Sound Techniques in LA
Sunset Sound on Sunset Strip was founded in the 1950s by Salvatore “Tutti" Camarata, ostensibly to record soundtracks and albums for Disney. The building had been an auto-mechanics shop and it is thought that the slanting floors, which made cleaning up oil and whatever else comes out of a car easier, contributed to its wonderful acoustics. That auto shop thinking appears to be part of Sunset Sound's DNA. None of the rooms are visually fancy, they’re workman-like. You can see pictures of the studio from the 1960s and it looks the same today: simple, direct and ready to rock and roll.
Rock and roll is exactly what Sunset Sound did. The Stones, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, The Doors, Tom Petty, Guns N’Roses, Avenged Sevenfold. Prince had Studio 3 at Sunset locked out for years.
Tutti Camarata
Salvatore Camarata was a superb musician, a graduate of the Juilliard School. He worked as an arranger for Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Paul Whiteman, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, and other legends. In the late 1940s he lived in London, arranging and conducting, and eventually setting up London Records. He moved back to the US, conducting television orchestras and eventually found his way to the West Coast and into Disney.
At Disney, Tutti supervised the recording of more than 300 Disney records, including film soundtracks, records for Disney personalities like Annette Funicello and Haley Mills, and non-Disney artists like Louis Armstrong and Judy Garland. With Walt Disney’s encouragement, Tutti set up Sunset Sound, initially as a studio strictly for Disney products. As pop and rock grew during the 1960s, Sunset’s single studio was constantly booked out, leading Camarata to build another room, Studio 2.
Tutti was constantly in London doing orchestra sessions because English classical musicians were superb and cheap—England's economy had been ravaged by WW2. Much of the work was done at Kingsway Hall in Holborn. The Hall was built as a church, but it had excellent acoustics and became the place to record orchestras through the 1950s and 60s. Decca, EMI, Deutsche Grammophon, RCA, Disney, Philips and other labels recorded there. Some of the earliest experiments in stereo recording by Alan Blumlein happened at Kingsway. During that time, Tutti met Geoff Frost of Sound Techniques, probably at a recording session at Kingsway. Frost might still have been an engineer for EMI when they met. Camarata was looking for a console for Sunset Studio 2, Frost recently opened Sound Techniques, a deal was struck.
Sound Techniques in LA
Tutti Camarata imported the first English console in the United States in April, 1967, a Sound Techniques A-Range console, fitted out with 22 channels for 8-track recording. The Sound Techniques was an instant success, and Studio 2 became a recording destination for rock royalty. Camarata also brokered the deal for the second English console in the US, another Sound Techniques A-Range that was installed at Elektra Records.
Ad for Sunset Sound featuring the Sound Techniques A-Range.
The list of records done at these two studios from 1967 to 1974 reads like a who’s who of the late 60s, early 70s: The Doors, Alice Cooper, Bonnie Bramlett, Bonnie Raitt, Dave Mason, Earth Wind & Fire, Hoyt Axton, Jackson Browne, Jackson Five, Frank Zappa and the Mothers, James Taylor, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Leon Russell, Little Feat, Music Emporium, Ray Manzarek, Ringo Starr, Rita Coolidge, Rolling Stones, Spooky Tooth, Tom Jones, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Dave Mason... During sessions for "Ringo" in 1973, Ringo, John and George were in Studio Two, playing at the same time. Paul later came in and did some overdubs—the last time all four Beatles were alive and on the same recording, and the closest they ever came to being in the studio all together, all at once, was at Sunset Studio 2.
We made a playlist, yet again....
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe6ZCJT_4KPmkOyIIoE8ZzuQrLfvVMBgs
Sound Techniques A-Range consoles were built in 4, 8 and 16-track configurations, but by 1973, the dominant format was 24-track. Sound Techniques was working on a 24-bus console but went out of business before delivering. The Sound Techniques stayed in Studio 2 until 1977, when it was replaced by a Neve 8088, which is still there.
The Sound Techniques "Elektra Module" along with a Sound Techniques stereo summing amp.
Our Sound Techniques Alpha Range plug-in was tested against this particular module.
Sound Techniques: Rebirth
Danny White purchased Sound Techniques from Geoff Frost in 2014. Although the company had not made anything in decades, and Frost went on to become a very successful software developer, he kept the brand alive.
White was a touring musician who always tinkered with equipment. His real love has always been old recording consoles—he rebuilt Norman Petty’s console in Clovis, New Mexico. Norman Petty recorded Buddy Holly, amongst others. Reinvigorating Sound Techniques is really a life mission for Danny.
The company built a number of superb modern consoles, called the ZR series. Dan and I had the pleasure of working on a ZR at Clay Blair’s Boulevard Recording and it’s a monster. Damn, that thing’s sound is superlative. Sound Techniques also periodically releases limited edition channel modules. They sound great and they go fast, if you’re interested in getting one.
Finally, a HUGE fan of Sound Techniques hardware is Greg Wells. A Sound Techniques “Mercy” EQ saved his bacon while working on the soundtrack to Wicked. He tells the story below:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DT1b_elkQCN/?igsh=MWNhaDI1MzBmYzR0dg==
More Greg Wells thoughts on Sunset Sound and Sound Techniques:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DT_LKD0Em5P/?igsh=YjBxeGZ5aTc4dTZx
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUZdgEID8Mp/?igsh=MWswdngwazVwcGtybA==
Sound Techniques website is here. And check out this list of records made—it’s epic!