Old Fason Recording

Gadgetbox Studio’s Andy Zenczak on the advantages of good old-fashioned studio recording


by Damon Orion
With today’s technology finally beginning to catch up with the forecasts of yesteryear’s sci-fi stories, every sector of society is getting a digital makeover. Moviegoers have their hearts touched by the exploits of pixel-painted gorillas, information that once would have required a full day’s research at the library is now just a few keystrokes away and musicians who once would have tattooed the Pepsi logo to their cojones for a recording contract are now asking the musical question, “Why bother to pay for a professional studio recording when I can just get my own recording equipment?”

Andy Zenczak, owner and engineer of Gadgetbox Studio, a homey warehouse establishment whose location is shrouded in secrecy, has an answer. Zenczak, who, since opening Gadgetbox’s doors to the public in the early ’00s, has recorded dozens of local bands and artists, including Universal Language, Illumination, Oka Road, The Woodsmen, Blue Lady Quintet, Molly’s Revenge, Epicure, Watsonville Taiko and Aza, says all the high-end recording decks in the Musician’s Friend catalog can’t take the place of a seasoned studio technician.

“Right now, marketing of [home] studio equipment is so forcefully being pushed down our throats,” he opines. “People are expecting this stuff to do the job for them. People have the mindset that they can go out, spend a couple grand on equipment and get the same product in owning the equipment rather than going to the studio. I feel like that sacrifices the whole concept of the art of recording.”

Back in the day, he explains, various specialists such as producers and engineers played crucial roles in the process of making a record. It took just the right combination of minds to create an Abbey Road or a Dark Side of the Moon, and without the expertise of a George Martin or an Alan Parsons, such works wouldn’t have been the masterpieces that they were.

Having gotten his first recorder in lieu of going into a studio to make his own first album, Zenczak says he can’t wholeheartedly reject the practice of home recording, but he cautions young bands against going that route completely. Studio savvy, he says, is a virtue cultivated over time, and it’s especially important for newcomers to the recording process to be able to concentrate on the artistry rather than the technical aspects of recording.

He adds that he himself goes to other studios when it’s time to record his own music: “Without a doubt, I’d much rather be sitting there with my instrument playing, not thinking about what that guy’s doing with the knobs, than try to do both, because it’s just two sides of the brain.”

In the interest of keeping his artists in the creative zone, Zenczak does everything he can to make band members feel in their element, including recording as close to live as possible as opposed to part-by-part. He says that for him, the mixing begins not in an album’s final stages, but the moment a band walks through the door.

“As soon as they walk in, I need to know that this person’s probably edgy, this person’s really open, this person’s going to be a little loopy,” he reveals. “I’m starting to feel those things out and how they’re going to play into the picture, because there’s almost more psychology involved than music.”

Zenczak’s philosophy of all musical projects beginning in the human mind extends to his equipment as well: In spite of the hundreds of effects pedals and vintage pieces of gear that his studio offers, the engineer stresses that without a living, breathing person guiding the way, a studio is ultimately just a big box of gadgets—hence the name Gadgetbox.

The engineer says he’s participated in recording sessions—some of them in top recording studios—with a substandard engineer at the helm, with disastrous results. “Then again, I’ve heard recordings of Bob Marley on a little cassette recorder that just blow my mind—it’s so passionate and so real,” he continues. “It just goes to show that the technology is just a small part of it. I’d hate to say any particular piece of gear here represents anything more than just a hammer and a toolbox.”

That said, the gizmos at Gadgetbox are really cool. The centerpiece is undoubtedly the iZ Systems RADAR 24, a 24-track recorder built to resemble analog tape in its operation. Though it’s computer-compatible, RADAR can easily be used with the computer screen off, thus eliminating the risk of getting lost in menus and mice rather than music.

“RADAR is basically so sophisticated, it’s simple!” Zenczak laughs. “There’s no Internet, there’s no recipes on here, there’s no myspace. It never crashes—I won’t even knock on wood—and it is built for recording, so it sounds incredibly good. It’s almost cheating, because it’s so easy.”

Still, even with user-friendly equipment, the engineer claims the studio is as intense as any instrument to learn, but exponentially so, given that he’s working with all of the instruments and their full range of tonal variety.

“There’s a reason why a lot of the good producers and engineers of our time are in their 40s, 50s and 60s,” he states. “It takes that long [to learn]! Personally, I feel like that’s the most exciting thing about this. I hope when I’m 50, I’m still getting calls from young guys who appreciate that I can have a good impact on how their recording goes.”

Zenczak is passing on his knowledge through intermittent programs he calls Audio Boot Camp (ABC). These classes are geared toward musicians and/or engineers who want to further their knowledge in recording, who may just have a few unanswered questions or who just want to see what it’s like to record in a studio and have access to the kind of gear they see in magazines.

The engineer says the most gratifying part of his work is seeing musicians rise to the peak of their power: “Anytime anybody really puts it on the line, whether it’s a take on an instrument or a vocal—a lot of times it’s vocals—and you can hear it, and the lights are dim, and we’re all quiet in here listening, and all the hair goes up on your arm … that is without a doubt one of the greatest feelings. You just know when a person connects with their instrument in such a way that they’ve completely served the song, and we’ve got all of our ducks in a row in here—what’s gonna be on tape when you listen back is as close to what they executed as possible—there’s nothing better.

“I’ve had more than a dozen people in here cry after a take,” he continues. “I’ve done my job if I’ve helped them get to that point. That’s incredible to let people let their guard down that much so that they can feel the energy, feel the emotion. That’s where I want to go, and that’s where I want the people to go, because when you listen back to that, there’s not doubt about it.”

For more information on Gadgetbox Studios, visit gadgetbox.net or call 588-7307.