Where exceptional Acoustic Spaces and Good Vibrations Meet ATCs   

Many stories have been written about the pivotal role that EastWest Studios has played in the history of modern music. Located in Hollywood, California at 6000 Sunset Boulevard, the facilities opened in 1957 as Western Recorders, became Ocean Way Recording in 1985, Cello Studios in 1999, and finally EastWest Studios in 2006.  Frank Sinatra's My Way, The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, and Michael Jackson's Thriller are among the countless high-profile recordings at East West.  

In fact, the studios have produced more Grammy-winning recordings than any other studio in the world. However, the story of EastWest Studios is also one of technical innovation. Many of today's modern recording practices can be traced back the studios' founder, Bill Putnam (Sinatra's personal engineer).

Bill completely overhauled the studio when he first acquired it, converting it from a radio broadcast center. Putnam is widely credited for inventing many of the essential modern recording techniques and technologies, including the recording console, multi-band equalization, and artificial reverberation. Under the banner of his manufacturing company URIE, Putnam designed the still-ubiquitous LA-2A and 1176 compressors. Putnam's genius carried over to the design of the studios' live rooms, which he considered his crowning achievement. In 1985, Putnam sold the studio to engineering marvel Allen Sides (Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Frank Zappa, and so on), who not only maintained all that Putnam had built, but introduced new technological advances.

Visionary producer and Renaissance man Doug Rogers purchased the facility in 2006, almost surely saving it from the wrecking ball. Rogers is best known for founding EastWest Sounds, the pioneer - and the unassailable leader - of professional-grade sample libraries. Rogers spent three years renovating the space before opening it as EastWest Studios in 2009. "Doug left the acoustics of the live rooms alone, and most of the vintage gear remained, including Studio 1 and Studio 2's Neve consoles," explained Candace Stewart, manager of

EastWest Studios. "Studio 3 needed a new console and after a lot of research, Doug replaced it with a vintage Trident 'A' Range. In addition, he upgraded the ancient electrical infrastructure to hospital-grade and repaired much of the wiring in the control rooms. It was a huge undertaking."

Meanwhile, famed French designer Phillippe Starck completely redid all of the studio's lobby, artist lounges, and added a state-of-the-art kitchen. He redesigned the structure of the hallways to promote more interaction between artists, producers, and engineers. "Creative cross-pollination is one of the things we're happy to promote," said Blake Rogers, EastWest's chief marketing officer. "We love hearing stories of old friends bumping into each other on the way to the bathroom - 'Oh, you're here! Come check out the song I'm working on!' And the next thing you know, they're working on each other's tracks. It's a real source of creative inspiration."

One puzzle that Doug Rogers faced was what monitors to put into each of these legendary control rooms. Doug did his research. He talked to all of his respected industry contacts, and ATCs kept popping up among the favorites. Rogers ultimately decided to install ATC's largest monitor - the ATC SCM300ASL. "The ATC monitors have served us very well," said Lawrence Malchose, chief engineer at EastWest Studios. "We've had them in place for nearly a decade and they've been flawless. They satisfy the needs of our very diverse group of clients and genres. In addition to rock and scoring work, we now get more hip-hop, R&B, and EDM. Across the board, and without exception, people come away commenting on how much they love those monitors!" EastWest Studios also makes ATC SCM150ASL and SCM25A mid-field and near-field monitors available to clients upon request. And as Stewart noted, "Doug has a personal pair of SCM25As just for himself!"  

Now six years after opening its doors to outside clients, EastWest Studios is bucking the industry trend toward project studios and suggesting, perhaps, that the pendulum is swinging back to a more sensible middle ground. "The advantage of booking at EastWest is that we give our clients the ability to do things they simply can't do in their home studios," Stewart said. "First and foremost, the acoustic spaces we have are the best in the world. Many people have tried to replicate Bill Putnam's acoustic designs, to various degrees of success, but there's an intangible perfection in the rooms that Bill built at 6000 Sunset. Like Studio 3 for example: it's smaller than the other tracking rooms, but it's where the Beach Boys recorded Pet Sounds and the Mamas and the Papas recorded all their hits. The room has some sort of magic in it. Vocals just sound amazing in there!"

"More and more, people are realizing that there's just no substitute for a great acoustic space," added Malchose. "And they're also realizing that there's no digital substitute for a great front-end signal path. A lot of young engineers and producers have struggled with plug-ins their entire careers trying to replicate the results that come naturally with a world-class microphone fed through world-class preamps on a world-class console. Then they come here and boom, it sounds fantastic. Another realization that folks have is that 'vintage' does not mean, "obsolete." We maintain all of our vintage equipment in perfect working order and interface it with the latest Pro Tools technology. So we've got fifty-year old consoles in perfect shape working in conjunction with the latest digital technology."

Stewart concluded, "We feel fortunate to be the curators of a fully-functioning museum. We feel protective of the spaces and the gear, and we're so pleased to be contributing to the modern music industry. We want to provide the services, creative infrastructure, and proven technology that will make our client's music better. We take that responsibility very seriously."

Join TransAudio at the  139th AES Convention on October 29-Nov 1,  at the Javits Convention Center in New York.  Booth 3132 in the main exhibit hall!    

Plug Me In
Beatport Remix Contest Winner
Brazilian producer duo, Gui Arruda and STIW like to use bx_digital V2 when correcting something in a master.
Winners of Beatport's Sander van Doorn, Martin Garrix and DVBBS "Gold Skies" remix contest, Arruda  works in Logic  Here's an exherb from a PlugIn Alliance interview where he talks about his hometown, Itu, Brazil known for its DJs at the Anzuclub 
"My creative process is based on how I'm feeling when I'm working, or what feeling I would like to convey through my music. I start with the main melody, I spend a lot of time creating song parts parts on piano, and after that I start with the beat. I like to make everything work together. For example, my hi hats need to fit with the melody etc... We've just finished producing 3 tracks together, including Gold Skies, and these productions were all very collaborative. Read more here

PlugIn Alliance just released the AllBundle V3.3. As always, customers can try every plugin with a fully functional, 14-day demo through a single download.  Each plugin works in AAX Native, AU, VST2 and VST3 formats. Avid Pro Tools HDX users also can enjoy 34 of the products in AAX DSP format.  "It's so exciting to bring our customers quality brands like Chandler, elysia and Brainworx, providing world-class studio processing and guitar sounds," says Plugin Alliance CEO Matt Ward.  All Bundle V3.3 supports the vid Live Sound System, and all of its plugins run on Mac OS10.6 or higher and Windows 7 or 8, 32- or 64-bit.  Customers can pay off the AllBundle in 12 monthly, interest-free installments. Existing users receive credit for previous Plugin Alliance purchases toward the All Bundle cost, and they can upgrade as future plugins come out for a reasonable price.
Starting at $49-up and available here  

 

If you've already downloaded your free bx_opto Pedal, you're already entered in the drawing; if you haven't redeemed your voucher yet, click here to get your free plugin and your chance to win!  
First prize: All Bundle V3.3 | MSRP - $3,335
Second prize: 100% BX Bundle V2.2 | MSRP - $1,299 
Third prize: 100% elysia Bundle V1.1 | MSRP - $599

Winners will be announced by August 1st, 2015.
 

Your Personal Voucher Code

bx_opto_PGCJEZRN6SSQ943UA9QC

 

 

The roster of elite engineers and producers joining the PlugIn Alliance network is growing rapidly. GRAMMY Award winning mixing engineer, Craig Bauer, Khaliq Glover (Michael Jackson, Prince, Justin Timberlake) and Rafa Sardina  (Calle 13, Placido Domingo, Lady Gaga) among them.  full PlugIn Alliance interview with Rafa Sardina here 

ATC SCM20PSL Passive 2 Way Monitors in studio G, Brooklyn where Puss N Boots perform "Don't Know What It Means 

1973 WINS RESOLUTION AWARD  

Ivor Drawmer, veteran designer and manufacturer of boutique high-end audio processors, has earned a 2014 Resolution Award for the new Drawmer 1973 three-band stereo FET compressor. The Drawmer 1973 benefits from Ivor's deep, thirty-plus years of experience building best-in-class signal processors and is unique in its combination of three critical attributes: its controls are remarkably easy to use, its price is low, and its sound is, of course, beautifully musical. "The Drawmer 1973 multiband compressor is the kind of tool that mix and mastering engineers will find so useful they'll wonder how they ever got by without it," said Brad Lunde, president of TransAudio Group, Drawmer's U.S. distributor.  

 

    

Enter Your Song To Win
studioexpresso is pleased to be a media sponsor for the 2 015 International Songwriting Competition (ISC) which gives away more than $150,000 in cash and prizes, including a Grand Prize of $25,000 cash and over $40,000 in prizes.
Judges for this year include: Tom Waits, Kesha, Boys II Men, Moby, Pat Metheny, Lorde, Sara Evans, Bastille, Avicii, Craig Kallman (Chairman/CEO, Atlantic Records); Sylvia Rhone (President, Epic Records); Dan McCarroll (President, Warner Bros. Records); Jeff Castelaz (President, Elektra Records)

 and many, many more.  Click here to enter 

 

Sony and Foo Fighters Partner Up

Sony Corporation and Foo Fighters have agreed to work together to deliver convincing, premium quality High-Resolution Audio experiences to audiophiles worldwide. Band members Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear - has sold over 20 million albums to date and won countless awards, including no less than 11 Grammys. Foo Fighters has always been uncompromising in regards to audio quality and is renowned for proactively demonstrating the highest standards in audio technology live on the road, at the band's own 606 Studios (featuring the immortal Neve console featured in Grohl's Sound City documentary), or in the various legendary studios in which the band's current album Sonic Highways was recorded. Meanwhile, since 2013 Sony has been expanding its lineup of Hi-Res compatible products loaded with unique audio technologies, and establishing collaborations across the music industry in order to spread the growth of Hi-Res Audio - a format which faithfully reproduces the original recording, and enables users to enjoy music the way the artists truly intended. Learn about High Res Audio here
 
DECO Gets Around

'Don't Even Know Your Name' by Nottingham electro-alt act DECO has had over 7000 hits on SoundCloud. 

The single 'TOKYO' comes off DECO's second EP 'Minus'. Completing a mini UK tour this year, the band have recently performed venues including The Barfly, London, O2 Academy Birmingham, Rescue Rooms Nottingham and Kasbah Club Coventry. They opened for Depeche Mode at the LG Arena in Birmingham. Big things in store for DECO. 

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TWO Out
Singer-songwriter Liza Anne's latest album, Two, is a marriage between audio and visual storytelling. So when it came time for her bring to life "Lost," a deeply introspective track about self-caused and self-contained misery, she turned to the equally self-contained medium of dance. Choreographer Kendall Walker, the sole onscreen performer in the video, created an expressive, inventive piece to layer over Liza Anne's searing reflections. Liza Anne's new single is called 'Take It Back' off of her independently released sophomore album, TWO. Liza Anne has shared the stage with Marc Scibilia, Sea Wolf, Leighton Meester, among others. She will support David Ramirez on the West coast leg of his upcoming Fables Tour. NPR Music called Liza Anne a, "...singer-songwriter with a gift for haunting infectiousness." watch the video here

 

ASCAP EXPO - April 28-30, 2016
The world leader in performing rights and advocacy for music creators, has announced that its 11th annual ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO will take place April 28th - 30th, 2016 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles. The conference will kick off with ASCAP's General Annual Membership Meeting, free and open to all ASCAP members, on April 28th.    

The EXPO and conference for songwriters, composers, artists and producers in all genres of music features creative and business-focused panels, workshops, master classes, keynotes, one-on-one sessions, networking events, state-of-the-art technology demonstrations and performances.

Previous master sessions, performances and panels have featured an impressive list of music creators:  Fergie,  Wyclef Jean, Rufus Wainwright,  Seth MacFarlane, Jason Mraz, Don Was,  James Newton Howard, to name a few. 

Cruise To A New Kind of Hollywood Studios

   

Credit: Christian Black/Paramount

Tom Cruise, 53, is as game as ever reprising his role as Ethan Hunt in summer  film Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation.  To help promote the film, he stopped by the Tonight Show joined by Fallon on the Lip Sync Battle in July. Meantime, he's helping build the home of what will be Scientology's new 50 million-dollar global media center, just minutes from major film and broadcast companies such as Paramount Studios and ABC Television.  The five-acre studio lot has two sound stages and 150,000 square feet of production facilities.   

Scientology Media Productions will also be used to make movies to recruit more followers while celeb member Tom Cruise himself is set to film his Hollywood blockbusters at the glittering base, which has facilities that are set to rival Paramount studios.

The church proclaims on its website: 'The world population of 7 billion is growing by more than 250,000 daily. With 3,000 opportunities to reach each person on any given day, the technological power to reach out exists at unprecedented orders of magnitude. The global media center that will revolutionize the Church's communications footprint throughout the print, broadcast, and internet media worlds as a state-of-the-art hub helping beam Scientology's message all over the globe.'

 

    

Summer MUSIC Fests   

July 31st-September 26th 

Mad Decent  --  Atlanta, GA; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Philadelphia, PA; Brooklyn, NY; Detroit, MI; New Orleans, LA; Dallas, TX; Austin, TX; Nashville, TN; Toronto, ON; Calgary, AB; Vancouver, BC; Berkeley, CA; Eugene, OR; San Diego, CA; Phoenix, AZ; Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, MI
maddecentblockparty.com
It began in May and it continues....Mad Decent has been reaching new audiences with viral videos from artists like Baauer and a Major Lazer cartoon on FXX. But the label's bread-and-butter remains their annual block party, which roves the States and Canada throughout the summer. Diplo will no doubt be there, but the ever-shifting lineup also big-ups soca and regional club music. Must-See Acts: Diplo, Dillon Francis, Jack Ü, Cut Copy, ILoveMakonnen, Skrillex, T-Pain, Tyler the Creator, Zeds Dead, Vic Mensa, Knife Party, Mija, Nadus, Major Lazer, Dillon Francis

July 31st-August 2nd

Lollapalooza  -- Chicago, Illinois

 lollapalooza.com  

Three generations headline Lollapalooza this year: a Beatle from the Sixties, metal masters from the Eighties, and the Kate Bush of the 21st century. That wide-ranging eclecticism runs through this year's edition of the venerated festival from top to bottom: Besides McCartney, Metallica and Florence and the Machine, there's new guitar god Gary Clark Jr., rock revivalists Alabama Shakes, bass music madman Flying Lotus, future-R&B diva FKA twigs, plus cosmic country upstarts like Father John Misty and Sturgill Simpson.

  

Aug 7-9 

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival -- San Francisco
sfoutsidelands.com

Split across five stages (including a comedy stage and an EDM tent), this festival of music, art exhibits, gourmet food and wine tastings usually overwhelms both the senses and the wallet. Still, three-day passes to Outside Lands sold out within hours. (One-day passes remain available.) Keep your eyes and ears peeled for surprises: In 2012, Jack White pulled off a secret concert at his Third Man Records truck, playing alongside Boots Riley and Tom Morello. Must-See Acts: Mumford & Sons, Wilco, D'Angelo and the Vanguard.

  

Amy premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May - where it inspired an emotional outpouring from critics and fans alike. This month, after just three weekends, Asif Kapadia's Amy is quickly becoming one of the top-grossing documentaries in recent years estimated to earn $7 million or more in the U.S. alone.  In the U.K., Amy has earned north of $3 million.

"I don't think I'm going to be at all famous. I don't think I could handle it. I would probably go mad," said the late Amy Winehouse  in an interview that appears in the first teaser for the documentary about her life.

The words are haunting considering the fact that the six-time Grammy winner died of alcohol poisoning at 27 when her career was taking off in 2011. Asif decided not to put any of Winehouse's friends, family, or co-workers on camera. Instead, he recorded audio of more than 80 interviews, many of them taking place in a dark, quiet room. "There's no book to adapt, not one person that was there for the whole journey. [But] all of the answers are there in her lyrics," said Asif.    Watch the teaser here  

  

   

 

This year, Ringo Starr and his team set up a #PEACEANDLOVE Facebook page to further spread peace, asking fans to post details about where they planned to note the noon confluence of birthday messages.  

Remember to check out our summer studio destinations picks at  studioexpresso home page One of my favorite quotes by the Dali Lama:
"The mind is like a parachute. It works best when it's open."  Musicians get this more than most people. Thank heaven for musicians!  

Help fans find you easily and contact us to update your studioexpresso profiles with your social networking links (sample: Kenny Aronoff).
Simply send an email to claris@studioexpresso.com  or call 818.990.3031 and tell us your artist story and say "I want to RENEW!"

Until next month, express yourself!
Music lives and moves.