Sony Studios Closing

[Igotsoul4u]

Unfortunatly sony studios is currently booking its last sessions. Doors close on August 31st. I feel weird about the whole thing. At least my alma mater, right track/legacy is still standing. Its really over with NYC recording. can anyone put a positive spin on this all???

[TonyBelmont]

Yes, I heard about this a week or two ago. That's the last of the big NYC studios.

[themaidsroom]

sony was one of the most vibeless facilities i have ever been in......
the greatest need is for some large rooms, and in my opinion large rooms
with well-kept analog machines - sony did offer that and few other rooms do.

i think things are shifting......

there is a private studio near me that is called the theater - it is one of the
grooviest rooms i have ever been in......if someone put a real board and tape recorder
in there like there used to be, it would rival any room at sony for large scale recordings,
and there is real character and vibe - people are excited to be in that room -

right now it is private and digital.
there might be one other room of that scope still untapped in nyc - recording studios
are labors of love at this point - they require passion that transcends economics.....
in the budgets that need those rooms, it may just be easier to go to london or
prague.......

all, so that thousands of people can make bad sounding records at home.....
gear dealers can make money....

the great traditions of american music have all been destroyed by digital...
it's a shame that more people don't see the inherent value of a tradition, a sound,
a culture as ultimately more important than the bottom line - this leaves our children
with meaningless shiny plastic instead of culture - the time capsule will contain
zero pro tools recordings


i'm sorry, was i supposed to spin this positive ?


be well


- jack

[matthew.sawicki]

Originally Posted by themaidsroom

sony was one of the most vibeless facilities i have ever been in......
the greatest need is for some large rooms, and in my opinion large rooms
with well-kept analog machines - sony did offer that and few other rooms do.

i think things are shifting......

there is a private studio near me that is called the theater - it is one of the
grooviest rooms i have ever been in......if someone put a real board and tape recorder
in there like there used to be, it would rival any room at sony for large scale recordings,
and there is real character and vibe - people are excited to be in that room -

right now it is private and digital.
there might be one other room of that scope still untapped in nyc - recording studios
are labors of love at this point - they require passion that transcends economics.....
in the budgets that need those rooms, it may just be easier to go to london or
prague.......

all, so that thousands of people can make bad sounding records at home.....
gear dealers can make money....

the great traditions of american music have all been destroyed by digital...
it's a shame that more people don't see the inherent value of a tradition, a sound,
a culture as ultimately more important than the bottom line - this leaves our children
with meaningless shiny plastic instead of culture - the time capsule will contain
zero pro tools recordings


i'm sorry, was i supposed to spin this positive ?


be well


- jack

Haaaaaaater.

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by themaidsroom

i'm sorry, was i supposed to spin this positive ?

There can be nothing positive coming from this studio going out...

[azwun25]

Battery Studios is still there. Legacy/Right Track as well as a slew of smaller but excellent rooms.

[nosebleedaudio]

Avatar is still going strong.

[Stitch333]

On a side note: Someone recently told me my old haunt Electric Lady shut down a while ago...is this true?

[Sirocco]

they have all been coming to my apartment to record!

sorry sony!

[thenoiseflower]

Originally Posted by themaidsroom

sony was one of the most vibeless facilities i have ever been in......
the greatest need is for some large rooms, and in my opinion large rooms
with well-kept analog machines - sony did offer that and few other rooms do.

i think things are shifting......

there is a private studio near me that is called the theater - it is one of the
grooviest rooms i have ever been in......if someone put a real board and tape recorder
in there like there used to be, it would rival any room at sony for large scale recordings,
and there is real character and vibe - people are excited to be in that room -

right now it is private and digital.
there might be one other room of that scope still untapped in nyc - recording studios
are labors of love at this point - they require passion that transcends economics.....
in the budgets that need those rooms, it may just be easier to go to london or
prague.......

all, so that thousands of people can make bad sounding records at home.....
gear dealers can make money....

the great traditions of american music have all been destroyed by digital...
it's a shame that more people don't see the inherent value of a tradition, a sound,
a culture as ultimately more important than the bottom line - this leaves our children
with meaningless shiny plastic instead of culture - the time capsule will contain
zero pro tools recordings


i'm sorry, was i supposed to spin this positive ?


be well


- jack

great post.


aside from the time capsule thing.

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by azwun25

Battery Studios is still there. Legacy/Right Track as well as a slew of smaller but excellent rooms.

Originally Posted by nosebleedaudio

Avatar is still going strong.

Yes, but none of the other NYC studios had the size of the Hit Factory and Sony.

[MichaelAngelo]

Originally Posted by themaidsroom

sony was one of the most vibeless facilities i have ever been in......
the greatest need is for some large rooms, and in my opinion large rooms
with well-kept analog machines - sony did offer that and few other rooms do.

i think things are shifting......

there is a private studio near me that is called the theater - it is one of the
grooviest rooms i have ever been in......if someone put a real board and tape recorder
in there like there used to be, it would rival any room at sony for large scale recordings,
and there is real character and vibe - people are excited to be in that room -

right now it is private and digital.
there might be one other room of that scope still untapped in nyc - recording studios
are labors of love at this point - they require passion that transcends economics.....
in the budgets that need those rooms, it may just be easier to go to london or
prague.......

all, so that thousands of people can make bad sounding records at home.....
gear dealers can make money....

the great traditions of american music have all been destroyed by digital...
it's a shame that more people don't see the inherent value of a tradition, a sound,
a culture as ultimately more important than the bottom line - this leaves our children
with meaningless shiny plastic instead of culture - the time capsule will contain
zero pro tools recordings


i'm sorry, was i supposed to spin this positive ?


be well


- jack

I understand your discontentment in terms of sound and sound studios , but rest assure MichaelAngelo, President of The Music Palace recording studios is here .. MichaelAngelo has seriously commited himself to the "art" of recording and mixing and offers his clients something special in terms of sound quality. Yes, there is a 25 minute drive from Manhattan, but once you expercience our sound, you will understand our philosophy!

The art is not dead, People are! Like a strat or les paul guitar, recording equipment and skilled engineers will always find a way back to the publics ear. There will always be some that will not fully understand this art, or care to understand it, but rest assure the art is alive and well and WE at Music Palace stay extremely passionate about all the things that excited all of us in this business to begin with..

I still listen and compare carbon resistors, to metal film resistors, and I always find new and exciting ways to improve the fidelity of recording. I break many rules and challenge many old techniques. Our mission begins with monitoring that reveals instantly the strenghts and weaknesses of modern recording...

As I tell many designers, the "art" of sound or the direction of design in equipment should be towards a musical personality that gives producers the attitude they need for there production. many designers miss there way,.. cause there design goal is to capture the performance as cleanly as possible... this is not the "art" . the art is to ARTISTICALLY capture the sound in such a way that is moves the audience and takes them inside.. Like a photographer would airbrush a nude to enhance its visual expercience, A engineer looks for tools to create the attitude, fantasy and colour that draws people inside there world.......

The reason many large scale studios have not survived, is because since the storage medium has changed ,..the sound quality "gap" between the home and the commercial studio is not "wide enough". This has been the focus of the Music Palace... widening the gap in sound quality between the home and the commercial studio!

[Justice]

Originally Posted by MichaelAngelo

I understand your discontentment in terms of sound and sound studios , but rest assure MichaelAngelo, President of The Music Palace recording studios is here .. MichaelAngelo has seriously commited himself to the "art" of recording and mixing and offers his clients something special in terms of sound quality. Yes, there is a 25 minute drive from Manhattan, but once you expercience our sound, you will understand our philosophy!

The art is not dead, People are! Like a strat or les paul guitar, recording equipment and skilled engineers will always find a way back to the publics ear. There will always be some that will not fully understand this art, or care to understand it, but rest assure the art is alive and well and WE at Music Palace stay extremely passionate about all the things that excited all of us in this business to begin with..

I still listen and compare carbon resistors, to metal film resistors, and I always find new and exciting ways to improve the fidelity of recording. I break many rules and challenge many old techniques. Our mission begins with monitoring that reveals instantly the strenghts and weaknesses of modern recording...

As I tell many designers, the "art" of sound or the direction of design in equipment should be towards a musical personality that gives producers the attitude they need for there production. many designers miss there way,.. cause there design goal is to capture the performance as cleanly as possible... this is not the "art" . the art is to ARTISTICALLY capture the sound in such a way that is moves the audience and takes them inside.. Like a photographer would airbrush a nude to enhance its visual expercience, A engineer looks for tools to create the attitude, fantasy and colour that draws people inside there world.......

The reason many large scale studios have not survived, is because since the storage medium has changed ,..the sound quality "gap" between the home and the commercial studio is not "wide enough". This has been the focus of the Music Palace... widening the gap in sound quality between the home and the commercial studio!

Word, bring it back.

This game is getting real old real fast the way its going!

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by MichaelAngelo

I understand your discontentment in terms of sound and sound studios , but rest assure MichaelAngelo, President of The Music Palace recording studios is here .. MichaelAngelo has seriously commited himself to the "art" of recording and mixing and offers his clients something special in terms of sound quality. Yes, there is a 25 minute drive from Manhattan, but once you expercience our sound, you will understand our philosophy!

Just kidding Michael... You have a great place over there. Good to see you on GS.

[sethdk]

Quad is the spot now. good rates for room C- how long b4 they r gone?

we used to have a room in sony for almost 3 years. so easy to get to. sad to see it go

[ozraves]

With all due respect that land cost in Manhattan must be the biggest killer for large studios.

[PettyCash]

More and more artists are opting to record more privately everyday.

Its not a surprise, but it is sad to hear and see a place like that go.

I never been out there to record and experience that place first hand, but the nearest big studio I been to up here in the GTA is Metal Works, and nothing feels better than being in that place. I couldnt imagine having that place not exist anymore.

Recording in semi pro, or project setups will never compare to the creative vibes and excitment you get from being at a big studio, with all that variety of expensive vintage gear at your finger tips.

[t.dizzle]

Originally Posted by themaidsroom

sony was one of the most vibeless facilities i have ever been in......
the greatest need is for some large rooms, and in my opinion large rooms
with well-kept analog machines - sony did offer that and few other rooms do.

i think things are shifting......

there is a private studio near me that is called the theater - it is one of the
grooviest rooms i have ever been in......if someone put a real board and tape recorder
in there like there used to be, it would rival any room at sony for large scale recordings,
and there is real character and vibe - people are excited to be in that room -

right now it is private and digital.
there might be one other room of that scope still untapped in nyc - recording studios
are labors of love at this point - they require passion that transcends economics.....
in the budgets that need those rooms, it may just be easier to go to london or
prague.......

all, so that thousands of people can make bad sounding records at home.....
gear dealers can make money....

the great traditions of american music have all been destroyed by digital...
it's a shame that more people don't see the inherent value of a tradition, a sound,
a culture as ultimately more important than the bottom line - this leaves our children
with meaningless shiny plastic instead of culture - the time capsule will contain
zero pro tools recordings


i'm sorry, was i supposed to spin this positive ?


be well


- jack

Great post. OT - The bold highlighted also applies to illegal immigration in my view.

[Zacchino]

And what's up with David Amlen's Sound on Sound Studios ?

[Beat God]

mike is right the music palace is the ish. the monitoring system alone is sick.

-BG

[sethdk]

Originally Posted by Zacchino

And what's up with David Amlen's Sound on Sound Studios ?

We've moved!
We're pleased to announce that as of November 1st, 2005, Sound On Sound Studios has joined forces with Right Track Recording. Our entire staff has made the move to 168 West 48th Street! We are now known as Legacy Recording Studios.

[Monkey Mouse]

Originally Posted by ozraves

With all due respect that land cost in Manhattan must be the biggest killer for large studios.

It must be since "regular" real estate (for residential use) is going for over $1,000 per square foot in NYC these days. A 10,000 Sq ft studio (like Sony) would be over $10M to buy, and probably $75K a month to lease (or more). We're not even talking maintenance fees and taxes here either.

[Zacchino]

Originally Posted by sethdk

We've moved!
We're pleased to announce that as of November 1st, 2005, Sound On Sound Studios has joined forces with Right Track Recording. Our entire staff has made the move to 168 West 48th Street! We are now known as Legacy Recording Studios.

Ow yeah thanx to refresh my mind, I've seen this on the soundonsound website 2 years ago... My Sound on Sound T-shirt doesn't have the fame anymore, back in these days one or two guys in the street asked me if I worked there ^^.

Sound on Sound was the first studio where I had it done all by FTP. It was amazing.

[Steffmo]

MichealAngelo's post deserves notice....it really strikes at the heart of this.

But befeore people start dumping on Sony Studios they should understand that Sony/BMG is a very troubled company grasping at straws to find answers. The main corporate folks behind both sony and BMG would just as soon be out of this business, and frankly ot will be better for all of us when they are. Generally speaking they represent corporate cultures that have little to do with what we do, and they certainly have little or no understanding of why we do it.

It is inevitable that the vast majority of the record business returns to its independant roots, both on the A and R side, and the Studio side. Unfortunately for a brief minute many got used to the 250K corporate record budget, and when those budgets disappeared, many could not function. But then again many of the greatest records were made on shoestrings compared to that figure, by folks who used their passion to compensate when the budget failed.

IMHOP there will always be a few big benchmark studios....because there will always be a few artists that both demand them and need them. Just like orchestras have learned to survive, a few of those studios will as well. But if there is a beauty to the DAW/ITB market its that it returns the challenge of making those great records to those who would be making them if there wasn't a nickel on the table.

The New York studio scene is reconvening in Williamsburg where at least for the time being real estate is somewhat affordable. The people that worked at Sony and The Hit Factory didn't disappear, many will seek out other places and ways to ply their craft. Sony closing sends a whole bunch of seeds out into the scene that will grow into innovative solutions, just like indie labels will discover new ways to market and develope talent.

I don't mean to be a cheerleader, but I think we are much closer to a bright beginning than we are to a dark past. And those of us here have a certain amount of power to influence it.

[stevep]

OT ,... I really wish sony could keep the rooms somehow, i cant imagine how much the overhead was for that place. with 150 employees ect....

Originally Posted by MichaelAngelo

The reason many large scale studios have not survived, is because since the storage medium has changed ,..the sound quality "gap" between the home and the commercial studio is not "wide enough". This has been the focus of the Music Palace... widening the gap in sound quality between the home and the commercial studio!

I agree with you on the not "wide enough gap" and most bedroom "studios" are close to what a basic commercial room can do.


At my new room i focused on Tape, Console, Room sound , Tracking a full band live....and that sets us apart from those bedrooms and small dead sounding rooms with a DAW and a large mouse ,..

Funny, im not really doing anything fancy, im just doing it the way i did it from the start


my PTools rig will be used only for the click track in the next week of tracking to tape

[stevep]

Steffmo I don't mean to be a cheerleader, but I think we are much closer to a bright beginning than we are to a dark past. And those of us here have a certain amount of power to influence it

I agree and im looking forward to it

[Igotsoul4u]

good post steffmo. Thats the positive vibes i was looking for. Its a little nerve racking trying to make it in NYC at the moment. I was just sitting here thinking about how I want to go to bed and how my job makes me feel like I am going to die about 10 years before I should, then I thought about the nothingness that is NYC music scene right now. I hope you are right steffmo. Guess I have always been a little pessemistic.

[khameln]

Originally Posted by themaidsroom

the great traditions of american music have all been destroyed by digital...
it's a shame that more people don't see the inherent value of a tradition, a sound,
a culture as ultimately more important than the bottom line - this leaves our children
with meaningless shiny plastic instead of culture - the time capsule will contain
zero pro tools recordings

Sorry, but I don't agree with this whole "digital is the devil" argument. Everything in life and technology goes through phases of evolution, and digital recordings sound great when done correctly. To say that the digital format destroyed american music is nosensical to me.

As always, the need to adapt is important, and the sound of american music is created by the artists, producers, musicians, and engineers that put the hours in to create it. Not by a tape machine.

To move into the future always means to let go of some things you are used to in order to embrace newer things... But that is how progress is made. It's not easy at first, but in the long run it leads to development, creativity, and increased possibility.

[sethdk]

Originally Posted by khameln

Sorry, but I don't agree with this whole "digital is the devil" argument. Everything in life and technology goes through phases of evolution, and digital recordings sound great when done correctly. To say that the digital format destroyed american music is nosensical to me.

As always, the need to adapt is important, and the sound of american music is created by the artists, producers, musicians, and engineers that put the hours in to create it. Not by a tape machine.

To move into the future always means to let go of some things you are used to in order to embrace newer things... But that is how progress is made. It's not easy at first, but in the long run it leads to development, creativity, and increased possibility.

[parkay909]

We have actually siphoned a lot of Ny's business down here to Atlanta which probably has a lot to do with te studios closing up there. I think one of the big factors contributing to thedecline of recordnig in NYC is the price. In other citys it is much less expensive as far as transportation, food, hotels, etc... and in the days ofdownloading people are pinching budgets, etc.
It is allwyas sad to see large rooms go under though.
I watched it happen to Nashville while I was in school...