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Mix Regional Sessions: Pacific Northwest 2016

THE HALLOWED HALLS, PORTLAND, ORE.

Studio manager/chief engineer Justin Phelps has completed new projects with The Shook Twins (co-produced with Gregory Alan Isakov), Poison Idea, Fruition, Lynx and her new band The Servants of Song, The Roseland Hunters featuring Nick Daniels, and World’s Finest, among many others…Producer/engineer Billy Anderson has also been in regular residence recording projects with SUMA, Witch Mountain, Eight Bells, Year of The Cobra, and Red River…Phelps has also launched Volume Bomb Records out of the studio and is utilizing the studio’s in-house guitar store, Saint Frank’s Music, as a brick-and-mortar for new releases…Label projects created at the studio include The Latter Day Skanks, 42 Ford Prefect, World War Four, Perfect Monster, The Thornes, and The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal…Producer Ron Nevison (The Who, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, Kiss, Ozzy Osbourne) booked a monthlong session this spring, working with Portland rock band Paradise… Capitol Records artist Brad Mackeson recorded his new album in Studio A with engineer Ryan Lewis…Other sessions have included Worth (produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos and engineered by Phelps), The Verner Pantons featuring Peter Buck of R.E.M. (engineered by David Streit), Love Bomb Orchestra (also engineered by Streit), and Sessions in The Box featuring Le Butcherettes (engineered by Mike Blackburn).

Mixed Metaphor Recording

MIXED METAPHOR RECORDING, BOISE, IDAHO

Studio owner/engineer Nate Agenbroad has been engineering and co-producing artists Jeff Crosby, Brian Vernon, Damien Burrello and Jake Saunders…Agenbroad also engineered and co-produced an album with Thomas Paul that was recorded live in a hotel room as part of an annual art event…Agenbroad also recorded a piece of contemporary classical music for eight cellos. “I was working with a single musician to record all the parts in a nice performance hall at the university, and we actually set up eight chairs in a semicircle with one ORTF pair—beyerdynamic MC930s—and a spot mic—AEA R84—and had him perform each part in a different chair,” Agenbroad says. “It made for a really nice, natural spread in the stereo field without any need for panning. It’s probably been done before, but I was pretty excited about that solution.”…In studio upgrade news, Agenbroad built a custom workstation and acquired a Pearlman TM-1 tube mic.

Electrokitty Recording Studio

ELECTROKITTY RECORDING STUDIO, SEATTLE

Wale was working on his upcoming album Shine, with engineer Chris Pack and assistant engineer GG Reynolds… Spirit Award tracked drums for its new single “Las Vegas” with engineer Reynolds. They tracked using a vintage Neve 54 Series suitcase mixer…The studio also added an Alan Smart C1 Bus Compressor.

Alice in Chains at Synergy Productions, with engineer/producer Jason Shavey at the SSL.

SYNERGY PRODUCTIONS, SEATTLE

Alice in Chains was at Synergy Productions, with engineer/producer Jason Shavey. They used the SSL 4000G+ and Friedman JJ-100, Jerry Cantrell Signature Head.

L to R: Chris “Zeuss” Harris (producer), Wednesday 13, Deen Castronovo, Kyle Castronovo, and Roman Surman at Black Diamond Studio

BLACK DIAMOND STUDIOS, PORTLAND, ORE.

Kyle Castronovo tracked drums for the latest upcoming full-length album from Wednesday 13 (Murderdolls vocalist) at Black Diamond. Chris “Zeuss” Harris/W13 produced and engineered; additional engineers included Matt Jefferson and Andrew Shartle. Deen Castronovo guest appears on one song as well…Deen Castronovo also made a guest appearance drumming on the new Fear Factory album Genexus on a song titled “Soul Hacker.” Drum tracks were captured at Black Diamond, with Jefferson engineering…Atlantic Records artist D.R.A.M. dropped by Black Diamond to lay down some vocals. Jefferson engineered the session and used a Neumann U 87 through a Manley Voxbox for vocals…Nico and Vinz stopped by during their tour with Bruno Mars lay down some vocals with engineer Jefferson, which ended up on the song “Miracles” on the album titled Black Star Elephant. Jefferson used a U 87 through Manley Voxbox…Todd Hoffman (star of the hit Discovery Channel show The Gold Rush) recently recorded vocal covers of some of his favorite songs, including Ozzy Osbourne’s “If I Close My Eyes Forever” with Portland-based singer Heidi Canfield. Both singers were captured with the AKG C414 through the Manley Voxbox, then an Empirical Labs Distressor with moderate compression going in to Pro Tools…Alex McDonald recently tracked drums for the debut EP from progressive/death metal band Senescence, and the sophomore album from orchestral prog-metal band Tyranny of Hours. The Senescence EP is currently being mixed at Black Diamond, while tracking and post-production continues on Tyranny of Hours’ album. McDonald and Senescence produced, and Jefferson, McDonald, and Don Graham engineered Senescence. For Tyranny of Hours, Graham produced and engineered, and Jefferson and McDonald engineered…Dim Mak Records artist Oly recently tracked a new single, engineered by Shartle, along with Team Banzai. Shartle and Jefferson engineered and produced…The studio also recently upgraded its display to a 40-inch Philips screen.

Producer Eric Lilavois talks guitar tones with the band Island Apollo at London Bridge Studio.

LONDON BRIDGE STUDIO, SHORELINE, WASH.

The studio has undergone some massive upgrades. Studio A now boasts an expansive list of outboard gear and an SSL AWS 900 console, in addition to its recently restored Neve 8048 console (upon which classic albums from Temple of The Dog, Mother Love Bone and Pearl Jam were recorded). The studio also recently integrated the JBL M2 master reference speaker system to the control room, and added a variety of mics, including Wunder Audio CM67, and Neumann U 47s and a KM 56. The studio also commissioned guitar amplifier mastermind Mike Soldano to create a custom “London Bridge” 50 watt amplifier, and recently archived the entire Death Cab For Cutie catalog, transferring everything from cassette tapes and demos to ½-inch masters and 2-inch reels…Megs McLean was recently in the studio with producer Geoff Ott. The project featured Ben Smith of Heart on drums, Shohei Ogami on guitar and bass, and Amber Sweeny singing backing vocals. Everything was recorded and mixed in Studio One using UAD plug-ins and an Orion 32 interface, Wunder Audio CM67 on vocals, through the Neve console. The project was mastered by Ed Brooks of Resonant Mastering…Producer Eric Lilavois just wrapped back-to-back projects with artists Givers and Takers and Island Apollo, and is set to return for Naomi Wachira’s upcoming album. Givers and Takers was tracked to 2-inch tape though the Neve. Lilavois used a Telefunken M80 on the snare, with a combination of U 67s as overheads, AEA ribbon mics, and a Subducer subkick to capture the drum tones. Vocals were primarily recorded in LSuite B, with the studio’s original vintage U 87. For Island Apollo, Lilavois and the band set up multiple stations all over the studio to be able to multitask. All of the drums mics were summed down to the studios ADR Compex compressor limiter…Musician and drummer KJ Sawka recently collaborated with RxGF, combining electronic, rock and drum ’n’ bass stylings, produced and engineered by Jonathan Plum. Sawka plays a completely custom-made kit, which was miked with Telefunken ELA M 260 for overheads, and baffled off in the studio’s large drum room with a pair of U 87s outside the baffles, providing the option for tight snappy drums while also being able to blend in the big drum room sound.

The Tonic Room

THE TONIC ROOM, BOISE, IDAHO

Brett Netson and Snakes worked on the Scavenger Cult EP, with Netson producing and Jason Ringelstetter engineering. They used an MCI JH24 tape machine, API, Germanium, and Avalon preamps…Lounge On Fire worked on material with producer/engineer Ringelstetter (Lounge On Fire also produced). They used Pro Tools HD4, Neve 8816, SSL Xlogic G Series compressor, Soundelux U95S, and Neumann U 87 Ai…Clarke and Himselves worked on material with Netson producing and engineering. They used an MCI JH24, Fulltone Tube Tape Echo, modified Soundcraft Series 600, MCI JH 110, and Dangerous Music BAX equalizer…Faded Leroy was with producer/engineer Ringelstetter. They used Pro Tools HD4, SPL Transient Designer 4, SPL Vitalizer, and Great River MP-500NV…Avenue B was with producer/engineer Ringelstetter (Avenue B also produced). They used Pro Tools HD4, Neumann U 87 Ai, Tapco 4400 spring reverb, and Audio-Technica AT4047s…Recent studio additions include the vintage 2-inch MCI JH 24 tape machine, the vintage ¼-inch MCI JH 100 tape machine, Elysia Xfilter stereo equalizer, Great River MP-500NV mic pre’s, a Royer R-122 ribbon mic, and a Dangerous Music BAX equalizer. 

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