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15 February 2010
Hello everyone,
How are y'all doing?? Yes, I know, it's been way too long between updates 'round here. It's been zany here at LCBW - and in my life in general - since I last put pen-to-paper (or, more like fingers to keyboard), but there's lots to tell.
The main, and most current, item of news is that I am moving the studio. However, it's not going all tat far, only down the hall. Let me explain...
For those of you unaware, EARTHQUAKE STUDIOS had a recording studio in the '80s and '90s. It was a good facility, and by the end they were running 24-tracks on 1" tape. Once that part of the business ended, the live room and control room became private monthly rental rooms. In fact, back in Decembre 1998, I just missed the opportunity to move my then basement-dwelling side business into that space. And only by days.
Fast-forward to 2010... by the end of January the folks renting the control room had moved out. So a window of opportunity existed to grab the old Earthquake recording space. I started thinking "at last, a control room... better isolation... more efficient ability to heat/cool the space." The clock was ticking.
I took my time and laid out all the groundwork. It was do-able. It would be financially risky, but do-able. So, on Monday the 8th, I told Tommy from Earthquake that it was a 'go'. I will begin to transform the control room this week - new locks, fresh paint, cheque the electrical, etc. By the 24th or so I will begin to move the recording gear in there. And then on the 28th the final move will occur, getting all the other gear into the live room.
As for what's been going on session-wise, I think it's easier to mention the finished products that have come out (or are aboot to come out) since the last update. The new CD from THUNDERBOLT PATTERSON, The LO Is Dead, was released on 16 Novembre via NO FUN RECORDS. THE VIVID TWISTED's 2nd full-length CD, Terror.Violence.Technology is due out at the end of this month. The new CD from 68 AD, entitled Fractured, was made available by the band for a brief time as a free download before Christmas. The physical CD release is slated very soon. BOUNDALIVE finished mixing their debut full-length, Espirit De Corps, in January. It then went up to WEST WEST SIDE MUSIC for mastering. The band is shooting for a late March release. The new METHADRONE CD, Better Living (Through Chemistry), that I mastered last May was release in Octobre via the Belgium-based CONSOULING SOUNDS label. James Scios from NO-NAME JAMES AND BUTTERBALL and I have been hard at work totally re-mixing his latest CD, Groove Revolution, Blues Evolution, over the past few months. We're ever-so-close to finishing up, hopefully this week - we'd really like to get it done before the move.
Other artists who've been working intermittently on projects include the following: TARA DILLON; ERIC MIRABEL; JARED WHITAKER; BRYAN NOLAN; RICH GOHEEN; MIKE BINO; DION FLYNN; CARYN FEDER; SERIOUS; JERSEY CAPITAL CRIMES; and GITTY DOUGH. There have also been a variety of archival projects for the following artists: FANTOM WARIOR; ALLEGIANCE; RAT RACE; JOHN MOSKAL; INSANIAC; and MARTY EIGEN.
In conclusion, this is an exciting time at LCBW. A great opportunity to expand the business has come along. And who wouldn't want their business to grow, to be bigger and better?? Once the move is completed I'll be back up to speed within a week, and I look forward to all the new projects coming down the pike. New photos will be up by the middle of March at the latest, so stay tuned...
Questions?? Comments?? As always, just drop me an e-mail or call.
Cheers,
Time waits for no slave...
LE CHATEAU BOW WOW RECORDING is no longer accepting credit cards 22 June 2009
Hello everyone,
Again, another huge gap between updates. 4-and-a-half months this time, sorry aboot that. Things have remained busy, and when I've had some spare time I've been relaxing. Today, though, I've got a bunch of time to type away. So there you have it.
Some of the clients that have been spending time on their projects include the following: J.P. 'THUNDERBOLT' PATTERSON; METHADRONE; THE VIVID TWISTED; BOUNDALIVE; MIKE BINO; TRACEY ROBINSON; MYKOLAI PERCH; TAM GARCIA; GITTY DOUGH; NECROPHILE; 68 A.D.; X1; JOE INFANTINI; FLIGHT PATTERN; and THE ASCENSION. The sessions above encompass a wide variety of our services. Most were tracking and mixing, the backbone of what I do, but others were in for mastering and archiving. And, in the case of THE ASCENSION, a location recording. More work on the above projects will continue in the next few weeks and months.
As for new projects, OBVIATUS is aboot to be in for the mastering of their new release. This one's been in the works for a long time. CARYN FEDER is returning to track a couple of new songs before she heads out on tour. Other sessions are currently pending confirmation.
My long-gestating solo project is getting close to being done!! My goal is to have the tracking done by the end of this month, and then mix it in July. And that is attainable. Then it's back to INSANIAC, which inches towards the finish line as well. I've gotten a bunch of lead guitar tracks done there, so it's getting there. Add to that a new project with Tom Goodwin of HOLE IN THE SKY. Maybe I'll learn to say 'no' someday. ;-)
No new gear this time around. Like a lot of you, things are a little tight in this current economic climate. Even though LCBW continues to be very busy, I've got to be financially prudent. I can't just buy everything I'd like to have.
So that's the short of it. I'm really looking forward to finishing up some of the above mentioned projects, if for no other reason than I'd like to finally install ProTools 8. I don't dare do it while I've got so many projects in-house. Anyway... questions?? Comments?? Just drop me an e-mail or call.
Cheers,
Can I have everything louder than everything else?? � Ian Gillan
8 February 2009
Hello everyone,
That's right... another 3 month gap between updates. It continues to be hellaciously nutty here at Le Chateau Bow Wow. Business is now at an unprecedented level, and I ain't complaining one iota 'cause I love what I do.
However, the reason I've finally got time to do an update is because I just had a band pull a no-show on me. This is one of the worst feelings as a small business owner. I get the call, an appointment is set. 95% of the time I am here a full hour ahead of the session. It sucks to drive an hour, be here for the client and then... nothing. At least today's no-show client had the 'courtesy' to at least call, albeit 30 minutes after the session start time. I got a cockamayme (sic) excuse, "someone in the family is deathly ill"... a line of bullsh*t, of course. So I told them they'll still have to pay, as I have a 24-hour cancelation policy. You cancel, it's $70 � the equivalent of 2 hours time.
So now I get to 'blog' away. I actually enjoy doing this, it's just that time thing that gets in the way.
No big gear acquisitions to speak of this go 'round. The only thing I've added to the arsenal is a software plug-in, the Massey L2007 limiter. This is a great piece of kit to use for on the final mix, or for mastering. I've purchased a few Massey plug-ins thus far and they're very good. Actually, their VT-3 EQ is killer, I use it often.
As for sessions, there's been plenty. Serious and G from JERSEY CAPITAL CRIMES finished up their debut CD in January. High-quality rap/hip-hop that's not for the faint of heart. Later, Serious and I did some beat creation for his upcoming solo CD. TOAD came in on their Xmas break from college to mix 3 of the songs they tracked last summer. Rapper GITTY DOUGH has been continuing work on his debut CD. In fact, he'll be in again later today. BOUNDALIVE has also continued working on their debut full-length CD, entitled Espirit De Corps. We're nearly done with tracking there, and have begun some preliminary mixing.
I've done a lot of archiving work lately, for the following clients: KENNY CUNNINGHAM, THE BEACON HILL JAZZ BAND and TRACEY ROBINSON (CD duplication); SNOWBLIND and RIPPER (archival transfers from cassette to CD); and both HOLE IN THE SKY and SKULLSHIFTER (2-track live recording transfers to CD). Also in the archival category, I've been re-mixing some CHRONIC BREAKJOB material from 1995 and 1997. I transferred the old masters into ProTools and the new mixes are pretty cool, bringing things out that didn't originally cut through. Definitely more brutal fer sure.
As for new projects, metal-core upstarts THE CABIN THEORY completed their debut 3-song demo (well, really 3-and-a-half songs). Very energetic stuff and well played. Great dudes as well. Scotch Plains resident (and Earthquake Studio drum student alumni) CARYN FEDER was in at Xmas to record her new 4-song EP. Caryn played many of the instruments herself and did most of the singing, but she did have some friends in to help out. She had finished up by mid-January. North Plainfield ska band BEAM ME UP SKATTY (great name, eh?) came in late in January and began recording their 4-song EP. All of the tracking is done there, we've just work out a time to mix it. B.M.U.S. guitarist TAM GARCIA has begun recording some of his solo acoustic material as well � it's very different from the band. Lastly, last week saw the return of J.P. "THUNDERBOLT" PATTERSON, who was in laying down some tracks for an unspecified project. J.P. is, of course, the drummer with NYC legends THE DICTATORS.
In the coming weeks LCBW will have some more old friends come through the door as THE VIVID TWISTED, HELLDOG and BLOOD RED ORANGE are already booked in. I'm looking forward to finishing up some of the projects mentioned above, as well as getting back in gear on the INSANIAC recordings and my solo stuff. Questions?? Comments?? Just drop me an e-mail or call.
Cheers,
Whatever it is, I'm against it. � Nic Bullen
3 Novembre 2008
Howdy everyone,
Yes, yes, yes... it's been quite some time since the last update here. I believe this is the longest gap ever in update-land, nearly 5 months. Sorry aboot that, but business has been nutty. And that's a good thing!! But I have been on top of little things here, like the CLIENT and EQUIPMENT lists, things that only need a minute or 2. This 'blog' takes me upwards of 2 hours, and that time just hasn't been available. So enough of my horse-s**t and on to the update.
First thing I'd like to mention is that our studio computer received a significant upgrade/overhaul. I've upgraded to the G5 to MAC OS 10.5.5 (known as Leopard) and added another 2GB of RAM (as if things weren't lightning-fast enough already!!) I've also upgraded ProTools to v7.4.2, and recently purchased the acclaimed SoundToys Native Effects V3 plug-in pack. The SoundToys staff includes a few former Eventide engineers, and as an ex-Eventide employee myself, I've wanted to utilize their plug-ins for a long time. I finally had the $$ so I plunked down, and I'm sure glad I did as it's great stuff.
Having said that, DigiDesign just announced that they will be releasing ProTools 8 very soon. I doubt I will be jumping on that straight away as it may require a hardware update to unlock its full potential. LCBW will be more than fine at the current v7.4.2 for some time to come.
So who's been through the doors and worked on stuff?? Well let me tell ya... 68 AD, THE VIVID TWISTED, JOE FISCHETTI and BOUNDALIVE have all finished their respective projects. TVT's EP has not yet been released, although they've been rotating songs on their MySpace page. The 68 dudes wasted no time in getting their 10-song CD out, though. BA went through mastering up at WEST WEST SIDE MUSIC once the mixes were done, and have now released their single. The band is still in-house, working on an additional 8 songs to complete their debut full-length CD.
As for Mr. Fischetti, the man has an endless supply of songs. He completed 5 further songs to go along with his original 8, and has re-released his debut CD � now entitled BRIDGES � to include all 13 songs. It's pretty diverse, yet still rooted around Joe and his acoustic guitar. He's been playing these songs live without a full band to accompany him, and they still sound great. (As an aside, I may begin playing live with Joe at select shows starting in January '09.) And now that the CD is complete, what does he do?? He records another song!! Adding to that is this little tidbit � Joe has been contributing lead vocals to my long-gestating solo CD.
Who else has been in?? OK, here goes... metal-core upstarts CAUSE OF DEATH came in and started a 5-song demo. One song has been completed and fully mixed thus far. Hardcore rappers JERSEY CAPITAL CRIMES have begun working on their debut CD. The TOAD dudes finished up tracking all of their material, and then headed off to college. Everything still needs to be mixed there. Thrashers NECROPHILE began recording in June and July, and should be back in soon. They have the basics down for 3 tunes right now. Watchung-based rockers ZARATHUSTRA began tracking 3 songs in August. Rap/hip-hop artist GITTY DOUGH has continued work on his debut CD in fits-and-starts here and there. Lastly, the INSANIAC machine is up-and-running again. Lead vocals are done, and I've begun the process of tracking lead guitars. There are aboot 17 leads to do, many of which I will need to re-learn after 20-odd years.
In the next few weeks I've got a couple of new bands coming through the door, along with continued work on the BOUNDALIVE, INSANIAC, JERSEY CAPITAL CRIMES and NECROPHILE projects. Questions?? Comments?? Just drop me an e-mail or call.
Cheers,
Whatever it is, I'm against it. � Nic Bullen
5 January 2008
Howdy everyone,
Howzaboot a HAPPY NEW YEAR shout to y'all!! Yeah, I missed the Decembre update, but bugger off � I was kinda busy. That busy-ness has lasted all the way through 'til now, and looks to continue for the foreseeable future. I've had nary a day off until today, save for 4 days of sickness aboot 5 weeks ago. So while I've got the time lemme dive on in...
Many projects have been getting - dare I say it - DONE. DATURA and I finished up their mixing in mid-Decembre, only to have me say "lemme have another crack at it". The first mix was damn fine, but a little inconsistent. The 2nd swing at it really did the trick, smoothing things out, and the band was very, very happy. The CD will be called 6 FISTS, and you can hear some of it now at their MySpace page.
The dormant MAJUR BLUDD recordings, begun in June of 2006, have now been completed. Unfortunately, the band dissolved early this past Summer, so the unfinished tracks were just sitting on one of my hard drives. Fast-forward to early Decembre, when I went with MB drummer Big Tom G. to see OBITUARY at Starland Ballroom. He asked if I could come up with a figure to mix what was there. A day or so later I got the all-clear from him and the other band members, and I dove in. There were some unfinished guitar tracks and guitarist Ryan was due to head out for Air Force boot camp on the 17th, so I wound up playing a bunch of leads. The mixes were done throughout the rest of the month, and I got the final thumb's up on the 30th. The band put a lot of work into those recordings, so I'm glad to hear that they're happy with the end result. Hopefully I can post a song at some point.
Joe Infantini's HELLDOG project is done recording for the time being. He got in just before X-mas to do some final lead guitars, and then we mixed some of the material, sans vocals. Joe is now working on some new material to add to what he's currently got, and then we'll reconvene for more tracking.
A lot of new clients have come in during these past 2 months including DAIO FAYANJU, TKO BAND, EASTRO and STEVE HUBERT, but I've been having the most fun recording JOE FISCHETTI. His project is very similar to the one I recorded with HARRY CIRILLO a few months back in that I'm getting to produce as well as engineer (and play). Once again I've enlisted the services of EARTHQUAKE STUDIOS owner Tom Doud to man the kit, and his input has been invaluable. Joe's approach has been one song at a time, where we complete (or nearly complete) all of the tracking to one song before recording the next. This manner has led to a lot of spontaneity, resulting in some really cool ideas. Along with playing bass and lead guitar I've been adding some tasty keyboard bits. We just finished off the 6th of his 8 songs for this recording cycle yesterday (4 January), and we get right back to work with #7 on Monday (the 7th). Once we're done tracking we'll sit down for final mixing.
One other really fun project started on X-mas Eve with the band 4 NORMANDY. The band was in a pinch, time-wise, as drummer Dave was going away on the 27th. We convened at the very un-rock 'n' roll hour of 8:30am and got all the rhythm tracks done, along with most of the guitars and piano. A couple of days later the rest of the guys (Chris - vocals/piano/bass, Phil - vocals/guitar/bass, Brendon - bass/guitar) came back in and finished up most of what remained while adding 2 more songs. We finished up the last few vocals on the 30th, and then mixed it all very quickly in a concise 3-and-a-half hours. This was the band's first 'proper' recording experience, and they did a great job.
The SKULLSHIFTER sessions have been progressing at a rapid rate (well, at least for us). We've been busting our asses on this, lemme tell ya!! Tom Nolz just finished up his lead vocals this past Wednesday night (2 January), so all that's left are my lead guitars, J. McCaffrey's backing vocals and some other assorted bits. All of the tracking should be completed by the end of the month, and it's on to the mix. It is sounding particularly brutal, and we're well stoked so far.
Now that Tom's done with our main band's stuff (and since he's still in 'vocal mode'), up next will be the vocal tracking for the INSANIAC recordings. As mentioned last time, we had to put those recordings to the side while we concentrated fully on SKULLSHIFTER. I just did a fresh set of roughs of the 11 songs for this album � I forgot just how good it's coming along.
On the gear front I've gotten a few new pieces. Most notable is a PreSonus DigiMax LT, an 8-channel analogue preamp that spits out ADAT lightpipe to our DigiRack 002-R. This replaces our previous unit, a Behringer ADA-8000. The Behringer unit was fine and did it's job, but the DigiMax is definitely a big step up in quality, and also has the added bonus of insert points on each input. I've also been given a very nice Studio Projects C-1 large diaphram condensor mic, an excellent addition to our mic collection that has already seen it's fair share of use. It's great to have choices at your disposal when it comes to tracking vocals.
I've been swapping out a bunch of songs over at the LCBW MySpace page the past few days. Last year's MAJUR BLUDD w/SKULLSHIFTER version of "Jingle Bells" has already come and gone, but 2 others that have gone up that are still there. "Up, Up & Awake" from the first incarnation of RIOTGOD is up, as is the song "What Are You Gonna Do?" from last year's CD Black And White by THE VIVID TWISTED. Keep your ears (and eyes) open for some more new tunes in the very near future.
And what's coming up, you ask? More great recordings � what else would you expect, eh? OBVIATUS is due in next weekend to track drums and vocals for 3 songs. Joe Moore from DTA (and drummer on the new INSANIAC recordings) is hoping to bring in his other band, NECROPHILE, in the coming weeks. JOE FISCHETTI will be active with his project for the next few weeks. And, as mentioned above, work will continue on the SKULLSHIFTER and INSANIAC projects. As always, if you've got any questions or comments just drop me an e-mail or call.
Cheers,
False influence like a leech Sucking dry your veins �1991 by Mark 'Barney' Greenway of NAPALM DEATH 5 Novembre 2007
Hey y'all,
I've got nothing quite as spectacular as the big gear update last time. More plug-ins have been added, and I've gotten the 2nd 20" Apple cinema display. Everything is very stable and I'm comfortable with it, so the transition is complete.
I've been keepin' real busy using all the new stuff since the last update. The project for HARRY CIRILLO was completed over this past weekend, and it's something I'm really proud of. Great songs, great presentation. Along with my bass duties I was asked to provide lead guitar (cheers for that, dude!!). Hopefully he will have some of the songs posted on-line soon. Good stuff, indeed.
All of the tracking for DATURA is nearly done. They should finish up at their next session, and then it's time to mix. Paul, Arthur and Pat have done an awesome job. Again, great songs and performances. They should be wrapped up by Thanksgiving.
After months and months of delays, me and the other dudes in SKULLSHIFTER have begun work on our new CD. We cut all the drums over a 2-day period in late Septembre, and Dan (Davie) did a stellar job!! Tom (Nolz) and I have been on rhythm guitar duty since then, and we're nearing completion there. J. (McCaffrey) is scheduled to start his bass tracks this week. The plan is to have all the tracking done by the end of the year.
One consequence of us starting up the SKULLSHIFTER machine is we've had to suspend work on the INSANIAC recordings. No problem there, though, as we've got the drums and rhythm guitars finished there. The toughest stuff is in the bag.
I've had a bunch of other clients stop in around all the above 'heavy lifting'. Jersey shore punkers LOUSY BREAK came back in and blitzkrieg'd through 5 songs. Everything was done in one session, from set-up to tracking to mixdown. Watson, Tom and Lousy Pete just came in, laid waste and left, CD in hand. Rapper GITY worked on one track in early Octobre, and had me edit a 2nd track that he did at another studio. SCHIZOPHRENE singer JAIME EMIAJ popped in for a solo session, just guitar and vocals there. Very different from his band. Guitarist JOE INFANTINI has continued work on his project. The basic tracks are nearly done to 3 songs, with a 4th (a cover song) needing bass. He is currently searching for a vocalist.
And that brings y'all up-to-date. A lot of cool projects are in the offing these next few weeks and months, and I'll let y'all in on 'em as they come through the door. As always, if you've got any questions or comments just drop me an e-mail or call.
Cheers,
11 Septembre 2007
Howdy y'all,
Lots has been going on these past 6 weeks or so, having our busiest August ever, but I'll hit y'all with the most important items straight away. LCBW Recording has just had a major-league computer overhaul with the installation of a Mac G5. And this G5 is no shrinking violet � it's got a super-fast 2.5 Ghz dual processor with 3 GB of RAM. For a monitor there's an Apple 20" aluminum cinema display. And a 2nd one will be in-house within 2 weeks.
What I'm basically saying now is "THE FUN AND GAMES ARE OVER". My apprenticeship with ProTools, which began in ernest about 2 years ago, is done. The days of the iMac G4 are gone, no more bogging down in the middle of a mix if I add one-too-many plug-ins. This is not to say that I won't continue to learn things in ProTools � hell, the architecture is so open-ended that I'll still be learning new bits all the time � but it is a statement of intent that not only do you have an already excellent audio engineer when you walk through LCBW's doors, but now you've also got someone with the experience necessary in ProTools to get the job done in as quick and efficient a manner as possible.
And now to the 2nd most important item � RATES. OK... I just spent a boat-load of money on new computer gear, and put the business further on the brink. So you'd figure I'd raise my rates, right? Wrong answer!! I am actually lowering my rates, rolling them back to $32/hr. (Please consult our RATES page for all current charges.) Why?? Because I've gotta get clients through the door, simple as that. The combination of serious computer firepower and low rates will keep LCBW running for a good long time. As long as you keep seeing these updates you'll know it's working. ;-)
As for the work over these last few weeks, I'll keep it brief this time out. The 'super-secret' project that J.P. "THUNDERBOLT" PATTERSON was in to work on is all done. We finished tracking in an intense few sessions, and then mixed it the day after Labour Day. JOE INFANTINI and HARRY CIRILLO both got lots done on their projects. DATURA is through with all their basic tracks, just vocals and lead guitars left to go there. A new client, TOAD, came in and banged out a quick 6-song demo before the band members headed off to college. INSANIAC is close to finishing rhythm guitars, and then it's on the bass tracks.
As usual, if you've got any questions or comments just drop me an e-mail or call.
Cheers,
1 August 2007
Howdy y'all,
The mid-summer 'blahs'... YUCH!! I hate the heat. Makes sense then that my favourite vacation spot is Maine, eh? I'm sure Canada is pretty awesome right now as well. If I could grab a week away I'd head north, fer sure.
Which neatly brings me to the latest upgrade to our facility - ceiling fans. Over the last couple of weeks we've had 3 ceiling fans installed to augment our air conditioners, and, lemme tell ya, what a difference!! While this has been a mild summer thus far, we have had our share of 85+ degree days. And the temperature has yet to become unbearable, as in previous summers. In fact, not even close. Believe me, sitting there for hours on end tracking various things or editing tracks is very comfortable now.
So what went down in July? Well, to be honest, it was a slow month. July is traditionally the busiest month of the year, but this year was one big yawn. This certainly allowed me time to work on my own stuff, so I was working a lot, but not on enough projects that bring in the filthy lucre. Those 'paying' gigs that did come in were very cool, though � and I'm getting to play on all of them. J.P. "THUNDERBOLT" PATTERSON, drummer extraordinaire with THE DICTATORS and PATTI ROTHBERG, has returned to LCBW to start work on a 'super-secret' project. This is a fun one... and that's all you'll get outta me for now. ;-) JOE INFANTINI got moving on his next track. The drums, again courtesy of EARTHQUAKE STUDIO owner Tom Doud, came out excellent. I got my bass track nearly finished last night. I will probably tweek that after Joe comes in to do his rhythm guitars in 2 weeks. HARRY CIRILLO came in with fellow ex-ALIEN SLAVES bandmates Gerry Ross and John Fecher to track 11 songs. I am playing on this project as well, same as I did 5 years ago. The drums and bass are done, and Harry's got his main acoustic guitars done on 7 of the 11. Next week we finish those and then we start the vocals. REINCARNATED was back in, working on another track for their upcoming release. In addition to drum programming, this is yet another project that I am playing bass on (my geetars are jealous!!).
One thing I've been spending time with is REASON. This powerful software has become a necessity for any loop-based or programming-based music. It'll take time to master REASON, but the benefits will be worth it to any and all future clients. I've already integrated it into a couple of this past month's projects... it's been an eye-opener.
As for August, we've certainly got sessions continuing for those mentioned above. JOHN EMERY returns, starting back up on his project after a protracted delay. DATURA is a new client that will be in to start recording next week. The start of tracking for the SKULLSHIFTER full-length CD is now set for Sunday the 19th. And there will be others, fer sure. As usual, if you've got any questions or comments just drop me an e-mail or call us.
Stay cool,
Hey everyone,
How's it goin'? Hope y'all are having a great holiday, blowing stuff up. What do I get to do? I get time to do an update, so away we go...
Long Branch-based band LOUSY BREAK came in to cut 4 songs. These guys had it down, they were ready. I think drum set-up took longer than the time it took them to cut the basic tracks. The tracking took 5 hours, and we mixed it the following week in just under 4. They'll be releasing the recordings as a 7" through HEADACHE RECORDS.
BLOOD RED ORANGE was a similar situation. The band was fully prepped and ready to go. We cut all the tracks in just under 7 hours, and then mixed a few days later in under 5.
The common thread between both of these bands? PREPARATION. It's something I stress to all clients when they call for time. The more prepared you are coming in, the smoother and quicker things go. When a band/artist comes in unprepared or under-rehearsed, things are bound to go awry. Invariably those are the sessions that need a lot of 'fixing', where I've got to rely on studio trickery. It's great to be able to do that, but those turn into longer sessions with a lot of editing. As a studio owner/businessman you love to keep the clock ticking, but as one who is also a musician I certainly see the downside as the client's budget gets eaten up.
OK, I'm off my soapbox, rant over. Other clients who worked on projects in June include former ANELINE guitarist CHRIS BRINTON, AKIVA, JOYCE FRANKLIN, PETE SANDOUKAS and IT'S WHAT YOU THINK. As for the longer-term projects that I've got, the drum tracks are now finished for INSANIAC, and the band is currently tackling their rhythm guitars.
One thing I'd like to mention is that this past Sunday (the 1st of July) was the 5th anniversary of Le Chateau Bow Wow Recording as a stand-alone business. 5 years is damn good - hell, most new businesses don't last a year - but LCBW has a long way to go. I've got big plans for the studio's future. I definitely want to thank all of my past clients for trusting LCBW with their art. Let's hope for good long run for my funky little studio, eh? ;-)
And the immediate future? We've got sessions upcoming for HARRY CIRILLO, the start of the SKULLSHIFTER full-length CD and more work on the projects for PETE SANDOUKAS and REINCARNATED. As is always the case, if you've got any questions or comments just drop an e-mail at or call us.
Cheers,
Whatever it is, I'm against it. � Nic Bullen
4 June 2007
Hello friends,
Lemme get this outta the way first � there are now new songs posted over at the LCBW Tunes MySpace page. CLICK HERE to have a listen. You can also get there via the SOUNDS page.
I managed to get 2 major projects done this past week. Actually, on the same day. ;-) Early on Thursday saw the final mixing for THE VIVID TWISTED. As mentioned in the last update, the band is releasing EVERYTHING that they recorded with us in the last 11 months as one full-length CD, entitled Black And White. I chequed back with the band late that evening and they were very happy with the mixes. Very diverse, yet still crushing stuff � definitely cheque 'em out over at their MySpace page. Just click here: TVT.
The other project that ended was BUTTERBALL. James took his time with the mixes for this CD, and it was the right way to go. Too much hard work was pored into this project to rush it out. The as-yet-untitled album will now go under the moniker of NO-NAME JAMES AND BUTTERBALL, and it contains 11 songs running nearly 65 minutes. The band sounds great on this, and the material is not limited to just blues � although that is at the heart of everything they do. One of my favourites is their reggae-flavoured version of Bob Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower". When I get release info I will post it here.
IT'S WHAT YOU THINK was back in to begin mixing their project. Dan, Ellen and Sarah have decided to re-track 3 of the 8 songs they cut in late April, and those should be scheduled very soon. Of the other 5 songs, 4 are done, and the 5th just needs a little tweeking. Great sounding stuff, I can't wait 'til they get it out there.
Work has continued on the projects for JOE INFANTINI, INSANIAC, MAJUR BLUDD and PETE SANDOUKAS. In the next couple of weeks I'll be starting up with LOUSY BREAK, BLOOD RED ORANGE and SKULLSHIFTER. So the ball just keeps rolling along...
As is always the case, if you've got any questions or comments just drop us an e-mail or call us at.
Cheers,
Whatever it is, I'm against it. � Nic Bullen
9 May 2007
Hello friends,
OK, this is a little more like it. Back to the monthly update pace. And it's not an abbreviated version like last month. So here's what's been goin' on...
This past weekend saw the return of THE VIVID TWISTED. The band, now streamlined down to a 4-piece, recorded 5 more songs. Their plan is to release everything they've recorded (which totals 12 songs) as one full-length CD. These 5 add even more layers to an already diverse band. I think it helped a bit this time that I had heard 4 of the 5 songs in advance, so I had a feel for the material. All the music got cut in one long 13 hour session, and vocalist EN Darkhardt is in later today to begin his tracks so they're moving pretty quickly on this.
Early last week we had in IT'S WHAT YOU THINK, an acoustic trio. The band members had a great time, and did some excellent work. In speaking with the band, though, they feel the need to re-record a couple of songs. It sounds like they just need a little tweeking done to the arrangements. Those will be taken care of some time this month, and then we mix.
Tom Doud, erstwhile owner of EARTHQUAKE STUDIOS, has come in as a session drummer for guitarist JOE INFANTINI. Joe and Tom have been jamming song ideas for a couple of months, and they came in for their first session a few weeks back. Work has continued in short spurts since then (with yours truly acting as session bassist) while the 2 of them continue writing.
While my band SKULLSHIFTER was on 'baby hiatus' for the first few months of 2007, Tom Nolz and I saw a window of opportunity to get to work on the never-finished INSANIAC album. (For more info on the INSANIAC back story please CLICK HERE.) Since our original drummer Eddie Sciortino has passed on playing (he'll still be on the CD, though, via drum tracks recorded back in 1990 and 1999) we approached current DTA drummer Joe Moore, who jumped at the challenge. The 3 of us have been having a blast together, playing songs that go back as far as our Screams From The Asylum demo, released in 1985. Anyway, we got started tracking drums on Easter Sunday, getting 4 songs down. We've still got 3 more to do, and we hope to track those this month. The process of tracking the guitars started a few days ago, so we're on our way.
Last thing to mention is that I've FINALLY begun work on my solo project. With the enthusiasm and backing of MAJUR BLUDD's rhythm section of Tom Goodwin (drums) and Tom Brannon (bass) things are actually getting done. The 3 of us began tracking 3 songs early in April, and after this past weekend all the bass is done on those. Of course, I keep tinkering with my guitar sound, so I may wind up re-recording what I thought were finished tracks. Those should be done by this weekend. My bud (and SKULLSHIFTER bassist) J. McCaffrey will be singing one song, "Again", which he wrote. As for the other 2, well... the search is on. ;-p
That's brings things pretty well up-to-date. In addition to the continued work to do with the above artists, in the coming weeks we'll have sessions with PETE SANDOUKAS, BLOOD RED ORANGE and MAJUR BLUDD. And now it looks pretty well set that SKULLSHIFTER will begin work on our long-delayed full-length CD in July. So there's a lot going on at the ol' Bow Wow...
As always, if you've got any questions or comments just drop us an e-mail or call us.
Cheers,
2 April 2007
Hello friends,
Yup, it seems like these updates are becoming bi-monthly. You know I have the best of intentions...
Anyway, I'm keeping this one kinda short. Of course, lots of work is going down, but the main thrust of this update is to announce that we are now adding MASTERING to our list of services. People have asked us aboot mastering for a long time, and now, after learning the craft a bit, it's time to offer this service. Pricing for mastering is easy - $30 per song (up to 6 minutes in length). For longer songs prices will be adjusted accordingly. We can guarantee a quick turnaround, and can take your payments via VISA, MasterCard or PayPal. Call us for more details.
As for sessions. we're nearly done with the BUTTERBALL record. We've got 2 more mixing sessions, tops. MAJUR BLUDD seems pretty well set on coming in soon to continue work on their full-length debut. DEVIL'S ADVOCATE stopped in record their demo tape, totally finished top-to-bottom in 2 sessions.
And that's that for now. As always, if you've got any questions or comments just drop us an e-mail or call us.
Cheers,
5 February 2007
Hello friends,
OK, I hear y'all now... "CJ missed another update." HA!! Yup, I did, and January has come and gone. But that's the price of keeping the studio alive, kids. Getting the bands/artists to sound their best is more important than this web-site. Not that this web-site isn't important, though, because it is.
I won't lie too y'all, though. The last 2 months have been streak-y. A few days with no sessions and then � BAM!! � 8 session in 5 days. It's been crazy like that, but that's the holiday season for ya. I'm not complaining, though, as business has never been better.
One thing I want to put out there early in this update is this: if you're recording a project on your own, and you need some (or lots) of drum editing, I'm your guy. It can be a long and arduous task, and a lot of people either don't have the patience or the know-how to do it. I've got both. I've been doing A LOT of drum editing lately (and I won't say for who) and figure this is a service to offer the public. Of course, you'll need to be working in ProTools LE for me to be of help to you. If you're interested give me a call or drop me an e-mail and I can fill you in on all the details.
The 'sound page' solution seems to be a hit. I guess I've gotta thank MySpace for existing. I will post 4 new songs in the next couple of days, so if you haven't heard what's currently posted head on over quick. Click on this SOUNDS link (or the headphone jack up above) to get there.
As for sessions � lots more work has been completed on the BUTTERBALL record. All the tracking is done, and now James and I are sorting through the lead guitar tracks. We could be mixing these 5 songs by mid-month. Then it's time to turn to tweeking a few mixes from the first batch of tunes, recorded early last year.
After a break for the holidays, HERD OF TRUTH got back to work on their 3-song demo. (Yes, I know, I got their name wrong in the last update.) We got that completed aboot 10 days ago, and the results can be heard on their MySpace page (here's the link). Also, their song "Test Of Time" can currently be heard at the LCBW MySpace page.
Lots of work has been going into the MAJUR BLUDD full-length debut. The first 7 songs are nearing completion, with only some vocals and a couple of guitar bits left to do. The band is looking to record 3 more songs to complete the picture, and they should be back in soon to start those.
A really interesting project came in a few weeks ago. This involved the recording of a song parody, to be used as a music bed for a dance recital. After editing the track all the girls came in (aboot 14-16 in all) and cut their vocals. Most of these girls were first graders, 6-7 year-olds, so getting them to sing in time and in key became a challenge. Especially on the verses. The choruses came out great, the girls had that down pat. After a lot of tweeking, re-thinking and editing - not to mention a change in deadline!! - track producer Stacy Beckett and I got the result to be to her satisfaction.
I got finished mixing the latest from THE VIVID TWISTED the day after Christmas. The band was very happy with the results, although they've yet to make the recordings public at this point. The band has been going non-stop with gigs recently, playing not only here in NJ, but as far south as Philadelphia, west to Allentown and east to Brooklyn.
And so we get to February - this past Saturday night I started recording a metal/hardcore band called 5 FOUND DEAD. The band has just solidified a new line-up, and is doing a quick run-through of 4 songs. This is basically a live performance recording, pounding it out quick 'n' clean, with vocals being done after the fact. I should have them finished up pretty quickly.
Aside from a few others, that brings everything up-to-date. We've got a lot going on, as usual, and a bunch more pending already for March. Good times at LCBW!! As always, if you've got any questions or comments just drop us an e-mail or call us.
Cheers,
6 Decembre 2006
Hello friends,
We're still busy beavers over at the ol' Bow Wow. Lots of things goin' on these past 4 weeks, so let's dig in straight away...
The most important thing that has occurred is that we've FINALLY gotten some music posted here. Well, sort of... let me explain. Our SOUNDS page, which has been 'under construction' since our site's inception, now has a link to a newly-created MySpace page - LCBW Tunes. This site houses 4 songs recorded here at LCBW. It's only purpose is to 'host' audio, and nothing else. We will continue to collect 'friends' over at the main LCBW MySpace site - LCBW @ MySpace - as well as make blog entries, etc. And there will always be a song there. However, to hear more songs you'll have to go this new site. The end result is that we've now got 5 songs posted with easy access so that potential clients can now hear what we do (and have done).
The songs that are currently posted include: "R/T" by THUNDERBOSS (2006); "One Eye Open" by HARRY CIRILLO (2002); and "Vision Seeker" by SHROUD OF SILENCE (2004 re-mix). A fourth song will be added within a day or 2. The main MySpace page currently has "Shades Of Grey" by UNDERWATER ARSONIST (2006).
And now on to the sessions... MAJUR BLUDD and SKULLSHIFTER have teamed up for a raucous version of "Jingle Bells". And this sure ain't yer grandpappy's "Jingle Bells" - with 2 bands this heavy teaming up it was bound to be sick. The mixing was finished off this past Saturday (the 2nd), and it's at the mastering house now. You can expect to hear it on both band's MySpace pages by the end of the week, as well as our main MySpace page.
On the rap front QUEST, who finished up his album in Octobre, came back in to do a few re-mixes. The album has now been sequenced and is being pressed as I type this. Also, HEADLA got their debut CD finished up as well. Serious and G came in and punched it out in mid-Novembre.
BUTTERBALL returned at the end of Novembre to begin work on the 2nd half of their new album. All the drums and bass are finished, and the rhythm guitars should be done by the end of this week. Then it's on to the vocals.
HERD THE TRUTH has begun their 3-song debut. Nearly all the music was finished up in one day, with just a little guitar left to do. We should get crackin' on the vocals very soon.
Early in Novembre THE VIVID TWISTED began their latest recordings. The 2 songs they've begun are much different than their first recordings. These are much more dance-oriented, but yet they retain the metal edge. Lots of loops and keyboards going on - they're morphing into something pretty cool. TVT had a big run of shows for the rest of the month so they've not yet been back to finish up. There's only some vocals left to do, and then the mix.
Thanksgiving day proved to be fruitful, with 2 sessions occuring. First up was a young lady by the name of ALEXANDRA JENKINS, who needed to record herself as a solo violinist for her college entry. She played beautifully... and then headed out with her parents for their family feast up in Albany, NY!! Right after Alexandra we had the return of PYROW & INSTIGATOR. This duo is creating beats from scratch, utilizing both the LCBW drum machine (a Roland DR-660) and live instruments. This is the first time they've been in since the switch to ProTools, and it really made life easier.
Decembre looks to remain at a nutty pace. We've got a few new clients lined up to start projects, as well as those who've got work yet to do. As always, if you've got any questions or comments just drop us an e-mail or call us.
Cheers,
2 Novembre 2006
Hello friends,
Busy, busy, busy... nothin' like keepin' busy. So busy that I didn't get around to doing an update for Octobre. Well, it's here now so let's make up for the lost time. What's been goin' on? Well, here goes...
MAJUR BLUDD made great strides in the last few weeks in getting their debut full-length CD finished off. The band has 7 songs tracked at this point, and guitarist Ryan Wrobel has polished off the rhythm guitars to 6 of them. This isn't just some slap together tracking, either, as Ryan laid down 4 tracks instead of the usual 2. It's wall-to-wall geetars, and super tight. Vocalist Fonz now has most of his vocals done on these songs as well, but has more he'd like to add. The band (rounded out by bassist Tom B. and drummer Tom G.) is looking to record up to 3 more songs to finish the record.
RAZOR BLADE HAND GRENADE have returned after their demo from De� '05. The band has begun a full-length CD, and 5 songs are now in the can awaiting mixdown. The band plans to use some of the songs from the demo on the release, and they'll be back to cut the rest of the new songs very soon. RBHG have the distinction of being our last full 'tape' recording, just before the switch to ProTools (these new sessions are in PT).
Rapper QUEST from the hip-hop consortium BLASTOFF recently finished up his debut full-length CD, from sessions begun back in February. Other members of BLASTOFF appearing on his CD include Blu, Chipz and Nellz. Most of those guys have tracks that are incomplete here at LCBW which they'll be finishing up in the near future.
Another rap outfit, HEADLA, isthisclose to being done with their debut CD. We've had 2 mix sessions during Septembre and Octobre, knocking off 13 of their 20 tracks. The final 7 should get finished off in the next session, which could be as soon as this coming weekend.
UNDERWATER ARSONIST came back in to record a new 3-song demo in late Septembre. The band, who are all High School Juniors, gained valuable lessons by gigging out constantly during the 8 months between sessions. Pounded out in a mere 2 days, this new demo is an excellent step forward.
BONEDADDY, the cover band that features yours truly and our webmaster Bart (as well as bassist/vocalist Chris Laurent and drummer Brian McMahon), has even taken the plunge to record a new demo. It's nice to get to track myself every now and then. ;-) We cut 9 song 'snippets' along with 3 full tunes. When done we will assemble another 'montage' (to hear our current one follow this link: BONEDADDY DEMO) from all 12 songs. I just finished my lead geetars yesterday, so all that's left is the vocals. We've got a week off from our steady stream of gigs next week, so that looks like when we'll do 'em. We tracked everything live (sans vocals) and all that was added was a 2nd rhythm guitar - we don't want it to sound overdone. We only played what we play, and we'll only sing what we sing. I mean, really - what's the point of having an overproduced demo for a cover band, eh? Have it sound as close to how you are live as possible, and don't add stuff that you don't put in your own live version.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the gigs a few weeks back with THE DICTATORS. The band got together to do 2 shows on the final weekend of CBGBs, and I fell right back into place as the road manager. Gerry Griffin of TEMPLE OF TUNEAGE was running the sound, and we broke in his son Gerry, who came up from college down in Maryland, as a roadie. Young Gerry did an awesome job, lemme tell ya. And the band?? Just absolutely stupid good, they totally ruled!! For a complete round-up of that weekend head on over to the LCBW MySpace blog at this location: THE DICTATORS @ CBGBs.
As for things coming up we've got THE VIVID TWISTED returning for their next demo. This one will be a 2-song affair, starting this Sunday (the 5th). We've got more work on the above mentioned CDs from MAJUR BLUDD and RAZOR BLADE HAND GRENADE, plus a few other irons-in-the-fire to keep Novembre nice 'n' busy. And there we are back to that word busy again...
And that'll do for now. As always, if you've got any questions or comments just drop us an e-mail or call us.
Cheers,
THUNDERBOSS
featuring J.P. Patterson & Ross The Boss of THE DICTATORS 8 Septembre 2006
Hello friends,
News flash... PHOTOS!! WE HAVE PHOTOS!! They've actually been up for aboot a month, but this is the first update since then... oh well. Please click the link up top (above the 'stop' button) to have a look. More photos will be posted, fer sure.
So how's that for a start to an update, eh? OK, I'm a few days late with this one so I figured I'd bang y'all over the head with something startling... HA!!
So August was a little less crazy. Not totally unexpected at all, and, to be honest, we kinda needed a little breather. But we didn't lounge aboot the whole time, there was a lot of meaningful work coming in to LCBW.
We finally completed the DEATH BY NAMES record. Mixing was finished this past Tuesday (the 5th), and now it's off to mastering. It took nearly 6 months, but it was well worth the time spent.
Next up on the 'getting things done' block were the sessions for the new BUTTERBALL record. Final tweeking on the mixes was finished last night (the 7th), so the first half (6 songs) is done. James, Jeff & Tom will reconvene back here at LCBW in a few weeks to begin work on the other half.
Other projects in August... West Orange punk/hardcore band EMERGENCY DEFIBRILLATOR got their mix finished up. The sound on this is very reminiscent of the mid-to-late '80s NY/NJ hardcore sound, very dark yet with a lot of energy. A few days later the band mastered the mixes with our good friend GERRY GRIFFIN at the TEMPLE OF TUNEAGE in Verona... We had a nice voice-over session for TRACEY ROBINSON on a production piece for her weekly radio show... The guys from SCHIZOPHRENE came in to re-mix their debut demo. This was mainly to 'bump' up the vocals a bit, and, in retrospect, it was a necessary. Good call, dudes... THE VIVID TWISTED had use do 'radio edits' of their songs "Holy Hell" and "Love In A Casket". The former needed to have the naughty bits 'bleeped', while the latter required it's intro shortened... OBVIATUS was back to finish up work on 2 songs they started in July. One needed to be mixed while the other needed nearly everything - the only thing completed was the backing track. So in came guitars (both electric & acoustic), bass, vocals and... flute. It was a lot of fun to work on that song!! The guys (Billy, Geoff and Aamer) are now off to college, best of luck to 'em!!
This coming Tuesday night is gonna be cool as POPTOWN RECORDS is having a release party for J.P. 'THUNDERBOLT' PATTERSON's THUNDERBOSS CD. J.P. and Ross will be joined by bassist Dean Rispler to play a few selections from the album. The entire LCBW crew will be in attendance to complete the journey from initial tracking to glorious presentation. A full report (and hopefully some photos) in the next update.
There was one other thing that came up... I had another adventure with the mighty NAPALM DEATH. I'll leave that tale to be told via the LCBW MySpace blog in the next few days. ND's new album, SMEAR CAMPAIGN, is out in less than 2 weeks, on the 19th. It is an awesome piece of work - cheque it out!!
And that's it for now. See, August wasn't so bad. ;-) And Septembre is already off to a great start, with lots of new sessions booked into Octobre. Stayin' busy is a beautiful thing. As always, if you've got any questions or comments just drop us an e-mail or call us.
Cheers,
A second scene A fight between the blue You once knew... �1967 by Roger 'Syd' Barrett (1946-2006)
THUNDERBOSS
featuring J.P. Patterson & Ross The Boss of THE DICTATORS 1 August 2006
Hello friends,
Hey... an update that's ON TIME!! We do our best 'round these parts to get it posted for the 1st of every month. Most of the time we miss it, but not this time. Well, enough BS, eh? On to the good stuff.
As you can see above we are going our tiny bit to help trumpet the release of J.P. 'THUNDERBOLT' PATTERSON's debut solo album, entitled THUNDERBOSS. As mentioned, the album is out now, with the release date actually being today, the 1st of August. The CD features ROSS THE BOSS as well (hence the 'Thunderboss' moniker) and contains 11 instrumental tracks with the odd bit of chanting "Hey". The record was fully recorded and mixed here at LCBW. While we've had recordings released on 'real' labels in the past, we're proud to say that this is the first one since our move to Watchung back in 2002. We expect many more to come!!
So you think June was busy? July was just as zany. Progress continued with the MIKE BINO, BUTTERBALL, DEATH BY NAMES, HEADLA, MAJUR BLUDD and OBVIATUS sessions. And none of these are finished - just like the Energizer Bunny they keep going and going. ;-) ANELINE returned to record another song, rapper QUEST stopped in to get back in gear on his album, and newcomers EMERGENCY DEFIBRILLATOR began work on their 4-song demo.
Other than a few new microphones � an Audiotechnica AT-4040 vocal condensor, a Shure Beta 56 and a Shure Beta 91 � there's not much new on the gear front. Soon we plan on procuring some new plug-ins for ProTools... more on that next time.
We attempted to **finally** get some photos posted today. Well, it didn't quite work out... but they WILL be up within a few days. Just one or 2 issues need to be resolved and they'll be up!!
So that ought to suffice for now. As always, if you've got any questions or comments just drop us an e-mail or call us.
Cheers,
A second scene A fight between the blue You once knew... �1967 by Roger 'Syd' Barrett (1946-2006) 4 July 2006
Hello friends,
I know it's a couple of days late, but howzabout a big HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Le Chateau Bow Wow Recording, eh? This past Saturday, the 1st of July, was the 4th anniversary of our time spent in Watchung in the friendly (and funky) confines of Earthquake Studios. And if business keeps up at this pace it'll be another 4... and beyond!!
June '06 was officially our busiest month ever!! Many of the projects I've spoken about over the last few updates continued to move along � the BUTTERBALL full-length, the DEATH BY NAMES full-length and SHARON CLARK. We finished up the 10-song debut CD from IDENTITY THEFT. THE VIVID TWISTED punched out their debut 5-song demo in aboot 2 weeks. SCHIZOPHRENE started work on their debut demo. And both MAJUR BLUDD and OBVIATUS got started on their latest full-length projects.
July 1st also ushered in our rate increase. Our recording rate is now $40/hr. Everything else remains the same as it was � archiving, media, etc. Cheque out our RATE PAGE for all the details.
That'll do it for this short LCBW update. We're actually too busy to put more together for this installment. ;-) We promise to be a wee bit more in depth next time around. The bookings remain constant through to August at this point, and then school's back in session. As always, if you've got any questions or comments just drop us an e-mail or call us.
Cheers,
5 June 2006
Hello friends,
It's update time again, so here goes...
To say that there's been an upsurge of business is an understatement. April and May were 2 of the busiest months in LCBW history, and it doesn't look like things will slow down any time soon. We have had a bunch of new clients - ANELINE, SHARON CLARK, JOHN EMERY, RESERVOIR DOGGS and JOYCE FRANKLIN to name but a few - to go along with the long-term sessions that have been going. BUTTERBALL mainman James Scios has been in a lot, finishing off the first half of their next album. IDENTITY THEFT are nearing completion of their debut CD. We begin mixing this week. DEATH BY NAMES are getting close as well, with just vocals and a few guitar overdubs to go.
June has already started out with a bang. Tonight we begin tracking with MIKE BINO. Tom Doud, owner of EARTHQUAKE STUDIOS, will be handling the drums for Mike. This will be a tight series of sessions, fer sure - Tommy's one of the best!! Later this week THE VIVID TWISTED will begin a 4-5 song demo. The next weekend harkens the return of MAJUR BLUDD for their debut full-length CD. The last weekend of June ushers in SCHIZOPHRENE for their debut CD. Then fast-forward to the first weekend in July for the return of OBVIATUS.
With everything going on above, I don't know how we'd do it all without ProTools. Imagine all these sessions with our old Mackie 8-Bus mixer being re-set every day!! But we managed to do it that way for a long, long time. ;-) It's kinda like this - what did you do before the fax machine? The internet? The cell phone?
The only bad news is that we've gotta remind EVERYONE that our rates will change on the 1st of July. Please see below for all the details.
Below the new rates you will also find 2 great ways to save money at LCBW. Scroll on down...
That'll do it for this edition of the LCBW update. As always, if you've got any questions or comments just drop us an e-mail or call us.
Cheers,
Monday, 1 May 2006
AN IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL CLIENTS:
Le Chateau Bow Wow Recording will be increasing its rates, effective Saturday, 1 July 2006. The hourly rate for MULTI-TRACK RECORDING will be $40/hr., while the hourly rate for ARCHIVING will be $30/hr. All other costs will remain the same.
We apologize for the increase, but LCBW has seen a rather large rise in operating expenses over the last 6-7 months. We've put off the inevitable for quite some time, but push has finally come to squish. We all know what's happening with gas prices, but there are other cost factors involved as well. In other words, switching to ProTools isn't cheap. ;-)
As for the 12 HOURS FOR THE PRICE OF 10 deal that is shown below... that will also increase as of 1 July, to $400. That gives you 12 hours of recording time for $33.33/hr. - still a fine deal!!
Thanks for your support, Monday, 24 April 2006
Hey... listen up... you might save a few bucks!! Here are 2 great deals to keep in mind...
BUY 10 HOURS OF STUDIO TIME AND GET 2 HOURS FREE!!
14 April 2006
Hello friends,
Time for the big LCBW update. And I do mean BIG. ;-) We've been nice 'n' busy lately, so here goes...
The most important thing is this: NO MORE TAPE!! You read that correctly, we will now only be offering ProTools sessions. The only exception will be for remote recording since we do not have a mobile ProTools rig. Live gigs would be recorded to tape and then transferred to ProTools at LCBW central. Any tape-based sessions that were not finished will need to be transferred to ProTools as well.
As for sessions since the last update... BUTTERBALL has been in, so far cutting half of their next album. 6 songs are nearly finished at this point, just a few touch-ups to do. Once work is complete on this batch of tunes James, Jeff and Tom will head back in en masse to record the other half. Really good blues-based rock stuff.
Local rap duo HEADLA have about 7 tunes in the bank after their first session a few weeks ago. G and Serious return this evening to cut more vocals. Most of their debut release will then be finished, just a couple more tunes and then mixing.
An interesting session occurred a few weeks ago with the group BLOOD RED ORANGE. It was interesting due to the instrumentation involved, with Chris, the percussionist, playing what I can only describe as a 'beat box'. It's an 18" square wooden box with a 5" hole cut in to one side, kind of like the sound hole of an acoustic guitar. 2 of the corners have snare strainers affixed inside. We experimented a bit with the mic placement and found that we got a good balance of sound with a Sennheiser MD-421 placed about 3" from the hole. Chris would then sit on the instrument and strike it in different places for different sounds. With only guitar and 2 vocals as the rest of the band's instrumentation the 'beat box' filled up a lot of space in a very musical way. The trio will be back in on the 5th of May to record a couple more songs and then edit them down to 30-40 second snippets to shop for gigs.
DEATH BY NAMES have returned to begin work on their debut full-length. The band and I spent all day on the 2nd of April recording the basic tracks. All the drums are recorded, as are most of the guitars and bass. This Sunday (yes, Easter Sunday) we reconvene to start going over the tracks and do the bulk of the editing that is necessary.
Lastly, session-wise, this week saw the completion of the ZED NEVER album, Fresh Meat For The Fashionistas. We did the last of the mixing on the 12th, one of which was a totally different mix of the song "No Cadillacs In Amsterdam" for a 7" release. Now that's a 45 I wanna own!! Cheers to Dave, Dennis and Laszlo for their uniqueness as a band and the great work they did on the record.
In the last update I mentioned that we had started a page over at MySpace. I gotta say that it was working out quite brilliantly, allowing us a new tool for networking. A lot of traffic over there was finding its way to this site, and a lot of phone calls were coming through to us. Then, on the 31st of March, I received the following e-mail:
MySpace has deleted your profile because we received a credible complaint of
MySpace's terms and conditions prohibit the posting of any materials that infringe
If we delete your account you cannot recover it.
Thank you,
And that was the end of that. Web-site gone. LCBW stunned... then pissed beyond belief.
I sent off a strongly-worded reply and never heard a thing back from them. It's been 2 weeks now, so I probably never will. The 'copyright/trademark infringement' or violation of 'intellectual property rights of third parties' they mention were, of course, the songs posted on the site. These were songs by OUR CLIENTS recorded at OUR FACILITY. I was, in every case, given permission to post those songs. None were available for downloading, only for streaming. So where was the problem? However, did we break one their rules? Yes.
After about a week I gave in and put up a new LCBW page on MySpace - here's the link: MySpace.com/LCBWRec. Click on over and be our 'friend'. ;-) It is not a MySpace Music page, just a standard page. Most of the content is the same, with the omission, obviously, of the tuneage. I can 'legally' link a song there, but I can't decide on which client's song to go with. Linking only one to the site makes it difficult to choose.
As Dave from ZED NEVER put it, "welcome back to Rupert Murdoch's psychedelic nightmare."
The end result of all this?
1 - I have learned enough about .html in the past 3 months to be able update this site on my own. No more bugging Ye Olde Web-Meister Bart for the smallest of details.
2 - We WILL get tunes posted here. As soon as I can locate a way to have streaming audio it will happen (I haven't learned that much about web design).
3 - We WILL get photos up here. Most likely sooner than the streaming audio.
And that'll do it for now. That's a lot of stuff to gobble up. As always, if you've got any comments or questions just drop us an e-mail at info@lcbw.com or call us at (908) 490-1444.
Cheers 'til next time,
I guess I need snow to do updates, eh? It's been 2 months since the last one, but things have been extremely active. Don't think for a second that we've been lounging about.
The main reason that nothing has been happening HERE is that we've got a site happening over at MySpace. Here is the link: myspace.com/LCBWRec
I've been using the blog over there as an update page, mainly because I don't have to bug Ye Olde Webmaster - I can do it myself. Everything here must go through Mr. Bartley Collins (yes, he of the Halford-esque vocal abilities!!) because I'm not web-savvy enough to do it. Since MySpace can be edited by someone who has as little .html ability as myself it works out well. We've got photos posted from a variety of clients, and a few tunes (courtesy of MAJUR BLUDD, SKULLSHIFTER and SHR�UD �F SILENCE) to have people hear.
So what about this site, you ask? Well, it's not going anywhere. It will remain as the tool it was intended to be, info about the nuts 'n' bolts of LCBW. You'll still have everything, content-wise - Rates, Equipment List, Past Clients, etc. And the occasional rant from yours truly. ;-) However, I suggest bookmarking the MySpace site as well because that's where I'll spew more often, plus we'll be rotating the songs in and out every week or so. In fact, there will be a brand new OBVIATUS track posted in the next few days.
We're officially 6 weeks into the ProTools era at LCBW, and I've gotta be honest - why should I ever do a tape session again? We resisted for what seemed like eons, and now I've gotta wonder why. Once we started working in earnest in PT it opened our eyes... W I D E ! ! ! We're doing things only imagined before, and we're just at the tip of the iceberg. Can you tell we're excited??
That'll be it for this edition of CJ Types His Arse Off. If you've got any comments or questions just drop us an e-mail at info@LCBW.com or call us at (908) 490-1444.
Cheers!
5 Decembre 2005 It's time once again for the Le Chateau Bow Wow Recording Update-A-Go-Go. Lots to spew, so here goes... and I'm waving the 2-drink minimum.
Novembre was a nutty month, lemme tell ya. We had 3 full album projects from the bands OBVIATUS, THE SOUTHERN SONS and ZED NEVER come in at once, and all had different challenges.
OBVIATUS first. Main-man Billy Frank 'n' the boys had the task of adding 9 more songs to the existing 6 recorded back in February. Those first recordings remained unreleased, so Billy formulated a plan to do a full-length. This started last month with him re-recording the vocals to the original sessions (as mentioned in our last update). Come Novembre the band returns with a totally re-vamped line-up. The challenge here was to make a cohesive statement from the 2 sessions, and we definitely succeeded. ProTools got a good work-out for some song editing, and then later to create all the segues between the songs. We even mastered the final mixes here at LCBW, something of a first.
It seemed that the main challenge for THE SOUTHERN SONS was to get it done quick. This gospel group had a hard deadline of the 4th of De�embre... and we hit it with 2 days to spare. I'll say this, these guys made it easy for me. They were well rehearsed, so they cut the music to all 10 songs in 2 hours, live on the floor - and 8 of those were first takes!! Set-up and a rough mix made it a 4-hour session. Very little was needed in the 'punch-in' department. The vocals were completed in two 5-song sessions, with all 4 singers (Willie on lead vocals, and George, Jarel & John on backing vocals) recording in the same pass. The mix was done in 3+ hours, and later that same day they had 100 CDs ready to sell. I really enjoyed working with them and hope to do it again - incredible chops both musically and vocally.
As for ZED NEVER, time was a factor as well, but in a slightly different way. Drummer Laszlo Pokorny was heading off to China for vacation on the 19th of Novembre, so we had to get his tracks done... somehow. The LCBW calendar didn't have a lot of leeway at that point, and the band had gigs leading all the way up to his departure. But get the tracking done we did, and Laszlo, Dave (Lancet, bass & vocals) & Dennis (Marmon, guitar) did an awesome job. Dave got back in a few days later and tracked 8 of his 9 lead vocals. All that's left is the 2nd guitar tracks for Dennis, that one last lead vocal and a few back-ups and we'll be ready to mix. It should be finished before the end of the year.
A great evening was had on the 26th as the ALIEN SLAVES assembled for a jam night. I tried to get these guys together a couple of times over the last few years, but someone always had a conflicting schedule. This year I got 'em, though. All the main dudes were on hand: Gerry Griffin, Scott Cumming, Jerry Ross, Harry Cirillo and John Fetcher (unfortunately Jay Deegan was out-of-town). We set everything up for a formally 'informal' jam, and we got most if it on tape. Lots of drunken silliness abounded (the version of The Beatles "The Night Before" is classic due to its bawdiness), and if we got a good 15 minutes out of the 2-and-a-half hours that we recorded that's a bonus!! ;-) But getting a good recording wasn't the point - it was mainly about having the guys I learned how to play from show up and have some fun. I basically sat back most of the night with a huge smile on my face... what a pissah!! I did get to play as well, as did Scotty's friend Tony Fernandez.
Another pending reunion is coming up next month (see gig info below). Long ago clients RAT RACE will be performing just before Christmas. Lead vocalist Luke Darnell, who now lives in California, is flying back to NJ for the holidays, so the other 3 guys set up a gig. My one-time LEATHER CHEERIO bandmate (also ex-M.O.D.) Joe Young is one of my favourite guitar players, so I AM THERE!!
I got a call from my friend Melody earlier this week. We worked together at Eventide for a few years, and we'd kept in touch a wee bit since. Her friend Vicki was setting up a baby shower for another friend, and they wanted to give a CD as a party favour - a theme-driven compilation where all the songs had the word 'baby' in it. They needed 70 CDs replicated in 3 days. Mel figured we could do it, and I said 'no problem'. I had done something similar for the wedding of Dan Davie (our SKULLSHIFTER drummer) a few years back, so this wasn't a problem. Vicki was happy... and we like happy clients!!
In the last update I mentioned that we hoped to be totally live with ProTools by the first of the year. Now we can say we EXPECT to be live with PT by the 1st of January. The storage media situation will be this: DVD-R disks will cost $8.00. Each DVD-R holds up to 4.7GB of data, or roughly 3 songs that are 5 minutes in length. Small projects can live on our existing hard drives, and would be burned to DVD-R once the project is finished. This must occur so that we don't clog up our computer. The other storage option is via external hard drive. If you plan on recording a full-length album then this is the way to go especially since there will be MANY changes to the files along the way. We recommend a hard drive with a storage capacity of 80GB. Call for details and pricing if you wish to have us purchase an external drive for you.
So that ought to do it for this update. We've got upcoming sessions with KATHY ISPAN and hardcore newcomers RAZORBLADE HAND GRENADE, plus the conclusion of the ZED NEVER record. Plus, I'll have some word on my solo record. Yes - BEWARE!! - there is a pending CJ Sci�scia solo album... YIKES!! And with a cast of millions!! Cecil B. DeMille ain't got nothin' on me. ;-)
If you've got any comments or questions just drop us an e-mail at info@lcbw.com or call us at (908) 490-1444.
Cheers!
P.S. I can't believe it's already snowing here in New Jersey. I was wearing shorts only 4 or 5 days ago!?! 31 Octobre 2005 Am I scaring y'all that there's an update?!? HA!! Another 4 months between words... at least I'm consistently inconsistent. ;-) Anyway, Happy Halloween to all!!
So what's up? Well, there's been plenty of action happenin' here at the ol' LCBW - here's the highlights. Billy Frank & co. from OBVIATUS came in to re-do some vocals from their sessions back in February. Apparently the band has yet to release those songs, and they are ready to add another 6, making it a full-length (as in album, for us old-timers). The new vocal session went great, and I'm looking forward to having the band back in soon.
Plainfield-based rapper O-Z came in and pumped out 19 tracks in a 9 hour session. That's a lot of work in a short period of time, but the recording went great. This session is also significant in that it was our first full-fledged ProTools session. Everything was done in the computer, and no tape was harmed. (More about ProTools below.)
I forgot all about this in the last update, so lemme make mention of this right now. Our good friend and DICTATORS drummer J.P. PATTERSON has released his debut album, Thunderbolt Patterson with Ross The Boss to some of the download websites, the most notable of which is iTunes. It's an 11-song affair filled with hard-drivin' instrumental tracks, touching on influences ranging from Jeff Beck to The Isley Brothers. Ross The Boss burns the frets all over these tunes. You can view the cover art done by Bartman, the official LCBW webmaster, at this location. For more info go to the "news" section of the Dictators' website by clicking here. (you'll need to scroll down a little bit).
AND... speaking of ROSS THE BOSS, he's now got his own website at www.ross-the-boss.com.
SKULLSHIFTER has finally released their debut CD. A 3-song EP entitled Here In Hell, it can be purchased on the band's website by clicking here. Cheque out the blog to see the reviews.
Oops, now I've gone way off course... so back to the sessions. New metal (not nu-metal) quartet MAJUR BLUDD recorded their debut 4-song CD. Good stuff - I'll let'cha know when it comes out... Warren-based punkers CONVICT ORANGE came in to record 3 new songs. A fun session as always with Dan, Tom & Ian. This time, though, they had the added bonus of having a bagpipe player for one song, "Happy Smoker"... Newark-based art punks ZED NEVER returned with a slightly altered line-up and banged out 2 new songs. Catchy yet quirky, their songs are prime examples of controlled chaos. They are constantly playing in the NY/NJ area, definitely cheque 'em out... Singer-songwriter KENNY CUNNINGHAM came up from Baltimore to record an 11-song CD. All the songs were the basic 'acoustic guitar & vocals' format, but on one track called "Happy Never Ending", he plugged his acoustic into a Peavey practice amp and distorted the crap out of it. I dig stuff like that... An interesting quartet called RIGHT BOOT MOVEMENT came in recently. The group features percussion, guitar, bass and cello. An odd combination, but these guys get it to work. They should be returning to finish things up in the next few weeks.
And now back to the subject of ProTools. We are shooting to be "totally live" with PT for the New Year, which means no more tape!! (unless you want it, of course - that option will still be available!!) We've done all our 'guinea pig' sessions and have now done a real session as well, so it's nearly time to press forward. The only change that will occur will be the storage media for your tracks, with the choices for that being either DVD-R or external hard drive. I will have pricing for both by the next update, which now looks like it needs to be before the end of the year!!
So that's about all for now. Got any comments or questions? Just drop us an e-mail or call us.
Cheers!
29 March 2004 Hello friends,
New update time!! Here we go...
Some of you may have seen the short update Bart posted with regards to the studio accepting credit cards. This took effect on the 15th of February, and it's already a successful endeavor. We now honour all of the 4 majors: VISA, MasterCard, American Express and Discover (sorry... no Diners Club!) Clients can also use their cheque cards as long as is has a VISA or MasterCard logo.
We just had BROKEN PROVIDENCE in this past weekend. BP consists of 3 members from Epoch Solution, who came in last May. This band is more "brutal", yet still retains the atmospheric keyboards. Also, guitarist Joey Del Duca is no longer singing, leaving him to concentrate on his instrument. For young kids (their average age is about 17), they've got it together. And huge props to Joey's brother Jonathan, the band's drummer, who made H U G E strides with his playing. Their songs are punchy and memorable, and, as mentioned, BRUTAL!! Look for the CD to be made available through their web site,
www.brokenprovidence.tk, at some point in the very near future. Just don't let 'em near your stash of Pepsi... LOL!!
Another interesting and promising artist is JOEY EM. Joey came in during February to record some piano and vocal songs, but we did some additional vocal layering to one song to great effect. For someone who had never been in a recording studio before, he took to the overdubbing of his voice like a pro. Also, he sang in 4 different languages: Spanish, English, Greek & Russian !!! Great stuff.
Our new next-door neighbours TURNCOAT also came in for a 3-song demo. The band mixes hardcore, metal & a pinch of rap — think Agnostic Front
crossed with Stuck Mojo — and you've got a grasp of it. Another band with memorable tunes, and great guys to boot. (And those "Ah-nold" calls will be done soon, Solomon!)
On a personal note, I've got a couple of gigs coming up in April. The first is with OLD SKOOL (with web-meister Bart on vocals) at the Hogs & Heifers Saloon in NYC on April the 7th. The other is a RADIO X reunion show at The Bull in Piscataway, NJ on April the 23rd (yup, on my birthday!) It'd be cool to see some of y'all at both shows, fer sure.
Upcoming sessions include the return of DEATH BY NAMES and a new band
called ONCE FOR GOOD LUCK. More on these and other sessions next time.
Thanks for the continued support, and GO BLACK ICE!!
Cheers!
1 August 2003 Hello friends,
July was one helluva month, lemme tell ya!! Things have been on the upswing since the middle of April, but there's no way we could've
expected the amount of business that's been coming in. Here's a quick round-up of who's been in.
D'RAILD � this project, begun in April, is now finished. Milan (guitar & vocals), Alex (bass & cello) and Edwin (drums) put the finishing
touches on it in the beginning of July and came out very pleased with their 13-song CD. Their music is what I'd call good old fashioned 'classic rock', encompassing a wide variety of styles. Good stuff indeed, and great guys to boot.
SPITTING IMAGE � the return of the project that I never thought would get finished. The band began their project back in February, and due to 'other' commitments Andrew (guitar & lead vocals), Dave (guitar), Scott (bass & vocals) and Gregg (drums) haven't been able to get back and finish up. They returned to LCBW on the 23rd of June to add 7 more songs to the original 8 or 9. The band and I then spent an intense 2 weeks getting these new songs finished, with mixing on only 3 of the tunes from that initial set of sessions making the final cut. They've put together a really good CD that runs the whole gamut of the pop-punk genre.
ANNONDALE � this was basically recorded in one 8-hour day, and mixed (with a couple of vocal fixes) a few days later. Ryan (vocals, guitar, bass & piano), Andrew (guitar & vocals) and Trevor (drums) brought their raging Emo-driven music to LCBW looking to get it done quickly, so I certainly obliged. What resulted was a very raw document... no gloss at all, just as they wanted.
DAN ROBB � Dan is the bass player with EPOCH SOLUTION, who recorded here in May. Dan punched out a 6-song demo virtually on his own, playing all the instruments and singing (with Ken from Epoch playing keys on a song and doing backing vocals on 2). What struck me was the ease with which this 14-year-old jumped from instrument to instrument - especially drums, which he did later along to a click track!! Catchy tunes, too.
DTA � ah, a huge thrash metal project... just my cup of Lipton!! Featuring ex-Nemesis/Deadman's Hand drummer Joe Moore, the band had been doing some pre-production over the previous 7 months. To finally get them in to do a full-on multi-track recording has been very cool. Thus far most of the backing tracks are finished, and we've got an eye towards finishing up by
mid-August or so. The rest of the band is rounded out by Dan Noble
(vocals), Jay Swinson (guitars) and Kris Kraemer (bass). Kris is also handling the production duties for this project.
and lastly... JAMIE ROBB � the older sister of the aforementioned Dan, Jamie is working on some of her own material which has a more acoustic/folk vibe. Our one session thus far has produced 2 songs (still to be mixed), with an additional 3 to be added at some point in the future.
As for the studio itself, we've added a TASCAM RC-848 large format
Remote Control Unit (99 locate points - YIPPEE!!) and another dbx 163X compressor as a back-up unit since we've got one that's gone arse-over-tea kettle. Also, we're starting to keep our eyes open for a Mackie 24-E Expander board. This would bring our input/output ability to 56 channels, and make 32-track recording a much easier proposition.
August is shaping up to be another good month. Lots to look forward to. Guess we're doing something right, eh?
All the best,
20 June 2003 Hello friends,
It's been some time since the last update, so here's what's up.
I've been on the road a lot, working my "other" job with THE DICTATORS. We just returned from a short West Coast tour, doing 5 shows in 5 days —
San Diego, LA, San Francisco, Portland & Seattle. All the shows went
great, with Seattle being the best of the bunch. The club there, The Crocodile Caf�, is an excellent place to see and hear a band. I've got one more show with them, TOMORROW night (21 June) at The
Bowery Ballroom in NYC. If you're in the area and haven't seen them on this recent run of dates, I suggest you head on over there!
So, what about the studio you ask?
It's been very busy, with new acts EPOCH SOLUTION and SEVER THE STARS coming in to record. Each project was
recorded and mixed before I "headed west", and they came out
great. Both bands are on the heavy side and utilize screaming vocals mixed with actual singing. But that's where the similarities end. ES employs keyboards amongst their near-thrash metal onslaught, while STS is closer to hardcore punk with some cool clean guitar parts thrown in.
Also continuing their recording has been D'RAILD. When the band started their project in April, they initially recorded 7 songs. They have since had 2 additional 'full band' sessions, bringing the total number of songs to 14(!!!). A few guitar parts and all the vocals yet to do, and then it's on to "The Mix".
Capping off a busy May were 3 sessions with THE DICTATORS, who were in to do some pre-production on their next record. It was very interesting to work with them in the studio as opposed to being on the road… a totally different dynamic. Highly enjoyable, as well as being a learning experience from longtime rock veterans.
What's next? More work with D'RAILD (as mentioned above); DTA is booked to begin work on their next CD in mid-July and UNBLIND continues their writing and pre-production with an eye to recording their CD in the Fall.
Until next time, I remain
P.S. — Keep in mind that our hourly rate will increase to $35/hr. in 2 weeks, starting on the 1st of July 2003. 29 April 2003 Hello friends,
Well, it's that time again – time to dust off my keyboard and get y'all
up-to-date on the assorted comings-and-going at 'Le Chateau'.
2 new clients have been through the LCBW doors in the past couple of weeks: Rap artist ROW COPPA, who exhibited some true cajones by hangin' in there to record on the day of the 'freak' snow storm (7 April)… could you believe we had 8 inches of snow, and all gone within 2 days!!
Also starting a project at LCBW is a rock trio named D'RAILD, who have finished all their basic tracking as of this past Saturday (26th). With about 10-12 songs in all, the band has already bitten off a large chunk of the project, with only some guitar work and the vocals left to track.
In May, I'll be back on the road with THE DICTATORS a bit as they continue to promote their latest album "D.F.F.D.". For those of you down in the South Jersey/Philly area, you can cheque 'em out at North Star in Philadelphia on Friday, the 9th of May; the North Jersey/NYC area can find 'em 3 weeks later at Maxwells in Hoboken, NJ on Friday the 30th of May.
You may have noticed that we certainly have band/artist links on the PAST CLIENTS page, but our dedicated LINKS page has yet to be constructed. We are planning to start posting some actual links very soon, but I've been somewhat negligent in getting them off to our web-meister Bart. (Somewhat??? – BC)
We may need to take new photos as well,
since a lot has changed in the studio since the last shoot.
Everything in due time, I guess.
Well, nothing like having a full plate, eh? Bon appetite!!! 24 March 2003 Hello friends, Well time for another update. To paraphrase the late Frank Zappa, the main 'crux of the biscuit' this time through is to prepare present and future
clients for a studio rate increase to take effect on the 1st of July, 2003. Multi-track recording will increase from $32.00/hr. to $35.00/hr., while live 2-track recording and archiving will remain at $25.00/hr. That gives everyone now reading this over 3 months of notice. That's not a huge jump — only $3.00/hr. — but it's necessitated by a variety of factors, the most important of which is advertizing. LCBW can now be found in the Yellow Pages (!!!), plus with an advert in Steppin' Out and a proposed return to The Aquarian Weekly our overhead is beginning to rise. This is a business (more below) and we want it to succeed. People have mentioned (especially Carl F.) that we don't have a contact e-mail address on the site. What the hell was I thinkin', eh? Well, now
you can contact us at the following address: info@lcbw.com. We'll be chequing that address all the time so if you have a question it will get answered straight away. Also, if you find any problems with the site (like bad links, typos, etc.) or have any comments please drop us a line. Changes in the last month? The biggest is the addition of a Neumann TLM-103 condensor microphone. This mic will immediately become our first choice when we go to record vocals. Like the recent addition of our Eventide Eclipse, the TLM-103 is a world class piece of gear. Another is an Akai S-1000 stereo sampler. Also, we finally got that Poland Spring dispensor I've been clamouring about. Nothing like a steaming cup of tea to jolt one back to life in the middle of a 10 hour session, eh? :-) And, lastly, we've taken delivery of a 1992 Fender Precision bass that's in excellent condition. This will replace the Hamer Slammer 3/4 scale that has been our primary 4 string bass. As for sessions, Spitting Image has finished tracking their 8-song demo. We'll proceed with the mix around the end of the month. New arrivals Big Daddy came in for a quick live blast on the 16th. Miles Yakre, another new client, finished up his project back on the 2nd. DTA came in for another round of pre-production. Their new material is shaping up nicely — brutal stuff indeed!!! And Spitten Cullahs returned with more tales from the 'hood. Other projects are in various stages of recording… more on these in the next update. Lastly, Le Chateau Bow Wow Recording is now a 'real' business. I went through the process of getting an EIN (Employer Identification Number) and applied for our Business Certificate from the Somerset County Clerk's office. The 'official' document should arrive by the end of the month. It's all UP from here on in… Cheers, |
