&p[url]=/Home/Blogview/57" target="_blank">
Howzat at Jukasa Recording Studios
Monday, December 18, 2017 found me struggling out of bed at
some ungodly hour of 7:30am in order to meet Kevin Rudy of Howzat in Ingersoll
by 9:30am.
To my dear wife Barb being the creature of ambition and a force of nature
herself, this was a walk in the park – to someone who as a steel worker 5 years
ago had to be up at 2:30am for work and since then has lived a life of
normality – this concept of a 7:30am wake-up bordered on torture at Gitmo. –
nevertheless like a trooper I took on the challenge.
Upon
arrival I had the good fortune to meet
Darren Jeter Magierowski and Jill Zimmermann who head up the studio, this
duo has a resume that defines why they are employed at
Jukasa Recording Studios.
Darren Jeter Magierowski
is a three-time JUNO™ Award
winning head engineer and manager at Jukasa Studios.
Jill Zimmermann
is
a two-time JUNO AWARD winning engineer here at Jukasa Studios, and came all the
way from Cologne, Germany to follow her dream to work in the North American
Music Industry with its wealth of talented musicians and artists. Her bio can
be found here:
The two of them
work hand in hand like one person and it was amazing to see how they work so
well together and have such a command on the intricate demands of running a
studio.
We arrived around
11:15am and were there until just after 11pm, it was a long day for sure but it
was a lot of fun and fascinating to be a part of the entire process. I had the
pleasure of meeting Siobhan Lawrie who runs the front area of the studio and is
a wealth of information and the engine of the entire facility from the admin
side – not to mention just a genuine charming young Lady.
The studio purchased the legendary SSL 4072G console from Abbey Road Studios
in London, England and uses it as the foundation for their signature sound.
With plenty of high end outboard analog gear, they have all the right equipment
for incredible recordings at the studio.
The studio has
everything you could imagine: a heliport,
on-site living accommodations
for
bands to stay overnight or for weeks at a time, limo service, and luxury bus
service for clients, an upstairs lounge with theater seating, big screen TV and
kitchen area.
A large yet intimate video theater that seats approximately
19 in soft leather chairs, a large video screen and an audio system on the
walls and roof that are beyond belief – I wish I could have watched/heard a
movie in that room it would have been jaw dropping.
The facility is located just south of Toronto, and only 15 minutes from
Hamilton – so it is quite easy to get too and not far away.
As for services offered, the studio has:
Tracking
Take your demo to the next level and have your music recorded
professionally in an acoustically controlled environment. Their professional staff
utilizes some of the best equipment in the world and can record both live off
the floor, as well as use any of their three isolation booths or piano room. Their
live floor is exceptional for tracking drums, and can accommodate an entire
band easily.
Editing
They offer analog tape to digital multi-track transfers and digital
editing (via Pro Tools HD). They also offer restoration and noise reduction
services to clean up old and noisy recordings.
Mixing
Bring us them previously recorded
tracks for a great sounding professional mix down. Their mixing environment is
a blend of a state-of-the-art digital audio workstation (Pro Tools HD) and
classic vintage outboard gear. They can also clean up old recordings and re-mix
them to give you that great sound you’ve been looking for.
Mastering
Mastering is the final stage before your album is sent off to the
duplication plant. It ensures that the final mixes are consistent and suited to
the format it will be distributed on (i.e CD, vinyl, iTunes, MP3). The masters
can be processed in many ways to ensure you get a highly polished professional
recording, ready for the world to enjoy.
Sound Design
Sound integration is the most important part of any video project whether
it’s a simple ad or episodic television. Their sound designers and engineers
know just how to design and sculpt the sound track for your picture to capture
the viewer.
The day with Howzat was
interesting as all the layers and parts were laid down for the two songs. Elaborate
attention was given to guitars, pedals, effects, click speeds, vocals and
harmonies, keys – all of it was like building a house from the ground up to arrive
at one final result that was perfect on all levels.
It was cool to just
witness the creation of a song that was bare bones in its infancy, then molded
and polished until it ended up a jewel at the end of the process.
By the time the day was
over – Kevin Rudy, Greigg Fraser, Dave Buland and Dale Penny along with Bender
keyboardist Dan Ransom had forged two great rock songs. Adding in Jill and my
contributions on gang vocals for a few tracks and we had all accomplished a
great deal in 12 hours with Darren running the board and quarterbacking the
session.
We were all tired and
pretty much mentally worn down by 11pm, but hearing the two tracks in the
control room monitors made the long hours worthwhile. Howzat had written,
played and recorded two killer tracks and I myself can’t wait to hear the final
product on a CD.
To Jill, Siobhan, Darren and the boys in the band – thanks so much for a great day, it was a lot of fun and I’m honored to have been asked to share in it.
#allstage
#TurnUpTheLiveMusic #Howzat #PefectWorld #StandUp #indie #rock
#JukasaStudios #JukasaMediaGroup #
Caledonia #FirstNations
#
LdnOnt
#
LdnEnt
Congratulations to our engineers Darren and Jill on their gold record for the Single Push+Pull by @julytalk
The legendary SSL 4072G console from Abbey Road Studios in London, England