The former studio of rock producer Erwin Musper (Chicago, Scorpions, Van Halen) is open for business again, thanks to three Cincinnati-area engineers. “We have one of the finest studios this side of Nashville,” says Bamboo Room engineer Jeff Sandow, who, together with artist-engineer Tennis Mounts and owner Joe Griffin, is helping keep Musper’s Queen City legacy alive. “The sounds we get out of this place are second to none. The atmosphere is comfortable and conducive to getting down.”
The Bamboo Room sits on two acres of private land in northern Kentucky near downtown Cincinnati and the Cincinnati airport. “Many of Erwin’s clients wanted privacy, and that’s what you get here: two acres of rolling hills where you can step back and relax between sessions — drink some coffee, check out the scenery, then go back in refreshed and ready to track.”
Idyllic though it is, the bamboo-accented control room is a candy store of multicolored rack and 500 Series units. How does Jeff keep sessions moving with all those options? “The last I checked, we have 75 or 80 mic pres, 30 or 40 EQs, and two dozen compressors. There’s a lot to choose from. The trick is understanding what it is you’re trying to capture and just going for it. If it doesn’t work, you move on to the next one.”
Despite an intimate knowledge of outboard gear, Jeff admits he had no interest in “twisting knobs” until the mid-1990s. “I was asked to do a recording project and didn’t have anything to do it on. I bought a Roland VS-1680 and decided to teach myself. I just caught on fire for it. The passion to get things sounding their best never left me.”
The studio’s live room remains true to its rock roots, with a Ludwig drum kit, countless amps and cabs, a Boston baby grand, and a selection of Rhodes, Hammond, and Wurlitzer keyboards for inspiration.
“It’s a good-feeling room. With the oak floors and walls treated the way they are, everything comes back nice and strong. The players have a good time in there.”
Jeff is enthusiastic about the current analog renaissance. He, Joe, and Tennis regularly track to an Otari 2″ tape machine and a vintage 1/4″ Revox A700. “A lot of people still love analog. That’s why everybody’s putting out vinyl. Here we can offer clients the best of both worlds — the sound of analog and the speed of digital.”
Currently Jeff records at 96kHz, but a chance encounter at GearFest 2017 is causing him to reconsider.
“I got to talk to one of my all-time favorite engineer-producers, Al Schmitt (Steely Dan, Toto). He looked at me and said, ‘Are you recording at 192?’ in this great Brooklyn accent. I told him no. “Try it,’ he said. ‘You’ll like it. It makes a difference.’ He’s great guy. It was a cool day hanging out with him.”
Much of the Bamboo Room’s recording gear came from Sweetwater, courtesy of Sales Engineer Patrick Dennis. “Whenever I need anything, Patrick is on it right away. I don’t know of another place in the country like Sweetwater. Of course, it’s gorgeous to look at. When you drive up on the campus and walk in the place, your jaw drops.”
I asked whether Jeff and company will ever collaborate with Erwin someday — perhaps for that next Van Halen record. “If Erwin wants to come out of retirement, he’s always welcome here, and he knows that.”
To find out how to get the gear you need for your studio, contact your Sweetwater Sales Engineer at (800) 222-4700. To learn more about booking the Bamboo Room, check out Bamboo Room Studio.