A Special "Thanks" From A Happy Client!

Check out this note that we received from another happy client:

Doug and Bill-

You guys are AWESOME!

I received the Final Master/Revision 2 CDs by Fed Ex YESTERDAY. Wow! Thank you so much for making the CDs and sending them so quickly. That really enabled me to make my final decisions, and to put the whole project into the mail for replication this afternoon. That is huge! (Can't believe I've finally reached this point!)

Thanks also, Bill, for saving me a trip up there, and for humoring me. You may be gratified to know that, after all that, I ended up using the original Master with no volume changes to any tracks. But I had to go through the process of trying the changes, I guess, to hear the result of lowering those two that were bothering me. Now that I've done that, they don't bother me at all-they sound "right" and good-thanks to your good work. So again, thanks for your patience and extra trouble.

I had a great experience at Tapeworks, and your excellent service just continues even after the studio time is done. Many, many thanks. I will, of course, send you a CD when it's ready.

I can't thank you enough!

Todd Beaney - Rye Brook, NY

Now take a listen to this clip from "Like a River Glorious" -performed and composed by Todd Beaney, (c) 2009 Lorenz Publishing Co., a division of the Lorenz Corporation.

Filling the House with Jeff Pevar

Talk about your full house! Jeff Pevar sold out the third of his Tapeworks' house concerts, topping off at 70 attendees.

Our anticipation grew as we helped unload 10 guitars from his car. And how cool is it that his rehearsal time was interrupted to field a phone call from David Crosby! We wanted to say 'Hi,' but thought better of it.

Jeff regaled the audience with tales about many of the great musicians he has played with through the years. He fondly recalled his start in the business when he met his long-time friend, Doug "Dougie" Kupper. Doug was also a surprise guest artist that evening, playing with Jeff an arrangement of Little Feat's, "Roll Um Easy."

Jeff also had his two nieces join him in singing a touching rendition of, "Till There Was You."

Overall, it was a great night. Jeff was at the top of his game, and the appreciative audience loved it!

If you were wondering how we were able to fit 70 people in the studio, you'll just have to come to the next house concert to find out!

Studio Spotlight: The Sounds of Soccer

Abuzz with World Cup Fever

With the infamous buzz of the vuvuzelas mercifully fading from our memories, the passion and excitement shown earlier in the summer for the world's largest sporting event still lingers. Everybody is caught up in soccer fever, and Tapeworks is no exception. We have been producing television and radio spots for the Philadelphia Union soccer team's agency of record, the Silverman Group, throughout the Union's inaugural season.

We were thrilled to compose, record and mix the Philadelphia Union chant that accompanies each of the Union television and radio spots. The story behind this chant's creation is an interesting one.

The Story: PHI-LA-DEL-PHIA UUUUUUUUU-NION!!!

Long before the Philadelphia Union made its Major league Soccer (MLS) debut, the Sons of Ben were already the major Philadelphia soccer supporters' group. They led the charge for years towards an MLS franchise in Philadelphia. When the Silverman Group asked us to create a piece of music that would accompany commercials for the Philly Union, we felt that the Sons of Ben should feature prominently in our project. By patching in several of Philly's favorite rowdy super-fans and layering their chants with additional recorded voices, Chief Engineer Bill Ahearn began to build the trademark chant heard in Union ads. These chants were then layered with authentic crowd noises from a Chilean soccer match, which were programmed to individual keys on a sampler. These combined "stadium crowd" chants were then mixed with some loud, deep percussion and an appropriately raucous bass line - creating an auditory sensation similar to an actual Philadelphia Union game experience. The process was challenging, but definitely rewarding!

Between the dazzling offensive prowess of Union forward Sebastien le Toux (the club's first-ever MLS all star selection), and the ongoing bid for Rookie of the Year by 19-year-old forward Danny Mwanda, it certainly has been an exciting first season for the Philadelphia Union. From promoting their first games to the grand opening of their new soccer stadium, PPL Park, we've been an integral part of Philly Union advertising.

Click here to see some of the exciting work we've done with Philadelphia Union, as well as many other projects we have recently completed!

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:

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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)