsTs: NRBQ, Sun ra, Mike Scully, diane furtado, Michael penn krist Novoselic, kim richey Zeigler UnIQUE FEATUrE: the welcoming 4th Street UnIQUE FEATUrE: Studio owner Wes lachot UnIQUE FEATUrE: Soundesign has been in recording features a comfy, two-story lounge is not only a recording engineer but also business for nearly 25 years, and they consider where they sometimes host out-of-town a musician and studio designer, making their reliability and reputation their most clients overnight.