State of the art analog recording adds ‘tone’
Artists and bands who value the concept of ‘old school’ recording are finding what they need at a unique studio in Huntsville, Alabama. It’s the new home of both Muscle Shoals Sound Studios (MSSS) and Chess Records, and its owner Noel Webster.
See previous post here for more about the history of MSSS and the unique, historic, recording equipment still in use there today.
Artists who come here to record say they achieve a unique tone; a sound they have not been able to find anywhere else. Noel will tell you that comes from the equipment that he rescued and restored back to its peak performance. Consoles, microphones, amps, speakers and control boards from the Hit Factory, Abbey Road, Capitol Records and Motown.
But much of that unique tone must be due to the man at the controls, Noel Webster. A musician himself, he put in twelve years on the road as the ‘sound man’ for acts like the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd at major venues from arenas to stadiums. He developed the skill of making an act sound great at live gigs. He fleshed out that skill with his next venture when he bought and renovated the iconic Muscle Shoals Sound Studios.
“The music is always going to change, but it all still comes down to the song and the singer. If we can capture them in the most realistic way, the results are astounding.” – Noel Webster
‘It changed their lives’
Thinking back to those days, Noel said, “It started to develop where people would come in and record, but it changed their lives in the way they made records because we didn’t edit everybody in. Such as put a drum and bass down then have everybody build on top of it. We wanted everybody, at the same time, playing together, a core. Then you build on that.”
As we walked through Noel’s studio in Huntsville, his passion for the music and the craft of recording was evident in his voice.
“When we record these [artists], we like to record them ‘live’ on the floor,” he said. “We get as much as we can on those passes. The techniques that we use are based on history. We’ve got our twists and our tools, what we call tradecraft. The little things we like to do.
“At the end of the day, I’m not out to replicate what was done in the past. I just like to keep it alive. The techniques, the way that people record. The music is always going to change, but it all still comes down to the song and the singer. If we can capture them in the most realistic way, the results are astounding.”
Artists who come to this studio will find a refreshing change from many producers they have previously worked with who might have wanted to retain a financial interest in the recordings.
‘We want artists to secure their rights’
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