Masonic Temples for recording venues

[boojum]

Has anyone experience with recording in Masonic Temples? The ones I have seen are seemingly classic: shoe box shaped, high ceilings, wooden floors and usually plaster walls. I think many were built in the golden era of the Masons, the late 19th and early 20 centuries.

So they seemingly have a good acoustic space. How agreeable are the Masons to outsiders using their space? How has it worked?

I ask because there is an old Masonic Temple in my town. We do not have a lot of places with great recording potential so I am on the lookout for whatever I can find.

If anyone has experience here I would like to hear of it.

Thanks.

[MMski]

In Detroit, the Masonic Temple actually has shows there and is a legit venue (and one of the better sounding ones in the area)

The Historic Masonic Temple of Detroit - Your spot for Concerts, Weddings, Receptions, Graduations and Parties - Olympia Entertainment

It wouldn't hurt to call them up and ask!

[Black Seal]

http://www.thelodgestudios.com/


Here they turned on old masonic lodge into an actual recording space. Pretty nice too.

[TRANQUILO]

they usally charge a fee...the local illuminati lodge here charges $1700 for a night or day in the mainhall

[David Spearritt]

Our local Masonic hall has superb acoustics, shoebox, plenty of diffusion in the ornate ceiling and nicely reverberant. They knew a thing about acoustic design. We have recorded some beautiful concerts there. Just don't put your mic stands on the G spot.

[boojum]

Originally Posted by David Spearritt

Our local Masonic hall has superb acoustics, shoebox, plenty of diffusion in the ornate ceiling and nicely reverberant. They knew a thing about acoustic design. We have recorded some beautiful concerts there. Just don't put your mic stands on the G spot.

David, this describes the structure of the inside of our Masonic temple. How did you go about getting in there. The price mentioned above, $1,700 is not even possible. This would be for the local chorale which is a non-profit.

Some of these halls are just what seems to be perfect to me. I do no think they had recording venues in mind but it sure seems they loend themselves to that purpose.

And, oh yeah, I'll be careful about that G spot.

[edbro]

have the non-profit approach them as a community awareness thing or the grand lodge. there is probably a fee (usually a couple hundred)as the old buildings have high upkeep costs. Most of the guys I know, here in Illinois, are open minded about these things, the older guys get a little skittish about liability, I hope to be doing things at the Ottawa, willmette and evanston lodges, maybe kankakee as I get to know them better. I have recorded in my lodge (Batavia). Believe it or not, masons are proud of their buildings and like to show them off! From the grand lodge you can get the Master and Secretary's contact info if it is not locally available. Pm me what ever details and I might be able to find out more for you.

[PlugHead]

A colleague of mine has his recording/rehearsal space in a Masonic Hall for 2+ decades. I'm sure he'd let you use it for nothing.

The only problem is the location: 1000 miles north of Vancouver....

It is a wonderful space, and depending how 'full' it is, can be a very live, or (in his case, a compulsive hoarder with zillions of pieces of gear) very dead.

BTW @ the Detroit Masonic Hall - I saw Laurie Anderson and Jean-Luc Ponty there many, many moons ago - nice hall!

[boojum]

Originally Posted by PlugHead

The only problem is the location: 1000 miles north of Vancouver....

Edmonton? Somewhere with ten months of good sledding and two months of bad. I lived in Montreal for awhile. I do not need that much snow and cold in my life again. Great town. Canada is great, just 1,000 kilometers too far north for me.

Anyway, I will try to see if the non-profit can approach these folks. We need a good venue to record in. We have one that is OK but the Masons are right across the street. I would love to try it out. And my grandpa was a Shriner. I think the other one was a Mason, too.

Thanks for the encouragement.

[edbro]

which town is the lodge in?

[boojum]

The one under my avatar: Astoria, OR. I found the state webpage and a link to the Astoria contact. I will give the fellow a ring this evening or tomorrow. ;o)

[PlugHead]

Originally Posted by boojum

Edmonton? Somewhere with ten months of good sledding and two months of bad. I lived in Montreal for awhile. I do not need that much snow and cold in my life again. Great town. Canada is great, just 1,000 kilometers too far north for me.
Thanks for the encouragement.

nope - Atlin, BC - 180km south of Whitehorse. Beautiful place, know as 'little Switzerland'. Population 200. No worries of traffic noise etc., just dog teams in the winter and float planes in the summer...

[Teddy Ray]

Yall behave. As the GS resident Master Mason, i'll not tolerate any conspiracy or illuminati talk. tuttthumbsup

I have done some nice recordings in my lodge. Beautiful acoustics, designed according to very sound geometric principles, and always built the same.

and yes, the Lodge is normally very good about working with "outsiders". We are there to benefit the community, after all. thumbsup I bet it wont be a problem at all unless there is some function or other happening on the dates you have planned.

[Teddy Ray]

Originally Posted by boojum

The one under my avatar: Astoria, OR. I found the state webpage and a link to the Astoria contact. I will give the fellow a ring this evening or tomorrow. ;o)

Boojum, if you pm me his info, ill gladly put a word in with him on your behalf.

I like talking to my brothers in other states anyway.

[boojum]

^^^^ Teddy, that is very kind of you to offer. But at this juncture I have a few fellows doing the same already. If there is an onslaught it will look a little strange. I will keep you offer in mind, though, and I appreciate it.

[Thomas W. Bethe]

Most of the Cleveland Orchestra's recordings were done in the Cleveland Masonic Hall and they all sound GREAT!

[Frisbieinstein]

Originally Posted by MMski

In Detroit, the Masonic Temple actually has shows there and is a legit venue (and one of the better sounding ones in the area)

The Historic Masonic Temple of Detroit - Your spot for Concerts, Weddings, Receptions, Graduations and Parties - Olympia Entertainment

It wouldn't hurt to call them up and ask!

I remember when Hendrix played there. Seriously.

[Peter Allison]

my masonic temple is OK, but has a barrel vaulted ceiling, and has a wee bit to much echo.
Fraternal greetings from the UK

[boojum]

Well, it seems there is an additional dimension to GS!

FWIW - I have been contacted by a few members and have just gotten off the phone with the district coordinator for my area. He was most helpful and encouraging and is going to give me some names to speak with. All connected with the F & A M have been kind and courteous. More than one has kindly suggested I join. If I can learn their kindness and ethics it is a good idea.

Cheers.

[PlugHead]

All's well that ends well...

Best of luck with it - we're rooting for ya! thumbsup

Originally Posted by boojum

Well, it seems there is an additional dimension to GS!

FWIW - I have been contacted by a few members and have just gotten off the phone with the district coordinator for my area. He was most helpful and encouraging and is going to give me some names to speak with. All connected with the F & A M have been kind and courteous. More than one has kindly suggested I join. If I can learn their kindness and ethics it is a good idea.

Cheers.

[xaMdaM]

Originally Posted by frans

Teddy, just out of curiosity, as a 33rd dg. of the old Ingolstadt illuminati - am I higher in the pecking order than you or not? Duh!
Greetings from Bavaria!

Pardon me for butting in, but you're really gonna ask my brother that question?

BTW... Teddy, you aren't the sole brother here, mate.

[Teddy Ray]

Originally Posted by xaMdaM

Pardon me for butting in, but you're really gonna ask my brother that question?

BTW... Teddy, you aren't the sole brother here, mate.

good to know you brother! The reason I said that was I actually did a little thread for all the brethren, so we could link up...none chimed in so I figured i was alone.

[xaMdaM]

Originally Posted by Teddy Ray

good to know you brother! The reason I said that was I actually did a little thread for all the brethren, so we could link up...noone chimed in so I figured i was alone.

Ahhh... missed that thread...

Been kinda' head down gettin' the new digs up and runnin' as well as tryin' to keep TheBoss happy... (cause' if grandma ain't happy... ain't NOBODY happy!)

PM me when you get a chance...

[edbro]

And here I thought I was the only traveling man around here Teddy, I have a Fulks gig in Annapolis in a couple weeks, how far from I 70 are you? If possible, we should get together when i pass thru Ohio.

[boojum]

Masons and others, the latest is that the local Masons seem interested. And, it turns out the chroale director was quite interested in the recording characteristics of Masonic temples, and she is in the Order of the Eastern Star. I explained the reasons the temples are good: shoe box shape, wooden floors, plaster walls with ornate decorations and high ceilings.

She wants to do more serious recordings in a studio setup where retakes are possible. The mic stand may be becoming a problem for the paying public, even though I have shrunk it down to two DPA 4061's on a carbon fiber rod about the size of a bass rod. I think we will be doing both live and studio.

If we could do some live performances in the Masonic Lodge it would be really good. I like live performances because warts and all they are more alive. The director likes the more controlled studio. Either way I think this new direction will be a good one.

Thank you, all of you, for your continued help, suggestions and patience. thumbsup

[Remoteness]

frans,

I appreciate your candor, but this is not the platform, place or time for this sort of discussion.

Let us get back to the original topic.

Thank you for understanding and deleting your two posts.

That's very strong of you to do and I appreciate it very much.

[sonare]

Most of the Chicago Sym recordings (except for a few such as the Mahler 7 in Champaign and Mahler 8 in Vienna) were done in Medinah Temple in Chicago after the 1966 Symphony Hall fiasco. In fact they did an entire season there while "Symphony Center" was being built. Unfortunately that wonderful space is now a department store. Plush can fill in all the details.

The Masonic Temple spaces I have scouted (Nashville and others) were probably all excellent before the carpet went in and rendered them pretty lifeless.

Rich

[edbro]

Medinah was a very special place, the Scottish Rite Cathedral just north on dearborn also had some wonderful rooms and Dr Aylesworth playing the 1875 hook & hastings pipe organ in the cathedral are memories I will always cherish. Wish I had been able to record before we sold it. Our new building is going to have an *ahem* electric organ.

[boojum]

Fellows, attached is a short clip from Mendelssohn's Elijah I did. 24 bit, 88.2, DPA 4061's > SD 788T. Mixed in SAM 11.

Remember the chorale is all amateur. The orchestra was hired and played with no rehearsal as the non-profit chorale could just barely afford the $240 per musician for the performance. As it was it came to ~$5K which left the chorale in the red after paying hall rental and so on.

The hall is not all that bad but just as musicians are never happy with their performances I believe we have the same curse: the search for perfection. I realize it is not too close to where I am now but I am advancing in the right direction. What I was doing a couple of years back was not so good as this.

[Pred80r]

I have always loved tracking in temples, cathedrals, marble halls etc as it has been both a challenge and a optimal result for the project.

Haven't found a single plug or outboard reverb effect that can simulate the real verb I can get out of the Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles. Having said that though...

Most active temple's or cathedrals will NOT let you record in their space without a seriously expensive temporary filming permit. I have done movie shoots and music video's in some nice open cathedral type spaces but the film company producing them paid for the permits.

The Vibiana is a deconsecrated Catholic diocese so these rules do not seem to apply. I would suggest that you find deconsecrated cathedrals in your town to get the same quality of recordings but be fully prepared to have to eq and refine the quality of the sound you want to record to extreme measures. These spaces take all signal thrown at it and reflect it back to you in the same ratio's so it can be a nightmare...it can also be the most amazing choir sound ever recorded (as I did at the Notre Dame.) Just realize that you will always have to get the harmonic stacking and frequency phasing under control. Mic placement is KEY in these environments so move them around at will. I was taught that the mics should be at 30, and 60 degrees off of walls that the sound source was reflecting from...in circular and oval hallways you will have fun with this.

Masonic temples have their OWN set of rules, I have tried on multiple occasions to track at a magnificent Masonic Temple here in LA only to be met with huge in house fees (that have nothing to do with permits) delays, postponements and an overall attitude of not wanting to deal with my requests until I go away. This may not apply to your city or Grand Chancellor if they don't have as much to hide. I am not trying to imply a conspiracy or anything...