In September, I had the pleasure of recording at Soft Cult for the first time, and I must say it was a fantastic experience. Having previously recorded in renowned studios like Ardent Studios in Memphis (BIG STAR, R.E.M, Dylan, Cat Power) and worked with iconic consoles like the one Bowie's last album was recored on now at The Magic Barn, I consider myself discerning when it comes to choosing recording studios.
Having taken a break from recording during the pandemic and recently relocated part-time to the cities, I stumbled upon a post about a new COLLECTIVE TYPE recording studio in NE Minneapolis. Intrigued, I decided to check it out for recording demos of my new songs. Upon reaching out, Jaxon, the producer/engineer for the session, proved to be a fantastic communicator. He readily accommodated my request to use my Neumann U87 for recording.
When I mentioned my ambitious goal of recording and attempting to mix 29 songs in a single full-day session, Jaxon didn't bat an eye. Instead, he simply said, "Okay, let's do it." Throughout the day, as we recorded numerous songs, Jaxon displayed patience and thoroughness. Whether capturing live performances on acoustic or piano with vocals, he consistently achieved great sounds. He also made thoughtful production choices on the fly, and our collaborative efforts proved highly effective.
Even when faced with the challenge of recording 29 songs in one session, Jaxon remained unfazed and, at one point, humorously remarked, "Well, only 12 more to go." Remarkably, we successfully recorded all 29 songs, doubled the vocals, and managed to mix most of them in a single session--a true feat in the annals of musical recording history.
Jaxon later completed the mixes independently, delivering a fantastic end result. My overall experience at Soft Cult was superb, and I would not hesitate to record there again. Perhaps next time, I'll consider focusing on just one song--then again, maybe not! read more