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| Sunza Horse Productions technician Troy McArthur controls the recording of the Brooke Miller Band at the Slemon Park studio. |
Troy McArthur and James Phillips have taken Sunza Horse Productions from its underground beginnings to the edge of public perception, and the Island music industry is already benefiting.
Their efforts began with reel-to-reel recording of their own music, in the basement of a shared house, which quickly led to requests for their services.
"Our goal was to be (an itinerant) production team, rather than studio owners, and that is still our main focus," McArthur says, but they also improved their own equipment to include hi-end microphones and ADAT7 8-track recording units. The upgrade allowed them to achieve the quality necessary to produce a variety of demos for various artists in their home-grown setup. They also completed Nemesis, the debut CD for The New Drifts with whom Phillips is a guitarist.
The constraints of recording in a musty environment within 3m of an impolite heating system, however, finally reached a limit. True to their goals, they recently arranged use of Philip MacLellan's 24-track studio in Slemon Park, a change that provides access to better equipment and a more conducive recording venue.
"We still record on 2 ADATs synchronized together," Phillips explains, but the 16-track total can be limiting to the possibilities for the eventual 2-channel mix.
"The 24-track hard disk setup gives us a lot more flexibility. It's on a hard drive so it's easier to work with; no rewinding or fast-forwarding. It's a lot slicker," Phillips explained.
The move has shown positive dividends. In two months, they have nearly completed a project for the Brooke Miller Band, have 6 tracks bedded for the next New Drifts disc and have several other projects planned for the spring.
Phillips considers the new Sunza Horse potential to be comparable to any available on the Island with an added bonus. "Here you get two techs. Troy and I have a really good chemistry together. We try to stay away from conformity as much as we can. We don't like to do things the way they are supposed to be done," says McArthur of their experience-developed techniques.
"We work quite fast," adds Phillips. "At the same time, the atmosphere is always fun and light-hearted. We bring a certain chemistry to the projects we do, which helps everybody feel at ease to make good music."
It is proving to be an attitude in demand.
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