In addition to offering four commercial rooms outfitted with some of the best vintage and modern equipment available, The Village Studioss has long supported independent producers and songwriters by providing private production facilities on the complex’s upper floors.
Two creative artists currently in residence are Grammy-winning engineer, producer, musician and songwriter John Alagia and Grammy-winning engineer, producer, studio designer and author Ken Caillat, who both maintain studios based around workstations from Argosy Console.
John Alagia, best known for his long working relationships with Dave Matthews, John Mayer and Jason Mraz, as well as Ben Folds, Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon, Liz Phair, Zac Brown and many others, moved into The Village eight years ago.
His production, writing and mixing studio, which incorporates an iso booth for vocals and instrumental overdubs, features an Argosy 70 Series for Digidesign ProControl complete with a 19-inch rack bay and is an exact duplicate of the set up at Crabtrap, his converted home studio overlooking Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.
“I love to mix in this room. This environment is incredibly comfortable and relaxed; it’s terrific here,” says Alagia. “I would not be in L.A. had it not been for The Village. CEO Jeff Greenberg goes above and beyond to keep everybody happy. He’s absolutely wonderful.” The Village supplied Alagia with the Argosy desk in his studio at the multi-story complex.
Alagia recently completed “Heavyweight,” a six-song EP by Rachel Yamagata, as well as her full length release, “Chesapeake,” and is currently working with Dave Matthews in the studio on new material. He also worked as a co-producer, mixer and composer on the last Dave Matthews Band record, “Away From the World.” Also coming up is production with Universal/Aware artist Zach Heckendorf.
Caillat, who recently published a book on the making of Fleetwood Mac’s Grammy-winning “Rumours” album, which he co-produced, and which is one of the top 10 best-selling albums of all time, also has an Argosy desk in his room at The Village, plus another at his home studio.
The two desks are very similar: Caillat’s home facility features a 50 Series for Avid Control 24 while his studio at The Village, where he set up shop in 2010, is equipped with a 50 Series for Avid C|24.
As Caillat explains, he naturally gravitated toward the Argosy desk: “It was just the style and the functionality and the price,” he says. “I needed something, so I looked around and discovered Argosy, which fit the bill; I didn’t need to look anywhere else.”
Caillat, who has designed studios throughout the L.A. area, including Studio D at The Village, where Fleetwood Mac recorded, was also a pioneer in the restoration and re-release of recordings in the 5.1-channel format. Over the years he has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, Herbie Hancock and Joni Mitchell.
These days, having helped launch his daughter Colbie on her hugely successful career path, Caillat focuses on up-and-coming artists. He has had a hand in the production of all four of Colbie’s albums, most recently the October 2012 release, “Christmas in the Sand.” He has also launched a new label, Sleeping Giant Records, and works with emerging talent at his two Argosy-equipped studios. “We’re trying to help artists that are starting out with vocal lessons, song selection and things like that,” he says.
Argosy Console is a participating sponsor of the invitation-only “An Evening of Jazz,” the sixth annual Grammy Week event held by the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing which is being held on February 6, 2013 at The Village Studios. The event honors 27-time Grammy winner and multi-talented music producer Quincy Jones and 18-time Grammy-winning engineer and producer Al Schmitt.
