Recording
Classic Track: Blondie, “Denis”
Blondie included “Denis” on the album "Plastic Letters," the second LP the band made in Plaza Sound, New York City, with Richard Gottehrer and Rob Freeman.
Composer Nathan Barr
A Stunning New Studio, a Rare Wurlitzer Organ, and the Tones of a Human Femur
Classic Track: The Cowsills, “Hair”
By Matt Hurwitz. Carl Reiner was pulling together a television special called "Wonderful World of Pizazz," which celebrated the hippie styling of the day, and wanted The Cowsills to appear on the show performing “Hair,” the title track to the then-hit Broadway musical sensation.
Jon Cleary’s 'Dyna-Mite'
By Barbara Schultz. Cleary takes an extremely methodical approach to record-making.
Mix Regional: Canada — Sessions and Studio News
Updates from Iguana Studios, Planet Studios, Studio Loco, Rose Room Recording and Afterlife Studios
Danny Kortchmar & The Immediate Family
L.A.’s Ultimate Session Musicians Take the Lead—In Studio and On Stage
Classic Track: Semisonic 'Closing Time'
If it had not been for producer Steve Lillywhite, Semisonic’s "Feeling Strangely Fine" and its hit single “Closing Time” would never have seen the light of day.
Mikaela Davis’ Special 'Delivery'
Producer John Congleton Brings the Funk and Edge on Harpist’s Debut
Mix Regional: Bay Area
Updates from Fantasy Studios, Different Fur, Hyde Street Studios, Skyline Studios, Lightrail Studios, Prairie Sun and The Grill.
John Vanderslice and Tiny Telephone
Trio of Studios Invite Artists to Partake in Producer/Engineer’s Artful Approach in Bay Area
Classic Tracks: "I'll Be You," The Replacements
“I’ll Be You,” became The Replacements’ biggest hit.
Mix Regional: Midwest U.S.
Updates from Pachyderm Studios, Audio for the Arts, Ambient Studios, Minnehaha, Gaslight, Shock City, 416 Wabash, Static Shack, DNA Music Labs, Wild Sound, Stone Soup Recording Studios, The Pearl, Clutch Sound and Element Recording Studios.
Skating Polly, Brad Wood and 'The Make It All Show'
Brad Wood engineered, produced and mixed Skating Polly's latest album, "The Make It All Show," in Seagrass Studio, the personal space that he has owned and operated for the past 14 years.
Angelique Kidjo’s 'Remain in Light'
Cross-Culture Advocate Re-imagines Talking Heads With African Spirit
The Evolution of Frank Turner
By Anthony Savona. Punk Folk Troubadour Aims to “Be More Kind” With His Latest Release
Mix Regional: Nashville
By Barbara Schultz. Nick Raskulinecz: Room for Variety; Black River Booming. Updates from Southern Ground Studios, House of Blues, Ocean Way Nashville, Sound Kitchen, Uno Mas Studios, Parlor Productions, Blackbird Studios, Sound Emporium, Watershed and Prime Recording.
Parker Millsap, Gary Paczosa and Shani Gandhi Make "Other Arrangements"
Paczosa and Gandhi collaborated as engineers and producers on "Arrangements," taking Millsap and his touring band first to Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, N.C., for tracking.
Classic Tracks: “Guitar Town” by Steve Earle
In this month’s Classic Tracks we take a look at sessions for the entire album, which included not only the Top 10 title track, but unforgettable hits such as “Hillbilly Highway” and “Goodbye’s All We’ve Got Left,” and heartbreakers like “My Old Friend the Blues” and “Little Rock ’n’ Roller.”
"Forever Words," Setting Johnny Cash’s Personal Writings to Music
As John Carter Cash pored over his late father’s voluminous writings, two goals emerged: to curate and publish a collection in book form, and then to make an album, creating a musical setting for a selection of those works.
Back Page Blog: An Introduction
Mix's new technology editors, Mike Levine and Steve La Cerra, introduce themselves.
Producer/Engineer Sheldon Gomberg
More Great Music to Come After a Move to the Other Side of the Glass
Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite
Beauty of the Blues Is Boundless on "No Mercy in This Land"
Classic Tracks: Supertramp's "Give a Little Bit"
By Matt Hurwitz. Though he no longer recalls precisely where or when “Give a Little Bit” was written, Hodgson explains, “I’ve always known that love is what I long for, what I want, what I believe we’re here to learn, ultimately.” And as the love chant of the ’60s was fading, he says, “Maybe it was an answer—‘Oh, just give a little bit.’”
Mix Studio: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
New Weekly Blog on Recording and Production, With Mike Levine
Sylvia Massy’s Studio Divine
By Barbara Schultz. Famed Engineer/Producer Opens Up Her Studio While She Works Abroad
Mix Regional: Southwest U.S.
By Barbara Schultz. Joe Bonamassa and Beth Hart in Session for “Black Coffee,” Studio at the Palms; Update from Beacon Hill Studios; Saltmine Studio Oasis; Dust & Stone; The Tone Factory Recording Studios; D.I. Recording Studios; Brickroad Studios; Allusion Studios; Waterworks Recording; Tucsound
Malaco, the “Last Soul Company,” Thrives at 50
How the Blues, Soul Studio/Label Came Back After Disaster Struck. By Jim Beaugez.
Chris Tabron: The Producer’s Guide to Mixing
Or, the Mixer’s Guide to Producing: Inside the Creative Mind of Chris Tabron. By Anthony Savona.
Classic Track: ‘Master of Puppets,’ Metallica
By Sarah Jones. "Master of Puppets," Metallica’s third album, was released in March 1986 as the band’s major-label debut. Five years into their careers, they were maturing as artists, with all four members—frontman James Hetfield, guitarist Kirk Hammett, bassist Cliff Burton and drummer Lars Ulrich—contributing equally to song material.
Mix Regional: Austin
By Barbara Schultz. King Electric Hosts Refugee Musicians, James McMurtry’s “State of the Union," and a studio report from Austin-area facilities including Arlyn Studios, Altavista Studio, 5th Street Studios and Austin Signal.