Sound City Studios facts for kids
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| Address | 15452 Cabrito Road, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, 91406 |
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| Location | Los Angeles, California |
| Opened | 1969 |
Sound City Studios is a famous recording studio in Los Angeles, California. It is known as one of the most successful places where popular music has been made. The studio first opened in 1969 in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles. Before that, the building was a factory for a musical instrument company called Vox. Over the years, the studio became famous for its special sound, especially for recording drums and live rock band performances.
Many rock artists have recorded at Sound City over five decades. Some of these include Johnny Cash, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, U2, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan, Guns N' Roses, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Tool, Slayer, Rage Against the Machine, Death Cab for Cutie, and Fall Out Boy. More than one hundred albums recorded at Sound City have sold enough copies to earn gold and platinum awards.
The studio rented out its recording time to the public until 2011. In 2011, the owners closed the studio, and much of its equipment was sold. From 2011 to 2016, a company called Fairfax Recordings leased the studio. They used it only for their own artists. In 2017, Sound City Studios opened again for public use. It has continued to host many artists since then. The studio was even the main topic of a documentary film called Sound City (2013). This film was directed by musician Dave Grohl. Grohl bought some of the equipment that was sold in 2011. This included a very rare Neve Electronics 8028 mixing console. Many people say this console helped create the special "Sound City sound." It has since been put back into use at Grohl's own Studio 606.
History of Sound City Studios
The studio was started by Joe Gottfried and Tom Skeeter. They wanted to create a record company and help manage artists. After a difficult start, Skeeter and Gottfried bought a very advanced recording console. It cost $75,175 and was made by an English electronics engineer named Rupert Neve. This console was one of only four like it in the world.
The very first song recorded on this special console was by a group called Buckingham Nicks. This recording later led to them being invited to join the famous band Fleetwood Mac.
In 1969, Sound City hosted important music productions. These included Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus by Spirit and After the Gold Rush by Neil Young. Both were produced by David Briggs.
In the 1970s, many famous artists recorded at the studio. These included Neil Young, Dr. John, Spirit, Crazy Horse, and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The founders of Shelter Records, Leon Russell and Denny Cordell, also used Sound City. They recorded music for Leon Russell, Delaney & Bonnie, and Joe Cocker. Thanks to them, a young band from Florida called Mudcrutch came to Sound City in 1974. This led to a long relationship with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers that lasted over twenty years.
In 1976, Fleetwood Mac recorded one song at the studio. It was called "Never Going Back Again." This song was part of their album Rumours, which became one of the best-selling and most praised albums ever.
During the 1980s and 1990s, the studio was used to make music for many artists. These included Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Rick Springfield, Ronnie James Dio, Foreigner, The Black Crowes, and Nirvana. Producer Rick Rubin chose Sound City Studios to record artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Johnny Cash. He recorded Cash's 1996 album Unchained there. Rubin also recorded Metallica's album Death Magnetic at the studio. This album went straight to No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.
Joe Gottfried passed away in 1992 at 65 years old. Tom Skeeter passed away on September 12, 2014, at 82 years old. The studio was closed to the public in 2011. Much of its equipment was sold off. This included the Neve Electronics 8028 Console from Studio A. It was bought by Dave Grohl, who was the drummer for Nirvana and is now the frontman for Foo Fighters. He put the console in his own Studio 606 in Northridge, California.
In 2011, the record label Fairfax Recording leased Studio A. They used it only for their artists. The studio itself was kept the same, but the control room was updated. Older analog recording equipment was added, even older than the Neve console. This included an ARP 2600 synthesizer and a Wurlitzer 140B electric piano. Artists like the Cold War Kids and The Lumineers recorded there during the Fairfax years.
In early 2017, Sandy Skeeter, who is the daughter of founder Tom Skeeter, teamed up with Olivier Chastan. They worked together to reopen the studio. Sound City now has two of only 11 remaining Helios Type 69 consoles. It continues to use classic analog recording methods for many of its productions. While the control rooms have some modern updates, like Pro Tools, the main studio looks exactly as it did when it was built in 1969.
The Special Sound of Sound City
Sound City Studios is very proud of its unique sound, especially when it comes to recording drums. Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro once said that you only had to set up the drums to get a great drum sound there. Producer Rick Rubin explained that "guitars sound pretty much the same everywhere, but drums change from room to room, and the sound at Sound City was among the best."
Producer Greg Fidelman once recorded the sound of a bass drum from many big recording studios in Los Angeles. He then played these sounds for the band Metallica without telling them which studio each sound came from. Based on this test, the band chose Sound City Studios to record their album Death Magnetic. Also, when Nine Inch Nails asked Dave Grohl to play drums on some of their songs, he agreed only if the songs were recorded at Sound City Studios. People say that the inside of the main studio has never been painted or had its floor tiles changed. This is because they are afraid that any change would affect the "legendary sound quality" of the room.
See also
- Comparison of analog and digital recording
