Sound City Studios Explained

Sound City Studios
Location:Los Angeles, California
Opened:1969
Address:15452 Cabrito Road, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, 91406

Sound City Studios is a recording studio in Los Angeles, California, known as one of the most successful in popular music. The complex opened in 1969 in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles. The facility had previously been a production factory of the English musical instrument manufacturer Vox. Throughout the late twentieth century, the studio became known for its signature sound, especially in recording drums and live performances of rock bands.

Hundreds of rock artists spanning five decades have recorded at Sound City, including Johnny Cash, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, U2, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan, Guns N' Roses, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Tool, Slayer, Rage Against the Machine, Death Cab for Cutie, and Fall Out Boy. Over one hundred albums recorded at Sound City have achieved gold and platinum certifications.[1] [2]

The studio leased time for public use until 2011; in 2011 the owners closed the studio and much of the equipment was sold off. From 2011 to 2016, the studio was leased by Fairfax Recordings, who used it as their own exclusive in-house studio. In 2017 the studio was re-opened for public use and has continued to host artists in the years since.[3] The complex was the focus of the documentary Sound City (2013), directed by musician Dave Grohl. Grohl purchased some of the equipment sold in 2011, including the rare Neve Electronics 8028 mixing console that has been credited with creating the "Sound City sound"; it has since been re-installed at Grohl's Studio 606.

History

The studio was created by Joe Gottfried and Tom Skeeter, who wanted to start a record company and get into artist management. After a rough start, Skeeter and Gottfried purchased [4] [5] [6] a state-of-the-art recording console for $75,175 from the English electronics engineer Rupert Neve:[7] "One of four in the world ... a 28-input, 16-bus, 24-monitor 8028 with 1084 EQs and no automation".[6] [8]

The first song recorded on the console was performed by Buckingham Nicks and led to an invitation to join Fleetwood Mac.

During 1969, Sound City hosted the David Briggs productions Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus by Spirit and After the Gold Rush by Neil Young. Cult leader Charles Manson recorded in Studio B months before the Manson Family crime spree.

In the 1970s, Neil Young, Dr. John, Spirit, Crazy Horse, and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, along with other bands, recorded music at the studio. Shelter Records founders Leon Russell and Denny Cordell found a home at Sound City as well, recording Leon Russell, Delaney & Bonnie, and Joe Cocker. Thanks to the Shelter founders, Sound City hosted a young band from Florida named Mudcrutch in 1974, providing an introduction to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers that resulted in a relationship spanning over two decades.

In 1976, Fleetwood Mac recorded one track at the studio, "Never Going Back Again", from what would become one of the highest selling and most critically acclaimed albums of all time, Rumours.[9] [10] [11]

During the 1980s and 1990s, the studio was used to produce works from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Rick Springfield, Ronnie James Dio, Foreigner, The Black Crowes, and Nirvana. Producer Rick Rubin chose Sound City Studios to record artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Johnny Cash (1996's Unchained). He also recorded Metallica's Death Magnetic, which entered the Billboard Top 200 chart at No. 1, at the studio.[12] [13]

Joe Gottfried died in 1992, at the age of 65. Tom Skeeter died on 12 September 2014, at the age of 82.[14] The studio was closed to the public in 2011 and much of the equipment sold off, including the Neve Electronics 8028 Console from Studio A which was purchased by Dave Grohl, former Nirvana drummer and current frontman of Foo Fighters, who installed it in his Studio 606 in Northridge, California.[15]

In 2011, record label Fairfax Recording leased Studio A for exclusive use of its artists[16] While the studio was left untouched, the control room was refurbished and analog recording equipment even older than the Neve console was added including an ARP 2600 semi-modular analog synthesizer, a Wurlitzer 140B electric piano and EQ modules designed for the Columbia CBS Studios in New York. Artists such as the Cold War Kids, and The Lumineers recorded at the facility during the Fairfax years.

In early 2017 a partnership was formed between Sandy Skeeter, daughter of founder Tom Skeeter, and Olivier Chastan in order to reopen the studio. Sound City is now the home of two of just 11 surviving Helios Type 69 consoles[17] and continues to use classic analog recording techniques in many of its productions. While the control rooms received some upgrades, including Pro Tools, the main studio remains exactly as it was built in 1969.[18]

Sound

Sound City Studios prides itself on having a very particular sound when it comes to recording drums.[19] [1] [7] [20] [21] [22] Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro insisted that one only had to set up the drums in order to get a good drum sound.[23] Producer Rick Rubin said that "guitars sound pretty much the same everywhere, but drums change from room to room, and the sound at Sound City was among the best".[2] Producer Greg Fidelman recorded the sound of a bass drum from each of the big recording studios in the Los Angeles area, subsequently playing the sample for Metallica without divulging from which studio the sound had originated. Based upon this sample, the band chose Sound City Studios to record Death Magnetic. In addition, when asked by Nine Inch Nails to be a guest drummer on some songs, Dave Grohl agreed only if the songs were to be recorded at Sound City Studios. The interior of the main studio has allegedly never been painted over, nor its linoleum tiles changed, due to fear that any such change would directly affect the "legendary sound quality" of the room.[8]

Discography

1970 Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus David Briggs
1970Neil YoungAfter The Gold RushNeil Young
David Briggs
Kendall Pacios
1972 Dr. John's Gumbo Jerry Wexler
1973 Buckingham Nicks Keith Olsen
1974 Evel Knievel Ron Kramer
1974 Caribou Gus Dudgeon
1974 Not Fragile Randy Bachman
1974 At Last Bill Cosby Really Sings Stu Gardner
1975 Fleetwood Mac Keith Olsen
1975 Why Can't We Be Friends? Jerry Goldstein
1975 Nils Lofgren David Briggs
1976 Wait for Night Mark K. Smith
1977 Terrapin Station Keith Olsen
1977REO SpeedwagonYou Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna FishJohn Boylan
Gary Richrath
Kevin Cronin
Paul Grupp
1978 Heaven Tonight Tom Werman
1978Walter EganNot ShyLindsey Buckingham
Richard Dashut
1978 Double Vision Keith Olsen
1979 Damn the Torpedoes Jimmy Iovine
1980 Civilian Gentle Giant
1980 Crimes of Passion Keith Olsen
1981Rick SpringfieldWorking Class DogKeith Olsen
Bill Drescher
1981Tom Petty and the HeartbreakersHard PromisesTom Petty
Jimmy Iovine
1981 Zebop! Keith Olsen
1982 Pat Benatar Precious Time Keith Olsen
1982Hawks30 Seconds Over OthoJohn Ryan
Hawks
1982 REO Speedwagon Good Trouble Kevin Beamish
1982 The Record Gary Lobow
1982 Here Comes the Night Bill Drescher
1982 Rick Springfield Living in Oz Bill Drescher
1983 Holy Diver Ronnie James Dio
1983 Foreign Affairs John Boylan
1984 Out of the Cellar Beau Hill
1984 Rick Springfield Hard to Hold Bill Drescher
1984 Hot Tonight Kevin Beamish
1984 Tomorrow Scott V. Smith
1984 Lord Lift Us Up Bill Maxwell
1984 Crusader Kevin Beamish
1985Tom Petty and the HeartbreakersSouthern AccentsTom Petty
Jimmy Iovine
1985 Thunder in the East Max Norman
1986Guns N' RosesAppetite for Destruction (Sound City Sessions)Mike Clink, Manny Charlton
1988 Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits
1989 Larger Than Live Ron Keel
1991 Nevermind Butch Vig
1992KyussBlues for the Red SunKyuss
Chris Goss
1992Masters of RealitySunrise on the SufferbusChris Goss
Ginger Baker
1992 Rage Against the Machine Garth Richardson
1992 Cereal Killer Sylvia Massy
1993KyussWelcome to Sky ValleyKyuss
Chris Goss
1993ToolUndertowSylvia Massy
C.J. Buscaglia
1993 Rancid Brett Gurewitz
1993 Greatest Hits
1994 Tom Petty Wildflowers Rick Rubin
1994 Amorica Jack Joseph Puig
1994SlayerDivine InterventionRick Rubin
Toby Wright
Slayer
1995 Burning Out The Inside Garth Richardson
1995 One Hot Minute Rick Rubin
1995 On The Turn Garth Richardson
1995 Kyuss ...And the Circus Leaves Town Chris Goss
1996 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Songs and Music from "She's the One" Tom Petty
1996Carl PerkinsGo Cat Go!Various artists
Eddie Kramer
1996 Unchained Rick Rubin
1996WeezerPinkertonWeezer
David Fridmann
1996 Lemon Parade Jack Joseph Puig
1997Bruce DickinsonAccident of BirthRoy Z
1997 The Action Is Go Jay Noel Yuenger
1998 Various artists Foo Fighters
1998 Frank Black and the Catholics Frank Black
1998Bruce DickinsonThe Chemical WeddingRoy Z
1998SuperdragHead Trip in Every KeyJerry Finn
Superdrag
1998System of a DownSystem of a DownRick Rubin
System of a Down
1999 Frank Black and the Catholics Pistolero Nick Vincent
1999 Clarity Mark Trombino
2000 Mer de Noms Billy Howerdel
2000 Rated R Chris Goss
2001 B.R.M.C. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
2001 Frank Black and the Catholics Dog in the Sand Nick Vincent
2001 Iowa Ross Robinson
2001 Wide Awake Bored Matt Hyde
2001 Fu Manchu California Crossing Matt Hyde
2001 Bi-Polar Vanilla Ice
2003 West For Wishing Brett Gurewitz
2003 The Routine Matt Hyde
2003 Youth & Young Manhood Ethan Johns
2003 You Come Before You Pelle Henricsson
2003 Rancid Indestructible Brett Gurewitz
2004 Meltdown (Ash album) Nick Raskulinecz
2004 The Empire Strikes First Brett Gurewitz
2005 Queens of the Stone Age Lullabies to Paralyze Joe Barresi
2005 Wolfmother Dave Sardy
2005 With Teeth Trent Reznor
2005 The Deep End George Drakoulias
2005 Chávez Ravine Ry Cooder
2006 Food Joe Barresi
2007 We'll Never Turn Back Ry Cooder
2008Cold War KidsLoyalty to LoyaltyKevin Augunas
Cold War Kids
2008 Death Magnetic Rick Rubin
2008 Nine Inch Nails The Slip Trent Reznor
2008Elvis Costello and the ImpostersMomofukuElvis Costello
Jason Lader
2009 Edendale Greg Richling
Born Free Rick Rubin
It's Only Natural Mike Green
Wolfmother Cosmic Egg Alan Moulder
2010 Illuminations Rick Rubin
Death Cab for CutieCodes and KeysChris Walla
Death Cab for Cutie
All This Dancin' Around Greg Gordon
Black Magic; All Mysteries Revealed Nick Raskulinecz
2011 The Hunter Mike Elizondo
EverclearReturn to Santa MonicaNathaniel Kunkel
Art Alexakis
Suck It and See James Ford
Haloes Living Like Kings In Confined Spaces Greg Richling
Last Night on Earth Noah and the Whale
Arrows Chris Walla
Monstro Flora Between the Stars[24] Greg Richling
2018 Mania
Death Cab for CutieThank You for Today Rich Costey
Boygenius Boygenius
The Trip Home Tiny E
2019 My Finest Work Yet Paul Butler
Two Hands Andrew Sarlo
Set My Heart On Fire Immediately Blake Mills
2020 Punisher[25] Tony Berg, Phoebe Bridgers and Ethan Gruska
Bob DylanRough and Rowdy WaysNone listed
The KillersImploding the Mirage[26]
2021SwitchfootInterrobang[27] Tony Berg
2022Jack JohnsonMeet the Moonlight[28] Blake Mills
Marcus Mumford(self-titled)[29] Blake Mills

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sound City: Classic rock fans will find much to admire . Padraic. Coffey. filmjamblog. 8 March 2013. 9 June 2013. Sound City Studios was host to a plethora of talents, recording over 100 certified gold and platinum albums, before its closure in 2011. [...] The studio's incomparable reputation for quality percussion sound is tested in a brief high-energy montage of Grohl, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins and other players behind the skins..
  2. News: Movie review: 'Sound City' is homage to recording studio equipment. Kenneth. Turan. Kenneth Turan. Los Angeles Times. 31 January 2013. 9 June 2013.
  3. Web site: Rebirth of a Legend . Sound City Studios . 26 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170713104520/https://www.soundcitystudios.com/ . 13 July 2017.
  4. News: 'Sound City' Movie Review — 5 out of 5 stars. Rick. Florino. Artistdirect. Santa Monica, California. 29 January 2013. 11 June 2013.
  5. News: Movie Review: 'Sound City' captures heyday of a legendary LA music studio. Scott. Mervis. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 26 April 2013. 11 June 2013.
  6. News: Rock Docs: Sound City (2013) . Patrick. Filbin . . Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. 9 April 2013 . 11 June 2013.
  7. Web site: Sound City (2013) - Review - AllMovie. Mark. Deming. Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. 1 February 2013. 9 June 2013.
  8. News: L.A. Grapevine, March 2009 . Bud . Scoppa . . 1 March 2009 . 21 March 2017.
  9. News: The recording of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours (February 1976 - February 1977). May 1997 . . Q staff . 128 . 8 April 2018.
  10. Web site: 100 Best Albums Ever . . . London . 19 September 1997 . 8 April 2018 . Discogs.
  11. News: Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours' at 35: Still the 'perfect album'. Katie. McLaughlin. CNN. 27 June 2012. 13 December 2012.
  12. Metallica Chart History. Billboard 200 . . 8 April 2018.
  13. Web site: Dead Magnetic - Metallica. Awards . https://web.archive.org/web/20160101212249/http://www.allmusic.com/album/death-magnetic-mw0000792030/awards . dead . 1 January 2016 . . . 28 August 2013 . dmy-all .
  14. Web site: The Dead Rock Stars Club : 2014 July to December. Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. 15 September 2014. Doc Rock.
  15. News: Hutchinson . Charles . Blues godfather John Mayall to play York Barbican . . 21 May 2019 . 27 May 2019.
  16. News: Bieger . Hannes . Fairfax Recording, California . . January 2017 . 27 May 2019.
  17. Web site: Ramsey . Colby . Studio Profile: Sound City Studios . Audio Media International . 20 June 2019.
  18. Web site: Sound City Studios . The Audio Hunt . 20 June 2019.
  19. .
  20. News: Dave Grohl and Other Rockers Toast L.A.'s Sound City. Alan. Scherstuhl. The Village Voice. New York City. 30 January 2013 . 9 June 2013.
  21. Web site: Sound City Documentary – Review. Alec. Wren. harmonicjunction.com. 11 March 2013. 9 June 2013. Coupled with the console was the large live room, a room that defied its undesirable acoustical sizing and characteristics to generate drum tracks that would redefine rock music..
  22. Web site: Sound City Studios Documentary. Neil Young to Metallica to Kyuss to Tom Petty to Nirvana. Ronan Chris. Murphy. ronansrecordingshow.com. 6 April 2009. 9 June 2013. This place is heaven for analog recording gear fanatics and has what some consider the best drum room in the world..
  23. Web site: The Sound of Sound City Studios . Kent. Fackenthall. kentfackenthall.com. 19 July 2012 . 27 February 2018.
  24. https://web.archive.org/web/20230528155521/http://ww1.vidinfo.org/video/15044542/monstro-flora-between-the-stars-ep-release
  25. Phoebe Bridgers's Frank, Anxious Music. Amanda. Petrusich. The New Yorker. May 17, 2020. May 19, 2020.
  26. Web site: The Killers take new approach . 2022-09-21 . The Columbian . en-US.
  27. Web site: Ryley Walker Finally Gets To Interview Switchfoot About New Album 'Interrobang': "I Want To Say For The Record That I'm A Huge Head" . 2022-09-21 . www.grammy.com.
  28. Web site: Meet the Moonlight . 2022-09-21 . Jack Johnson Music . en.
  29. Web site: 2022-08-10 . The Secret at the Heart of Marcus Mumford's New Solo Album . 2022-09-21 . GQ . en-US.