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Atlanta News & Notes 2014

Owner Nick Chahwala recently moved Bravo Ocean Studios into a new 2,200 square-foot industrial loft in downtown Atlanta.

L to R: Nick Chahwala and Charles Malone of Bravo Ocean Music Group in Bravo Ocean Studios A room.

Bravo Ocean Studios

Owner Nick Chahwala recently moved Bravo Ocean Studios into a new 2,200 square-foot industrial loft in downtown Atlanta. Before moving downtown, Bravo Ocean Studios was previously named Namaste Studios, and held its operations as a commercial recording studio in Vinings, an Atlanta suburb. At the same time, Chahwala’s production company, Bravo Ocean, was primarily working out of Tricky Stewart’s Triangle Sound Studio. “Eventually, it only made sense to bring the two companies together under one roof to focus more on a full talent/content development model for recording artists,” Chahwala says. “We wanted to build the new facility in a way that wasn’t your typical large control room with an unused SSL spanning from end to end.”

The new facility will complete a full build-out of three control/vocal room suites, Live Room, video-production room, cyc wall and brand development office by end of July 2014. All new consoles and gear is outfitted by Atlanta Pro Audio.

The studio’s main A control room will maintain traditional outboard gear ranging from Neve, API, Avalon, Tube Tech, Vintech and Universal Audio preamps, while a non-traditional digital control center will be equipped with Apogee I/Os, 32 Artist Mix Series digital faders and more racks of 500 Series outboard gear. “We work mostly in the latest Pro Tools software but stock each of our rooms with Logic Pro, as well,” Chahwala says. “We chose the digital route on the console and multiple recording software in order to keep up with the speed and demands of the new recording artists and producers.”

The other control room suites are similarly outfitted, and all rooms are tied to the Live Room. The Live Room has a wide-open construct, with 20-foot ceilings and an all-white baby grand piano. The in-house branding office consults and schedules photo/video shoots on the studio’s 14×14 cyc wall.

“There is also a hidden second-floor loft being built, where a writer or staff member can get away for a quick nap, hookah session or Netflix flick,” Chahwala says.

Icon Studios

Icon Studios’ brand-new A Room—currently under construction—is scheduled to be completed by August 2014. Designed by Fran Manzella, it will be the studio’s largest room, equipped for recording, mixing and TV/film post-production. The control room itself is approximately 1,000 square feet (not including the vocal booth). It will also have a live room that can accommodate a band or small (six- to eight-piece) ensemble.

The A Room will have its own lounge, bath with shower, and private heated access.

In other Icon news, Mary J. Blige recently visited the studio to work on production and writing for “Suitcase” (from the Think Like a Man Too soundtrack), with producer/engineer Mark J. Feist. Additionally, Young Jeezy (with engineer Tony Reyes), Tiffany Foxx (Lil’ Kim’s artist), Keyshia Cole, Musiq Soulchild (with engineer Blake Eiseman) and Leslie Brathwaite worked on forthcoming material.

The Blue Room Recording Studios

The Blue Room Recording Studios recently opened up a second satellite location (called The Blue Room Recording Studios West) blocks away from the beach in Santa Monica, Calif., to accommodate artists on both coasts. The studio is co-owned by artist/producer Bill Jabr and chief engineer James Kang.

Meanwhile, The Blue Room Recording Studios South, in Atlanta, is undergoing a new configuration of Augspurger main monitors, equipped with TAD components and Bryston amps. The project is expected to be completed by the end of August 2014.

Current studio work includes engineers James Kang, Keith Dawson and Micah Wyatt recording and mixing songs for DJ Scream, DJ Infamous, Cash Out, Zip Kennedy and Johnny Cinco. Recent hits recorded at the Blue Room include Rick Ross and Young Jeezy’s “War Ready” (recorded by Tony Rey); YG and Young Jeezy’s “My Hittas” (recorded by Rey); Cash Out’s “She Twerkin” (mixed by K. Dawson); and Infamous’ “Double Cup” (mixed by Dawson).

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