The magic of the recording studios
The magic touch a recording studio can bring to your music.
This morning I drove my son to the Barcelona airport, he came to visit us, and he was returning to his home, in Toronto. We had some time to chat. It all started with some observations about music we listen at, it was Pink Floyd. His observation was that there was a lot of work to get that sound, and, from there, we end up with different arguments about how the music is recorded.
He loves music, he is very open-minded, he plays a couple of instruments; his vinyl collection is quite large and you can find everything there, from the 40 and 50’s jazz to Kendrick Lamar and Jacob Collier.
He also mentioned that there is so much music today, and it is so easy to access it. He noticed how the overall sound changed over the years – and it wasn’t because the technology changes. He also noticed a kind of specific sounds, and a constant change in the colour of sound. He’s right, and then we argue about a couple of aspects.
On the way back, after I left him at the airport, I was thinking if there is a conclusion to what we discussed. The answer is affirmative.
Somehow the starting point was that today there is so much music, and it is so easily accessible; however, so much of it is actually not relevant, and it takes time to find the relevant music. Indeed, the technology brought with it a democratization of the music production, and way more people can record and produce their music and load it in different platforms.
But that comes with a paradox: it seems that some filters were removed in between the music production and the listener. Let me explain. Back in the 50’s and 60’s, the music business model was that the record labels signed musicians and invested in them. At that time many record labels had their own studios, or they collaborated with some great recording studios. The labels had their A&R people, and they we’re looking to sign original musical acts. At that time, the money we’re made by selling albums. The label, once it signed an act, provided a budget, and the musical acts went into a professional studio with professional people, and they we’re getting their music recorded. At that time, a studio was a major investment, not everybody could afford to go and record. The labels, through their selection process, we’re making sure people with talent and originality we’re brought into the picture. As much as the record labels we’re pushing for commercial reasons the artists, the studio space and acoustics, and the producers and engineers had an enormous contribution to the music. I don’t think it is exaggerated to say that you can recognize the Blue Note sound (how many of you know about Rudy van Gelder?), or the Abbey Road sound, or the Capitol Tower sound.
It was the time when a studio was actually an instrument and a magic place. One of the first truly magical places was Sun Studios in 50’s, started by Sam Philips. His idea was to record people and sell the tapes. It took him a bit over a year to find success, as he got talents to record in his studio (which was actualy a 21 by 35 foot live area and a tinny control room), talents like Howlin’Wolf, BB King. Soon it became a major birthplace of rock’n roll, and Sam discovered and launch the careers of Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins. Sam had a keen ear, and he perfected the slapback echo and tape delay.
Capitol Tower building was made by Capitol Records, using the design of Louis Nadorf. Here Michael Rettinger developed major studio techniques, and the results can be heard on the records of Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Nat “King” Cole, The Beach Boys. The Capitol “echo chambers” are famous, and are the main ingredient in creating the Beach Boy’s sound – the classic “Good Vibrations”.
In late 50’s Rudy Van Gelder opened it’s studio in Englewood Cliffs, in New Jersey. His recording room had a 40 foot high ceiling, and he used to say: “I built the studio, I created the environment in which they play, I selected, installed, and operate the equipment. An analogy might be, someone wanted to put a man on the moon, but it was an engineer who got him there. My goal is to make the musicians sound the way they want to be heard.” The Blue Notes sound can be heard on Art Blackey, Joe Henderson, Miles Davis and Cannonnball Adderley work.
At the same time, RCA opened in Nashville, and it became known for producing the iconic Nashville Sound.
These studios crafted sounds are legendary; however, in 60’s the new studios became somehow an artistic hub. As the technology evolved, and 8-track recording becoming commonplace in 60’s, the significance of music producers increased. The studio rules were more relaxed, the instruments they had allowed for more experimentation. Here, I would mention some UK studios, first Trident, based in Soho, London – where Queen recorded their first four albums, David Bowiem T-Rex, Lou Reed and many more. Others were Olympic Studio in Barnes (Rolling Stones, Jimmy Hendrix), Britannia Road in Islington (Pink Floyd, Joy Division), and of course, Abbey Road.
Abbey Road – formerly EMI studios – is maybe the most known, due to the innovative approach, the long list of bands that recorded there- Beatles, Pink Floyd, Duran Duran, Lady Gaga, Radiohead, Ed Sheeran. The studio has its own charm and character, fantastic acoustics, and, most important probably, it changed completely the concept that the studio is a place to capture naturally and accurate a performance, and it became an instrument, it allowed and further the creative endeavor.
There are many other studios worth mentioning: Hitswille USA- Motown, Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin, Air Studio London, Chess Records. All of them were, to a large extent, a true creative instrument. It was a place where extremely competent people met fantastic acoustics and great instruments, real musical hubs. But it is important to understand that before artist went in the studios, it was a filter imposed by the labels. They picked the authors, and we’re actually good at that. Once in the studio, the artists had time to experiment, they were assisted by competent people (engineers, producers) and the results were fantastic. It was said that the record label made money if one out of nine acts had major sales. So, it is a proportion of 1 to 9. Today in the digital age the proportion is like 1 to a hundred thousands or worse.
The digital age changed almost everything: as the power of a computer is huge, the cost of producing music dropped a lot, allowing almost everybody to record a song. But, more important than that, is the fact that the digital age changed the music business model. The big budgets of the record labels are not there anymore. That imposed the closure of many recording studios. Also, most of the top professionals opened their studio, as the investment requirements dropped, and they went independent. The music production costs dropped, however, the income from music albums dropped dramatically. More and more record label work with professional medium and small studios. Today the majors are signing only 360 deals – meaning they have a share from everything, and they sign only acts that they can promote as a live show. That is not necessarily bad, given that many live shows are performed by acts locally, and they are able to manage themselves well.
Bot going back to the studio idea, is everything from the golden era of studios lost? No, not really. Indeed, there are less studios like Abbey Road and Capitol, with their fantastic acoustics; but there are more and more small studios where you can produce your music very well. Of course, good equipment, good acoustics, top instruments, great atmosphere and experienced engineers/producers are what is needed, but for an independent artist this is a good thing, being more affordable. It was Alanis Morissette and Greg Ballard with “Jagged little pill” that opened this road, and show that this is a viable road.
The concept of the studio as a creative place did not die; actually, with the technological advancements, more things are possible. And I would say, the most important thing, going into a studio is actually a time where you can have yourself the opportunity to put some filters in place, if you work into a magical place, with professional people. It is far better than just doing yourself, if you’re serious about your music and believe in yourself.
It is up to the artist to recognize and find the magic when he is looking for a studio.
Written by Florin Buciu, recording engineer and producer at Fandango Recording in Calonge, Spain. Since 1997, Florin has helped artists bring emotional storytelling to life through recording, mixing, mastering, and production.
Tags: Recording studio, Top-tier recording studio, Mid-tier recording studio, Project studios, Music producer studios
