Chemical Sound Recording Studios

Chemical Sound Recording Studios

Who:	Dean Marino and Jason Sadlowski, Producers / Engineers
What:	Chemical Sound Recording Studios
Where:	Toronto, Canada
API Gear:	A custom vintage 2062 console (circa 1971) housing: 16x original 312 Mic Pre's, 16x original 550 EQ's, 2x 550b EQ's, one 550A and one 560b EQ, 2x 525 Compressors, 24x440 Rails, 8x440 Subs, 4 echo send/returns.

Briefly:
     Founded in 1992 by producer/engineer Daryl Smith, Chemical Sound is a mainstay in the Canadian and international music scene. Its legendary API console and vintage microphone collection have been the essential catalyst in the creation of many outstanding recordings, including: Sloan's "Navy Blues," Godspeed You! Black Emperor's "Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven," The Weakerthans' "Reconstruction Site" and Death from Above 1979's "You're a Woman, I'm a Machine," among many others. At this time, present owners Jay and Dean are working with a new generation of exciting artists, such as The Born Ruffians and Tokyo Police Club.

From The Street:
     "The quality of the 312 mic pres and 550 EQs (the level of clarity, warmth and musicality) is unsurpassed. Nothing beats API's design and attention to detail — custom transformers, 2520 op amps, and the quality of the components.
     "It's amazing how quickly we can get 'that sound' with any instrument during a session; and if we're looking for some compression with 'wow factor,' our 525s compressors do the trick every time.
     "We prefer to track everything, especially drums, through this console going straight from our vintage Neumann, RCA ribbons and AKG microphones into the 312 mic pres and out the 550 EQs to tape or digital. When it comes to classic microphones, we've found that no other combination can do justice.
     "Whether we are making an all-analogue record or tracking to Pro Tools, this console makes our job a whole lot easier and more enjoyable. It is a privilege and a pleasure to work with this gear."

More Word from the Street...