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| New studio opens its doors to Coastside musicians By Stacy Trevenon [ stacy@hmbreview.com ] Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, November 4, 2009 2:09 PM PST You might not see it while driving along Fourth Street, but tucked into a home five minutes from Montara State Beach is the state-of-the-art Wildlife Studio. And its doors are open to the local music community. It’s owned by San Gregorio resident Eric Simon, but most of the time visitors will find El Granada recording engineer Martin Wissenberg at the 24-channel mixing board, explaining the analog or digital options, or playing the circa-1950s Thomas organ alongside the upright piano along the wall. “We want to keep it simple, but each link in the chain is good quality,” said Wissenberg, his voice reflecting years in London. “When you have a good instrument, good performer, a good mike and pre-amp and a room that is well-built, you have good sound.” Entering the studio, visitors find themselves in the large “live room,” where entire five-piece bands can set up and photos of musicians onstage, from rocker Neil Young to lesser-known but upcoming bands, line the walls. That opens into the isolation vocal booth on one side and the control room on the other. Every inch is strategically planned to be bright and reflective or well-baffled, with fabric curtains. Musicians have two recording options, Wissenberg explained: either in analog onto a two-inch, 24-track tape machine or in digital, using Pro Tools. The analog has its own character, he said: “It’s kind of like fixing a car when you’re dealing with this thing.” The studio was named “Wildlife” by Simon, who loves nature, Wissenberg said. The $200-per-day rate includes engineering, mixing and mastering. It’s all the brainchild of Simon, who had worked in the 1990s as a sound engineer with the Boston-based alternative rock band the Pixies, and who put the studio together a decade ago. Wissenberg met Simon when visiting his sister, a 20-year Coastside resident, and Simon invited him to use the space. The overall goal, Wissenberg said, is that the studio be used as a nonprofit, ideally by the local music community. “(Simon) did this for fun and to support the local scene,” Wissenberg said. “He just wants the space to be used.” Wissenberg and recording studio are a natural fit. Born in Denmark, a student at international schools in Spain and Norway, Wissenberg recalled recording the Muppet Show on a cassette tape recorder as a child, and made his own first demo with his guitar at age 12. “I was a Danish rapper,” he said impishly. He progressed to a formal demo at age 15, and found it “terrifying.” Today, “I try to make sure bands don’t feel that,” he said. “Once you’re past that threshold, the music is better.” It has to do with priorities, he said. “It’s not about perfect pop. It’s about capturing the moment, whoever comes in here.” He lived in England from 1996 to 2008 and made his own sound, specializing in acoustic music and eventually recording three solo, acoustic folk albums on Spitz Records. But now he’s looking toward more upbeat stuff. “I get bored with staying in one type of music very long,” he said. Here, he teaches young guitar and piano students and revels in the local music scene, particularly in Princeton. Free-ranging in his own musical tastes, he envisions putting together a music night there. He’s considering Tuesdays at the Old Princeton Landing, with a basic band made up of guitar, bass and percussion with room for other instruments and a variety of styles on top of that. “A night where we would have lots of different styles of music going on,” he said. “Just invite everyone down, y’know.” For information, Wissenberg can be reached at (650) 612-0337. |