Jersey studio is a refuge for mainstream rockers
and local punks
by Deborah J. Draisin
Vinyl Raccoon Studios was founded in Lodi,
New Jersey in 2004 by Gene Anderson, Jim Green
and Ed Auletta. Their idea was to provide
an environment that is both laidback as well
as professional. Run by Anderson, costs are
kept to a minimum by focusing on the quality
of their equipment rather than the overabundance
of quantity just for appearance’s sake.
The studio is designed to accommodate bands
of all sizes and specialties.
I recently sat down with Gene for a unique
look into the inner workings of the studio
and swap funny stories with its head honcho.
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Q: Explain this philosophy, “a
clubhouse for artists.” Are you looking
to have squatters, perhaps a minibar?
Gene: (laughing) We have both squatters and
a minibar! Well, it’s pretty simple
to explain: Ed and I have personally recorded
in a number of studios with bands we have
played in. The studios have all been large,
cold spaces where you feel like a fish in
a fishbowl. You’re standing in the live
room with all these eyes staring in from the
control room and are expected to knock out
the songs in one take. If you’re paying
a few grand to record in a major studio, you
should be able to knock it out in one take;
however there are many bands that can’t.
There are also many bands that are not ready
for a major studio, or can’t afford
it, so the idea of a “clubhouse”
came into play. Someplace that feels cozy
and comfortable, like the tree house you would
play in when you were a kid, except our tree
house is at ground level and is packed full
of recording equipment (sometimes you can
call it a preschool.) For some bands that
have never recorded before, they learn the
process as to what is expected of them in
a studio environment. It definitely helps
them to prepare for when they go to a major
studio.
Q: What would you say sets Vinyl
Raccoon apart from other studios of its size
and ilk?
Gene: Definitely our atmosphere and cost.
When bands show up for the first time, they
quickly feel comfortable with us. We’re
pretty laid-back people that just want to
record good music. Although we do have a control
room with a fishbowl feel, it’s much
smaller and more quaint than a larger studio
and we’re the ones in the fishbowl,
not the band. We also have multiple options
for bands even though we’re such a small
spot. Bands can come in and play live while
we record, or they can track out their songs
for the best possible quality, or they can
do a web broadcast during which we broadcast
a “live show” to the internet
and allow people to listen, watch and interact
live. The fans of the band get to see a show
that they normal wouldn’t be able to
because of distance or age. We have done broadcasts
with David Costa, New Tomorrow, Mispent Youth
and The Scandals. There is a monitor in the
live room with a video feed so the band can
see what everyone else is seeing live. The
viewers can chat with the band and ask questions
and such. A band can come in and spend eight
or ten hours with us and record however many
songs they can in that period for $200. They
leave with a good recording and, if they want,
it can be mixed and mastered for a small fee.
We also have an affiliation with Red Devil
Press through which we can get CDs, DVDs,
vinyl, stickers, T-shirts and more pressed
up with competitive pricing. So now the studio
has become sort of one-stop shopping for bands
starting to market themselves.
Q: What brought you to doing “Web
Broadcasts”?
Gene: That actually started with Skeleton
Crew. When Ed began to run S//C, we started
brainstorming on how to involve the fans of
S//C more. We started talking about web broadcasts
and found that Ustream was a fantastic medium
for that. We would hold a broadcast every
few months updating the members of S//C with
new band information, upcoming events or shows,
and new clothing designs that were going to
be released. We did an S//C broadcast from
the studio and then when David Costa came
in from Indiana to record demos for his new
album “The Starving Artist,” we
broadcasted the actual recording process and
had Costa answer questions that fans were
asking while watching the live feed. We actually
turned part of that into a video by integrating
it with some b-roll footage we shot while
picking up Costa from Newark/Liberty airport.
You can check it out here:
It went very well, and we had over sixty
people watching the broadcast. While New Tomorrow
was on tour, they stayed with us for two days,
and we used one of those days to do a broadcast.
You can check out a piece of that broadcast
here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/841519
We finally decided to make it a feature of
the studio after the LeATHERMOUTH tour with
MSI last December. I was running merch on
that tour and videotaping their sets. We had
a Macbook with us, so we decided to try and
broadcast the LeATHERMOUTH set live. In a
three hour period using only social networks
to get the word out, we had over three hundred
people watching the show. We were contacted
by Ustream the next day asking that we notify
them the next time we do a broadcast so they
can put us on their front page.
Q: How did the name Vinyl Raccoon
come to be?
Gene: Ah, this is a funny story! Well, the
studio’s original name was embarrassing
to Ed and me, although within our circle of
friends, everyone got a kick out of it. While
Ed was visiting from Cali with The Lucky Stiffs
to record their album, we had two raccoons
living under the deck in the back of the house.
They were big guys, and when you looked under
the deck, all you would see was a mask with
these eyes looking at you. We have surveillance
cams located inside and outside the studio,
and the outside cam that shows the entire
backyard picked up the two raccoons walking
on the roof of the studio. Later that week,
Ed and The Stiffs were having a lunch break
on the deck, and a raccoon came out from under
the deck and sat on the corner of the roof
looking at the guys eating. As the guys were
trying to get back into the studio, this big-ass
raccoon was blocking them. This was really
not cool, being that raccoons are supposed
to be nocturnal unless they are diseased or
something. So, one of the guys threw half
an egg roll at it. It landed right next to
the raccoon, and without taking his eyes off
of them, it reached over and grabbed it and
started to eat it. Later that week before
Ed went back to Cali, he and his fiancè,
Charlie, were over for dinner and we were
all trying to come up with something to call
the still-unnamed studio. After spit-balling
a bunch of ridiculous names, my wife blurted
out, “How about ‘Vinyl Raccoon’?!”
and we all knew right then and there that
that was the right name.
Q: Will you tell me what the original
name was?
Gene: No, maybe after this interview is released
(laughs.)
Q: Tell us a bit about the equipment
you use and how you came to select each item?
Gene: Well, money is always an issue for
bands and studios. Most studios charge so
much because the equipment they use is very
expensive. Even though expensive usually means
better, that’s not always the case.
So when we began to seek the equipment we
would use, we would research a ton about the
sounds and tones we would get from each piece.
The very first piece of equipment we used
was a simple Pentium 3 800mhz PC that recorded
single tracks. I was using this simple setup
when recording a demo for a band I played
in. Once we built the studio in 2004, we immediately
purchased two Motu MK2’s which are eight-track
digital recording interfaces. At that point,
we obtained two Mac G4’s and the recording
software Digital Performer 4. Next, we picked
up a drum mic kit, as well as a few compressors
and pre-amps and started working out the sound.
Ed had his super reverb and twin reverb we
would use to get good guitar tones. He also
brought in a reel-to-reel that we had been
dying to record on. We would rent amps and
such as needed for sessions. Jump to today
and it’s a huge difference. In April,
just before heading to L.A. for Bamboozle
West, we start stripping down the studio in
order to remodel it. We also updated a number
of pieces of equipment such as a new Mac G5
and Digital Performer 7. We picked up a couple
more SM 57’s as well as a Studio Projects
vocal mic, vocal processor, Marshall stack
with multiple heads and a new Pearl maple
shell studio drum kit. You can see the full
list of equipment at www.vinylraccoon.com.
You can also see new and old photos of the
studio on
Facebook.
Q: I’m thinking twenty-four
hour access, drunken artist friends –
any lost tapes out there of Springsteen karaoke?
Gene: Oh yeah, twenty-four hour access for
sure, but we are limited as to what we can
do at 11:00 at night. We are in a residential
neighborhood, so we have to be mindful of
the neighbors. We can do vocals and mix all
night long and, depending upon how we are
recording, we might be able to do guitars
and bass but drums are usually done midday.
Drunken artist friends? We have plenty of
those (laughs.) There’s definitely some
special stuff saved in our archive, but more
along the lines of random freestyling and
karaoke without words to read. It’s
usually our non-artist friends that have the
most fun in the studio, because they are just
having fun.
Q: Did you all study engineering
or just come to know production via performing
yourselves?
Gene: Ed and I have had no formal training
in engineering or production. We were always
the “sound guys” in the bands
we played in. I began recording the bands
I played in around 1996 with simple four-tracks.
Back in 2003, I picked up a couple of small
soundboard gigs for free beer and a few bucks,
which made me want to spend time recording
projects. I quickly began mic’ing the
stages for the gigs I was working sound for.
The more work I did in clubs, the more I learned
what to look and listen for. We both constantly
read engineering and production publications
to keep ourselves fresh on techniques and
standards. Ed has been recording just as long
as I have, if not longer. I think it was 1990
or 1991 when he started mixing recordings
on a four-track tape deck of the band he used
to play in, as well as other bands that played
shows with them. When we realized we both
did the same thing, we decided to work the
studio together. In 2006, Ed went with My
Chemical Romance on their tour with Green
Day as their guitar tech and was gone for
about six months. When he returned, he decided
he was going to move back to Cali. When he
did that, he purchased the same equipment
we had in the studio so he could mix and master
music we recorded in Jersey out in Cali. In
October of 2006, Ed came out for a two week
visit while the San Francisco-based band The
Lucky Stiffs were on tour and in Jersey. While
he was out here, we recorded a demo for the
Jersey-based band The Ratchets and caught
some of the best raw recordings from this
band ever heard. Shortly after that, Ed returned
with the Stiffs and we did our first full-length
recording for their album “Gold in Peace,
Iron in War.” Since that time, Ed has
moved back to Jersey and we have recorded
a number of local bands. There’s a huge
difference between the sound in 2004 and the
sound now in 2009. Part of the reason we rebuilt
the studio was to enhance the sound as we
learned more about engineering.
Q: Anyone permanently banned for
spilling beer or screwing on the equipment?
Gene: Hm...I probably spill more shit in
there than anyone else (laughs.) When we first
built the studio, we had a carpet in the live
room. When we did the renovations in 2009,
we put in a vinyl floor. We figured that since
so many things got spilled on the old carpet,
it would be way easier to clean and look nicer
with a vinyl floor. I don’t think anyone
has hurt our equipment in any way. The majority
of the sensitive equipment is located in the
control room, so there’s not too much
to hurt in the live room. Prior to the remodel,
there were a number of people who had access
cards to enter the studio at any time. After
finding leftover food, bottles, garbage and
space heaters left running for days when I
would show up, I put the kabosh on that and
removed access for everyone except for Ed,
J.P. and myself. J.P. is the newest staff
member. He helped us to wire up the new studio
during the renovations as well as brought
some equipment to the table. He’s learning
how we get the best sound out of our system.
Q: Why should people schlep out to
Jersey to record rather than hopping on the
convenient subway to one of those spoiled,
designer brand studios in New York City?
Gene: Well, I don’t know of many bands
that hop on the subway with their cab and
head (laughs) but those designer brand studios
have designer pricing. You’re not going
to a studio in the city and paying $200 for
a recording. That same eight-hour session
would cost you close to a grand. Even though
you will get the designer sound, not all bands
want that sound. Over-polished music sounds
dead. You can go to Gucci and get a handbag
for $1000 or you can go to Canal Street and
get a practically identical bag for $25; it
still holds the same amount of crap but doesn’t
cost you a month’s rent. Also, not many
bands can afford a grand to lay down some
new songs they want to put online. Many of
the bands recording in the studio recently
just want a demo song cut so they can put
it on social networking sites. Most studios
won’t spend the time on a little project
like that, but we will, and will have a smile
on our faces as we do it. In 2007, The Ratchets
recorded their LP at a major studio in Brooklyn.
Three months prior to that, we recorded all
the songs as a run through demo. The major
studio recording sounds great, but even the
band felt it was over-polished, and we all
agreed that we liked the raw sound that came
out of Vinyl Raccoon better. To this day,
we listen to our recording of the album instead
of the major recording. We hope to release
some of those recordings in the future, if
not on our website then on a split 7 vinyl
comp released from Red Devil Press.
Q: Long term goals?
Gene: Our long term goal is a bigger space,
better pre-amps and better sound. The sound
can always get better, however, bigger spaces
cost more money and then we would have to
build the inside to our specs. Once we can
establish a solid schedule of recordings and
start recouping some of the money spent to
get the studio to the point it is now we might
be able to move to that larger location. However,
it can’t be too big because that would
lose the “clubhouse” feel. There
also seems to be some confusion that the Jersey
music scene is dead - we highly disagree.
We have been working with some young local
bands, two that reside in Bayonne - The Scandals
and Departures formerly (Mispent Youth.) These
guys are keeping the punk scene alive in Jersey
and have some major bands liking their music.
We started recording them a year ago and each
session gets better and better. Their sound
is classic punk and being that we’re
from Lodi, we’re glad to keep the scene
alive by helping them get their music out.
So for both the studio and myself personally,
I’d like one of the goals to be getting
those guys known.
Projects recorded at Vinyl Raccoon from 2004
till now:
Stelth Bomber - Rap
Family Comes First - Rap
MLB Music - Rap
Martin Correra – Spanish Pop
The Bagdaddios – NYC Rock
Tre Pound - Rap
P Qualified - Rap
R Nutty - Rap
Mc Rudy - Rap
The Ratchets - Rock
The Lucky Stiffs – Cali Punk Rock
Our Black Friday - Rock
Kheelo - Rap
Gino – R&B
David Costa – Rap – Skeleton Crew
Records
New Tomorrow – Cali Punk Rock –
Skeleton Crew Records
Marisette - Rock
The Scandals – Punk Rock
Mispent Youth – Punk Rock
Melissa Honeywell – Pop
