Dec
21
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.
Howzat
+was+going+to+Caledonia+to+Jukasa+Recording+Studios+to+do+some
recording+for+two+new+songs+“Stand+Up”+&+“Perfect+World”. +The+studio+is+located+on+First+Nations+land
and+is+known+for+being+a+high+end+recording+facility+with+the+likes+of+Snoop
Dog,+Steve+Tyler+(Aerosmith),+Billy+Gibbons+(ZZ+Top),+Adam+Lambert+(Queen,+solo
work),+Daughtry,+Three+Days+Grace,+
Alexisonfire,
The+Trews,+London’s+very+own+
Vultures+Playing+Ruckus
+and+countless+others +using+the+facility+for+their+work.
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
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LdnEnt