Plenty of room for the whole band to track together with total sonic isolation. And with room to spare.
The live room is very spacious at 40′ X 40′ with an 18-foot high ceiling. Not only do you have room to move, you have room to set up an extra drum kit or whatever you’d like. It’s room to experiment–to switch between set ups for different flavors for different tracks. Room to work means efficiency and getting the job done faster with plenty of options.
That’s the best sounding room in San Diego. Period.” — Grammy Winners, Alan Sanderson & Mark Neill (Yes, they both said exactly that. And yes, at completely separate times).
This is all made possible by David Gold, the “Gold” in Gold Star Studios. He was the man made famous by recording industry insiders. His mastery of acoustical engineering made Hollywood’s Gold Star Studios one of the most sought-after rooms in audio engineering history. The insiders include Phil Spector, the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, Neil Young and scores of other recording legends.
When first told the pedigree of this room by Lou Mattazaro–the Analog Chew building’s owner–I remember asking, “Do you have a sketch–like on a cocktail napkin or something–that David Gold gave you?” “A sketch?!?” He was incredulous! Then, I’ll never forget as he held up his thumb and index finger spaced about three-quarters of an inch apart and boasted, “He gave me a binder full of engineering plans this thick!” Smirking, he shook his head and muttered, “a sketch.”
So, it was at that point I decided that I needed to look deeper into the engineering behind the live room at Analog Chew and find out just why it sounded so good.
One look at the walls will tell you this is no ordinary room. Some sections are straight–some curved–and none are parallel–which is crucial in eliminating standing wave forms and reflections. The result is a room that is live yet controlled and crystal clear.
The wood is a carefully selected Cedar wormwood that provides the prefect combination of hardness and porousness that helps create the live yet controlled sound. This wood is backed by a layer of acoustic material that helps absorb unwanted standing wave forms, keeping the room tight and clear–never boomy.
The curved and angled walls are made from a custom plaster formulated by David Gold that’s identical to the plaster used in the Hollywood Gold Star Studios. And last, custom, convex, acoustic ceiling panels are used throughout the live room and the flooring is a combination of hard parquet flanked by a carpeted perimeter, all identical to Gold Star Studios.
So here’s where the mojo comes in: this room has an incredible sound you can hear. So much so that it’s almost eerie at first because it’s unlike any room you’ve heard before. The crystal clarity is striking and makes instruments sound glorious. And talk about the ultimate drum room–it really is. That alone is worth the price of admission. So instead of me going on endlessly about David Gold’s engineering, the materials and sound–come in and hear it for yourself. I promise that you won’t be disappointed.
Oh, but don’t take my word for it either. I personally know only two Grammy-winning engineer/producers from town: Alan Sanderson and Mark Neill. When I first told Mr. Neill and later Mr. Sanderson that I was reopening the studio–three months apart from each other no less–the very first words they each blurted out were identical: “That’s the best sounding room in San Diego. Period.” Needless to say, I was floored–especially the second time around. And it’s a story I love to tell and needed to be told here. I’m grateful for this place.
— Jerry Sisti, Proud Geeky Owner
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