Allusion Studios News

Patrick Stump session

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 01:30:00 +0000

Singer-songwriter, composer, producer and music critic Patrick Stump stopped by Allusion Studios to overdub vocals for a promo of his new single "This City". Best known as the composer, lead singer and multi-instrumentalist for the band Fall Out Boy, Patrick is currently on tour to promote his debut solo album Soul Punk, which is set to drop in mid-October. Thanks for coming in Patrick!

Jae High Session

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 00:55:00 +0000

We had a great time the other day with rap artist Jae High and his crew in the studio.

Jae High came in for a one-song vocal session with songwriter/producer Trevor Lebsock. Lebsock had already mixed the beat at his home studio, but he wanted the vocal tracks done in a professional studio. Jim Pavett answered the call, and the results were stellar.

When it came time to mix the vocals, Lebsock decided to have Jim take a look at the raw mix of the entire song to see if there were areas that could be improved by our expertise and high-end gear. Jim happily obliged and was able to fine tune several sections that Lebsock felt were sub-par, giving the mix a much broader and dynamic feel. Once the tracks were remixed, Jae High's vocals were added back in and mixed accordingly. Finally, Jim mastered the entire song to give it a bright polished sound. In the end, we absolutely exceeded Lebsock's and Jae High's expectations, taking the session from being a simple overdub session to a full-fledged commercial production.

Jae High's crew stayed around for the entire session and we ended up giving them a nice tour of the place. We've recently renovated our studio, so it was great to have new faces looking around and offering feedback on all the changes we've made.

We've got a Grand Piano!

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:43:00 +0000

Allusion Studios is proud to announce that we now have a grand piano in-studio, available immediately to our clients.

This particular piano is a mint condition, 30 year-old Yamaha G2; a classic and versatile model, built for large sound without having a large footprint. These pianos are known for having a rich, round balanced tone that’s not too bright and not too mellow. The keys are perfectly weighted to please the majority of players. Overall, it’s the ideal piano for studio recording purposes.

We’ve been searching for the right piano for a while now, and this was certainly a gem of a discovery. Finding an older one was important to us because the body has had plenty of time to settle over the years. The piano is therefore more consistent and produces are much warmer sound. In addition, the balance of highs and lows means that it won’t overpower other instruments in your songs while maintaining a crisp and full sound that cuts through to the listener.

Contact us for free tour and consultation, and have our piano shine on your next recording project!

Allusion Acoustics Upgrade

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 03:57:00 +0000

Jim Pavett's video tutorial series, The Studio Edge: Pro Audio Recording Series recently started shooting new footage for its second installment at Allusion Studios. This next video is all about acoustic treatment and what you need to do to accurately treat and tune your rooms for optimal results.

To properly film the tutorial, Jim decided to not only change the acoustics in the rooms, but also the colors and lighting to build a more creative atmosphere for his clients.

These photos give a little bit of insight into the installation process.

Alisha Peru

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 23:27:00 +0000

Alisha Peru may have been the most talented 15 year old walk through the doors of Allusion Studios. She came by a few months ago to record some tracks for her new EP, which you can hear on her MySpace page, and is available for purchase through her website and on iTunes.

Her tracks sound more like a sophomore effort coming from an experienced artist than a high school student starting her career. Her attitude and ease to work with in the studio shines through in the recordings; her performance is a flawless blend of modern rock peppered with melodic pop sensibilities.

She also had some nice things to say about her time spent at Allusion Studios:

“I just wanted to take the time to thank you again for every ounce of work that you put into my 6-song EP. It sounds INCREDIBLE. Every single person who hears it is shocked by the quality and asks where I recorded it at. You put a lot of work into it and I am so proud to know that I am the one singing and playing the piano on those songs. You got the exact sound I was looking for on every single track! Thank you so much! I am so THRILLED with the way this turned out!”

Thank you, Alisha, and we hope to see you soon!

Allusion Studios - Now With Pro-Tools

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 21:58:00 +0000

The recent emergence of Pro-Tools 9 from Avid has opened up a whole new level of compatibility for us here at Allusion Studios. We are now 100% compatible with Pro-Tools, enabling anyone who has a Pro-Tools project to finish their recordings or mixes at Allusion Studios, using our state-of-the-art audio resources.

We've always been proud of our high-end converters and state of the art pre-amps. Although we understand the importance of Pro-Tools within the recording industry, this is the first time the technology has been able to meet our standards and flexibility for recording. With the release of the all-new native Pro-Tools 9, we can now accommodate these projects in conjunction with our facilities. Whether you are looking for a professional studio to finish your Pro-Tools home recordings or want to be able to transfer your mixes exactly as you made them onto our system, it's now as easy as ever.

Give us a call or send us an e-mail for more information.

Jim's Reflections on 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 21:45:00 +0000

It has been a very busy and rewarding year for us at Allusion Studios. Along with regular day to day business, I had many personal media projects that had been building up for years, and all of them just so happened to come to completion this year. Talk about everything hitting you at once! My educational DVD series, The Studio Edge Pro Audio Recording Series, was 3 years in the making for the first DVD alone, though it was supposed to be released over a year ago. Unaware of its eventual delay, I took on a 5 HD camera concert DVD and formed a label for its distribution. This project, The DeGrazia Centennial Concert, took over a year to edit, mix, and author, all outside my normal working hours at the studio. I was literally putting in 90-100 hour weeks throughout the entire year. And as you might have guessed, a few things got left by the side of the road just trying to keep up.

Luckily, I was not all alone in the trenches: Joe Gallegos took on more hours to help with the brunt of work that needed to be done; Chris Giambelluca came on as a second engineer and worked many sessions while I put other fires out; and Chase Welch came in as a university-sponsored intern and knocked it out of the park, and is now starting to take on recording sessions as an employee. My friend Bjorgvin also helped out this year, not only by filming some video blogs but also assisting with our marketing. He even did an article introducing The Studio Edge DVD to a popular audio blog. The latest addition to the Allusion family, Emily, came along through another school-sponsored internship program. At first I was not sure how we were going to utilize or manage another person, but after a few meetings, we came up with the idea of asking her to write a blog through the eyes of a new intern with no audio background while she was training. Not only have we seen a great response to her blog, but it has been an eye-opening view into someone who is just starting out in audio. This is something I will truly benefit from in order to tailor my educational DVD series to be understood by a beginner. It has also been a great feedback tool for me to see how I interact with clients and see what I can do better.

Since we have been so overwhelmed with projects this year, we spent many meetings trying to see how we can do better, lighten the load, and provide more services/options besides just stellar recording gear and great engineers. Having multiple heads in on the discussions has been extremely beneficial and I have already put into motion several tasks to move in an exciting new direction. I take customer service very seriously and want the best for my clients. If you have not filled out our short customer survey online, please do so. Your data will help us to better accommodate the needs of our clients and improve our services. You will have to wait just a little longer to see what we are implementing, but check our website often. It will be a musician’s game-changer. We will be updating several pages with new information as early as next week.

I want to thank all my clients for an excellent year. I also want to thank my employees for being with me through the most important time in Allusion Studios’ history. Your commitment and excellence has contributed greatly through a year of intense growing pains. It has been an honor to have you by my side. I am looking forward to the next year.

-Jim Pavett

2011 Grammy Voting

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 22:44:00 +0000

The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences has officially placed several projects that we have performed, engineered and produced on the Official Ballot for the 2011 Grammy Awards in the following categories:

Record of the Year:
DeGrazia Live at the Paramount

Album of the Year:
DeGrazia Live at the Paramount

Contemporary World Music Album:
DeGrazia Live at the Paramount

Contemporary Folk Album:
The Bluest Sky – Domingo DeGrazia & Beth Daunis
Native Anthropology – Jack Gladstone

Engineered Album:
Joe Gallegos & Jim Pavett for DeGrazia Live at the Paramount

Producer of the Year:
Jim Pavett for DeGrazia Live at the Paramount
Jim Pavett for The Bluest Sky

If you are a voting member of the Grammys, we ask for your consideration in voting. Please click on the albums below to hear samples. If you are not a voting member please celebrate with us through this journey. Thank you.

DeGrazia Live at the Paramount
The Bluest Sky
Native Anthropology

Audiotuts+ Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 01:41:00 +0000

As you may or may not know, the audio production blog site Audiotuts+ periodically hosts giveaways for their readers where one lucky commenter is randomly chosen to receive a prize.

Earlier this year Jim Pavett was interviewed by Audiotuts+. In the interview Jim mentioned his upcoming educational DVD, which he was working on at the time. Now since its release, Audiotuts+ has approached him about contributing a copy of the DVD, The Studio Edge: Pro Audio Recording Series, as the prize for one of their current giveaways. He is excited to see all the positive feedback it's getting and hoping it will come in handy for the winner.

Be sure to check out the article and enter to win. If you're lucky, a free copy of the DVD may be on its way to you soon!

From a Fresh Perspective

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 21:55:00 +0000

Jim's belief in paying it forward has always been the driving force behind his desire to teach. For the most part this has culminated in the form of recording clinics, workshops, internships, and of course his recently released Tutorial DVD, The Studio Edge. All of these offerings provide education for individuals at varying levels of experience in recording. But out of all of these, the form of education deemed most valuable to the student, and most rewarding to Jim, has always been the internships.

Historically, Allusion Studios has accepted internships through many higher educational institutions across the country. But recently Jim was presented a new intern challenge. Our latest intern, Emily, is currently a junior in high school where she is able to enroll in an internship class for credit. Though she comes to us with a background in music and a deep curiosity for music production, she has no experience or prior knowledge of audio engineering. Because of her youth and "greenness" in the industry, taking on the role of Emily's mentor offers a new and different teaching opportunity for Jim. Regardless, he's enthusiastic to introduce her to the world of audio engineering as well as share his knowledge of recording with her.

This process got us thinking - perhaps there are other students out there who are interested in audio engineering and music production, but don't know where to start. Because this is such a new experience for all of us, Emily has offered to maintain a blog documenting all of her thoughts and experiences with us.

You can follow her blog here: http://internemily.blogspot.com

The Studio Edge: Pro Audio Recording Series

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0000

Jim Pavett, in conjunction with international pro-audio video tutorial publishers ASK Video, has recently released the first DVD in his educational series The Studio Edge: Pro Audio Recording Series. This first installment, titled Studio Concepts, Gear & the Physics of Sound, is a detailed journey through the fundamentals that are essential to becoming a great audio engineer.

Audio engineering isn’t just about recording audio; it’s about knowing how to work with your equipment and surroundings in order to capture the best sound possible. Jim combines his experience in the recording industry, musical knowledge, and his technical expertise on the physics of sound in order to record great audio.

Filmed on location at Allusion Studios, the video covers key concepts of audio engineering through easy to follow chapters, which are assisted by over 100 visual aids that help illustrate these concepts. This is a must-have DVD for any aspiring audio engineer, or for experienced engineers who want to bring their skills to the next level.

Click here to purchase a copy of Studio Concepts, Gear & the Physics of Sound.

"The Punisher" drops in

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:31:00 +0000

A-list actor and all-around badass, Thomas Jane (best known for his roles in Deep Blue Sea and The Punisher), recently stopped by Allusion to overdub some lines for an upcoming episode of his HBO television series, Hung. The show, also starring Anne Heche, features Jane as "a former high school sports legend turned middle-aged high school basketball coach who finds a way to benefit from his biggest asset" (IMDB.com).

The episode, titled "Beaverland" (Season 2, Episode 6) is set to air August 8, 2010. Check your local listings!

Up With People at Allusion Studios

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:57:00 +0000

Smile ‘til it Hurts, Lee Storey’s documentary about the Up With People organization was partially shot at Allusion Studios. The documentary goes on an in-depth journey of the organization, from its founding in the fifties to the modern day workings of this international youth leading organization.

Jim Pavett contributed his facilities at Allusion Studios to record a few tracks for the documentary as well as using the studio as a backdrop for some of the interviews. Smile ‘til it Hurts is showing at the Harkins Theater here in Tucson from July 27th – 31st, and everybody wanting a deeper glimpse into the origins of the Up With People organization is encouraged to see it.

Watch the trailer below:

The Doctor is "IN"

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 01:04:00 +0000

Allusion Studios recently finished producing a full length DVD called Hypnosis House Call by Dr. Steven Gurgevich. Dr Gurgevich is a well known published author and an established Sounds True artist. Having done audio work with Allusion Studios for years, Dr Gurgevich had complete confidence in us to produce his DVD.

Pulling out all the stops, we produced the doctor’s DVD from start to finish. We shot the footage with 2 camera angles in High Definition, designed the menu graphics of the DVD, and mixed all of the background music.

Sterling Publishing, owned by Barnes & Noble, is publishing the DVD with no changes or edits made to the final product. It will be found in the back of Dr. Gurgevich’s new book, slated for release in January of 2011.

High Definition DeGrazia

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 01:18:00 +0000

Celebrating the centennial of renowned painter/artist Ettore "Ted" Degrazia's birth, Allusion Studios produced the DeGrazia Centennial Concert DVD. The show was performed at the historic Fox Theater in Tucson Arizona, filmed with five High Definition cameras.

The live performance was captured by all five cameras catching the intimate but powerful performance of the Domingo DeGrazia band; a fusion of Spanish flamenco, salsa, rock and Latin rhythms.

Not only did we capture every part of the performance on video, but the almost studio quality audio can be enjoyed in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. The performance, available now at Open View Music, is an exhilarating tour de force through Domingo DeGrazia's diverse music catalog.

New Energy at Allusion

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Wed, 26 May 2010 19:21:00 +0000

Dr. Ann Marie Chiasson and Dr. Andrew Weil recently completed a very interesting audio-book CD at Allusion Studios. Contrary to perception, spoken word recordings can be quite difficult to achieve. These types of recordings require a very quiet room with high quality microphones and crystal clear pre-amps. We are honored to have such an ongoing relationship with Sounds True, as they understand we have the facilities and equipment necessary to create quality recordings that meet their standards.

The new CD, titled Self-Healing with Energy Medicine, is now available at SoundsTrue.com.

Flor De Muertos 56 Channel On-Sight Live Recording with Calexico

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:35:00 +0000

Flor De Muertos, a documentary celebrating the twentieth anniversary of All Souls Procession, included the filming of a live performance of Calexico. Calexico's setup was a large endeavor consisting of 44 open mics on stage, 4 direct boxes, 6 audience mics, and a stereo pair in front of the house. Craig Schumacher, who has a long history of recording the band, called Jim Pavett at Allusion Studios to help out due to his expertise in mobile on-sight recording, such as the 2004 Great Wall of China concert. Due to the large amount of open microphones and musicians on stage, it was necessary to have two engineers monitoring the recording during the whole performance. This project is currently in postproduction with no release date as of yet.

Ryanhood CD Release Party DVD

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:30:00 +0000

Ryanhood recently recorded their latest CD The World Awaits Live in Tucson with Grammy Award Winning Engineer, Ross Hogarth. Upon completion, the award winning duo asked Jim Pavett at Allusion Studios to record the audio for the filming of their CD release party, at the Rialto Theater. The project entailed a 24 track mobile rig to capture the event, and some initial mixing for YouTube after Ellen DeGeneres previously tweeted on the band/event/record. The final stereo mix was then mastered at Allusion Studios for the final CD and DVD release. This set is currently out and you can get more information at ryanhoodmusic.com

Watch a trailer of The World Awaits Live In Tucson.

Jim Pavett featured in forthcoming Educational DVD and filmed at Allusion Studios

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:32:00 +0000

June 2, 2009, marked the first day of filming for a new educational DVD, Recording Concepts and Techniques (working title). The DVD, produced by the popular video tutorial company ASK Video, is slotted for a tentative international release in Fall/Winter of 2009. ASK Video is a well-known leader in the pro-audio software tutorial industry, and has a stellar reputation that speaks for itself. Jim is both humbled and proud to be taking this giant step in his career as an educator and trusted recording engineer.

What began as a moment of clarity on a trip to Fiji two years ago (followed by 88 pages of script, nearly 200 animations, tons of product placement, lights, cameras, a teleprompter, and lots of patience), has culminated into a new passion and exciting future of giving back to the world.

Calle Debauche

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:19:00 +0000

Mohadev from Calle Debauche brought in a home recorded project which we helped mix and then master. This interesting arrangement of Guitar, Tuba, Sax, and Marimba was awesome and not quite the norm for us, leading us to think outside the box a little more when it comes to arrangements.

Gary Bonnett Band

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:48:00 +0000

On the way to KIIM FM's Freedom Fest, Gary Bonnett's MCI bus took a pit stop at Allusion Studios to record a new song for their upcoming CD. We met our goal of one day of tracking, and a half day mixing. The band was a pleasure to work with, and hopefully they will have time to come back around to record more songs with us in the future.

"Battle Royale" 2009 winners

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:30:00 +0000

Congratulations to Disciples of Prime, winner of the 2009 Battle Royale!

"Battle Royale" 2009 at The Rock

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 01:28:00 +0000

Allusion Studios will sponsor the Battle of the Bands "Battle Royale" Finals on May 15, 2009 at The Rock. Seven bands will be competeing for the grand prize recording package donated by Jim Pavett at Allusion Studios. The line up includes: Rossy, Tenda, Genre, Disciples of Prime, 1158, Kings of Arizona, and Those One.

FREE Recording Clinic Series w/ Guitar Center

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 01:27:00 +0000

An experienced educator and clinician, Jim Pavett has started giving monthly recording clinics to all who are interested in learning about the world of professional audio engineering. These clinics are an ongoing series jointly hosted by Allusion Studios and Guitar Center of Tucson. Clinics are free of charge and anyone is welcome to attend. All are held in the Pro Audio section at Guitar Center, 4720 E Broadway Blvd.

Topics vary from session to session. Those in attendance are also eligible to take part in a free raffle, consisting of various gear and swag courtesy of Guitar Center and Allusion Studios.

To receive emails about upcoming clinic dates, times, and topics, please join our email newsletter.

"Battle Royale" winners

noreply@blogger.com (Allusion Studios) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 01:20:00 +0000

Congratulations to Animus Divine, winner of the 2008 Battle Royale!