Sonosphere Studio News:

Grammy Winner!!

Category 19

Best Rock Instrumental Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Includes Rock, Hard Rock and Metal. Singles or Tracks only.)

Peaches En Regalia
Zappa Plays Zappa Featuring Steve Vai & Napoleon Murphy Brock
[Strobosonic/Razor & Tie Entertainment]

Winter 2007:
Jacques Laurin has been in mastering the first release of a great young jazz ensemble on Effendi fronted by the sax of Samuel Blais.

Flutist Francois Richard was in mastering his new orchestral jazz release Nouvel Orchestra, which will also be release on Effendi.


Rappers the Boombap Cats mastered there premiere album Step In the Alley. I had a blast.

I had a very interesting time trying to fit the extreme ranges of music together for the indie rock complilation CD being released by KJHK Radio at Kansas State University.

And then came the metal insanity of the first singles from the Gods Of Now. Go get some of there underwear or massage oils.

Fall
I mastered the first single from the new CD by the Trews, Hold Me In Your Arms, for Universal Music. It was produced by Montrealler Gus Van Go of Me, Mom, and Morgantaller fame.

Dany Bedar was in mastering the first single, BoomTown, for his new band La Brassee that will be released through Deja Musique.


The Les Boys compilation was another interesting adventure. Getting the ballads to fit with the heavy rock is always a challenge. It was produced by Guy Tourville for Disques Victoire.

The first single, Au bout de mes reve, for new Tox artist Jordane was mastered. It was produced by Mark Plana and Daniel Ste-Marie.

Summer
Guy Tourville was in mastering the new France D’Amour album Les Autres for Tacca Musique.

Tino Izzo was in the holiday spirit early. I had to get his Christmas album December (Guitar Moods), out in time for the holidays. It is released by XXI-21Records.

I had the privilege to master the 5.1 DVD of Zappa Plays Zappa for Fogo Labs. This is the recording of the first year of the tour with Steve Vai and Terry Bozzio in the band with Dweezil. The playing is simply phenomenal, and there is no describing how great this music is. Go buy it and get out all those old vinyls you haven’t been listening to and listen. I think Frank was one of the great composers of the late 20th Century.

I guess it must have sounded pretty good because apparently Frank Filipetti used it in his 5.1 demonstration at the AES in New York. Congrats to all the hardworking lads and lasses at Fogo.

Got to master 5.1 DVD of the revisitation of the they Trinity Sessions by the Cowboy Junkies. They had Ryan Adams and Vic Chestnut and Natalie Merchant.

Mastered the DVD of DJ Champion and his G-String Live. Produced by Barry Russell and Jeremy Fornier, engineered by Sebastien Blais-Montpetit.

Mastered singer/songwriter Nilia Berkin. It was produced by former Asexual TJ Plenty.

The every funky Afrokats Sean and Illya were in mastering the EP which precedes the complete CD they are producing with legendary drummer Bernard Purdy. I had to turn the funk lights on.

Also jazzing up the early summer was the live CD by vocalist Johanne DesForges for XXI-21Records.

Mastered Benoit Archambault’s lastest childrens’ album: Sourires for Disques Victoire. There are some great pop tunes on this album.

Rapper Damien Villeneuve was in mastering his sophomore release for DEP.

The Afrokats have gone back to the 70’s and are releaseing Floyd Lawson’s first album “Coming Out”. Apparently they borrowed the only know existing vinyl and I did the transfer and remastering.

Christal Films were in with writer/producer Mario Sevigny mastering the CD to accompany the film A Vos Marque.

Claude Senecal was in mastering the Tox release of Dave Bourgeiois.

Mix Article

In Search of a New Atmosphere Compiled by Heather Johnson

Oct 1, 2005 12:00 PM


Owner/engineer Bryan Martin (inset) works on a Sonic Studio mastering/editing system in his Montreal studio, Sonosphere.


More than 20 years of 12-plus-hour workdays, compiled with the daily stresses of Manhattan life, can certainly take its toll on a person. Just ask engineer Bryan Martin, who was that guy until early this year, when he and his family moved to the more laid-back environs of Montreal. Admittedly burnt out on recording but still infected by the music bug, Martin opened Sonosphere (www.sonosphere.ca) and promptly carved himself a niche as the progressive city's only existing mastering facility. “Quality of life and dumb luck coincided,” says Martin, whose wife is a Montreal native. “I'm an audio lifer, so I couldn't not be in audio. But I couldn't continue and make records in a computer. Now, I don't have to compromise. I can be excellent every day.”

Located downtown in a converted industrial space, Sonosphere doesn't compromise in terms of acoustics. Martin hammered “every nail himself,” creating a warm, acoustically correct environment within the building's massive concrete framework. Martin's Sonic Studio system is augmented by Prism Sound ADA-8 24/96 converters, a Manley Variable Mu compressor/limiter, Masselec MEA2 stereo equalizer, Weiss DS1-MK2 24/96 dynamics processor, Z-Systems routing and EQ, and a monitoring system comprising Bryston 4B amplifiers and BP20 preamps and Dynaudio Special 25s. Sonosphere can accommodate most analog and digital formats, and should begin handling 5.1 projects by the end of the year.

Aside from broadening his client base of Montreal-based and regional acts, Martin plans to design and build custom EQs and preamps for the studio — something he finally has time for now that his workdays fall closer to a reasonable eight-hour shift. “And when we build our own stuff,” he adds, “again, no compromise.”

 

 

 
 

 

 

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