Capitol Studios
Capitol Studios is a recording studio complex, based out of the Captiol Records Tower, located in Hollywood, California USA. Founded in 1956 as the primary studio for the American record label, Capitol Records, the studios are presently owned by Universal Music Group, which is the parent company of Capitol Music Group. The building itself, designed by Louis Naidorf of Welton Becket Associates,is regarded as one of Los Angeles's major landmarks, and is on the list of Los Angeles's Historic-Cultural Monuments. It has been described as the World's first circular office building.
The studio has hosted a substantial amount of iconic artists, who have recorded inside, including Frank Sinatra, Paul McCartney, Green Day, The Beach Boys, Nat King Cole, Barbra Streisand and more. The studios have also been used for events such as iTunes sessions, Sirius/XM sessions, Top of the Tower concerts, and have hosted The Oscars two times in the past two decades. The studios were used to film Justin Timberlake's music video, "Suit & Tie". Due to Nat King Cole's large amount of records and merchandise sold for Capitol, the Capitol Records Building's been nicknamed "The House That Nat Built".
Muse in the studio
Muse worked here for their sixth album The 2nd Law, at the end of February 2012. Tom Kirk posted several pictures of their visit[1], including a picture of the band with a choir ensemble.[2].
Studios
Capitol Studios has two main studio spaces. Both can be used separately, or can be sonically connected by sliding open the glass partition in-between the live rooms. The studio complex's main asset is their eight echo chambers, located below the Capitol Tower's parking lot, constructed with thick concrete walls and finished with highly reflective hard lacquer. Each of the echo chambers was designed to have a different sound. Four of these chambers were designed by musician, luthier and inventor Les Paul, who is most known for his association with Gibson's Les Paul guitar.
Studio A
This is Capitol Studios' largest studio space, with an ability to accomodate up to 50 musicians at one time. It's outfitted with adjustable wooden panels, which can be used to adjust the live room's reverberation time. It has two isolated booths, and is features a 72-input Neve 88RS console. Studio A has been used by artists such as Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Michael Buble, Cheryl Ladd and more.
Studio A is where the choir parts for The 2nd Law were recorded at.
Studio B
Allthough Studio B is smaller than Studio A, it is still big enough to produce a roomy sound. It is regarded as the best studio for rock sessions, but can also accomodate orchestras. The live room has adjustable hard wood/fiberglass panels, as well as oveable soundproof partitions. The control room has a 56-input Neve 8068. Artists who have recorded at the studio include Bob Dylan, Green Day, John Mayer, The Beach Boys and more.
Studio C
Studio C is centered around a Neve 88R 72-input console, and is most used as a mixing suite, with its isolation booth giving the stutdio overdub capabilities. Studio C has been used to mix multiple Grammy-winning music mixes. With its Dolby Atmos system, it's also been used to mix TV and film projects including The Revenant and True Lies.
Studio D
Studio D is a small mixing and editing suite with isolation booths for vocal recording and overdubbing. It features a vintage Neve 8058 console.
Mastering Department
The mastering department at Capitol Studios includes five mastering rooms, with the mastering team having access to the echo chambers, tape machines and custom-built gear made by the in-house engineering staff. The mastering department has two vintage Neumann recording lathes, used to cut lacquer for vinyl in 7", 10" and 12" formats. Artists which have had their albums mastered at Capitol include Deep Purple, N.W.A., Red Hot Chili Peppers and more.
Songs recorded by Muse here
As mentioned on The 2nd Law sleeve motes and seen on The Making of The 2nd Law DVD
- Supremacy (choir)
- Survival (choir)
- The 2nd Law: Unsustainable (choir)
- The 2nd Law: Isolated System (choir)
Capitol Studios Gallery
Tom Kirk confirming Muse in the studio[1]
Studio A
Studio B
Studios A & B configured to be used together
Studio C
Studio D
References
- ↑ a b Tom Kirk. (2012-02-28). Tom Kirk's picture confirming the band working at Capitol Studios. Twitter. Retrieved 2012-02-28 from Twitter.com.
- ↑ Muse. (2012-02-28). Picture of the band working at Capitol Studios. Twitter. Retrieved 2012-02-29 from Twitter.com.