Session Spotlight: Seth Farber

Greetings! This past week we received a visit from Seth Farber, an accomplished pianist and composer who has worked with some top musical acts. Farber, who runs Red Wall Records with his wife Liz Queler, traveled from his native New York to record on our in-house keys. That's a long way to travel for a piano! We are flattered that he made the trip to record with us again. The skillful playing that filled our ears during the session was an added bonus.

Over the past 15 years, Seth has recorded and performed with Billy Joel, Cliff Eberhardt, Joan Osborne, Phoebe Snow, John Prine, Lucinda Williams, Chip Taylor, Curtis Stigers, Chuck Jackson, Popa Chubby, Alejandro Escovedo, Little Steven, Liz Queler and many others. He has also been a part of various Broadway shows, and he scored songs that have appeared on TV networks including HBO, The Disney Channel, VH1, MTV, Comedy Central, and the Travel Channel.

For more information on Seth Farber's projects, visit www.redwallrecords.com

While we've had a slower past couple of weeks - amidst the season of vacation time - next week we're diving (ears first!) into a bunch of new and exciting jobs. Up next as we close out July: Three bank radio spots, a defense contractor production package that includes voiceover and scoring, and two new Lego videos to score, voice, and provide sound design for. Whew! August will be here before we know it ... as always, stay tuned!

East Granby's Gospel Guys Croon For A Cause

Recently, engineer Tony Thomas recorded a full-length CD for The Gospel Guys, a local a cappella group that began through East Granby Congregational Church in 1994. The talented quartet - aiming to raise money for the very place where they began - decided to donate all proceeds from CD sales to the church fund.

Ultimately, the endeavor has proved rewarding: check out this article from The Granby News for more information on the group's beginnings, some insights on the project, and the successful fundraising they've accomplished thus far.

After 16 years, East Granby's Gospel Guys release their first CD

Overall, the constant flow of varied, new projects in the studio have made us question the phrase "lazy days of summer." Our days have been anything but! One voice that's been floating around our halls for some time now is that of Mr. Jake Gyllenhaal, this summer's Prince of Persia. With an ongoing series of creative videos that feature the prince in Lego form, it's begun to feel as if the character is right here in our studio! Just imagine ...


Maybe someday! As always, stay tuned to this blog for more updates.
(Especially since our Facebook fan page is regrettably still M.I.A.)

Reflections on Responsive Classroom

A few months back, we spent many hours in-studio to record and edit an audio book for the Responsive Classroom series, an interactive teaching approach that is sponsored by the Northeast Foundation for Children (NEFC). This particular selection, entitled "Sammy and his Behavior Problems: Stories and Strategies from a Teacher's Year", follows a teacher's experience with a particularly challenging child in her class. Author Caltha Crowe paid us several visits to provide her own voice for her story, which turned out to be an inspired choice. Although she had no previous voiceover experience, she proved to be a quick study, as well as an enthusiastic storyteller. Check out the photo of Caltha as she expertly sought to bring her story to life.


Following the release of the audio book, an interview with project manager Michael Lain was posted on the Responsive Classroom blog. He had very kind words to share in regards to his time in our studio. Check out the excerpt below:

----------------------------------------
How was the audiobook made?

Michael Lain: Once Caltha agreed to do the audiobook, we found a recording studio, Tapeworks, in Hartford, Connecticut. Caltha spent four mornings there reading the book, and Bill Ahearn, Tapeworks' engineer, recorded the reading. Bill and I spent one more morning with a professional reader who was patched in from California. (The other voice you'll hear on the audiobook is his.) Then, when the recording was finished, Bill added a few sound effects, such as incidental music, and mastered it to get the great sound quality you hear on the CDs. He did an amazing job.

What did you learn from this experience? What did you enjoy?

Michael Lain: I had never seen the inside of a professional recording studio before, but it's exactly like what I'd imagined - big panels of dials, switches, and lights, and a booth with a big glass window. I was a little surprised to discover that those panels of dials and switches aren't used much anymore - it's all done with desktop computers now! Caltha and I also learned that the best way to keep your voice fresh when talking for a long period of time is to eat an apple.

I enjoyed the entire process - I learned so much, and working with Caltha was a pleasure. She's so professional in everything she does, and it was inspirational to watch her work. I never would have known that she'd never recorded an audiobook before! When we were in the recording studio, people were disappointed when we had to stop for the day because they really wanted to know what would happen next in the story! Even me - and I'd already read the book!
----------------------------------------We also enjoyed the recording process on our end. Michael's kind input and enthusiasm - paired with Caltha's intriguing narrative voice - made our job pleasantly painless! Although Caltha's narrative cliffhangers at the end of sessions left some of us feeling "disappointed", (I wanted to know what would happen next for Sammy!), the session as a whole left us feeling quite the opposite. It was a job well done by all who were involved. Thanks again to Michael and Caltha.

To read the interview in its entirety, follow the link provided:
http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/blog/?p=1410

Pumbaa, Pevar, and a Lego Prince!

Judging by the recent heatwaves and abundant sunshine, Summer has arrived: bringing a handful of music projects, renovations, and other exciting collaborations with it. The month of June has already delivered a number of jobs to keep us busy- including a Disney voiceover, a couple visits from talented guitarist and friend of the studio Jeff Pevar, and a handful of Lego videos that center around some of this summer's biggest blockbusters- just to name a few!

Ernie Sabella, an accomplished actor most widely recognized as the voice of Pumbaa in The Lion King, returned to our studio to record as his signature character for an upcoming DVD release. The session displayed his great talent and comedic timing, as well as his ability to belt out a tune!

Jeff Pevar also made a reappearance to assist with two developing music projects. It's always a pleasure to have his guitar stylings fill our studio halls, and this time around we had a great couple days of tracking. The first project involved overdubs for an excellent upcoming album from Linda Chorney. Jeff is one of many accomplished musicians making an appearance on the project. A few days later, Steve Yanek and his daughter Emily ventured over from Harrisburg, PA to record some of her promising new tracks. With a hardworking, budding young talent like Emily at the helm, the sessions were a rewarding treat. And with Jeff's overdubs added into the mix, the final product was enhanced all the more.

Lastly, Lego has continued to send fun video projects our way, including some tie-ins with two summer blockbusters. We are continuing work on additional Prince of Persia videos, and Engineer Bill Ahearn has begun sound design for a series of short videos that will promote Toy Story 3. He completed an impressive amount of sound design in a few short weeks. Stay tuned for a more in-depth look at these ongoing collaborations, (possible video links to follow!)

PS- As for our aesthetic alterations, I present to you: our new studio control room floor! (Click to enlarge)

A Meeting of Hollywood and Hartford

We've had a whirlwind couple of weeks here in the studio, with a variety of projects and some studio renovations!

One newsworthy note: our facebook fan page has mysteriously disappeared without a trace! Oh the joys of technology ... but we're sincerely hoping that the facebook powers-that-be figure out the glitch sooner than later! Meanwhile, stay tuned to this blog for our project updates.

This afternoon, renowned Hollywood actor Brian Dennehy revisited our studio for some ADR recordings on an upcoming film, Alleged, set for release later this year. His past film credits include Cocoon, Tommy Boy, Romeo + Juliet, and Ratatouille, among many others. It's always a pleasure to have him grace our halls, since his talented reads are always accompanied by his enjoyable, sharp wit.
See the photo below!



Engineer Bill Ahearn, Assistant Jessica Thibodeau, and Actor Brian Dennehy.
True to form, Dennehy humorously labeled the photo "A rose between two thorns."

It was a fantastic session, topping off a hectic yet productive two weeks! We can't wait to see what the next few weeks will bring,
(although were especially hoping they will include the resurrection of our greatly-missed facebook fan page!)

PS- We've also got a brand new control room floor and snazzy new lighting in-studio. Photos coming soon...

The story of Star Wars - told in two and a half minutes flat!

The force was with us this past week at Tapeworks - the force of YouTube viral videos that is! Audio Engineer Bill Ahearn has been hard at work on the sound design for various Lego projects in the studio. One of these newly completed videos became a YouTube sensation this past weekend. The video tells the story of all three original Star Wars films, (episodes IV, V, and VI), in a little over two minutes!

Within the first two days, the video had over 150,000 hits. Now, after only six days, the video currently boasts over 1.2 million views. The viewers seem to agree in the comments that this quirky little video is quite the impressive feat!

Check out the video below:

From University A Cappella To Lego Royalty...

 Disney and Lego helped bring a new degree of star power to our studio this past weekend. Audio Engineer Bill Ahearn has been super busy in the studio the past few months, creating sound design for a series of Lego videos. One of their most recent variations, a Prince of Persia short, is slated to launch alongside Disney's upcoming feature film based on the popular video game. In order to promote the blockbuster's May 28th release, Lego enlisted the vocal talents of the Prince of Persia himself: actor Jake Gyllenhaal.

With Jake's busy schedule, it was tough to find the right time slot to record, but as always, we were more than happy to accommodate last minute openings. When we received word a few days ago that Jake could patch in through ISDN from a Montreal studio, we were happy to oblige.

The Saturday morning session was a pleasant surprise. The recording went smoothly, and we even finished ahead of schedule. Jake was quite the professional, even staying in character between takes at times! He was very friendly, and kept us all entertained with his playful side comments, (An example of his insight: We should all aspire to the ripped physique and "plastic abs" of his Lego counterpart.) Needless to say, Jake proved to be the perfect Prince of Persia.

-----------------------------------

The prince was not the only voice to grace our halls this past Saturday. Engineer Tony Thomas was simultaneously working with TGFI, a female a cappella group from Central Connecticut State University. TGFI, which is shorthand for "Too Good For Instruments", boasts 12 talented members.

The group, with multiple recording sessions behind them, expressed increasing excitement that they will soon have a completed, 10-track CD. As one of the four groups in the Central CT A Cappella Society, they were also preparing for their "Music and Meatballs" fundraiser later that night. They were aiming to raise money for their individual group, as well as the society as a whole. We wish them luck in all of their endeavors, and we can't wait to hear the finished product soon!














A few of TGFI's members take a moment to pose for the camera!