It's been so long! Have you lost weight??? You look fantastic!!

ok, so yeah, i'm not so good at the blog thing. but, in the interest of keeping a journal of the goings on here in the land of no external light, please enjoy an update...


first, I finally have a studio logo, and it rules.

so this is Microphone Action Squad guy. obviously i dont have a name for him. he's so awesome, he needs a name, help me out, give me some ideas in the comments won't you? stickers and t-shirts to follow...

october 8-13, 2009 found the studio as full as possible with amazing musicans and amazing music. over a year of talk/planning/and hoping finally was realized in 5 days of great music and unreal performances. the group you see above, plus many many more all came together to record an album of hymns and spirituals. i hope this is only the beginning of something that you will hear much more of, but for now let me just show you some pictures and a nice long list of those who gave freely of their talents and time.

(any good photos seen in this post are courtesy of our good friend mr jed wells)

those involved:

debra fotheringham
sarah sample
aaron anderson
colin botts
dominic moore
mindy gledhill
ryan tanner
ryan tilby
becky williams
nate pyfer
vivian smith
dylan schorer
paul jacobsen
jed wells
pat campbell
sarah wiley
huck wiley
jayne wells
rachel hardy
emily tanner
chris kendrick
courtney kendrick
branden campbell
george brunt
brian hardy
pat boyer
jordan clarke
mindy arrington
micah dahl anderson
darin lesueur
suzy lesueur
stuart maxfield
spencer harrison
dan reneer
mark smith
the uke brothers
machelle schorer
dustin christensen
cherie call
camille anderson

want to read more about the project? check here or here or here

project fun facts:

number of songs recorded in 5 days - 43
number of trips to diegos taco shop - 5
number of al pastor tacos/nachos - unmeasurable
number of days starting after 9am - 0
number of days ending before midnight - 0






soon after the last note rang out, who should show up but neon trees. the last week and a half was spent recording a 5 song ep, set to come out very soon. just as soon as i can finish mixing i suppose.

trying out the new mic

Paul Jacobsen and the Madison Arm-Live EP

things were setup, Cherie couldnt come in, so why not invite Paul Jacobsen and the Madison Arm in for a live in the studio EP.


Jed Wells also showed up again to shoot some video. He was kind enough to share some stills from the video.


that's right mike, i stole another of jim scott's ideas. tough crap

Cherie Call - Grace Pt.2 THE RETURN!

Now I present some of my crappy pictures from the sessions. Dont laugh, or at least dont think I am oblivious to the lesser nature of my photo skills. A poor workman blames his tools and I blame thee Canon Powershot a560!

So for your viewing pleasure - all the detail and resolution $140 can buy.



geek report:

drums - beta 52, blue mouse, audix d1, audio technica atm25, blue kiwis
upright bass - countryman di, wunder cm7, yamaha subkick
electric bass - countryman di, audio technica atm25, yamaha subkick
electric guitar 1 - royer 121, shure sm57
electric guitar 2 - aea r84, shure sm57
pump organ - neumann u87
upright piano - akg414s
wurlitzer 140 - shure sm57
fender rhodes - sennheiser 421
acoustic guitar/banjo - neumann u67
glockenspiel - royer 121
background vocal - blue bottle b6 capsule
acoustic guitar 2 - neumann u67
background vocal 2 - blue bottle b7 capsule
background vocal 3 - shure sm7
acoustic guitar 3 - neumann km184
lead vocal - manley reference gold


and now some answers to questions i am continually asked -

q: is analog better than digital?
a: yes and no

q: is this mic better than that mic?
a: yes and no

q: should i use this mic on this instrument?
a: maybe

q: i'm building a home studio, should i spend more money on the room, the mics, the outboard gear, the wiring or the daw?
a: yes

q: do you really watch good things utah everyday?
a: yes

q: should mike greene be jealous of your u67s?
a: you bet

Cherie Call - Grace

No sooner had we finished hilary weeks' Christmas Once Again record than in walked Cherie Call. I believe this will be Cherie's eighth album, the seventh that Ive recorded and the third that Ive had a hand in producing.
As you may have noticed, these pictures are a) not grainy b) not super dark and blurry and c) actually good. that is because they were taken by my good friend and dreamboat jed wells, who, if you must know, is completely awesome.


day one - ryan tilby and pat campbell showed up for some bass and drums.

day two - ryan tilby, pat campbell, dylan schorer, ryan tanner, paul jacobsen, dustin christensen, nate pyfer and brian hardy showed up for some everything.

more pictures from the hilary weeks album. this is rhythm section #2. pat campbell on drums, matt larson on bass, sam cardon on piano and corey christiansen on guitar. it was great just to hear these guys play together. such amazing musicians.

Merry Christmas from Hilary Weeks

Hilary Weeks is back in working on her 8th album and second Christmas album. In order to properly put everyone in Christmas Spirit, Tyler Castleton and I thought it appropriate to do a little decorating.
Here are some pictures from the first day of rhythm section tracking.
Todd Sorensen-drums
Rob Honey-bass
Tyler Castleton-piano
Mike Dowdle-guitar
Hilary Weeks-vocals
Pat Boyer-cables/microphones/food
Jordan Clark-food/microphones/cables
Scott Wiley-buttons/knobs