Meeting Topic: The Box: Thinking Inside and Out
Speaker Name: John Bailey (The Drive Shed Studios), Jeremy Darby (Canterbury Sound)
Meeting Location: The Drive Shed Studios, Toronto ON
John "Beetle" Bailey got his start in the mid-seventies in New Hamburg, ON, where he started experimenting with a tape recorder to get out of violin lessons. Flash forward to 1994 and he became the head engineer at Lydian Sound, where he worked on projects that won JUNO Awards, and earned gold and platinum awards.
In 2001, Bailey decided to go freelance. He bought the former Arnyard Studios in 2006, renamed it "The Drive Shed", and was awarded the "Recording Engineer Of The Year" Juno for his work on "Rain" performed by Molly Johnson, and "The Sisters Of Mercy" performed by Serena Ryder. John has also received a 2008 nomination for his work on "Something In The Air Between Us" performed by Sophie Milman, and "I'm On Fire" performed by Kevin Breit & Harry Manx.
John's co-presenter, Engineer Jeremy Darby of Canterbury Sound, got interested in sound at a young age. He started doing lighting and sound design for local theatre, eventually opening a studio in a town called Canterbury (hence the name) where they did lots of sonic experimentation. Jeremy started a career in live sound by accident, but eventually got back into recording with Joe Jackson "Body and Soul", often working with AES Honoree David Hewitt. Jeremy worked on one of the Live Aid remote trucks with David.
In a varied career, Jeremy also worked with Lou Reed and Keith Richards, mixed MTV Unplugged, and was in charge of sound for Saturday Night Live for a time. Jeremy says he ALWAYS got work by word of mouth, as he does to this day. Canterbury Sound in Toronto recorded all or part of 12 Juno nominated albums this year, yet the studio still lacks a website.
The Drive Shed (formerly Arnyard Studios) is a tracking studio with an expansive live room with three large windows which allow sunlight to stream in all day long. A good-sized Iso-Booth can accommodate the piano, allowing tracking sessions to have 'drums-on-the-floor'. The control room features a DigiDesign ICON 32 fader console.
John and Jeremy led an extensive discussion about their career paths, the state of the industry, their business philosophies, and recording practices that lasted nearly until midnight!
