![]() ![]() ![]() As Grammy-winning producer, mixer and engineer Joe Chiccarelli puts it, "They have a natural '70s kind of tone. What makes this studio so special? The rooms themselves play an important role. A pair of rare Inovonics 201 limiters in Studio 2's outboard rack. A pair of Neumann U67 microphones, probably the same mics pictured being used by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for vocal overdubs on Exile On Main Street. Honest RoomsĪ pair of rare Universal Audio 176 valve limiters in Sunset Sound's characteristic faux wood rack cases. Sunset Sound Studio 1 was built as a car repair workshop, with a sloping floor to drain fluids away. The studios also attracted many jazz and soul luminaries, and the list of its well-known clients runs literally from A to Z, including Louis Armstrong, all former Beatles members, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Prince, Miles Davis, Whitney Houston, Van Halen, Tom Waits, Neil Young and Frank Zappa. Other rock giants heard the call too: Led Zeppelin mixed parts of their untitled fourth album at Sunset Sound. The Rolling Stones recorded portions of their most acclaimed albums at Sunset Sound, including Beggars Banquet and Let it Bleed, and they also put the finishing touches to their masterpiece Exile On Main Street there. It did not take long for Sunset Sound to become recognised on the other side of the Atlantic as well. Later in the '60s, engineer/producer Bruce Botnick appeared at Sunset Sound with a band who would soon become superstars, and who would record the lion's share of their oeuvre at the studio: the Doors. The studio was soon booked so solidly that Tutti Camarata bought a neighbouring restaurant, in order to convert Sunset Sound to the three-studio complex it remains today. Early customers included Herb Alpert, who produced the records for his A&M imprint at Sunset Sound, including releases by Latin jazz legends Sergio Mendes & Brazil 66. It was not until 1962 that the studio opened its doors to external clients. The control room in Studio 3.For the first four years, Sunset Sound was used exclusively on Disney productions, including Bambi and 101 Dalmatians. Unlike many studios, Sunset Sound still has its original echo chambers. With its non-parallel walls, ceiling and floor all slanted towards one corner, where excess fluids could drain, the space proved ideal for setting up a recording studio. Camarata found a former automotive repair garage in the heart of Hollywood, on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Cherokee. Legend has it that Disney replied "I'd rather be a client!” when Camarata proposed building a recording studio for Disney's company, encouraging entrepreneurship on Camarata's side. It was founded in 1958 by Tutti Camarata, an arranger who had been working for the Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman big bands before he was hired by Walt Disney as a director of recording. Sunset Sound is perhaps the oldest independent recording studio that remains in the hands of its original owners. The control room in Sunset Sound Studio 1, with its custom API/Di Medio desk. ![]()
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