Press Releases

TOP ENGINEER/PRODUCER JOE FERLA USES AVATAR STUDIOS
TO MAKE MUSICAL MAGIC FOR JOHN SCOFIELD RELEASE
Ferla Prefers Avatar Because the Studio is Reliable, Professional and Delivers a Great Sound

NEW YORK — Top engineer/producer Joe Ferla made musical magic in Avatar recording studio's legendary Studio A for a new John Scofield project. Ferla likes the facility because it is reliable, professional and delivers a great sound. The Scofield project was engineered by Ferla in three intense days of recording and will be released on Verve.

"John Scofield is a cutting edge artist who is always on top of the newest music that is happening, incorporating these concepts into his work," Ferla states. "The producers for this project, John and Jason Olaine, and I felt that Studio A at Avatar would be the perfect place to create this work. Working at Avatar is always a pleasure as you are virtually assured of walking out with a great sounding record."

Scofield brought in his working band consisting of bass, drums, and the rhythm guitarist who also plays samplers and drum machines to back the live drums. According to Ferla, Studio A at Avatar was ideally suited for this project because of the way the studio is constructed.

"Avatar is great because each studio room has a distinct sound," Ferla explains. "Studio A is all wood with a high domed ceiling, with isolation booths that are large and have high ceilings as well. The entire studio is very live and natural sounding and that really comes across in the recording. I didn't need to manipulate the sound with a lot processing to make it right."

Ferla placed the performers in different booths to maintain sonic isolation to allow for any performance corrections. Because each booth offers great site lines to the other booth and the main room, the players retain the visual contact necessary to produce a natural live feel. Yet, beyond the spectacular acoustics and physical plant, the phalanx of electronic equipment also contributed to the success of the project.

"The recording was made using Studio A's vintage 40-input Neve 8068 console," says Ferla. "I worked with Ross Peterson, a staff engineer at Avatar, because he really makes a session go smoothly. I have worked with him many times in the past and he knows how I like to run a session. Also, Avatar maintains all their equipment so Ross can concentrate on moving a session along, rather than breaking the creative flow to fix something. We didn't have a minute of down time on the Scofield project and that is expressed in the fine and focused performances of the musicians. Working at Avatar is a thoroughly positive experience-a real joy."

AVATAR Studios is a 31,000-square-foot multi-room facility on Manhattan's west side dedicated to providing the highest possible quality audio recording services to the recording industry. The studio houses four premier recording rooms containing Neve 8068, two SSL 9000Js and a Neve VRP. The four rooms are equipped with four ISDN lines per room and a remote recording session can set up at a moment's notice. A 24-hour facility, AVATAR also has two Pro Tools editing suites available.

For booking information, please contact: Studio Manager Tino Passante at Tel: 212.765.7500, Fax: 212.765.7450, or E-mail: tino@avatarstudios.net