Washington DC Studio???

[ndogg]

Allo,

Can anyone recommend a high end recording studio in the Washington DC area? We have a project to record a live big band, but mixing will happen elsewhere. I guess we're looking for a great sounding floor with lots of mic options for tracking horns, recording straight to PT through decent converters and a great engineer who knows the room well.

Hookers and blow a big bonus... oh, wait, I'm not going to be there... nevermind.

ndogg

[kylepdownes]

the a room at omega recording studio is nice and big.
they have a neve.
i think its kinda pricey.

id do it in my living room for cheap...

[Jay Kahrs]

A couple of my indie rock buddies in that area swear by Inner Ear. I've never worked there and don't know much about the room but most of the records coming out of there sound pretty good.

[PRuthenburg]

You might check into Bias Studios also.Some of the Mary Chapin Carpenter stuff was done there and they've recorded lots of jazz/big bands too I think.

Pete

[ndogg]

kinda pricey is not necessarily an issue (it's not my money... ehe). There will be some corporate representation present, so the place should be rather accomodating to the non-audio, business types (read: slick dressed guys on cellphones who can't tell the difference between a 57 and a 47).

Thanks for the suggestions, keep 'em coming...

[Seamus TM]

Omega Recording Studios is the shit. I've spent a lot of time there. Ask for Archie in studio C w/ the API. GREAT little room.

Seamus

[scotty-o]

Omega's Studio A would fit the bill nicely.
Neve VR and PTHD. They record a lot of that sorta thing there.
I was just hired as a staff engineer there but I start in January so I can't comment much on the rooms much yet. They are nice though. Studio A is huge.
I interned there about 6 years ago and have done a little work there more recently as a freelancer but just piano OD's. They got a nice Stienway in studio A

The studio manager is Chris....... tell him Scotty the new guy sent ya. It'll help my salary negotiations. LOL

Unfortunately, Archie doesn't work there anymore but he's doing just fine, I just hung out with him on Saturday night. The API in C does rock, however

omegastudios.com

-Scotty

[heyman]

"Hookers and blow a big bonus."

All you have to do is walk 3 blocks from the white house to find that.. Or you can call up Mayor Marion Barry... whoever u bump into first..

[Slaytex]

Originally Posted by ndogg

(read: slick dressed guys on cellphones who can't tell the difference between a 57 and a 47).

That's easy...10!

[HudHudson]

I did a bunch of sessions at Cue in Falls Church before moving to Austin in 2000. Jeff and crew are great, a nice SSL room and some smaller rooms, too. I think Jim Ebert has a room there now.

http://www.cuerecording.com/

[cgarges]

Any RADAR rooms up there? I may have some overdub work in that area coming up soon.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[ndogg]

We were originally looking at Cue Recording on the net, but Omega seems to have a bigger floor and I worry a bit about the pres on the SSL4000 vs. the pres on the NeveVR.

Are there any other options?

scotty-o: Does Omega have lock-to-picture capability? Thanks for mentioning they have PTHD... it's not mentioned on the website.

PRuthenburg: Bias studios don't seem to be into updating their website... can you offer any other info?

Thanks

[HudHudson]

Originally Posted by ndogg

We were originally looking at Cue Recording on the net, but Omega seems to have a bigger floor and I worry a bit about the pres on the SSL4000 vs. the pres on the NeveVR.

If you check out Cue's website, you'll see they have a full complement of API preamps as well as a pair of 1073s for tracking in Studio A.

[ndogg]

True... nice pre's, indeed... but...

Omega still has the bigger floor, and if Cue is only running a PT 5.1 system, I would have expected them to mention the converters they are using (hopefully NOT Digi 888's), but they don't on the website. It's a little thing that kinda scares me...

BUT don't get me wrong, when it comes to final decision time, we will be contacting all of the optional studios.

[Jay Kahrs]

Originally Posted by cgarges

Any RADAR rooms up there? I may have some overdub work in that area coming up soon.

I *think* Inner Ear has a Radar. Pilot to Gunner cut their last record there with J. Robbins and they used a Radar system, but I'm not sure if it was owned by the studio or by J.

[drew]

J's a PTHD guy.

[hopeless_opus]

The best room in the DC area is Dragon Fly East. Run by Scott Spelbring, who is a great guy. he's got PT, a great sounding room and great (very slutty) outboard.

Jason Mraz's multi-platinum debut was done there (among others), and despite that record not being my kind of thing, it's still some pretty good dap.

D'fly is definately the place to go. It is a little out of the way, but not too far at all and well worth the drive. It's in a gorgeous log house on top of a little mountain, with a beautiful view. It 's a great place to make a record.

Here is the website www.dragonflyeast.com

Also check out Recording Arts run by Marco Delmar, another great guy. Runs both Tape and Nuendo. Amek Console with lot's of API outboard. Marco is an excellent producer and a great guy to work with. It's closer in to the city than D'Fly.

here is his site www.recordarts.com

I've never done anything at Inner Ear but I have heard good things about it, especially from "Indie rock" bands, that's what they seem to specialize in.

Good luck!

[drew]

i do alot of work at DragonFly, great place. Depends how "big" the big band is. Scott's room isn't that big.

I would recomend getting a hold of engineer Tony Eichler if you're doing a big band session the the DC/MD/VA area. he's the best. ever heard a Rumba Club record? awesome stuff.
drew

[cgarges]

Originally Posted by Jay Kahrs

I *think* Inner Ear has a Radar. Pilot to Gunner cut their last record there with J. Robbins and they used a Radar system, but I'm not sure if it was owned by the studio or by J.

Hmmmm. It wasn't on their website a couple of months ago when we started talking about thins project. I'll check again. Maybe they rented.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[Jay Kahrs]

Originally Posted by drew

J's a PTHD guy.

He might be, I've never met or worked with him. I was making a record for some friends of Pilot to Gunner and we all were out at Maxwells (I think??? Somewhere in Hoboken) and we were talking about the relative merits of 2" tape vs. PT & Radar and all that jazz over lots of beer. I remember them (P to G) saying they tracked the record on a Radar system and were happy as hell with it.

[Hobbyist]

Sheffield is also an option. And they have Radars.

http://www.sheffieldav.com/index.htm

For big band I'd go Omega... I've worked in them all except for Dragonfly which is relatively new.

Smaller combos, I'd go to Bias for the API console.

NPR used to be pretty good too, but I'm not sure if they're still operating.

[Seamus TM]

Yeah, Omega's Studio A would be great, if you have the $$... I didn't see the "big band" part before...
They do, or used to do, most all of Warner Bros. orchestral stuff there.
They have great mics and the Neve.. VR80, I think.
Very big room with the whole 1/2 live-1/2 dead thing going on. Great room.
An engineer named Jim (blanking on the last name) would be a good guy to contact for it, if he's still there. Great and easy to work with guy with lots of knowledge about Omega's setup.

Seamus

[scotty-o]

Hey ndogg,
I'm pretty sure it's a go on the lock to picture.

Jim does still work at Omega. He's a great engineer.

Good luck on the search. There's some cool rooms around D.C.

-Scotty

[Beezoboy]

Hey I am freelancing at InnerEar. They have a 24 trk Otari and a 24 trk Motu setup. He has a nice Amek Angela with the neve pres on it.

Don is a super guy and very accomodating. As an added perk, they don't charge for tape!!

So if you want to get in contact PM me or go to www.InnerEarStudio.com

Beez

[Jim Williams]

Check out Central Studios in Bladensburg on Annapolis Road. A monster 112 input harrison MR-4 with extensive mods and Uptown moving faders resides along with a heavily modified Soundcraft Delta. ATR102, and all the goodies like modified mics, etc.

Run by Kevin Mora who also works at BET TV in DC.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[Slipperman]

Originally Posted by Beezoboy

Hey I am freelancing at InnerEar. They have a 24 trk Otari and a 24 trk Motu setup. He has a nice Amek Angela with the neve pres on it.

Hey Beezo!

Dude, not to be pedantic, but I noticed in yer blurb... and also mentioned in the website info... 36 channels of "Neve designed" pre's. Are those outboard?

'Cause if yer talking about the pre's on the desk.... Rupert sure as heck didn't design the Angela pre.

Graham Langley did.

Only 5 desks in AMEK's product line had Neve pre's.

The 9098
The 9098i.
The Mozart RN
The Galileo
The Media 51

I keep seeing these "Neve" claims on everything AMEK from TAC Scorpions to Langley "Big"s... etc.

It's no big deal. I personally don't care if the pre's were designed by the Kmart Lawn and garden staff. I use stuff because I think it sounds cool.

But it's either bad info in all these cases....or people being flat-out disingenuious.

Sorry if I sound like a nouge.

This has been bugging me for years.

HOHOHO.

I'm done.

Kill me.

SM.

[Jim Williams]

Originally Posted by slipperman

Hey Beezo!

Dude, not to be pedantic, but I noticed in yer blurb... and also mentioned in the website info... 36 channels of "Neve designed" pre's. Are those outboard?

'Cause if yer talking about the pre's on the desk.... Rupert sure as heck didn't design the Angela pre.

Graham Langley did.

Only 5 desks in AMEK's product line had Neve pre's.

The 9098
The 9098i.
The Mozart RN
The Galileo
The Media 51

I keep seeing these "Neve" claims on everything AMEK from TAC Scorpions to Langley "Big"s... etc.

It's no big deal. I personally don't care if the pre's were designed by the Kmart Lawn and garden staff. I use stuff because I think it sounds cool.

But it's either bad info in all these cases....or people being flat-out disingenuious.

Sorry if I sound like a nouge.

This has been bugging me for years.

HOHOHO.

I'm done.

Kill me.

SM.

That Mozart RN pre has a serious design flaw, like 6+ db peaking at 200k hz! Don't forget the 44db stereo crosstalk. Don't forget the custom AMEK bullet he did some work on, (that he conveniently forgot to write up schematics on). That mic pre is also a disaster with it's thick film construction as is the Rupert thick film EQ circuit with it's wonderful sounding ceramic EQ caps. Those 9098 pre's can also be mucho improved as Rupert the Neve seems to be stuck in using chip designs older than many of you reading this.

HEY! It's not 1975 anymore.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[1150post]

Check into NPR... they have a fabulous room at Studio 4A with excellent talent to run it. Since I'm a post guy, i can't comment beyond the fact that it is a Russ Berger room that sounds great, with great sight lines.

Definately good if you are hosting high end suits.

FWIW...

Brad McIlvaine
Sr. Mixer/Designer
Henninger Media Services
Washington, DC 20036

Details on studio 4A:

Studio 4A

Purpose:
Music Recording and Broadcast
Features:
· Studio - 1,700 square feet (18 ft. ceiling)
· Isolation booth - 317 square feet (18 ft. ceiling)
· Reflection free control room - 620 square feet (13 to 15.5 ft ceiling)
· Large enough to accommodate chamber orchestras and large choirs
· 5.1 (Multichannel Surround) tracking/mixing capable
Equipment:
· Studer D950S Digital Mixing System (configurable up to 300+ Ins/Outs)
· Studer D827 MCH Digital 48-Track Recorder
· Tascam DA 78s (3) DA98s (3) Tascsam DA88s (3) DA 78HRs (3)
· Studer A827 Analogue 24-Track Recorder (No SR)
· Genelec 1038 Monitors with 1094A Subwoofers
· Genelec 1031A Nearfield Monitors with 1092A Subwoofer
· Furman 12 Input Headphone Mixers (5) and 3 Discrete Stereo Cue Systems
· Neumann, Schoeps, AKG, Sennheiser, B&K, Shure, and Coles Microphones
· GML 2020s High Resolution Input Channels (Mic Pre-Amp, EQ, Dynamics)
· Neve Melbourne Sidecar (Microphone Pre-Amps and Parametric Equalizers)
· Millennia Media HV-3B & HV-3D Pre-Amps
· Telefunken V76/80 Microphone Pre-Amps
· Focusrite Microphone Pre-Amps and Parametric Equalizers
· API 512b Microphone Pre-Amps
· API 550b Equalizers
· Drawmer DS 201 Dual Noise Gates
· DBX & Urei Dynamic Range Processors
· Lexicon 480L, 300L, PCM-81, and 224 Reverbs
· TC Electronics M6000 Multichannel Processor
· Eventide H3500 Sampling Ultra Harmonizer
· Sony Digital Dynamic Filter Plus DPS-F7
· Sony Sonic Modulator DPS M7
· Sony 7030 R-DAT Machines
· HHb CDR 850 Plus Compact Disc Recorder
· Studer A810 2-Track Recorders with Dolby SR/A
· Tascam 122 MKII Cassette Recorder
· Sony CDP 2700 CD Players
· 2 Steinway 7' Model B pianos

For more information, please contact
Simone Steverson, Studio Manager
202.513.2482 phone
202.513.3033 fax
ssteverson@npr.org

http://www.npr.org/studios/studio4b.gif

[ndogg]

Hey... thanks all for the posts! I must say, I like this crowd here at Gearslutz...

While I was in session this morning, the producer went and booked the DC session... before informing me that it was no longer a big band date. Now it's a 4-piece. And yet, he still went with Omega's Studio A. Cool by me...

The added bonus: they might fly me down to just hang out... ehe... I love free trips.

Thanks again,
ndogg

[Slipperman]

Originally Posted by Jim Williams

That Mozart RN pre has a serious design flaw, like 6+ db peaking at 200k hz! Don't forget the 44db stereo crosstalk. Don't forget the custom AMEK bullet he did some work on, (that he conveniently forgot to write up schematics on). That mic pre is also a disaster with it's thick film construction as is the Rupert thick film EQ circuit with it's wonderful sounding ceramic EQ caps. Those 9098 pre's can also be mucho improved as Rupert the Neve seems to be stuck in using chip designs older than many of you reading this.

HEY! It's not 1975 anymore.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

And thank God!!!!

All the more work for you....




right Jim?


SM.