So, I've had the opportunity for the past few months to work full time with clients from all over Utah Valley.  From the sweet harmonies of By Request's soft country swing, to the relentless brutal drive of The Suffering's hardcore sound, the longer I'm in company with musicians of this area, the more I'm convinced that Utah Valley seems to be a breeding ground for musical talent.



I feel both humbled and honored to have had the privilege of working with both these musicians, as well as the likes of Bret Slack, Jesse Crowley, Carmen Rasmusen Herbert and Artisan Thieves.



It has been an absolute pleasure to be even more involved in the creation of amazing music, as well as getting to know the awesome talent right here at home.



Thank you all, and I can't wait to hear more of Utah's amazing musical talent!

First and foremost, I want to thank you all for your support.  It really has been an incredible journey, and there are so many people who have showed support for this little dream of mine, straight from the beginning.



That said, the road in front of me is surely going to be one full of suprises, twists, and turns.



For those of you who are just joining, and don't want to spend the rest of the day reading blog entries, let me just say that in recent months, Art City Sound (formerly Advanced Budget Studios) has gone from a "single bedroom, converted into a studio" to a purpose-built three-room professional-grade recording facility.  We started construction on the Springville studio in December, and we're just now finishing up the details.  In a month or so, we should be having an open house to show off our new digs.



Another recent development is the decision to bring the studio to full-time hours.  Where we used to be open from only 7pm to midnight, we're now open all day, six days a week, and are scheduling sessions from 11:00am to midnight.



I can't wait to hear all the music that will be going on in this new facility, and I can't believe I'll be helping even more people realize their dream of getting their music professionally recorded!



Always keeping the music alive...



--Jason



[img]/media/177/richard_jamming.jpg[/img]Photo of Richard Poole rockin' out with a new song in Art City Sound's live room!

So, I've been surfing around the net today, figuring out how I'm going to work in the new website with the old one and what-not, and while doing so, I found out that apparently, Art City Sound is nothing but a big piece of Volvo heavy machinery.  Take a look at this link for proof.  (link here, too).   While you're at it, take a look at the view off the hill from the studio, too.  I don't think I'll ever get tired of that.



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Anyway, just thought that was kind of funny.



For those who don't know, Art City Sound is located in the basement of our brand-new home, and is purpose-built as a recording studio.  Google just doesn't know it yet. :)



Anyway, I haven't updated the blog since we began recording, so I thought I'd take a few and update you all on the progress of the studio.



The glass for the various windows was installed and completed today (finally), and we're only a few days away from being able to use the dry room, as well as the vocal booth.  We're waiting for some acoustic treatment to become available, as well as soldering a few mic leads before we'll be able to use them.  The live room has been in use for about 3 weeks, though, and it sounds better each day.  In fact, we finished our first master of music that was recorded entirely in the live room, and I've gotta say - it sounds amazing.  I've been doing some side-by-side listening tests of material recorded in the old studio, as compared to the new one, for the past couple of days, and the results have me grinning from ear to ear.



I had hoped the new studio would sound better, and had my hopes set pretty high for this new space, and even when it hasn't been thoroughly tuned, the sound is much more spacious, accurate, and much warmer than the other.  Gotta say, I'm impressed - and it's only gonna get better.



As soon as the Artisan Thieves give me the "okay", I'll be posting a sample song or two from their sessions, so you can chime in on how you think the new space sounds.



Hopefully you like it as much as I do.

So...  Yeah... Holy cow.  I started writing this as a Facebook update, and quickly realized ther was too much to say, so, into the blog it goes!



The bottom line is - We are back in business, people!



As of right now, the new studio is close to being finished, but the good news is - we can record.  I've got 3 channels wired up, and I expect to solder at least two more each day, until I hit 10 - then I'll be able to record drums, and believe me, I'm thinking I'll be playing / recording drums for at least 24 hours straight when that happens.  Yeah.. Been a little drum deprived lately.



So, yesterday I had the pleasure of tracking acoustic guitars,  electric guitars, and bass for The Artisan Thieves - a band who called me in July of 2012, only to find out I was stripping down my studio to build a new one, being at least 6 months out.  They decided to wait, and for that, I gladly gave them the first spot, although I've gotta say that Jeff Stock from My Native Spell could have easily had it, had he wanted it, due to his helping me TREMENDOUSLY throughout this whole build.  What a great guy.  (Sooo glad I went to the Art City Music Fest last year!!)



Anyway...  As of now, we have no carpet, and the only room which has recording capabilities is the live room (dry room and vocal booth are waiting for carpet and acoustic treatment), but I've gotta say that from yesterday's recording, the live room sounds *amazing*.  It's full of personality, and is big enough to keep room modes and such from being a problem.



We also have no glass for the windows separating each room, yet, but it's ordered and on its way.  Both carpet and glass should be arriving in a couple weeks.  At that point, we'll most likely have everything else done in all rooms, and will be ready to rock on all fronts.



Last but definitely not least, I've been wondering when I should announce the new name and now that we've officially begun recording, I think now would be a good time.



The new name for the studio which used to be called Advanced Budget Studios will be (drum-roll please! (ba-dum-ching!)



Art City Sound



Took me a long time to find a name which had an available domain, and this was the pick of the litter.  We also have a completely re-designed website well on its way completion with its own streaming radio (which will showcase songs recorded here).  The designer of the new website is a close friend of mine, and professional designer.  He also happens to be one of the best song writers ever to grace the halls of this studio.  His name would be Jesse Crowley, and I can't wait to start working on his new album.



Other than that, I'm so excited to be doing this again, I can hardly think straight.



Oh, I've also created an instagram account and will be uploading photos tagged with #artcitysound for the sessions whose clients don't mind.  (I belive the name on the account is PoeticIntensity)



To close, as we're talking about photos, here are some photos of the studio progress, as well as some session shots of The Artisan Thieves.  Enjoy.



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What a whirlwind, I tell you what. The usual cliche's about this being the busiest time of my life seem to pale against reality, so I'll just dive into the thick of it all.



I've spent the past 3 weeks working intensely on getting the new studio up and running. Thanks to the help of my brother Ryan, my dad Ray, and a good friend, Jeff Stock, this studio project might actually become a real, live, functioning recording studio some day soon! I'm guessing mid-February I'll be able to start taking clients again, and oh, how I can't wait for that day. I can't tell you all how much I've missed all the music, the friends, the drumming, and helping people's music sound the best it possibly can.



I can say that I probably won't be interested in construction projects for the next year or two, though. This stuff is grueling! Today Jeff and I spent a portion of the day putting up fiberglass insulation, and that stuff is horrible! Nope, I won't miss doing that at all.



Anyway, I just thought you all deserved an update on the studio progress. Good things are happening, and it won't be long now.