continued...
 |
| Ray
Manzarek & Robbie Krieger on break from Strange Days sessions
in front of Sunset Sound speaking to a journalist circa 1967 |
Like Sunset Sound, the Sound Factory has its’ roots in the
1960’s, during which time the building on Selma Avenue in
Hollywood was home to Moonglow Records and Recording Studio. (Moonglow
Records released the Righteous Brothers single, "Little Latin
Lupe Lu"). Around 1969, former RCA staff engineer and Warner/Reprise
staff producer, David Hassinger decided to go into business for
himself and bought the Moonglow Records/Studio building and named
his new enterprise, The Sound Factory.
The Sound Factory soon became one of the busiest studios in Hollywood.
The demand for studio time was more than the one room could handle,
so David opened a second studio in West Hollywood and called it
The Sound Factory West. After awhile, David found that operating
two studios in different locations to be a little burdensome,
and eventually negotiated to buy out the restaurant on the property
adjacent to the Selma Avenue location. After a period of complete
renovation, the restaurant was converted into a new studio, tech
shop, and a proposed disc mastering room. Upon completion, David
closed the Sound Factory West and opened studio "B"
for business.
For close to a decade, The Sound Factory operated at capacity
and was host to many well known artists such as Jackson Browne,
Linda Ronstadt, Seals & Crofts, Warren Zevon, Little Feat,
and many others. From the ranks of its engineering staff emerged
a number of prominent engineers / producers, such as Val Garay
and Greg Ladanyi to name but a couple. Around 1980, for reasons
known only to friends, employees, and industry insiders, the Sound
Factory shut its doors, ceased operation, and sat dormant for
close to a year.
 |
Most
of the Doors with engineer Bruce Botnick & producer Paul
Rothchild listening to playbacks of the
“Strange Days” sessions in Studio One during the
summer of 67. |
Enter Paul Camarata and Sunset Sound! During the early 1980’s,
when the recording industry was in a slump and the record companies
were cutting recording budgets; many record producers began leaving
the larger studios and booking overdub time in less expensive
commercial and project studios in order to keep their recording
costs under control. Looking for a way to stop this exodus and
offer their clients more flexibility in their recording budgets,
Paul and Tutti Camarata considered either building a new room
or buying an existing studio that would serve as a less expensive
overdub room.
It was during this time, that it was brought to their attention,
that The Sound Factory was for sale. Paul made arrangements to
inspect the facility and during his initial walk through, discovered
what he believed would be the perfect economical compliment to
the rooms at Sunset Sound.
 |
| Ringo,
Richard Perry, John Lennon, Vinnie Poncia recording "Ringo"
in Studio 2 |
The two-room facility was equipped with A.P.I. consoles, with
a great arsenal of microphones, and the location was less than
five minutes away from Sunset Sound. Paul bought The Sound Factory
in November 1981, and spent the next couple of months doing minor
renovation and cleaning out the cobwebs left over from a year
or so of neglect. During January 1982, a number of demo sessions
were conducted to insure that everything was in proper working
order, and The Sound Factory was officially re-opened in February
1982. When word got out that The Sound Factory had re-opened,
studio "A" was immediately booked for six weeks by Elektra/Asylum
artist (and Jackson Browne sideman), David Lindley & El Rayo-X,
and recorded David’s second solo album, "Win This Record".
 |
| Keith
& Mick in Studio 1 |
During the following years The Sound factory served its original
purpose, as an alternative overdub studio for Sunset Sound Clients,
but over the course of time it eventually developed its own unique
identity and client base. Since its new beginnings in 1982, The
Sound Factory has seen a lot of changes under the ownership of
Paul Camarata and Sunset Sound, and has managed to flourish even
during the ups and downs of the recording industry. With the addition
of Flying Faders automation and extensive modifications to the
API Consoles in the 1990’s, The Sound Factory has emerged
as a full service recording facility in its own right.
 |
| Keith
& Mick in Studio 1 |
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