Many ask us, "Do you guys have a CD I can buy?" Our answer is, painfully, "No, not at this time." But, we
are working on one, so that's good news.
In fact, we've been hitting the studio on various occasions for the past 3 years, but have had a real struggle finding the right combination of equipment, experience, and professional acumen. We first tried
The Salt Mine, in Mesa, AZ. Great facilities and equipment, but they are more geared toward rock-n-roll bands, and not so much to a cappella groups. Honestly, they did not know
what to do with us!
Then we tried a few stints at
Lamont Audio, in Gilbert, AZ. Lots of tracks put down over the course of several sessions, but we never felt like it was coming together the way we wanted. Unsure of what the problem was or how to fix it, we took a break from recording to get "back to the basics" and nail down our songs.
So we then tried Sound Tracks Studio, in Mesa, AZ. I think these guys were more in-tune with what we are trying to do, and we recorded and mixed about 5-6 tracks there last year. We will likely include some of these tracks on a future CD.
We spent a very long night this past January recording about 4 songs at the
Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences in Mesa, AZ as a mutual favor for a friend who was a student there. His final school project was to do a studio recording on his own, and we got to record for free. Great facility, great price, and
awesome equipment (nicest we've worked with yet), but the expertise wasn't there, and we have yet still to see the finished product. Last I heard the guy has moved to San Francisco and is working in the recording industry there. I doubt we'll ever see those finished tracks. It
was free, though, and a good experience for us.
Finally, we have now found a studio with great equipment, an attentive staff, and loads of experience with a cappella, and the result is some excellent work all around.
Talmage Studios, in Gilbert, AZ is the place for us. In fact, Richard Talbot, the recording technician, is in an a vocal group of his own, so he understands the sound we are going for, and he is actually extremely helpful in helping us to achieve our optimal output. If we get "pitchy", he tells us right away, and we need that.
We have been working off and on at Talmage Studio since February. The trouble is being able to coordinate the schedules of 6 guys who have full-time jobs and large families (22 kids amongst the six of us, at last count!) as well as the budget for studio and mixing/mastering time. We have about 5 tracks completed so far, and are planning to get back to the studio again soon to complete the album. Our first CD will be a compilation of many of our favorite Christmas and holiday tunes, and this is appropriate as it will probably finally be ready in time for the holidays this year. We are also working on arrangements for an eventual gospel and hymns album to be produced next year (keeping fingers crossed!)
At any rate, keep an eye out for further announcements. I promise to keep you up to date with any new developments.
