When was the Golden years for Recording Studio's?

[gtbuba]

Hi Gents, I started in the business in 1980 and still recording for a
living supplemented by leasing office buildings. Worked on mostly
smaller local projects. Just curious. Was the hey day for the bigger
studios in the 1970's 1980's or 1990's?
GT.

[RD Jones]

On Aug 10, 7:59*pm, gtbuba > wrote:
> Hi Gents, I started in the business in 1980 and still recording for a
> living supplemented by leasing office buildings. Worked on mostly
> smaller local projects. Just curious. Was the hey day for the bigger
> studios in the 1970's 1980's or 1990's?

Caribou Ranch was widely considered one of, if not _the_
top state of the art studio in it's day.
It was built in 1972 and heavily damaged by fire in 1985.
It wasn't rebuilt.

rd

[[email protected]]

On Aug 10, 8:59*pm, gtbuba > wrote:
> Hi Gents, I started in the business in 1980 and still recording for a
> living supplemented by leasing office buildings. Worked on mostly
> smaller local projects. Just curious. Was the hey day for the bigger
> studios in the 1970's 1980's or 1990's?
> * * * * * * * * * * * * *GT.

Lemme take a stab:

The golden days for a pro-level studio were the mid 70s to the late
80s. The analog equipment was expensive but good, there was not a huge
amount of competition, the market for music was brisk, and most of the
people at studios had mastered the state of the art of analog
recording. This supremacy started to erode as digital gained traction
and as the equipment cost vs. quality ratio began to drop.

The golden days for the small studio (including aspiring recordists
who operated low-cost studios to support their own recording) were
from the late 80s to the early 2000s. The digital equipment was
relatively cheap; and while many of them sucked, just as many more
were surprisingly good, as young turks found new ways to push the
envelope. But the competition was fierce. As noted, this chipped away
at the pro studios, and even the studio-in-a-storefront entrepreneurs
found that the competition made it impossible to maintain economic
stability.

None of which is to mention the rise of home recording. At first, it
was Teacs, Tascams and even Fostexes; then came the ADATS and DA88s;
then ProTools and the other tapeless formats. Yes, home recording paid
scant attention to such things as acoustics, ergonomics, wide mic
selection, yadda-yadda, but it sure did hurt the paid studio industry.

[david correia]

In article
>,
gtbuba > wrote:

> Hi Gents, I started in the business in 1980 and still recording for a
> living supplemented by leasing office buildings. Worked on mostly
> smaller local projects. Just curious. Was the hey day for the bigger
> studios in the 1970's 1980's or 1990's?
> GT.



1980's. When 2" 24 track - and for the big guys, 2 synced 24 track
machines - were the norm for pro recording. Studio time was not cheap.

In the early 90's the Adat arrived, signaling the beginning of the end
of the iron grip of the big studio.




David Correia
www.Celebrationsound.com

[Scott Dorsey]

In article >,
david correia > wrote:
>In article
>,
> gtbuba > wrote:
>
>> Hi Gents, I started in the business in 1980 and still recording for a
>> living supplemented by leasing office buildings. Worked on mostly
>> smaller local projects. Just curious. Was the hey day for the bigger
>> studios in the 1970's 1980's or 1990's?
>> GT.
>
>1980's. When 2" 24 track - and for the big guys, 2 synced 24 track
>machines - were the norm for pro recording. Studio time was not cheap.

And see, I'd say that cheap 24 track stuff killed proper recording
technique. Used to be folks would practice before they went into the
studio, they'd sit down, and they'd record. The availability of cheap
high density multitrack gear that any studio could afford resulted in
sessions that consist of endless noodling and overdubbing track after track
just to see what would happen.

So I'd put the "golden age" in the late sixties and early seventies before
the ready availability of 16-track.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[[email protected]]

On 2010-08-12 (ScottDorsey) said:
>>1980's. When 2" 24 track - and for the big guys, 2 synced 24 track
>>machines - were the norm for pro recording. Studio time was not
>cheap.
>And see, I'd say that cheap 24 track stuff killed proper recording
>technique. Used to be folks would practice before they went into
>the studio, they'd sit down, and they'd record. The availability
>of cheap high density multitrack gear that any studio could afford
>resulted in sessions that consist of endless noodling and
>overdubbing track after track just to see what would happen.
>So I'd put the "golden age" in the late sixties and early seventies
>before the ready availability of 16-track.

WOuld agree, but those endless noodling overdub sessions at
least provided good rooms in many cases for those of us
who'd already rehearsed and wanted to track and mix in a
decent acoustic environment. A good many middle of the pack
studios survived with at least a decent drum room, some even
could offer a real piano which was tolerably set up for
sessions.

THen came the studio in a box, and quality totally went to
hell from there, because every doofus in the world could
turn his bedroom into a studio. Poor sounding rooms, poor
technique. Combine that with endless track counts and
"noodling" forever, and the results are apparent.
THe ultimate end:

"I have no talent, but I can sample James Brown."
NOw we don't have a real piano, or a decent recoridng
environment, but, if you really have no talent we have
autotune.





Richard webb,

replace anything before at with elspider
Remote audio in the southland: see www.gatasound.com

[david correia]

In article >,
(Scott Dorsey) wrote:

> In article >,
> david correia > wrote:
> >In article
> >,
> > gtbuba > wrote:
> >
> >> Hi Gents, I started in the business in 1980 and still recording for a
> >> living supplemented by leasing office buildings. Worked on mostly
> >> smaller local projects. Just curious. Was the hey day for the bigger
> >> studios in the 1970's 1980's or 1990's?
> >> GT.
> >
> >1980's. When 2" 24 track - and for the big guys, 2 synced 24 track
> >machines - were the norm for pro recording. Studio time was not cheap.
>
> And see, I'd say that cheap 24 track stuff killed proper recording
> technique. Used to be folks would practice before they went into the
> studio, they'd sit down, and they'd record. The availability of cheap
> high density multitrack gear that any studio could afford resulted in
> sessions that consist of endless noodling and overdubbing track after track
> just to see what would happen.
>
> So I'd put the "golden age" in the late sixties and early seventies before
> the ready availability of 16-track.
> --scott
> --
> "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."




Didn't it take 2 guys to do a punch back in your golden age? ;>

As someone who bought a new automated console and 2" machine in the mid
80's, I sure wouldn't call it "cheap 24 track stuff." If only I'd bought
some MSFT and held it instead.

And Scott, in that wierd Pro Tools discussion, watch out, you're
sounding like The Cranky Old Man. "And we made tweeters by peeling off
our own skin, and we LIKED it." ;>




David Correia
www.Celebrationsound.com

[Scott Dorsey]

david correia > wrote:
>
>Didn't it take 2 guys to do a punch back in your golden age? ;>

No, we just called Vito and said, "Vito, knock this guy out if he
misses that note on the next take." Sometimes a punch wouldn't even
be needed.

>as someone who bought a new automated console and 2" machine in the mid
>80's, I sure wouldn't call it "cheap 24 track stuff." If only I'd bought
>some MSFT and held it instead.

Sure, but what you paid was about what you would have paid for a 4-track
system only a decade earlier, scaled for inflation.

It's interesting to see how much the tape machines and most consoles have
dropped in price, but at the same time a lot of standard microphones and
processors from back then have climbed faster than MSFT.

>And Scott, in that wierd Pro Tools discussion, watch out, you're
>sounding like The Cranky Old Man. "And we made tweeters by peeling off
>our own skin, and we LIKED it." ;>

Absolutely, but I've turned the Cranky Old Man thing into a selling point.
I even run Cranky Old Man ads, and they work. There's a small contingent
out there who doesn't like current production methods and they don't have
much alternative other than to come to me.

I think that's the key to the whole thing... find a customer base and
serve it.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[gtbuba]

On Aug 15, 9:24*am, (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
> david correia > wrote:
>
>
>
> >Didn't it take 2 guys to do a punch back in your golden age? ;>
>
> No, we just called Vito and said, "Vito, knock this guy out if he
> misses that note on the next take." *Sometimes a punch wouldn't even
> be needed.
>
> >as someone who bought a new automated console and 2" machine in the mid
> >80's, I sure wouldn't call it "cheap 24 track stuff." If only I'd bought
> >some MSFT and held it instead.
>
> Sure, but what you paid was about what you would have paid for a 4-track
> system only a decade earlier, scaled for inflation.
>
> It's interesting to see how much the tape machines and most consoles have
> dropped in price, but at the same time a lot of standard microphones and
> processors from back then have climbed faster than MSFT.
>
> >And Scott, in that wierd Pro Tools discussion, watch out, you're
> >sounding like The Cranky Old Man. "And we made tweeters by peeling off
> >our own skin, and we LIKED it." ;>
>
> Absolutely, but I've turned the Cranky Old Man thing into a selling point..
> I even run Cranky Old Man ads, and they work. *There's a small contingent
> out there who doesn't like current production methods and they don't have
> much alternative other than to come to me.
>
> I think that's the key to the whole thing... find a customer base and
> serve it.
> --scott
>
> --
> "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Yes I have a few clients who are old fashion like me. I have to watch
being too much of a cranky old man. The honey gets the bee. The
younger musicians in my band have a nickname for me. "Catfish" I think
it's an age thing.
GT.