Nashville, Los Angeles and New York:
to many people these are the epicenters of recording in the United States. One cannot deny that many records are made in these cities, but the history of recorded music brings many more places to light, such as New Orleans, Memphis, Boston, San Francisco and others. But what about recording in even more rural locales? In this issue we visit two California locations — RadioStar Studios in Weed and Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree. We also talk to The Books who've recorded in a basement in the Appalachians as well as their shack in the woods (see the photos). Chris Stamey also brings us part one of his four part "Fixing It Before the Mix" guides — his studio is in beautiful Chapel Hill, North Carolina. But we also talked to Barry Conley and Chris Goss this issue, who've worked all over Los Angeles and other major cities, as well as recording out in Joshua Tree.
Music is recorded everywhere these days. Sure, there will still be records made in the "big three" cities, but with the proliferation of affordable and decent sounding digital recording gear in the last decade, we see people making records all over the world in unique locations. And a unique location, an interesting building or space and a one-of-a-kind environment are aspects you cannot simply hire a studio designer to build for you.
I also wanted to check in regarding my intro to last issue. I was able to spend a week at my new Jackpot! Recording Studio space in Portland making an album for my friends in System & Station. All the planning that went into creating this new space paid off — everything worked right, gear was laid out logically and I was able to get some great drum sounds in the new live room. Any ideas for changes I've come up with are very minor, and I feel like all the planning, four months of solid work, the attention to detail from my landlords at Hamptone and my personal financial expenses were all worth it. But would I ever go through the process of moving or opening a studio of this scale again? I hope I never have to, to be honest! See you in March.
Larry Crane