[Vintage-Audio] Nashville "Country Moog"

[LeeHazen at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/12/06 10:15:30 AM Central Daylight Time, 
dfischer at usol.com writes:

<< If you have already written a book, or ever do, about your adventures in 
the 
 world that Studio B built on the land that Nashville sold to RCA and then 
 populated with perhaps the greatest group of talent this planet has ever 
 assembled in one place for more than a weekend, I want a copy! >>

Duane,

Thanks for the great comments and information.  I feel as if I have written a 
book
from all the posts I've made on the Ampex and reel to reel lists over the 
years
since l999 when I got on line for the first time.

Nashville has been a remarkable place to live and work.  I've worked with the
world's finest musicians, singers, producers, arrangers and artists and have
mixed a LOT of recordings over the years.  I've mixed all kinds of music and
probably mixed more Gospel albums than any other type.  Many of them had
British musicians on the tracks and American artists featured.

One type of music I would have enjoyed recording would have been "Pop"
classic - the kind of recordings that Percy Faith, Montovanni, Leroy Anderson
and the Boston Pops would record.  Middle of the road instrumental orchestral
projects.  I didn't get to do much of that other than a "Twin Pianos" project 
done
at Woodland in l970.  I feel right at home with a studio full of musicians 
playing
"arranged" charts - but am not nearly so comfortable with a 4 piece band.

Many of the Gospel albums featured large ensembles / orchestral type 
"Casts of thousands" and those are easy for me.  I was awarded a Gold album
for "Alleluia - A praise gathering for believers" in l974 .  It was the first 
Religious
album to go gold.  Impact/Heartwarming Records -  Produced by Bob MacKenzie
(deceased) and arranged by Ron Huff.  Ron's son Dan is one of the top guitar
pickers and producers on music row nowadays.  It's a whole new generation of
people making the records now.

Alleluia was tracked in London.  I recorded all the vocals and remixed the 
project.

I don't miss it a bit - it was a lot of hard, intensive mental work.  Lots of 
stress
at times.  Things are a lot more relaxed in today's sessions.  "Time is Money"
was always in the background for me, so I had to be fast and accurate if I
wanted to stay working.  I pretty much dropped out of the scene in l986 when
my studio was closed down by the county after two neighbors made malicious
complaints about the studio.  I won, but I also lost as I lost the desire to 
keep
going on with the studio.  I still have it, but it isn't being used - just a 
personal
museum that I show from time to time when I get visitors.

By the way, The "Outer Orbital Freeway" was recorded as I experimented with
an Eventide harmonizer using the pitch shifting and time delay functions
while adding feedback and limiting and reverberation.  Nothing was planned,
just plain experimental messing around.  It's pretty interesting  - one could
"sample" some of the sounds and use them in movies for effects.  I've copied
it and Moog 4X to CD and have sold a few copies for $5 each.

Lee