The Studio Project, Part Three

Posted on by Coredark

We’ve arrived in Los Angeles and unloaded a van full of vintage studio gear into our shop … now it’s time to get down to business! This is a major project: rebuilding a Soundcraft TS-24 that has been in many pieces for years and had just been driven across the country in a van … from unpacking all the bubble-wrapped components to the first signal through the desk!

The console reassembly represents the biggest project, but there’s also the JUPITER-6 and JUNO-106, and the Kurzweil, among other pieces of fine old gear that haven’t been powered up in well over a decade. What’s going to happen? Continue reading →

The Studio Project, Part Two

Posted on by Coredark

We had a van full of vintage recording studio equipment; we had to get from New England to Los Angeles. This was a serious mission (failure could be very expensive!) but we were determined to have some fun and exploration (including seeking out some proper breweries) along the way.

The itinerary was as follows: from New Hampshire to Connecticut to pick up a few more items (including Amy’s grandfather’s vintage kick drum). Then a big push to Nashville, and Dallas. Next up was Marfa, Texas where we planned to stay for a day or two. Finally, Santa Fe to Monument Valley and down to LA …  Continue reading →

The Studio Project, Part One

Posted on by Peter

Let’s start this epic story at the very beginning. Years ago, there was a studio in Boston (Davis Square, Somerville, actually) that was built around a nice large-format Soundcraft TS-24 analog console. It also included a pretty respectable arsenal of analog synths and some classic outboard. About the time I moved to Los Angeles all this equipment went into storage, a process which included completely disassembling the desk. For years it all languished in a basement in New Hampshire … such a shame! But this year Amy and I decided to do something about it: a plan was hatched to fly to Boston, unearth all this gear, and bring it all back to LA where we could build out a proper old-school analog (as well as digital-hybrid, of course) studio, here at the Brewery.  Continue reading →

SXSW Festival

Posted on by Amy

This past March and for over the last 10 years I have had the opportunity to reunite with old friends during the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas.  Cara Pastore of F22 Studio and I have had the annual tradition of working side by side as photographer and live engineer.  Our geographic paths have paralleled with synchronicity while studying studio art abroad in Liverpool, graduating from University of Rhode Island, moving to different parts of Florida, splitting to Atlanta and Los Angeles, now storming a place for Cara in Los Angeles.

Continue reading →

In The Footsteps of the Beat Poets

Posted on by Peter

Maybe it would be worthwhile to say something about why we think Beat poets are interesting? Is there a way in which their philosophy intersects with aspects of our Manifesto? What better way to investigate these ideas and celebrate Beat culture than with a proper road trip? While the Beat scene is more often associated with the East Coast and New York City in particular, there is a strong California Beat history (it’s notable that Beat poetry readings began on the West Coast), so there are plenty of landmarks within driving distance … from downtown Los Angeles heading north to Morgan Hill, San Francisco, then east to Nevada City (we originally planned to cross the mountains to Truckee, but the pass was closed by snow).  Continue reading →