Capitol Studios
Encyclopedia
The Capitol Studios complex opened in the Capitol Records Building
, a futuristic new building in the heart of Hollywood, in 1956. It has since hosted some of the most treasured recordings in music history, from Frank Sinatra
to the Beastie Boys
. It is owned by Capitol Records
whose parent company is EMI
. Greg Parkin is the current Vice President of Studios & Archives. Paula Salvatore has been the studio manager for over 20 years. An additional studio by Capitol Records was built in New York City.
The studio A and studio B can be used together to make space for 75 musicians to record orchestral and soundtrack music.
To prevent the hum of fluorescent lighting, the fixtures' ballasts were mounted outside the studios. The heating and air conditioning system used "decoupled ducts, sound traps and soundproofed vents."
The exterior walls are 10-inch-thick concrete
. A one-inch air gap separates the outer wall from the studios' inner wall, which in turn stands on a floor which "floats on a rubber-tiled, 3-inch concrete slab. This upper slab floats on a layer of cork, which rests on the 6-inch concrete foundation slab."
The studios' interior walls were built with shutter-like baffles. One side is birch wood, which creates a hard sound, and the other is fiberglass, which has a softer sound. Ceilings are suspended beneath thick rock-wool soundproof insulation.
concrete
bunkers built 30 feet underground. The sound isolation and acoustic properties allow recording engineers to sweeten tracks with a rich reverberation.
The echo chambers were designed as trapezoid
al rooms by recording artist and sound expert Les Paul
. They have 10-inch-thick concrete walls and foot-thick concrete ceilings. With speakers on one side and microphones on the other, they can provide reverberation
lasting up to 5 seconds. Sound engineers "use them like an artist's palette," as one Capitol worker put it. Sound from microphones in the studios is sent to speakers in the echo chambers, and picked up by the microphones. The amount of reverberation is controlled at the sound mixing board.
The studios are threatened by the construction of a nearby condominium building and underground parking lot, which would involve heavy equipment working within 18 feet of the underground chambers.
Capitol Records Building
The Capitol Records Building, also known as the Capitol Records Tower, Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District, located in Hollywood, Los Angeles is a thirteen story tower designed by Welton Becket – and one of the city's landmarks...
, a futuristic new building in the heart of Hollywood, in 1956. It has since hosted some of the most treasured recordings in music history, from Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
to the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
. It is owned by Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
whose parent company is EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. Greg Parkin is the current Vice President of Studios & Archives. Paula Salvatore has been the studio manager for over 20 years. An additional studio by Capitol Records was built in New York City.
Capitol Records Building
The Capitol Records Building, also known as the 'Capitol Records Tower' is a Hollywood, Los Angeles, California landmark. The building was designed by Welton Becket, noted architect. The building is 13 stories tall and 150' high and is a modern, striking, earthquake-resistant reinforced-concrete structure.Capitol Studios
The ground floor, the only rectangular part of the building, is actually a separate structure which surrounds the tower and was joined to it after the entire tower was completed. It houses the Recording Department offices, two mastering rooms, three recording studios which were designed by Vincent Van Huff, Jeff Cooper, and Jack Edwards, plus six production/edit rooms.The studio A and studio B can be used together to make space for 75 musicians to record orchestral and soundtrack music.
To prevent the hum of fluorescent lighting, the fixtures' ballasts were mounted outside the studios. The heating and air conditioning system used "decoupled ducts, sound traps and soundproofed vents."
The exterior walls are 10-inch-thick concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
. A one-inch air gap separates the outer wall from the studios' inner wall, which in turn stands on a floor which "floats on a rubber-tiled, 3-inch concrete slab. This upper slab floats on a layer of cork, which rests on the 6-inch concrete foundation slab."
The studios' interior walls were built with shutter-like baffles. One side is birch wood, which creates a hard sound, and the other is fiberglass, which has a softer sound. Ceilings are suspended beneath thick rock-wool soundproof insulation.
Echo Chambers
The Capitol Studios feature unique echo chambers. They are subterraneanSubterranea (geography)
Subterranea refers to underground structures, both natural and man-made . Some subterranea include:* Bunker* Casemate* Catacombs* Caves** Ice caves* Cave dwellings, Cave house* Cave temple* Cellar* Cenote* Dungeon...
concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
bunkers built 30 feet underground. The sound isolation and acoustic properties allow recording engineers to sweeten tracks with a rich reverberation.
The echo chambers were designed as trapezoid
Trapezoid
In Euclidean geometry, a convex quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides is referred to as a trapezoid in American English and as a trapezium in English outside North America. A trapezoid with vertices ABCD is denoted...
al rooms by recording artist and sound expert Les Paul
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...
. They have 10-inch-thick concrete walls and foot-thick concrete ceilings. With speakers on one side and microphones on the other, they can provide reverberation
Reverberation
Reverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is removed. A reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound is produced in an enclosed space causing a large number of echoes to build up and then slowly decay as the sound is absorbed by the walls and air...
lasting up to 5 seconds. Sound engineers "use them like an artist's palette," as one Capitol worker put it. Sound from microphones in the studios is sent to speakers in the echo chambers, and picked up by the microphones. The amount of reverberation is controlled at the sound mixing board.
The studios are threatened by the construction of a nearby condominium building and underground parking lot, which would involve heavy equipment working within 18 feet of the underground chambers.
Further reading
- Schoenherr, Steven E. Recording Technology History. Department of History at the University of San Diego, [July 6, 2005]. Includes Pictures of Studio A