Jim Pavett

44 open mics on stage, 4 direct boxes, 6 audience mics, and stereo front of house.  And this is just a rock band.  Craig Schumacher has a long history with recording with Calexico.  When Craig saw how big of an operation this was going to be, he called me to come help out.  I have a lot of experience doing mobile concert records.  (Check out the show I recorded in China with Alicia Keys and Cyndi Lauper.) 48 Channels of True System mic pres were brought in to get as clean as a capture.  With this many mics an musicians on stage, it was imperative for me to be monitoring the gains at all times.  Sometimes the trumpet players would face the vocal mic instead of the horn mic which kept me on my toes the whole time.  Here is a little sample of my photography.  I love it.

Yes, you can tell it was a busy year for me.  Ryanhood has recorded several projects with me  over the years.  Their last album was recorded by Ross Hogarth.  They decided to record a DVD of the CD Relase party which was recorded in Arizona’s historic Rialto Theatre.  “The World Awaits Live In Tucson” is full of all the harmonies, humor, and musicianship that’ve made the award-winning duo Ryanhood a “must-see live” band.  I bought out a 24 track mobile rig to capture this event.  I did some initial mixes for youtube when Ellen DeGeneres tweeted 1.4 million people about this recording/event/band.  Sweet.  I wish you guys the best!

Joe Troup came to me with a project that needed audiophile clarity, but yet smooth enough to satisfy the  Adult contemporary audience. We used all super high-end mic pres. 50% solid state, 50% Tube.  The main lead guitar tone was created with the  Vintage Universal Audio 6176.  610 tube mic pre with 1176 compressor.  We had bass and drums in one room and the Joe in the other facing each other.  This way they could capture the live feel while having full separation. Joe’s drummer brought a Jazz kit in with a fully closed kick drum.  Usually closed kick drums can be problematic when making a more contemporary album, but I found a great balance with almost no bleed.  Shocking.  Joe was nice enough to send me these comments below.

“When I decided to look for a studio to record my CD “Sunrise” I soon found myself at Allusion Studios in Tucson Arizona.  I was immediately impressed by the state-of-the-art facility.  After talking with Allusion’s owner Jim Pavett I was completely hooked.  He thoroughly explained his recording philosophy which I felt was “right on the money.” The recording process was seamless with Jim doing the engineering duties for the record.  Jim’s unbelievable attention to detail made all the difference in the world.   I’m completely satisfied with the record and will definitely use Allusion Studios for my future projects.  Thanks Jim!

Joe Troup