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Pro Studio
Edition e-Newsletter
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Creating
Portraits of Musical Personalities
By Keith Hatschek |
In
America’s heartland, midway between Chicago and St. Louis, sit
the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. Word on the street is that
outside of Chicago, Champaign-Urbana, home to the University of Illinois,
is the hippest place in the Land of Lincoln. Like many communities
that host a major university, Champaign-Urbana boasts a wide range
of art, culture, night life, restaurants and as one might expect in
such a cosmopolitan atmosphere, a great recording studio.
Pogo Studio started in 1980 when founder Peter Penner pulled together
a group of friends with the dream of establishing a recording studio.
One of them, Mark Rubel, had a wide-ranging education and varying
studio experience as a professional musician. He developed a finely
tuned ear while receiving his indoctrination into the recording arts
from European-trained tonmeisters and a host of others. Penner wrote
a letter to legendary audio pioneer Bill Putnam, Sr., who was born
in nearby Danville, Illinois, asking about any used equipment he might
offer the fledgling studio. Soon they were the proud owners of a custom-built
12-channel Universal Audio tube console.
Pogo
owner Mark Rubel pictured in the control room adjacent to
the vintage API/DeMedio console. |
“The
board had giant three-inch bakelite knobs for gain control,”
says current proprietor Mark Rubel. “He also sold us 10 Universal
175 limiters… for $100 each, as well as giving us original components
from the Universal Studios Chicago console he built. He spoiled us,
and got us used to superior sounding equipment at a time when it was
still affordable. Today this gear is nearly priceless. We still have
parts of that console racked up to use, along with one remaining 175
limiter. The sound quality of Bill’s designs is beautiful; it's
no accident that they are classics and that he is a legend.
Pushing the Envelope
It’s clear that Mark Rubel is an aficionado
of vintage gear, and has amassed an eclectic collection of audio and
musical tools to facilitate making great records. In addition to Pogo’s
treasure trove of unique and vintage gear, Rubel brings a no-nonsense
approach to recording that’s refreshing in today’s ‘you
can fix anything’ recording world.
"I'm glad that my development as an audio engineer has paralleled
the development of multi-track recording- we started with a four-track
tape machine, and gradually moved up to 8, 16, 24 tracks and beyond.
You learn to take a disciplined and creative approach to recording
when you're forced to make the most of a limited set of tools, and
it is that much more of a revelation as you acquire new abilities
and technologies. After all, most of the major innovations in multi-track
record production have come from trying to push the envelope of what
was available at the time. It's a very different process from choosing
among the nearly infinite options of digital recording systems."
A fisheye
view of Pogo's control room shows the wall-to-wall vintage
gear collection. |
Although
Pogo’s list of vintage gear is too long to list completely,
its main calling card is a vintage, custom built API/DeMedio console
that was hand-built for Fantasy Records in 1971 and used to record
dozens of hits. How does he keep 35-year old gear in service? “We
have very few problems,” comments Rubel. "The military
and broadcast specifications of the day required equipment to work
day in and day out even in the most difficult circumstances. It’s
funny, but our new gear is more likely to act up than the older stuff.”
One piece of vintage gear that has been replaced with a newer and
more reliable unit is the studio’s old 3M79 24-track tape machine.
“It sounded fabulous, but was a maintenance nightmare. We now
have a 24-track Studer A80 MK IV wide-body,” comments Rubel.
Having a mostly vintage-centered studio has benefits, according to
Rubel. “The older gear and instruments have unique, identifiable
sounds. It’s a great investment too -- when I keel over face-first
onto the console at age 95, hopefully, my wife Nancy will actually
be able to sell this stuff for more than I paid for it. You can’t
say that with a DAW… there will never be a vintage market for
16-bit Pro Tools systems, for instance. The vintage gear also helps
creates the vibe that is such a draw for our studio, and allows people
to hear the things that they've seen emulated in software. They soon
learn that there is no substitute for the real thing. And of course,
during winter, the tubes heat up the control room quite nicely –
though once one of our tube compressors started shooting out sparks
and smoke!”
Although
the more than 60 rare guitars form a key part of Pogo's instrument
collection, there are more than 400 music-making devices for
musicians to use. |
The
Petting Zoo
Not surprisingly, at this moment, Pogo Studio is advance booked for
more than four months. “Pogo has been called "a petting
zoo for musicians". For instance, we have more than 60 guitars-
old Gibsons, Gretsches, Fenders, and a host of other unique and custom-built
instruments. We have 20 snare drums, 40 or so vintage amps, and dozens
of rare mics including Neumann U67s, a Telefunken U47 and a stereo
SM-2 tube mic; Altec and Sony tube mics, RCA and other ribbons. Plus,
over 20 classic keyboards: a modular Moog, Wurlitzer, Clavinet, and
a Mellotron 400.” (Editor’s Note: Remember the haunting
flutes at the beginning of the Beatles “Strawberry Fields Forever?”
That’s a Mellotron.)
Throw in Pogo’s acoustic and electric sitars, timpani, grand
piano, Optigan and steel drums, adding to the total of more than 400
musical devices, and it creates what Rubel calls, “A fun place
to experiment. When a musician hears a sound in their head, we most
likely have the tools for them to make it real for others to hear.
Since we only charge $45 an hour, musicians can afford to come here
and try things out,” Rubel concludes, “and oddly, the
element of charging clients can contribute to the music in that they
are compelled to make some choices. How many people do you know who
have bought home recording equipment, started 60 songs and never finish
any of them?”
UK
band The Amazing Pilots flew to Champaign to tap into Pogo's
unique sound. |
Global
Client Base
The modest Rubel fails to note that his chops
as an engineer and producer are also a major draw. He has worked with
a diverse range of artists ranging from rockers Hum to jazz legend
Henry Butler; Jay Bennett of Wilco and up-and-coming Champaign rock
band American Minor to the late blues genius Luther Allison, for labels
including Sony, Capitol, RCA, Warner/Reprise and Jive/Zomba.
According to Rubel,
“We recently made a record with a band from the UK called The
Amazing Pilots (www.amazingpilots.com),
“Hello My Captor” (Undertow CD-OMC-0026). They recorded
here in Champaign, overdubbed in London, and mixed in France. We have
also been working with a student-run record label here at the University
of Illinois, Green Street Records, who annually put out a copilation
of local groups of all kinds, recorded and mixed here at Pogo. The
quality and strength of the music scene here is amazing!
Avant
garde composer Toby Twining relied on Mark Rubel to help capture
the pristine sound of his latest release, "Chrysalid
Requiem". |
Pogo
"specializes in diversity", as Rubel says, from big band
jazz to bluegrass to rock of all kinds. Avant-garde composer Toby
Twining has worked with Rubel for decades. “Toby composes stunningly
beautiful a capella vocal music. He incorporates fractals and intervals
to create just intonation rather than traditional just temperament.
This
hyper-tonal music is on the new frontier of music; it's wonderful
to be able to be part of creating something that has not been heard
before." You can hear some of Rubel’s recording on Twining’s
album “Chrysalid Requiem” by going to the Cantaloupe Records
website and clicking on the Listen Now link. (www.cantaloupemusic.com/CA21007.html)
Size
Matters
Another
secret to Pogo’s success is what Rubel describes as “our
big room -- not really, really big like Abbey Road, but big enough
for what we do.” The main studio is 32' x 20' with a 14-foot
ceiling. It features hardwood flooring over regular joists which Rubel
claims produces beneficial coupling ‘you can feel through your
feet,’ ideal for rock recording, and birch walls for added resonance.
“If
you’re recording rock in an overly small room, especially drums,
it can get congested and boxy sounding – but you can also have
a room that’s too big, one of those cavernous spaces that don’t
add enough compression and early reflections. I think the sound of
rock ‘n’ roll partially comes from the sound of vernacular
American architecture. It’s not an accident that our room size
is almost identical to Sun Studios in Memphis; both are standard-sized
American industrial buildings from the early 20th century.”
The
hardwood floors and birch walls that give Pogo its rich studio
sound can be seen in this photo. |
Blending
Digital & Analog
How does Pogo integrate digital technology into
its modus operandi? “Most of our recording is done on Digital
Performer running on a Mac. I use it primarily as a recording and
editing device and for volume automation. If you know what to do,
and more importantly what not to do in the digital domain, it’s
a wonderful resource. Rather than using it to obsessively manufacture
a recording, it can provide a wonderful way to capture a compelling
moment, but to still be able to correct the performance flaws that
might compromise it. Digital recording does make many options available,
and I like how it speeds the work flow.
I think the difference between analog and digital recording may be
less here than in other facilities, where they may need the recording
medium to add a particular sound to enhance their recordings. Given
so many wonderful players, instruments and devices, the best way I
have found to make a great-sounding recording has been create the
proper atmosphere, to make a great sound, and capture it well."
Rubel prefers to blend the best of both analog and digital worlds,
using the vintage API/DeMedio console as a front end for Digital Performer.
“I try to get sounds using careful instrument and mic selection
and placement, sending the API mic pres directly to the A/D converters,
and using the rest of the console as a mixing and monitoring device,”
he reveals.
“One thing I do that’s a little different from other engineers
is to usually use only the API mic preamps. I think it makes for a
record with a more cohesive, unified sound. I like records that have
an instantly identifiable sonic personality, any of the classic records
whether it's Henry Mancini, Led Zeppelin, the Kinks or U2.
I’m on the Grammy Producer's Committee, and we listen to tons
of records each year as part of the selection process. The country
records sounds just like the pop records, which sound just like the
rock records, all part of the homogenization of music. I was happy
to vote for Tony Visconti as best producer in 2002 for David Bowie’s
“Heathen", because as soon as you hear it, you say, "It's
a Bowie record!"
"I regard music and recording as high arts that have the power
to transcend space, time, language and culture. I strive more towards
the opposite of homogenization- a distillation of the essential emotional
nature of a person or song. Listeners resonate emotionally to personal
expression with integrity, and its lasting power to touch them creates
not only better art, but ultimately better commerce, too. There’s
a reason people will still be listening to Ray Charles records many
years from now.”
Future Directions
Where does Mark Rubel see Pogo five years from
now, when the studio will be celebrating its 30th anniversary? “Hopefully,
doing more of the same, only better! To me, creating sonic portraits
of musical personalities has to be one of the best jobs in the world.
I want to continue to deepen my knowledge of the art of recording.
I’m in discussions with a producer manager to help us secure
projects that will be more widely heard. I also plan to keep playing
in my thrash-oldies band, Captain Rat and the Blind Rivets, which
is celebrating its 25th year."
 Mark
Rubel is pictured here with recording pioneer Les Paul. Rubel
is in the midst of doing an extensive set of interviews with
the 90-year old genius discussing his role in the evolution
of modern recording. |
Rubel
has been teaching audio at the college level for twenty years now;
many of his more than 1,500 students have become audio professionals
in their own right. He also teaches Music Business in the Commercial
Music program at Millikin University in nearby Decatur. "I regard
it as a professional responsibility to try and help others to also
establish happy lives doing what they love to do. I’ve learned
so much from so many mentors, from Bill Putnam, Sr. through Les Paul,
to my many friends, collaborators and clients."
Between helping musicians to define their own sonic personality and
mentoring the next generation of engineers and producers, the diverse
talents of Mark Rubel are certain to leave a long and lasting legacy
in the world of studio recording and production.
To visit Pogo online, go to http://www.pogostudio.net/.
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