the Soul Shop

Restraining myself from posting Celtics content to mention this new-to-me Shure 545 microphone from the former collection of TTG Studios in LA, famous for many amazing records. Photo [2] pictures (quite possibly) this mic hanging out with Hendrix in 1968.

I love Unidyne microphones, and without going too far into cork-sniffing, it's true that the old made-in-USA Unidyne III mics sound different from their modern-day descendants. The signature presence peak sits in a different place in the frequency response, with a smoother and more subtle boost. This also differentiates the 545 / 565 mics from their SM-labeled cousins.

Taped together with an AKG 451, it worked incredibly well on Deviant Folk Mark's gorgeous Collings acoustic, shown in [3], to make leads and solos cut thru the mix effortlessly, with no EQ.

New single from Will Ellis, recorded & mixed at the Shop. Produced by Will & Elio, mastered by John Baldwin at Infrasonic Mastering in Nashville.

Better Days, by Will Ellis track by Will Ellis

New single and music video from our friends The Only Humans, recorded & mixed by Elio at the Shop

https://youtu.be/RfCHxSk2kSc?

The Only Humans - Penelope, Just Before the Dawn The sun skips across the waterI hug myself against the coldPush out the voices of well-meaning friendsWho want me to try again before I’m oldAnd I thought ma...

Out now, Everyone Must Go, the new album from Blame Shifters. A privilege to work with these folks, especially on a record that hits this hard on so many levels.

Mike wrote a beautiful collection of songs that don't shy away from addressing what so many of us have been feeling recently, filtered through his own experiences of loss and friendship that define these powerful lyrics.

Delivered with intensity by Mike, Meagan, and Rob, so rehearsed and knife-edge-precise in their ex*****on that we cut the entire set of basic tracks live off the floor, no headphones, no bu****it. (Link in the comments to some BTS info about that session, from the Shop site)

Recorded and mixed by me (Elio). Mastered by JJ Golden at Golden Mastering. Produced by me and the band.

Everyone Must Go, by Blame Shifters 9 track album

Absolutely floored to hear that Steve Albini has passed away, far before his time. He was a giant in this industry - beyond simply the work, which stands alone - but more importantly the drive to educate, to pass down knowledge, and to improve his surroundings.

If you're interested in Steve's craft, and you didn't know this already, he was comprising an absolute wealth of knowledge recently over at the Electrical Audio YouTube channel. Link in the comments.

This is a huge loss for everyone who makes records, but I hope people learn from his example, dig in, work hard, kick ass, pass it on. RIP.

Excellent weekend of tracking with Deviant Folk. Killer collection of songs, great players.

Coming soon from our buds Blame Shifters. Recorded & mixed at the Shop, mastered by JJ Golden at Golden Mastering.

The first single "Social Creeps" is out now, link below.

We are pleased to announce: EVERYONE MUST GO
Blame Shifters' Sophomore LP
Releasing on Cassette Tape and Streaming on FRIDAY MAY 10TH

Stream the first single "Social Creeps" wherever you get your music

Second Single "I Want to Leave Home" releasing on Friday April 5th

MORE TO COME!

As we (slowly, deceivingly) turn the corner into Spring here in New England, I'm happy to celebrate a momentous day for the Shop. I have adopted our nearby storm drain, joining with Mystic River Watershed Association to help maintain our local watershed area. Say hello to Shania Drain.

The Mystic River is a beautiful, ancient waterway that defines the landscape of Medford and the surrounding region. The watershed is a vibrant network of rivers, streams, and ponds that sustains a myriad of wildlife and provides a crucial link to the natural world in a densely populated and thickly settled cityscape.

A less-common Shop view, all the way down the hallway to get some epic distance on drum tracking. Spent an excellent weekend on basics with Everfiner.

First job of a tracking engineer is to get done what the artist needs to get done. Down the list (aside from work fast, solve problems, stay hydrated, check phase) is the equally-important mandate "let stuff happen." A little bit of situational alchemy can be exactly what the track needs, sometimes.

This mic position (in the hallway adjoining the live room) creates a forced mono perspective by summing the sound of the drums out the live room door and around a corner, making it fairly phase-coherent and incredibly well-balanced.

Placing the mic this far down the hallway results in a roughly 40 millisecond delay, compared to the close mics on the kit, which moves the sound out of the Haas effect and into the realm of early reflections. The shape of the hallway accentuates mids, and the distance allows the transient to be heard distinctly, which means you don't need much of this mic in your mix blend to feel the effect.

The perfect top end from this Microtech Gefell GmbH M930 works as a pre-emphasis curve, combating high-frequency loss from the air, at this distance.

So what you get is massive impact, length on the snare, and that feeling of "oh s**t!" that certain drum sounds just can't help but convey.

Nothing better in a tracking session than putting great musicians in front of the fewest microphones possible and nailing the take, live in the room.

This was the first session for a year-long project that I can't talk about yet, but we set the bar pretty damn high with Will Ellis Johnson (guitar/vocal) and Libby Weitnauer (fiddle/vocal).

Apologies in advance for spending the rest of 2024 only hinting at what this is, but I can certainly say the payoff will be worth it.

As if there weren't enough reasons to love Kim Deal, here's an excellent explanation of what it's been like navigating the analog and digital recording waters for the last 30-odd years.

Kim Deal:
"There was no huge Guitar Center, or someplace where we could go to buy cables this long [gestures] and 30 to a pack. There was no internet or anything, so we'd make our own. So, the first idea of wanting to do my own recording turned into this fu***ng soldering, but I loved it anyway.
https://tapeop.com/interviews/159/kim-deal/

Wait a second, is that the man himself Alex Peabody on tenor saxophone here at the Shop? It sure is.

It's been too long since we've had one of the pillars of our old house horn section back to rip as only he can. This time he's playing what will come to be known as an iconic solo on a new track from Son Verdugo. Recorded straight into a Royer Labs R-121 ribbon mic with no processing needed.

Any studio is only as good as the people who make music there, and we're lucky to work with some of the best.

A seriously excellent day tracking horn section on the new time and place record. Bryan Murphy on trumpet, Eric Stilwell on trombone, and Allan Chase on baritone saxophone. Players of this caliber make my charts sound better than they are. Ribbon mics all around, especially my go-to RCA 74B on Bryan's immaculate trumpet playing.

Out now, the reissue of our 2013 Christmas album "Last Month Of The Year."

https://thesoulshop.bandcamp.com/album/last-month-of-the-year-2023-reissue

[1] Somehow this cover art has remained, as silly as it might be. Shoutout to our beloved RCA 74B ribbon mic

[2] The gorgeous handmade screen print from Chris DiPietro, featuring a map of Medford from 1889, which outlines the locations of the writing of "Jingle Bells" in Medford Square, "Grandfather's House" from "Over The River And Through The Woods," and the present-day site of the Soul Shop, originally built in 1879, labeled here as "horse car shed"

[3] That same building in the early 1950s, when it was Broadway Piano Exchange

[4] The very first Soul Shrub. You can tell it's a 2013 photo cause Weller was available at a reasonable price

Also, link in the comments to some backstory on the album, and the history of the Shop.

Happy holidays!

It's been a decade *shudder* since we released our first Christmas album, "Last Month Of The Year." The reissue of that album is coming this Friday, December 15th, on Bandcamp and wherever you stream music.

Also, here's a playlist of nothing but the best Christmas music, in case you need to silence your relatives who might be inclined to take the aux and play Roger Whittaker this season. Hell no.

Actually Good Holiday Jams — Elio DeLuca Get you so far into the spirit that you look like me in this photo

Out now from David Hinckley, a definitive take on the keystone Medford holiday classic.

A throwback from ten years ago, recorded live at The Plough and Stars in December 2013, at a party celebrating the release of the first Shop Christmas album, "Last Month Of The Year" (more to be said about that, soon). Newly remixed by me and remastered by TW Walsh.

The Soul Shop stands less than a mile from the former location of the Simpson Tavern in Medford Square, where Jingle Bells was written in 1850.

It's Bandcamp Friday, pick up a new one to adorn your seasonal playlist. Also check out the Shop website (link in the comments) for more info on the story behind the writing of this Massachusetts evergreen. 🐎🛷🔔🎄

Jingle Bells, by David Hinckley track by The Soul Shop

We've hit that period of the year where I'm working obsessively on some amazing stuff. Can't talk about any of it, but lately it's kept me off social media and (mostly) helped with trying to handle the state of the world.

Also coming soon some new (and old) music for the season, true to Medford origins.

One of many reasons why the new Beatles single is ... not great.

The 'last' Beatles song is a marvel of audio restoration - but did it really need to be so LOUD ? - Production Advice I made a deal with myself, in the years after my blog posts about the loudness of Metallica's "Death Magnetic" went viral. (They ended up being reported in

The good news is I've been busier than ever, the bad news is that I'm always late to post. Excellent tracking session of live improvisation over the weekend with Tony Falco on drums, JedWilson on piano, Josh Sinton on baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, & alto flute, and Allan Chase on saxophones & flute. Love working with players of this caliber. A recent Falco/Wilson/Chase trio recording from last year just dropped via Elusive Object Records, link in the comments.

https://allanchasejedwilsontonyfalco.bandcamp.com/album/embodied-ephemeral

Out today on Elusive Object, the new album from Allan Chase, Jed Wilson, and Tony Falco. Recorded here at the Shop last summer, live in the room.

(Embodied) | (Ephemeral), by Allan Chase, Jed Wilson & Tony Falco 10 track album

It only took a decade, but now that we've upgraded our concession stands and press accommodations to major league standards, it was a thrill to finally host 4x World Series champion Josh Kantor here at the Soul Shop. The legendary FenwayPark organist took advantage of a Boston Red Sox road stand to stop by and rip it up on the accordion on a new song from time and place. (He's pictured here doing some quick mental math on how much extra he should charge to play in a key with that many sharps.) Good thing there was no chart required - no one in the league has better ears than this guy. Thanks Josh!

Spent an excellent few days last week working on songs with Will Ellis Johnson. Formerly my assistant here at the Shop, these days Will is a hotshot Nashville steel guitar player, getting paid one dollar for every flat-9/sharp-11 chord. In between dancehalls with Emily Nenni, he stopped here in Medford to work on his own music, a killer batch of songs about nostalgia, doomscrolling, missing someone, and optimism in the face of our ever-pessimistic existence. Simple, beautiful melodies, anchored by his deceptively complicated archtop guitar picking and the gorgeous, burnished sound of his Sho-Bud pedal-steel. I was very glad to find myself playing bass, piano, organ, and Wurli, but having the most fun whacking the side of a cheap guitar for percussion (call it Massholebongos, I suppose). Can't wait for you to hear these songs!

Hell yeah, thanks guys!

That's a wrap for now! Two days and seven songs. Thanks to Elio for the great vibe and capturing the sweet sounds.

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/highpasspodcast/episodes/Elio-DeLuca---The-Soul-Shop-e270nn6

Was very glad to talk to Dereck of Quiethouse Recording on the latest episode of his brand-new podcast. Spent some time talking about my background in music, the history of the Shop, mentors like Black Helicopter, what it was like when the Digi002 ruled the world, metaphors about making you a cocktail, trying not to rant about the state of things, shall-remain-nameless stories about learning from wack motherf**kers what not to do, working analog and digital in the post-covid world, why it's crucial to have dope neighbors like Ed Valauskas & Deep Cuts, and shoutouts to my amazing clients. Available on Spotify, Apple, Google, or wherever you get your podcasts

Elio DeLuca - The Soul Shop by High Pass Podcast This week, we talk to an engineer and producer well versed in all things audio, Elio DeLuca of the Soul Shop in Medford, Massachsetts. Elio and I talk about doing more than what's required to serve clients, the landscape of Boston studios over the last few decades, and what motivates musicians to bu...

Out now, the gorgeous ballad "Both Can Be True" from Michelle Tucker Quintet.

Recorded live at the Shop, tracked & mixed by Elio. Mastered by Tony Falco. More music from this session coming soon!

Both Can Be True, by The Michelle Tucker Quintet track by The Michelle Tucker Quintet

Nighttime vocal tracking with Autumn Hollow.

We begin the next step…feels pretty special to be making this album 🎸 🪘🥁🎹🎺🪕🪗

Out now from The Caverns, the new album Like The Winter. Recorded at home in Flagstaff, AZ and Somerville, MA, and mixed by Elio at the Shop.

Like The Winter, by The Caverns 12 track album

Very psyched to welcome our new neighbors, Deep Cuts

Out now from The Four Point Restraints, tracked & mixed at the Shop

Strange Loops, by Four Point Restraints 6 track album

Don't even tell me you haven't scoped the new album from David Hinckley!

https://davidhinckley.bandcamp.com/album/purity-supreme

Arranged & produced by Dave & Elio, this album started as a remote project during the pandemic, and grew to showcase a whole new side of Dave's writing, arranging, and stylistic expression.

Recorded almost entirely at home by Dave himself, along with some work here at the Shop, and graced by the playing of some major heavyweights (see album credits on Bandcamp). Mastered by Alex DeTurk at The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn.

The photo is from the making of the "Love On Call" video, shot by Jeremy Greer.

Available now at the link, or wherever you stream music.