Hyde Street Studios recently completed an overall technical revamping of Studio A and is under way in building an annex studio in San Francisco’s Sunset district. The technical upgrade involved extensive restoration and modifications to the studio’s vintage Neve 8038 console, with head technician Kevin Ink leading a team to replace capacitors, switches, all the pots in the 38 channels of EQ, and more. Consulting on the project was Nashville-based Neve expert Fred Hill.
Hyde Street’s new Sunset buildout, Rancho Rivera, is designed for tracking, mixing or editing, with a total of five tracking rooms tied to one control room featuring an Avid D Command, Pro Tools HD system, Otari MTR 90 II with 24-track or 16-track heads, and a full complement of vintage outboard gear. Rancho Rivera is set to open later this year.
Even with all of the technical tweaks, Hyde Street has been booked up: Hope Sandoval and engineer/collaborator Colm Ó Cíosóig mixed Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions’ new single “Let Me Get There” (Feat. Kurt Vile) on the Neve 8038. Sandoval’s vocal features tape delay from an Otari MTR-10 and a Teletronix LA2A. Engineer Jaimeson Durr assisted…Chuck Prophet worked in Studio A, tracking basics for his album Bobby Fuller Died For Your Sins. Paul Kolderie engineered with assistance from Will Chason. Prophet’s project was tracked to 2-inch 24-track tape via a Studer A820…Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon was joined by Faith No More’s Mike Patton to cut vocal tracks for Kozelek’s upcoming album Mark Kozelek Sings Favorites. And Josiah Johnson of the Head and the Heart recorded some vocals for the group’s album Signs of Light. Kozelek’s session was engineered by Will Chason; studio manager Jack Kertzman reports that they used Neumann U87 and Shure SM7 mics, Neve 1081 preamps, and a Teletronix LA2A for the recording.
