Studio Profiles: Babblefish Studio Video February 19, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Project Studio, Studio Profiles, Studio Setup , trackbackHey All.
Your “Man About Town” here with some more news from the studios. A recent interview with Steve Falearos at Babblefish Recording Studios in Franklin, Ohio (near Dayton). Steve talks about the studio’s eclectic and unique equipment list, as well as some great tips for bands who are working on projects on their own or in collaboration with a bigger studio. Some great advice from Steve: Know your gear.
Check out the two-part video to see his gear and hear his thoughts about all things studio.
Also see the extended interview for a full recap of our visit with Steve at Babblefish Studios.
Stay tuned to The Studio Files for some audio demos from Steve and Babblefish!
We’ll send a free StudioFiles t-shirt to the first person (or should I say, hoopy frood?) who posts a comment correctly identifying the origin of the name “Babblefish.”
BJSR
The Studio Files
VIDEO PART 1
VIDEO PART 2
EXTENDED INTERVIEW
The Studio Files: Thanks for sitting down with us. you have been in the industry for a (couple) years now. Where has music taken you?
Steve Falearos: Well, quite literally it’s taken me all over the country. From new England to Arizona, from the Dakotas to the down to New Orleans. California, I haven’t seen yet. Figuratively, its taken me from guitarist, to engineer, to producer, to studio owner.
TSF: So BabbleFIsh Studios…How long has is been around, and how did it get started?
Steve: The studio here opened its doors in 1997. It started as most studios do. I’m a guitarist, had a band, and it was in a situation where I was buying a sound gear, and I wanted it to double as studio gear. I actually had it in the basement of my grandmother’s house, and got started there. It sort of grew slowly from that.
TSF: So the name Babblefish, what can you tell me about that?
Steve: That actually comes from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It’s the little worm-like thing that you stick in your ear, and it acts as a galactic translator. If you want to know more…you can read it yourself. It’s a cool little concept.
TSF: I think I will. Now, what types of projects does Babblefish Studios keep busy with?
Steve: We work with almost exclusively bands, and we are very lucky to be able to do that. When I opened the studio, I threw everything at the wall just to see what sticks. Luckily, that’s what I wanted to do [work with bands] and that’s what stuck. Lots of rock bands…you know…its funny, I say mostly rock bands, but we have done everything from gospel and bluegrass, to jazz and pop. It seems like if we are doing, say, bluegrass…that’s all we’ll do for a month or two. Then that will slide into a screamo band, which will lead to a period of just screamo music, and that’s all we’ll do then. It’s odd, but I guess that’s just one of the quirks of the business. At least around here.
TSF: Being in Franklin, Ohio. Your studio pulls from Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus. What type of client base to you see to be most popular in this area?
Steve: Like I said, we work with primarily “straight-forward” rock. That seems to take up just about 80% of the client base around here. The remaining work we do is a mix between those other genres I had mentioned. The pop, jazz, gospel, and bluegrass slide in there, but the majority is rock driven music.
TSF: Do you find that your client base is growing? Does it shift or change?
Steve: With any business, you are going to see changes in the type of work you do. Bands will come and go. One thing I have always followed is that if you have one band in the studio, you are almost guaranteed to have another band coming in. Bands break up, and new ones are formed, which always provides new clientel. The business flows in cycles. It seems like there are times when you are booked solid, there are times when you are praying for the phone to ring.
TSF: There has been a big boom in last couple of years with the home recording trend. What are you thoughts on that?
Steve: That’s kind of a double-edged sword. When I opened the studio back in ’97,that was an issue even then. Roland had their popular unit out [The VS Series HD multitracks--ed.] and there were a few other things. The computer hadn’t really come into what it is now, but there were a lot of things out there, even then. I always thought “well this is a big studio, and you can’t get that at home.” I still buy that. I think that people are doing more credible work at home, but there is a knowledge factor there. Just because I have a hammer, doesn’t mean I can build a house. There are tools out that are there, but that you need to first learn how to use. That’s what we [studios] do. We record music 24/7.
TSF: So you think its more about the expertise and recording space than it is about the gear?
Steve: Absolutely. Its more about that than what equipment you are using. If you were to bring Mut Lange here and give him a simple 840 microphone, you are going to end up with a good product. There was a producer that came up to do some mixing a while back. He had a cassette that he had done on a four track that completely blew my mind. It wasn’t a pop mix or anything, but it was so open. He said he used two mics on the drums, but they were huge. It just shows that knowledge will take you places that gear wont, period.
TSF: At the Studio files we really encourage home recordings to be transitioned into a pro studio for final touches. What advice to do have for those people who are working on their projects at home or in smaller studio to really take it to the next level.
Steve: The first thing I would say is to know your gear. We can all learn this stuff. Its not rocket surgery. Get the best quality you can, whether that’s with the right preamps, or mics, or instruments. You may not be able to afford the best of everything, or even want it for that matter, but know why you are using it. I ask drummers at times, in a producer role, “why did you do that fill there?” I’m not saying don’t do it, I asking why. If it’s to set up the next line, then great, but if they don’t have a reason for putting it in there, then leave it out. It’s the same with equipment. If you are using a cheap microphone to create an effect, know why you are doing it.
The other thing is, don’t be afraid to come to a big studio. When you look at the back of an album cover, there are credits that say that a song is recorded here, here, here. Every studio has a different purpose. Just like every guitar sounds different, every studio sounds different, and the people that work there are different. They can help you out. Studios understand the work of aspiring musicians and want to help you make the best possible sound, whether that means a full project, or just mixing and mastering.
TSF: You have been talking about gear a lot. Here at Babblefish, what type of equipment could we expect to see.
Steve: We try to bridge the gap between old school and new school. We are using Cubase SX, but we also have some vintage microphones, a 2 inch tape unit, a real plate reverb, and some Lexicon reverb units. We try to use the DAW as a tape machine so that everything runs smoothly. We can run headphone mixes like you do them 20 years ago, and not have to worry about latency or computer issues. It all helps to make the sessions run smoother.
TSF: We are excited to see all the things will be happening here at Babblefish. Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us. Best of luck to you.
Steve: Thanks for stopping by.
Comments»
I’m going to to take a guess and say the name comes from the translating fish in Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy.
Don’t know… maybe something to do with an annoyingly eloquent largemouth bass?
PJ wins the t-shirt!
Anybody know where I can make some cheap t-shirts?
DS
Yes, PJ is correct. It did come from the Hitch Hikers Guide. You need to read the entry from the “guide” to really get the jest. Once you’ve done that then you will understand that it really has no meaning or relavance whatsoever. Fun book, fun and interesting name and that’s about it.
Personally I prefer Conner’s response. Any one that can associate the word’s “annoyingly, eloquent and largemouth bass” would more thatn likely enjoy reading (not seeing) “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”. Conner gets a Babblefish T.
Hey Steve!
I’m sure that Connor will wear it with pride.
DS
Indeed, I will