Sear Sound Sessions: Donald Fagen, Classical Frank Zappa, Lulu Gainsbourg

Sear Sound has been a beehive for several highly intriguing projects this summer. Highlight sessions include:

NYC denizen Donald Fagen tracked in Studio A on the 8038 Neve with Michael Leonhart producing and Charlie Martinez engineering for Warner Bros. Records.

eONE Music was in Studio C, reportedly “classisizing” Frank Zappa songs for a new release.  His original songs were rescored for classical orchestral instruments and tracked on Sear Sound’s famed custom Avalon/Sear console.  The sessions were produced by Susan Del Giorno from eONE with GRAMMY-winning engineer Silas Brown working the board.

As he works on his upcoming new self-produced album, Lucien (Lulu) Gainsbourg continues to track in both Studio A and Studio C, depending on the orchestration. Jeremy Loucas is his engineer for his new upcoming album.  Lucien is the son of the internationally acclaimed French singer Serge Gainsbourg.

Engineer/producer Stewart Lerman tracked in Studio C for the HBO series “Boardwalk Empire”.

eONE MUSIC was at Sear Sound again tracking and mixing a new album with international artist Sophie Milman. The project was tracked in Studio C on the Avalon/Sear console and mixed in Studio A on the Neve  8038. In these intensive sessions, Milman began the recording sessions with an ensemble of 20 musicians and the vocalist all playing together, at the same time. Chris Allen was the tracking engineer and James Farber served as mix engineer. The project was produced by Matt Pierson.

Producer/engineer Gary Maurer tracked an ensemble of 22 musicians for his upcoming HEM album in Studio C. He will reportedly return to Sear Sound shortly to mix a 24 song double album.

And finally, Universal Classics of Japan tracked in Studio C for their international artist/pianist Makoto Ozone. The album was tracked by engineer James Farber and produced by Makoto Shinohara of Universal.

Post Moves: Sound Designer/Mixer Michael Vitacco Joins Plushnyc Post

Audio post boutique Plushnyc Post, located in the Flatiron District, announced that they have added Sound Designer/Mixer Michael Vitacco to their audio post production staff.

A recent Emmy Award winner for MSG’s “Summer Image” campaign, Vitacco comes to Plushnyc from Nutmeg Post. An extremely innovative and musical sound designer, Vitacco has done original sound design, mixing, and composition for clients such as VH1 Classic, VH1, MTV, and The History Channel.  He recently worked on the launch of HBO‘s “Game of Thrones” original series, and completed recording Michael K. Williams’ narration of Animal Planet‘s “Taking On Tyson” series.

At Plushnyc, Vitacco joins Sound Designer/Mixers Rob Fielack, Mike Levesque, Jr., and James Twomey.

Studio Sweet Spot: EastSide Sound

Facility Name: EastSide Sound

Website: www.eastsidesound.com

Location: Lower East Side of New York, since 1972!

Neighborhood Advantages: The LES is the heart of live music; there are musicians everywhere, rehearsal spaces, venues etc so musicians are very familiar with the area and feel right at home… no uptown traffic hell and office scene…plus EastSide Sound is in on the ground floor and right in front of a park so you can avoid elevator gear load ins and you can go take a break surrounded by greenery, shoot some hoops, throw a football or kick a soccer ball in the nearby courts.

Date of Birth: We’ve been in business since 1972 when Lou Holtzman opened the original EastSide Sound on Allen St. In 2001 Lou Holtzman partnered up with Fran Cathcart and we moved to Forsyth St, just a few blocks away.

Facility Focus: We are primarily a tracking and mixing facility although we occasionally do mastering sessions and we do have a production suite often used as a writing room. We are also set up for audio post and to sync audio to video for film/TV work.

Mission Statement: EastSide Sound believes that your music and your vision come first and we are committed to working hard until you are satisfied with the results. Many Gold, Platinum and Grammy award winning records have come out of EastSide Sound which shows how many artists have made EastSide Sound their home.

Clients/Credits: Gold and Platinum records, 5 Grammy Awards; clients include Les Paul, Lou Reed, John Zorn, Santana, Sting, Joss Stone, Eric Clapton, Pat Metheny, Jeff Beck, Laurie Anderson, Luther Vandross, Sevendust, Mariah Carey, Cindy Lauper, John Leguizamo, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Buddy Guy, Keith Richards, Joe Perry, Goo Goo Dolls, Edgar Winter, Chico Freeman, Peter Frampton, Beyonce, Herbie Hancock, Toni Braxton, Hanson, MeShell Ndegeocello, Joe Claussel, Steve Torre, Robin Eubanks, Isaac Mizrahi, Randy Brecker, Frank London, Violent Femmes, Twisted Sister, Gravity Kills, System of a Down, Leela James, Lila Downs, Estelle, MTV, VH1, HBO, BBC, Comedy Central, Target, Grupo Latin Vibe and many, many more.

Key Personnel: Lou Holtzman (owner/engineer/the oracle), Grammy-winning Fran Cathcart (owner/producer/engineer), Grammy-winning Marc Urselli (producer/chief engineer/studio manager), Eric Elterman (producer/engineer/multi-instrumentalist)

System Highlights: EastSide Sound is the perfect hybrid between analog and digital. We believe in and offer the best of both worlds. We have a fantastic Harrison Series Ten B board, a warm and punchy sounding 96 channel true analog board with total digital recall and full automation (no converters, the sound stays analog but you can automate anything and everything: faders, EQs, sends, inserts etc). The Harrison is complemented by a 64 output Pro Tools HD system and by a vast amount of analog outboard gear (LA2, LA3, LA4, 1176, Altec’s etc) and pre-amps (API, Neve, Trident, Ampex, Universal Audio, TF Pro, Summit, Altec’s etc).

We have analog reverbs (Lexington 480′s, 300, MasterRoom II, Demeter, PCM60) and of course have loads of plug-ins for any need and any sound. Our mic collection spans from the early ’50es to today’s best microphones (Neumann, Coles, RCA, Sennheiser, Telefunken, Microtech Gefell, Shure, AKG, Rode, Oktava, JZ Microphones, Electro Voice, etc).

We also have a beautiful 1977 Steinway B grand piano, a Fender Rhodes electric piano, vintage Rogers drums, bass and guitar amps, guitars and basses available for anyone to use.

Distinguishing Characteristics: The single most distinguishing characteristics of EastSide Sound is the fact that we are the only studio in NYC and, to our knowledge, the only or one of very few studios in the world that has 6 isolation booths in addition to a good sized live room which means we can have up to 7 musicians (or just their amps) completely isolated, with good line of sight and headphone mixers in every booth. If the musicians want to all play live in the same room that is also possible. The studio is cozy and welcoming, with comfortable chairs, a lounge, a fridge and freshly brewed free coffee all day!

The building is on fire, you only have time to grab ONE thing to save, what is it?

Is this a trick question? Of course I will risk my life throwing water, milk, coffee and juices at the fire to save everything! …but if in the fire I were to spot a wild dragon running at me I guess I’ll grab the hard drives with all the sessions and get the hell out!

Rave Reviews: When people keep coming back, record after record, it must mean something, right? John Zorn has made hundreds of records and the last 30 or so were done at EastSide Sound. He also said that his records have never sounded so good, and others have said the same thing.

Everyone that comes by EastSide Sound always comments on what a cozy and relaxed vibe there is and everyone that records at EastSide comes back for more. They love the ability to choose between recording in the same space or being isolated in different booths so that they can later edit all the tracks without leakage. They love the ability to have total recall to instantly continue working on something unfinished a month later, with no downtime. They also love our professional, award-winning, cool and down to earth staff. And last but not least they LOVE the sound we get!

Most Memorable Session Ever: Too many… but one I recall is when Les Paul was over for some tracking and we were about to order in some pizza and he said something like “1947, Corona NY, First Pizza: I was there!”

Session You’d Like to Forget: The no-shows, the guys that think they own the world and arrive 4 hours late, the singers who can’t sing for the life of them but think that Autotune and capable audio engineers are an excuse for them to attempt a career in music anyway!

Dream Session (if you could host ANY session with any client, living or dead, what would it be?): Some of my personal favorite sessions are the ones with John Zorn, an incredible composer, genius and fantastic personality. Every session is always populated with incredible musicians.

Living or Dead? Would love to have worked with Hendrix, The Beatles and a… how about a Led Zeppelin reunion? But I guess we can’t complain considering many of the other giants have worked here (Les Paul, Eric Clapton, Sting, Lou Reed and many others). – Marc Urselli

Visit www.eastsidesound.com for more information and to get in touch!

Pro Sound Effects (NYC) Releases Soundrangers Library for Interactive Media Production

NYC-based sound effects/licensing provider Pro Sound Effects has announced the release of the Soundrangers Sound Effects Hard Drive, created by the Soundrangers game interactive audio studio.

The library contains 21,117 sound effects, and is delivered on a portable Glyph hard drive that features search software and includes one year of free sound effects updates. The Soundrangers library has been used by companies including Google, Nickelodeon, Microsoft, Cartoon Network, Adobe and HBO.

The Soundrangers library has been created for maximum ease of use in interactive environments. In developing, formatting and organizing the library, the Soundrangers team applied their own workflow and creative expertise in sound design for console and social games, iPhone and iPad apps, interactive software and websites.

The hard drive is meticulously organized into intuitive hierarchical categories such as gameplay and user interface elements, foley, nature, animals, vehicles, weapons, looping ambiences, whooshes, cinematic transitions and more. One shots are provided with multiple variations and precisely edited for easy plug and play and ambiences are pre-edited to loop.

The introductory price is $2900 USD, single user license (retail $3900 USD).

Soundrangers Sound Effects Hard Drive Features:

•    21,117 sound effects (137 GB) on external hard drive
•    Compressed formats: mp3 and Ogg Vorbis
•    Optimized for interactive, video game, and web design
•    Embedded Metadata, Intuitive Category and File names
•    Sound Effects Search Software (NetMix Lite): Search, Audition, Drag & Drop
•    1 Year of Free Sound Effects Updates (digitally delivered 4 times per year)
•    Mac and PC compatible
•    3 -year Data Replacement Policy

Wonderland Productions(NYC) Sound Designs for BET Awards, Versus, Shares in Emmy Win

Wonderland Productions, the NYC multimedia/music production company, recently wrapped up several high-profile projects.

Sound designer/composer/mixer John Wiggins oversaw sound design for the upcoming BET Awards, airing June 27th at 8 PM.  In addition, the company executed a full package of hockey graphics sound for Versus, the new Philadelphia sports channel.

In addition, Wonderland’s work on the HBO documentary “Assault In The Ring” helped the program to net the 2010 Emmy Award for “Outstanding Documentary”.

Avatar Studios Hosts Paul Simon, Moby, O.A.R. and More

Paul Simon recently spent time recording at NYC’s Avatar Studios, working with producer Phil Ramone, engineer Andy Smith and assistant engineer Justin Gerrish.

Moby‘s also recently recorded in Studio A, with engineer Scott Norton and assistant engineer Rick Kwan.

Meanwhile, roots rock quintet O.A.R. recorded in Studio C with producer Matt Wallace and engineer Mike Landolt. Other acts that recorded in March include Teddy Thompson, Proud Simon, and The Script.

From the jazz world, the Christian McBride Big Band recorded in Studio A with engineer Joe Ferla, while woodwind specialist James Carter recorded in Studio B with producer Michael Cuscuna and engineer Jim Anderson, assisted by Fernando Lodeiro. Other notables were Michel Portal and The Don Friedman Trio, both of whom recorded in Studio C with their producer/engineer teams.

Studio A recently hosted several TV and theater projects as well. Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks recorded music for the upcoming HBO series Boardwalk Empire with producer Jim Dunbar and engineer Stewart Lerman. Also, the cast of Broadway’s Million Dollar Quartet recorded with producer Hank Neuberger and engineer Chris Steinmetz.

And finally, the music for Life Begins At 8:40, a 1934 Harold Arlen / Ira Gershwin / Yip Harburg musical revue, was recorded in Studio A with producer Tommy Krasker and engineer Bart Migal.

For more information on Avatar Studios, visit their website at avatarstudios.net.