7/25/2019 Studio 2001 Genesis Article

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The Quarterly Magazine of St. Ignatius College Preparatory, San Francisco, Winter 201516

7/25/2019 Studio 2001 Genesis Article

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Listen to SI singers and instrumentalists

on SIs Soundcloud channel, and you will be

shocked in equal measure by two factors.

First, these students are enormously talented.

Secondly, they sound great.

The second part is due in large measure to

SIs new recording studio in the Doris Duke Wall

Choral Room. A collaboration between Choral

Music Director Chad Zullinger and Gabe Todaro

12, the facility rivals most professional recording

studios with top-of-the-line amps, pre-amps,

microphones and digital audio software.

The beauty of the system is that it weds old-

school tube pre-amps with the best in digital

recording. Rather than spending $50,000 on a

mixing board, for instance, both men opted for

a high-end software package (Logic Pro X) for

producing audio.

The tube-based pre-amps and

microphones (from brands such as Universal

Audio, DBX Neumann, AKG, and Royer) blend

through a digital-to-analogue workstation to

deliver sound that is both clean and warm,

making recording from students sound just as

good as they do in person.

The facilitys name, Studio 2001, also speaks

to the next-gen theme of the recording studio.

To hear for yourself just how good the system

sounds, go siprep.org and click on the link

below the admissions video to hear a number of

high quality recordings, including one from the

famous lip-dub video involving the entire school.

The project began when Zullinger invited

Todaro, shortly after his graduation from SI, to

accompany the SI Chamber Singers to Europe.

The result was the CD Listen (available on

iTunes). I knew Gabe wanted to study audio

engineering in college, and I was eager for him

to capture our pieces. Many of the tracks on

Listen come from one church in the Basque

country in Spain.

Upon their return, the two men began

adding equipment piece by piece to form the

finished studio, which Zullinger completed in

early November. Todaro, who is studying at

Mercy Colleges Music Technology Program in

New York, has continued to advise from afar by

suggesting what equipment to buy.

Also helping on the project were Bobby

Gavin, who wanted students to have a

recording studio to make and produce music.

Jamie Pruden was also key, as he has a strong

belief in SIs mission and simply wants to see

the students make magic, said Zullinger.

Joe Vollert also reminded Zullinger that the

choral room, when it was built, was wired with

conduits throughout the facility making it

easy for BBI Engineering and Mark Roos 75,

the companys vice president of engineering,

to convert a large closet into a control room.

Buildings and Grounds Director Christopher

Meehan also helped with the installation of a

control booth window, carpet and accoustical

treatment for the room.

What was really cool was that Gabe

a place to practice what he was learnin

college, said Zullinger. Both Gabe and

we had this kind of studio when we we

school with our bands.

Zullinger also credits Todaro with th

for mic preamps. They enhance the so

well so that even though the music is d

sounds as natural as possible. Gabe toleven though SI is a high school, that do

mean it shouldnt have professional co

in the control booth so that high schoo

can experience firsthand what a great

studio can produce.

The size of the choral room allows Z

and his student crew of recording engi

record one person singing or an entire

playing. Students, including Kevin Reid

Patrick Radsliff 17, Francesca Leung 17

Hampton 16 and Emily Pineda 16, learn

set up mics and do the recording and m

the computer workstation. These stud

such a passion for music that they pick

in a snap. And what is cool about workGabe is that he is able to see everythin

the eyes of a student. We chose softwa

is native to the AppleOS because stude

are familiar with Garageband and could

understand the interface.

Eventually, Zullinger hopes to expan

listing of student work on Soundcloud

it resemble an online radio station.

Todaro is continuing his studies in th

Coast and also working as a freelance r

engineer and musician. He records in s

and in homes for clients and does mixin

mastering. I work in some wonderful s

and I know that a talented recording en

can go to SI and get some great soundswe have there now.

Above: Chad Zullinger. Below: Gabe Todaro.

Studio 2001, SIs recording studio, opens in the Choral Room