Tracksheets: An Avatar Studios Newsletter

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AVATAR TRACKSHEETS
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Avatar Studios Newsletter
     Grammy / Spring Issue 2005

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Visit us at http://www.AvatarStudios.net
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IN THIS ISSUE

1. A Statement from Avatar Studios - Alive & Kicking in New York
2. Grammy Awards News
3. Introducing Studio G
4. Session News
5. Quick Mentions
6. Book a Session / Contact Us / Feedback
7. About Avatar Studios
8. Subscribe / Unsubscribe

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Welcome to our 2005 Grammy / Spring (although it still feels like  
winter) issue of Avatar Studio's electronic newsletter, AVATAR  
TRACKSHEETS.  There has been a lot of news recently in our industry  
from the closing of the Quantegy plant to the closing of several major  
studios.  We want to reassure our clients that Avatar is alive and  
well, and we will continue to provide the industry leading recording  
service that you should expect to receive from a professionally run  
recording studio for your projects.


1. A STATEMENT FROM AVATAR STUDIOS - Alive & Kicking in New York

With the announcement of the closing of New York City recording studio  
The Hit Factory, the media has been heralding the premature demise of  
large studios.  The statement calling the studio business dead is very  
misleading and grossly exaggerated. We are sad to see the closing of  
one of New York's major players.  However, we totally reject the  
general indictment of large, multi-room facilities and the implication  
that albums are somehow no longer being recorded at professional  
studios.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

It is true that business dropped off after September 11 (what business  
didn't?) and the music industry has been going through consolidation  
and cost cutting, but the recording side of the business has been  
steadily growing over the past two years as new releases have always  
been the lifeblood of record labels.  Lately the recording scene in New  
York has been extremely vibrant.  Avatar Studios has been booked solid  
for the last three months.  The holiday season and first quarter are  
not typically busy times, but there also seems to be no shortage of  
projects by major and independent labels.  The rise of inexpensive  
digital audio workstation equipment does make it less difficult for  
professionals and non-professionals alike to make decent recordings in  
pretty much any environment.  The digital studio gives people more  
options.  However, it is not the only option.

Rich Costey, a much sought after engineer and producer who has mixed  
projects for Muse, Audioslave and Franz Ferdinand adds, "While the  
advent of inexpensive digital recording has had an impact on the  
recording business in many ways, it has also cemented the niche for  
high quality analog studios.  There will always be artists, engineers  
and producers whose ears demand the finer aspects of recorded sound,  
and as a result, there will always be a need for top end analog  
facilities."

In addition, there are still plenty of projects that cannot be done "at  
home."  Just ask multiple Grammy Award winning engineer Al Schmitt, who  
was nominated for Best Engineered Album Category for his work on Diana  
Krall's The Girl in the Other Room, recorded at Avatar.  He commented:  
"Things that I do simply cannot be done at a home studio.  I deal with  
rhythm sections and horns and we need space to record them.  You can't  
get the vocal quality you want from a little home studio.  There will  
always be a need for good, professionally run studios."

Jay Newland, also nominated in the same category for his work on Norah  
Jones' Feels Like Home, recorded at Avatar, agrees.  "You still have to  
be able to set up a number of people in one room, a great sounding room  
and have them play all at once.  This includes space for a 9-foot piano  
or a horn section or whatever.  A band playing music together is still  
a very necessary part of making great and meaningful records.  The  
great studios that we have come to know and love have their own certain  
vibe or energy that adds immeasurably to a project, i.e. Capitol,  
Oceanway, Abbey Road, Avatar, ...etc.  We still always need high  
quality studios."

What is important today is for studios to provide real value.  The  
nature of production has been definitely shifting with controlled  
budgets and recording efficiencies a must.  Tighter budgets make  
advance planning a necessity and the recording process must be well  
coordinated.  People who are interested in recording must look at the  
TOTAL COST OF PRODUCTION instead of making decisions based simply on  
hourly rates.  In the studio, if the assistants are not proficient or  
if the equipment does not operate properly and consistently, you will  
quickly find that the hours of unproductive time add up.  One would  
have been better off paying a slightly higher hourly rate but have a  
smoother session, which may translate to better performance and having  
more time and options to capture better sound, not to mention less  
stress on those involved in the creative process.  Even at the same  
rates, rooms are different.  You only get to record once.  For the same  
rate, you might as well record in a studio where the acoustics are  
superior and get better results.  That is why you have to look at the  
total value of a studio during the selection process.

Avatar does not skimp on maintenance.  In fact, we have been  
strengthening our maintenance department, which is on-duty not just  
on-call, working on innovative in-house projects to sharpen the skills  
and knowledge of our staff.  Large multi-room facilities have the  
economy of scale to employ a full-time maintenance staff to make sure  
the equipment is maintained properly.  In today's environment, costs  
have to be scaled to meet current economic conditions.  Getting rid of  
wasteful excess is a healthy process."

If you can find one, a professionally run studio like Avatar can  
provide a bargain with superior sounding rooms, reliable equipment and  
a competent staff.  Your efforts will be completed in less time,  
actually affording you a savings for your projects.


2. GRAMMY AWARD NEWS

=> Six Projects Done at Avatar Honored with Grammys
Of the 24 projects nominated for the 47th Annual Grammy Awards that  
were recorded or mixed at Avatar Studios, six were honored with Grammy  
Awards this year including John Mayer, Norah Jones, McCoy Tyner, Maria  
Schneider and Charlie Haden.  Congratulations to all the recipients.   
The Grammy Awards were presented on February 13 in Los Angeles.  You  
can see more details at  
http://www.avatarstudios.net/news/47thGrammys.html.


3. INTRODUCING STUDIO G

Avatar Studios opened a new room in November 2004 dubbed Studio G.   
Since its opening, the room has been extremely popular and remains  
fully booked.  The room is positioned as a mid-priced room designed to  
address the realities of production budgets today, while still  
providing the greatest bang for the buck to our clients.  Even with  
mid-pricing, you still get a real analog console (SSL-4000G+), a Pro  
Tools rig and a great sounding control room to listen back on.  The  
acoustics of the room have been fully updated as well by Roy  
Hendrickson, our Chief Engineer.  He led his team in a quest for  
optimal room response and has succeeded.  For more details, please  
contact mailto:Tino@AvatarStudios.net?subject=StudioG or take a look at  
http://www.avatarstudios.net/rooms/studio_g.html.


4. SESSION NEWS

=> Producer Atsushi "Sushi" Kosugi and engineer Roy Hendrickson  
recorded music for an upcoming SEGA game.   Chad Lupo assisted.

=> RCA Records band Stellastarr recorded with engineer/producer David  
Schiffman (System of a Down).  Peter Doris assisted.

=> Windup band Submersed cut tracks with engineer Josh Wilbur and  
producer Gregg Wattenberg.  Eddie Jackson assisted.

=> Concord Records' Eddie Palmieri recorded a new release with engineer  
Jon Fausty and producer Richard Seidel.   Aya Takemura assisted.

=> Producer/engineer Bob Marlette was overdubbing for the band Seether.  
 Ross Petersen assisted.

=> Producer Charlie Sexton and engineer Brian Scheuble was in with Edie  
Brickell recording her upcoming release.   Brian Montgomery and Anthony  
Ruotolo assisted.

=> Lava Records band O.A.R. recorded with producer Jerry Harrison  
(Talking Heads) and engineer Eric Thorngren.  Brian Montgomery  
assisted.

=> Engineer Jonathan Duckett was in with producer Jeanine Tesori  
recording for Broadway: The Movie.  Anthony Ruotolo assisted.

=> Producer/engineer Ben Schigel mixed an upcoming record for the band  
Breaking Point.  Brian Montgomery assisted.

=> Verve Records' John Scofield was in with producer Steve Jordan and  
engineer Joe Ferla recording a new album.  Peter Doris assisted.

=> Engineer Rich Costey mixed material by My Chemical Romance for  
Warner Records.  Ross Petersen & Claudius Mittendorfer assisted.

=> Producer Manfred Eicher and engineer James Farber recorded and mixed  
the Paul Motian Electric Bebop Band for ECM Records.  Aya Takemura  
assisted.

=> Joss Stone filmed the video for her new single "Right To Be Wrong"  
in Studio A, after having previously used the room.  The video was  
produced by Liz Friedlander for DNA Films.

=> Producer Josh Deutsch was tracking for an upcoming Jason Mraz album.  
 Vaughan Merrick engineered with help from Brian Montgomery.


5. QUICK MENTIONS

=> Mastering Services
Avatar now offers mastering services by Fred Kevorkian.  His new room  
on the 3rd floor will be fully operational in March.  Fred's credits  
include albums by The White Stripes, Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Iggy  
Pop, The Walkmen and Jesse Malin as well as Cassandra Wilson, Dave  
Holland, Clark Terry, Danilo Perez and many others.  An announcement  
will be made shortly with more details.  Ask for packaged deals when  
you book a session.   For more information, please contact  
mailto:Tino@AvatarStudios.net?subject=Mastering.

=> New Avatar Studios Shirts
Avatar shirts are back after selling out.  We made up long-sleeved  
versions in response to your requests.  The new design features our  
motto, "Analog Retentive" on the back.  These popular shirts are  
available for sale.  You can pick them up at the studio for $15 each or  
we can send them out for $20 each in the U.S. (international shipping  
slightly more).  Take a look at  
http://www.avatarstudios.net/store/tshirts.html.

=> Back-Ups: Protecting Your Assets, Investment & Intellectual Property
Do you know where your back-ups are and what condition they are in?  Do  
you realize Firewire drives, like any other hard drives, are mechanical  
devices that can freeze up if they sit unused for long periods of time.  
 They also have a finite life as specified by the manufacturer and  
based on your usage.  Count on Avatar to back-up your project in any  
number of formats and provide proper labeling & professional  
documentation.  For more details, contact  
mailto:Tino@AvatarStudios.net?subject=BackUps.


6. BOOK A SESSION / CONTACT US / FEEDBACK

=> To book a session, call Tino at (212) 765-7500 or email him at  
mailto:Tino@AvatarStudios.net?subject=book_from_newsletter.

=>We welcome any feedback you might have regarding our newsletter or  
the services that we offer.  For feedback:  
mailto:clientservices@AvatarStudios.net? 
subject=feedback_from_newsletter.


7. ABOUT AVATAR STUDIOS

Avatar Studios is a 33,000-square-foot multi-room facility on  
Manhattan's west side providing the highest possible quality audio  
recording services to the recording industry. The studio houses four  
premier recording rooms with unparalleled acoustics containing a Neve  
8068, a SSL 9000J, a Neve VRP and a SSL 4000G+ Special Edition.  We are  
all Pro Tools HD, all the time.  AVATAR also has several project rooms  
available including a Pro Tools editing suite.  High-speed DSL is  
available for file uploads and downloads.

History: http://www.AvatarStudios.net/aboutus/history.html
Clients: http://www.AvatarStudios.net/aboutus
Gear: http://www.AvatarStudios.net/gear


8. SUBSCRIBE / UNSUBSCRIBE

=> To Subscribe or Unsubscribe, go to  
http://www.AvatarStudios.net/news/newsletter.html.

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This newsletter is published by Avatar Studios
http://www.AvatarStudios.net
Copyright (c) 2005 Avatar Entertainment Corporation, all rights  
reserved.

"We Are Analog Retentive"