General

LOS ANGELES

Record Plant, one of the premier recording facilities in the world, continues to attract top clients. In addition to hosting such recent guests as Sir Elton John and Don Henley, president Rose Mann reports making renovations to the studios and lounges.

Studio 3, featuring a new Solid State Logic (SSL) 9000 J series console, is now equipped for surround sound mixing. The console has been configured with the latest features for surround mixing, including three-channel panning on the large faders, switchable panning on the small faders, and a surround monitor matrix.

The large monitors are custom-designed by George Augspurger. The full-range cabinets feature TAD 1601b and 4001 components. The dual 18-inch subwoofer is also a custom Augspurger design, featuring JBL 2242H drivers.

Studio 2 also has a new console, an SSL 4000 G+ with Ultimation. The large monitor system has been upgraded as well.

Two Henley-related projects were recently done at Record Plant: his classic "The End Of The Innocence" was remixed in 5.1 for DTS release. Rory Kaplan, executive producer and A&R for DTS, and Rob Jacobs, the original engineer for the album, worked in Studio 3 on the 9000.

Henley's latest release, "Inside Job," was largely recorded at his private studios, then completed and mixed on the 9000 in Studio 4 at record Plant. "Inside Job" was produced by Stan Lynch and recorded and mixed by Jacobs.

"Elton John's The Road To El Dorado," a collection of newly interpreted songs from the film "The Road To El Dorado," took advantage of Record Plant's distinct environments. At one point, explains engineer/editor David Channing, three of the facility's four studios were in use. "We were tracking in one studio, mixing in another, and doing overdubs in the third," Channing recalls.

Another recent project, Bette Midler's upcoming album, was produced and recorded by Don Was and Ed Cherney, using both Studio 4 and Studio 2, Mann reports.

Track Record Studios in North Hollywood welcomed percussionist Sheila E., producing the upcoming Concord Records release for her father, Latin jazz legend Pete Escovedo. Jess Sutcliffe engineered, assisted by Eric Williams. Making a guest appearance on the recordings was the late Tito Puente.

Also at Track Record were Howie Dorough of Backstreet Boys and songwriters Andrew Fromm and Shelly Piken, writing and arranging new material for the upcoming Backstreet Boys release.

NEW YORK

Producer/programmer/arranger Jason Miles has completed the 5.1 mix of his "Celebrating The Music Of Weather Report" at BearTracks in Suffern, N.Y. Telarc released the stereo mix in February, which has remained at No. 1 in Japan for more than a month. The release will be Telarc's first DVD Audio release, due in September. Miller used KRK Expose E8 monitors for the mix.

In nearby Hackensack, N.J., mastering and replication studio Trutone Inc. has been busy. Engineer Phil Austin recently mastered to vinyl Groove Armada's "If Everybody Looked The Same" for a Jive/Zomba release. Austin and DJ Nicky Siano mastered "Tiger Stripes" and "Move" by Downtown 161, also for vinyl release.

Other recent projects by Austin include remastering "Straight Out Of The Jungle" by Jungle Brothers, for a 12-inch rerelease on Warlock Records; "One Minute Science" by Sunna for a 12-inch vinyl release on Astralwerks/Caroline Records; and Richard "Humpty" Vission's new remix CD, "I'll House You," for Tommy Boy Silver.

German microphone manufacturer MBHO established a U.S. presence one year ago by setting up an office in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, N.Y., a neighborhood buzzing with recording studios and venues for the abundance of musicians and performers living in the vicinity. MBHO officially celebrates the first anniversary of its products' availability in the American market at the Audio Engineering Society (AES) Convention, to be held Sept. 22-25 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

MBHO will introduce the MBNM-622 stereo PZM electret condenser microphone for the U.S. market at the AES event. The 622 is a pressure-zone microphone based on the Jecklin disc, with two high-grade condenser cartridges with semi-hemispherical, omnidirectional characteristics.

The MBNM-622 was originally developed for recordings of symphony orchestras, chamber music, and operas. In the U.S., the use of the 622 has been expanded by New York engineers and producers, such as Mark Roule, owner of 33 1/3 Recording in Williamsburg, as a room ambiance microphone for drums and percussion. Roule's credits include work with Happy Mondays, Ziggy Marley, and Tom Tom Club.

NASHVILLE

Woodland Studios recently reopened Studio C, now housing a 48-channel Soundcraft Ghost console with MIDI-mute automation and a Digidesign Pro Tools workstation. Woodland owner Bob Solomon has ventured with producer/engineer Roger Moutenot, who owns a portion of the extensive array of equipment in Studio C. Main monitors are Westlake cabinets with TAD drivers, and nearfields are Yamaha NS-10s.

Long a favorite among many artists, producers, and engineers, be they Nashville-based, national, or international, Woodland suffered extensive damage in a tornado that swept through Nashville in spring 1998, forcing a lengthy closing. However, it has been up and running again for more than a year, pleasing its longtime clients. Studio C had suffered more damage than Woodland's other two rooms, delaying its reopening.

Toby Keith's hit single "How Do You Like Me Now?!" has earned BASF Master Awards for the recording's producers, engineer, and studio. BASF Master Awards are presented whenever a recording on BASF media reaches No. 1 on any of the Billboard charts. "How Do You Like Me Now?!" reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The album was mixed on BASF Studio Master 900 Maxima.

Accepting BASF Master Awards were engineer Chuck Ainlay, studio manager Michael Koreiba, and operations manager Warren Rhoades of Backstage at Sound Stage Studios in Nashville, where the album (of the same name) was mixed. Also receiving BASF Master Awards were producers Toby Keith and James Stroud.

Also at Backstage—the SSL Axiom-MT digital console-equipped room at Sound Stage Studios, which is co-owned by Ainlay and Sound Stage—recording and mix engineer Salvo recently finished projects with Tammy Trent and contemporary Christian artist Israel.

Producers Billy Joe Walker Jr. and Kyle Lehning have once again teamed up with artist Bryan White at Emerald Sound Studios, working on the SSL 9000 J Series console in the Tracking Room. Engineering is by Jason Lehning, with assistance from Scott Kidd. This project is the fourth collaboration among Walker, Lehning, and White. Their previous efforts all achieved gold and/or platinum status. The current project is slated for fall release.



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