Legendary blues singer and guitarist, Buddy Guy, dropped into 16 Ton Studios in Nashville a few weeks ago and burned it up with some tracks for the new, upcoming release from Robert Randolph and The Family Band. Buddy is widely regarded as one of the finest guitarists on the planet and was a seminal influence on the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Eric Clapton just to name a few. We were proud to have Buddy in and to go with his incredible playing ability, he’s one heck of a nice guy. You can hear Buddy’s tracks on the new Robert Randolph and The Family Band record so keep your ears open!

The Neumann U47 is likely the most recognized microphone in both sound and appearance in the world. From Frank Sinatra to the Beatles to Elvis Presley and loads of current artists, the U47 is still the weapon of choice for capturing great performances.
This new addition is a 1956 U47M with the vaunted VF-14 tube and legendary M-7 capsule. We hope you consider 16 Ton Studios in Nashville for your next project!

We had the great fortune of having music industry veteran, Joe Galante, stop by 16 Ton Studios in Nashville for a listen last week. Mr. Galante has for decades been one of the music industry’s top movers and shakers. From his start in 1971 at RCA Records-NY as a budget analyst to becoming the head of RCA Nashville in 1982 where he became the youngest label Chief in history, it was apparent that Joe was going to be (and still is), a star in the music business. Joe led RCA to the #1 country label spot in 1982 and then guided the label to the top spot for an unheard of 11 consecutive years. Joe took over RCA’s New York office in 1990 and became, of course, the president of RCA Records.
OK, enough! You get the picture! This guy is still making waves in the business, he’s super nice and we were delighted that he stopped by to listen to some tunes and do an interview for CLASP (the best thing to happen to tape machines since…well, tape!)
Rock on! http//16ton.com/blog/

As Nashville’s first commercial recording studio to offer the incredible CLASP system, we’re really happy to have had Chris Estes (and Amy) with their crew from Endless Analog in the studio for the past three days.
The CLASP movement is taking the world’s studios by storm and you can find the systems installed in the finest studios on the planet…all the way from L.A. to Nashville to Abbey Road Studios in London, England.
The new tutorial that Chris and the gang are working on will be a fantastic tool for everyone that works with the system. And, it was all recorded and filmed right here at 16 Ton in Nashville. We added CLASP at 16 Ton almost a year ago now and it has completely transformed the way we do things in regard to the recording options that we can offer our clients. The CLASP system sounds amazing, is simple for engineers to use and has caught on in a big way with our clients. TAPE IS BACK…loud and proud and we’re lovin’ it! ENDLESS ANALOG ROCKS!!!

Legendary Engineer and Producer, Eddie Kramer, has some great things to say about 16 Ton Studios in this very cool interview from last month on the Music Row Show (1510 WLAC). Eddie has engineered and/or produced…The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Kiss, Peter Frampton…well, you get the picture. This is a great history lesson in Rock ‘n Roll!

http://www.themusicrowshow.com/TheMusicRowShow.com/TMRS-Podcasts/Entries/2012/1/15_Eddie_Kramer.html

Yesterday was a great day here at 16 Ton Studios Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Not only was it a beautiful afternoon it was even better when the sun flashed off of the perfect, ebony patina of an incredible Steinway Grand as it was rolled out of the back of a very, very secure moving truck.

Documented by non-other than Mr. John H. Steinway himself back in 1978, we are the proud new custodian of one of the best Steinway A 7-foot Grand Piano’s in the country.

It was a moving experience to sit behind this magnificent instrument and block a few chords out once the movers had gone on their way. To say it was a humbling experience to think about the graceful hands and talented pianists that have sat behind her, making wonderful music for over 130 years would be an understatement. This particular piano has a great history in the music business, having been employed to lay down piano tracks on multiple Grammy winning records for decades.

For those fans of our Kohler & Campbell Grand (I count myself as one of those) have no fear! We’ve decided to keep the K&C and move it to the lounge. It sounds fantastic out there by the way for those of you familiar with the footprint of this studio. And of course, two-grand is always better than one!!

Thanks for reading this blog and the next time you’re on Music Row in Nashville, stop by and say hello. We would love to hear about your next project. From everyone at 16 ton Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee…have a great Labor Day!

Until next time….keep livin’ life on the high notes!

Danny White

More to come on this in the very near future but just a bit for now. Everybody here at 16 Ton Recording Studios in Nashville, including myself, is fired up about the installation of a new CLASP system! 16 Ton is the first commercial Nashville studio to have one of these permanently installed. CLASP (Closed Loop Analog Signal Processor) is the latest development in analog recording with a ground-breaking approach to how an analog tape recorder interfaces with Pro Tools or Nuendo. More coming on this as we rack up sessions with CLASP, the new Pro Tools HD9 rig and our AMPEX 2″ 16-Track machine from 1969! Our AMPEX was originally installed in Nashville’s famed Columbia Studios (Studio A) on Music Row…so plenty of mojo going on inside that machine!
For more information on CLASP, please visit www.endlessanalog.com Call 615.482.5435 for a visit to 16 Ton Recording Studios in Nashville to talk about your next project. We’re looking forward to seeing you! Danny

Paul McDonald and The Grand Magnolias with Ken Coomer producing at Sixteen Ton in Nashville

Paul McDonald (American Idol Top Ten Contestant Season 10) and The Grand Magnolias rocking out their latest album at Sixteen Ton Recording Studios in Nashville Tennessee.

Ken Coomer, formerly of Wilco, and producer of many (Chetes, Steve Earle, Tim Finn, Will Hoge, Jars of Clay, Emmylou Harris, Shaver…) produced the record here in January 2011.  Patrick Miller engineered the amazing project.

The Grand Magnolias - Paul McDonald (Season 10 American Idol Top Ten Contestant)

The self titled album is a Billboard Heatseeker at #16 on the charts and has sold over 5000 copies so far. This record is sure to top the charts so be sure and keep an eye out for these guys! We are proud to work with them and looking forward to the next projects.  And good luck to Paul McDonald, the NEXT American Idol!

Hey there all, 16 Ton back for another tour of the recording world through our eyes and ears! Well, there’s been a lot going on in Nashville lately, as is usually the case, but a few things have happened around our world recently we felt we ought to share with you all. First, Johnny Henry, a fantastic country singer/songwriter hailing from St. Louis, is in the studio right now cutting a 5 song EP. This record is an incredible batch of country tunes, another top-notch project helmed by the wildly talented producer and 16 Ton regular, Scotty Huff. Scotty has brought a multi-faceted group of musicians together for Johnny’s project which employs everything from familiar country instruments like guitar, fiddle, drums and bass, to 4-piece string chamber orchestra, dobro and mandolin. The results have been pretty amazing so far, and are providing the perfect back-drop for Johnny’s warm, soulful voice being tracked at this very moment! It’s been another great 16 Ton production to this point, and we are all really excited to hear the finished product! You can check out Johnny Henry at myspace.com/johnnyhenrymusic and www.digitalrodeo.com/johnnyhenryand stay tuned for the release date of his new EP coming soon!

Next we wanted to mention that Kink Ador, the 3 piece band (that’s right there’s only 3 up there) produced by Mike Esser, gave an absolutely stellar performance at 8 off 8th the other night at the Mercy Lounge. This band is like nothing else you’ve heard before, and their indelible mixture of primal beats, blazing guitar hooks and other-worldly vocals mesmerized the crowd with their 3 song set. One cool remembrance among the many of the evening was lead singer Sharon’s seamless transition from trumpet to bass mid-song right before beginning the 3rd verse in the song ‘Barbarian’. You can check this great band out at www.kinkador.com

And finally, Mr Tim Elliott and The Wheels have the finished masters of the 16 Ton produced Rock album ‘Volume 10′ ready for release, and we are all pretty much blown away by the results! This album is exploding with gritty, powerful, straight-up Rock N Roll! It’s laden with incredible contributions from friends of the studio, who also happen to be some of the best musicians in the world! You’ll have to check out the album to see who they are, but some are names you already know, while others are names you soon will, including Tim himself. Tim wrote all the music, played guitar, and poured out his soul-blasting vocals at level 10 throughout the record, which may just be one of the reasons it’s titled ‘Volume 10′, we’re not sure! You will find this amazing Rock record in stores soon, or on their coming soon website at www.timelliottandthewheels.com coming 2/14/10. Thanks for checking in with us again, and as always, stay tuned to 16ton.com to hear the latest from the heart of the Nashville recording world!

Hello there, its  another beautiful day of Nashville recording here at 16 Ton Studios! Well folks, in our last blog the nice weather that has recently given a warm brush to our fair city was mentioned; a fitting segway to today’s blog as the warm sunny glow of Howard Livingston and Mile Marker 24 have arrived again here at 16 Ton Studios from the Florida Keys to do another awesome TropRock album! And since we’re digging back into our blog catalogue, you may also remember reading about Howard in a previous post  as his last album ‘I’m Living On An Island’ won several awards at the TropRock Music awards including: Song of the Year (I’m Living On An Island), Album of the Year (I’m Living On An Island), Band of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year!! We are so excited to have Howard and his band back at 16 Ton for their 5th album with us, and this session is turning into another stellar TropRock record! The songs are amazing and sure to put a smile on your face, a warm glow in your day, and maybe even a nice Rum drink in your hand! Today we finished cutting the percussion tracks which include marimba, steel drum, and conga (among other additions) and are layering beautifully over the acoustic guitar, electric, bass, and drum tracks. Tomorrow comes horns, B3 Hammond organ, and background vocals, all laying a perfect bedding for Howard’s rich, soothing voice. All-in-all it has been a great week so far with more to come, and we couldn’t be happier with the results! We predict the TropRock Awards may be asking Howard and Mile Marker 24 back again next year! If you want to find out where you can get some of this great music from Howard Livingston and Mile Marker 24, or find out tour dates and more, you can find them at milemarker24.com. So check out their website today! And if you’re in Nashville, you might want to drive by 16 Ton on 16th Ave on Music Row to check out the sign out front congratulating Mr. Livingston and Mile Marker 24 for their incredible achievements at the TropRock Awards! And as always, stay tuned to our blog here at 16ton.com to find out about the next great session happening right here at 16 Ton Recording Studios!