Le Studio

Le Studio (later renamed Studio Morin Heights) was a residential recording studio in the Laurentian Mountains near the town of Morin-Heights, Quebec, Canada built in 1972 by recording engineer and producer André Perry, Nick Blagona and Yaël Brandeis. The studio, where artists recorded and stayed, was the venue for many notable Canadian and international artists, including Rush (it was nicknamed "Rush's Abbey Road"[1]), The Police, Bee Gees, Chicago, David Bowie, April Wine and Cat Stevens and Vain (band). Perry described the facility as "like the United Nations. I had people from London, New York, Quebec, all over the world."[2]

Le Studio
AddressMorin-Heights, Quebec, Canada
Opened1972
Closed2003

Renowned for its retreat-like location as well as its state-of-the-art equipment,[3] it was one of the earliest studios to install Solid State Logic mixing desk and RADAR digital-recording equipment.[4] Perry sold the studio in 1988. In 2008 the studio had gone out of business, and as of 2015 the property was up for sale.[5] On 11 August 2017, the building was partially destroyed by "a suspicious" fire.[2]

History

André Perry gained fame as a recording engineer working for John Lennon, and in 1974 was looking to expand his studio, built in a downtown Montreal church. Perry worked with the Olive Company to develop one of the first recording consoles with motorized faders feeding two 24 track Studers synchronized to provide 48 tracks. He moved to Morin Heights, where he owned a lake, and built his studio there,[4] with his wife Yaël Brandeis. The idea was to give recording artists a venue where they could record and live in a creative atmosphere, near the Laurentian Mountains:[6] The Bee Gees, who recorded Children of the World (1976) at Le Studio, stayed for five months.[7] Initially it included a guesthouse about a half-hour's drive away, but it was accidentally burned down by Roy Thomas Baker and Ian Hunter, according to studio designer and engineer Nick Blagona. Later, a house across the lake was acquired and expanded.[7] By the early 1980s it had a reputation as a premier North American recording venue, after Rush, David Bowie, and April Wine had recorded albums there.[8]

In 1986 Le Studio issued stock on the Montreal Exchange looking to acquire funding for building a second studio, with audio and video capabilities, in the US state of Washington. 1.1 million shares valued at $3.50 were sold. Perry and Brandeis retained majority interests. They spent $500,000 on a Quantel Mirage digital video effects unit, hoping to install more equipment to allow the recording of sound effects and film music, as well as a Synclavier room.[9]

In 1988 Perry and Brandeis sold the studio,[10] and Perry retired in the early 1990s. The studio, by then called Studio Morin Heights, was acquired in 1993 by L'Equipe Spectra, an entertainment company best known for the Montreal International Jazz Festival which also had a number of local artists on record. Rush and other bands continued to do their tracking there. The new owners also built a new studio room, called "Far Side", which offered a digital RADAR audio recorder and allowed local bands with modest budgets to benefit from the amenities.[4] The 233-acre (0.94 km2) site was listed for sale in July 2007, with an asking price of C$2.45 million.[11] The studio was shut down in March 2003 by Spectra.[10] The property remained for sale until 2009, when the land was purchased with the intent to convert the area to a retreat and spa. However it remained unoccupied, falling into disrepair and was vandalized many times.[12][13]

A US $2.4 million kickstarter campaign was begun in 2015 to rebuild Le Studio but only $4,000 was pledged.[2]

On 11 August 2017, the studio's building was partially destroyed by a fire in a suspected case of arson.[14] The residential area of the studio was completely destroyed. The recording area still stands but is severely damaged. Geddy Lee of Rush told the CBC, "it was truly a part of the great Canadian landscape... and literally a home away from home for us. It will always have a special place in our hearts."[15][2]

Other international artists to record at Le Studio include Nazareth, The Police, Sting, Cat Stevens, The Bee Gees, Keith Richards, Kim Mitchell and Bryan Adams. In January 1992 Celine Dion recorded "With This Tear", a song written by Prince and produced by Walter Afanasieff for her Celine Dion album. Rush recorded at Le Studio during "the peak and the end" of the Terry Brown era.[16]

Outside view of Le Studio on Dec. 1st, 2018. The recording area still standing after the 2017 fire that destroyed the residential area

Some of the engineering staff included Nick Blagona,[7] Ed Stasium, Leanne Unger, Frank Opolko, Paul Northfield, Glen Robinson, Robert DiGioia, Paul Milner, Simon Pressey, Jacques Deveau, George Pelekoudis, and W. Le Gallee.

The house and grounds are featured in the music videos of the recording sessions of the Rush songs "Tom Sawyer",[16] "Limelight" and "Vital Signs".[17] The studio is also seen in April Wine's music video for "I Like to Rock." Also, an episode of Popular Mechanics for Kids was taped there, with Elisha Cuthbert demonstrating recording and mixing techniques.[18]

Albums and songs recorded at Le Studio
Title Artist Year released
Numbers Cat Stevens 1975
Children of the World The Bee Gees 1976
Morin Heights (named for the location of the studio[19]) Pilot 1976
1 fois 5 (enregistrement devant public) Robert Charlebois, Yvon Deschamps, Jean-Pierre Ferland, Claude Léveillée et Gilles Vigneault 1976
Lavender Hill Mob Lavender Hill Mob 1976
Vladimir Vysotsky Vladimir Vysotsky 1976
Play 'n' the Game Nazareth 1976
Fountains of Light Starcastle 1977
Expect No Mercy Nazareth 1977
"Well, Well," Said the Rocking Chair Dean Friedman 1978
Street of Dreams Lavender Hill Mob 1978
Safety in Numbers Crack the Sky 1978
Chicago 13 Chicago 1979
Harder ..... Faster April Wine 1979
Permanent Waves[20] Rush 1980
Thrillz Walter Zwol & The Rage 1980
Ghost in the Machine
- "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" song only		 The Police 1981
Moving Pictures[21] Rush 1981
You Want It You Got It Bryan Adams 1981
Signals Rush 1982
Straight Between the Eyes Rainbow 1982
Synchronicity (overdubs) The Police 1983
Alpha Asia 1983
In the Red Fist 1983
Grace Under Pressure[22] Rush 1984
Tonight[23] David Bowie 1984
Boy in the Box Corey Hart 1985
Electric
- "Electric Ocean" song only		 The Cult 1985
The Dream of the Blue Turtles (overdubs and mixed) Sting 1985
Fire Corey Hart 1985
The Thin Red Line Glass Tiger 1986
Shakin' Like a Human Being Kim Mitchell 1986
Between the Earth & Sky Luba 1986
Paradox (First album mixed on the new G series console) Paradox 1988
Operation: Mindcrime Queensrÿche 1988
Secrets of the Alibi The Northern Pikes 1988
Big Houses Eight Seconds 1988
Diamond Sun Glass Tiger 1988
Talk Is Cheap Keith Richards 1988
Sur Le Chemin des Incendies Paul Piché 1988
Presto Rush 1989
No Respect Vain 1989
Hell to Pay The Jeff Healey Band 1990
When Up Turns To Down Doughboys 1991
Roll the Bones Rush 1991
Good Gone Bad (band vocal recording and mix) The Scramblers 1991
Gordon Barenaked Ladies 1992
With This Tear Celine Dion 1992
Risque Terez Montcalm 1993
...But You Can Call Me Larry Lawrence Gowan 1993
Counterparts Rush 1993
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy Sarah McLachlan 1993
Circle of One Julie Masse 1994
Scenery and Fish I Mother Earth 1995
Matapédia Kate and Anna McGarrigle 1996
No Worries Reset 1996
Creature Moist 1996
Alhambra The Tea Party 1996
Transmission The Tea Party 1997
Triptych The Tea Party 1999
Since August Since August 2000
The Interzone Mantras The Tea Party 2001

Console history

Source[24]

  • 1974-1980 Trident A Range, the first of its kind, now in use at New Monkey Studio in Van Nuys, California
  • 1980-1985 SSL 4000B, now in use at Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta.
  • 1985-2008 SSL 4000G sold off in parts

LeStudio Mobile

First built in 1979, LeStudio Mobile provided recording services for live music and special events across North America. The first truck included a 12-input mixing console and 4-track recording. By 2010, a pair of trucks provided 8 mixing consoles on-board provided a total of 144 microphone inputs and 244 tracks of simultaneous recording permanently installed in a 7.5 foot (2.3 m) wide 5-ton truck.[25][26] It was used to record such live albums as Rush's Exit... Stage Left, The Indspire Awards, Hockey Night in Canada and the Montreal International Jazz Festival.[25] The company covered the Juno Awards for more than 23 years, adding a second truck in 2008.[27]

The final large event handled by LeStudio was the Opening, Closing, and Medal Ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Through the years LeStudio Mobile evolved with the industry, focusing first on live recorded albums, then audio for DVD productions before moving more into producing audio for live productions While live music productions for HD television brought new business to Le Studio Mobile around 2010, the remote recording business continued to shrink.[28]

As of 2018, Le Studio Mobile had ceased operation.[29]

References
  1. Mobley 259.
  2. "Fire destroys legendary Le Studio where Bowie, The Police recorded". CBC News. 11 August 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  3. Myers 95-96.
  4. Verna, Paul (25 February 1995). "Studio Morin Heights Reaches Far: Quebec Facility Embraces Int'l, Local Acts". Billboard. p. 91. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  5. Kilkenny, Carmel (9 June 2015). "Le Studio, Morin Heights for sale after years of neglect". Radio Canada International. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  6. Mobley 259-62.
  7. Peacock, Ted (July 2011). "Interview with Nick Blagona". Journal on the Art of Record Production. 5. ISSN 1754-9892.
  8. Sharp 69.
  9. LaPointe, Kirk (16 August 1986). "Le Studio Issues Stock on Montreal Exchange". Billboard. pp. 72–73. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  10. Mobley 262.
  11. Sale brochure Archived 8 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine The property was still for sale as of November 2008
  12. Kovac, Adam (14 August 2015). "Le Studio: Legendary Morin Heights recording spot in ruins". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  13. "Le Studio: Legendary Morin Heights recording spot in ruins". Montreal Gazette. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  14. Banerjee, Sidhartha (11 August 2017). "Morin Heights' legendary Le Studio the site of "suspicious" fire". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  15. "Remembering Le Studio - Rush React After Fire Destroys Studio". News.cygnus-x1.net. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  16. Mobley 260.
  17. NeilPeart.net - News posting 26 April 2006
  18. FilmRise (9 February 2014). "Popular Mechanics for Kids Season 1 Ep 22 "Music Production"". YouTube. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  19. "Canada! Quebec Scene Reflects Rich Diversity". Billboard. 2 October 1976. pp. C8–9, 12, 20. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  20. Popoff 79-80.
  21. Popoff 94.
  22. Popoff 110-11.
  23. Trynka 432.
  24. LeStudio Channel (9 April 2014), LE STUDIO - TEMPLE OF SOUND - Episode One - 1080p, retrieved 6 September 2018
  25. "Le Studio Mobile". www.studiomobile.com. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  26. Music directory Canada (8th ed.). Toronto: Norris Whitney. 2001. ISBN 0969127286. OCLC 51375980.
  27. "Le Studio Mobile, Le 30". Mix Magazine. September 2009. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  28. Jones, Sarah (February 2010). "Remote Recording | Shifting Gears". Mix Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014.
  29. "Le Studio Mobile". www.studiomobile.com. Retrieved 3 September 2018.

Bibliography

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