Drive-In Studio
In today's world, Drive-In Studio has gained great relevance in different areas. Its impact has been felt in society, culture, politics, the economy and many other aspects of daily life. From its origins to the present day, Drive-In Studio has been the subject of study, debate and controversy. In this article, we will analyze the influence of Drive-In Studio in contemporary society, exploring its main characteristics, as well as the challenges and opportunities it represents. Drive-In Studio has become a ubiquitous phenomenon that deserves special attention to better understand its role today.
 Shelley LaFreniere, Mitch Easter and Scott Miller recording Game Theory's album The Big Shot Chronicles at Drive-In Studio, September 1985. | |
| Company type | Recording studio |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | July 1980 |
| Founder | Mitch Easter |
| Defunct | 1994 |
| Fate | Closed due to relocation |
| Headquarters | Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S. |
Drive-In Studio was a recording studio in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, founded by Mitch Easter in July 1980, shortly after the break-up of his band The dB's. R.E.M.'s debut single, "Radio Free Europe" (1981), and their first extended play, Chronic Town (1982), were recorded at the studio in 1981. The studio was established in what was initially Easter's parents' garage, at 4527 Old Belews Creek Road, and became an important part of the early indie rock scene of North Carolina.
At the time of R.E.M.'s stint at the studio, "the set-up was really simple," Easter said in 1994. "I had almost nothing in the studio back then, except a tape machine and a console and two compressors and one delay device. We couldn't do any fancy stuff."
Easter explained the studio's layout in 2021:
was tiny. The entire space was probably about 225 square feet. It was a two-car garage that had been divided up before my parents got the place. The previous owners split it up and turned it into a one-car garage, and then the other half they made into a children’s bedroom and this sort of utility room. The car area was where the band stood together, the children’s bedroom was the control room, and I think the bass and guitar amps were isolated in the little utility area next to the control room.
Due to the confined space of the interior, studio sessions often also took place in the home's driveway, under the carport.
Equipment
An early advertisement, which listed Shady Boulevard as a mailing address for the studio, itemized its recording technology:
- Quantum 20-input mixing console
- 3M M56 sixteen- and two-track recorders
- Lexicon Prime Time M93 digital delay
- Allison Gain Brain limiters
- AKG, Shure and Electro-Voice mics
- Electric and acoustic reverb
- TEAC four-track
- Cassette
- Drums
- Organ
- Electric piano
- Amps
- Toys
Artists
Other artists who recorded at Drive-In include Pylon ("Beep"), Suzanne Vega ("Gypsy"), Game Theory (The Big Shot Chronicles) and The Connells (Boylan Heights).
Easter closed Drive-In in 1994, and moved to Kernersville, North Carolina, where he opened his current recording studio, Fidelitorium Recordings.
References
- ^ "Mitch Easter: Producing R.E.M. and building his studio". tapeop.com. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
- ^ Douglas, James (October 20, 2021). "Mitch Easter's 40 Year Odyssey of Sound". Triad City Beat. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
- ^ Barker, David (October 15, 2007). 33 1/3 Greatest Hits, Volume 2. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-4411-3003-7.
- ^ Amar, Erin (March 2011). "Mitch Easter – Beyond and Back". Rocker Magazine. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013.
- ^ Palmer, Robert (March 2, 1983). "The Pop Life: Studio Flourishes in a Carolina Garage". The New York Times. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
- ^ Douglas, James (October 20, 2021). "Mitch Easter's 40 Year Odyssey of Sound". Triad City Beat. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ CLTure (February 10, 2022). "Fidelitorium is a studio dreamed up and executed very much in the vision of its owner, Mitch Easter". CLTure. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
- ^ Hogan, Peter (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of R.E.M. Omnibus Press. p. 40. ISBN 0-7119-4901-8.
- ^ a b c d "Producer Mitch Easter shares the inside story of R.E.M.’s early recording sessions: 'It was glorious. They rehearsed a lot just because they liked to play together'", Music Radar, June 3, 2021
- ^ Menconi, David (September 22, 2020). Step It Up and Go: The Story of North Carolina Popular Music, from Blind Boy Fuller and Doc Watson to Nina Simone and Superchunk. UNC Press Books. p. 155. ISBN 978-1-4696-5936-7.
- ^ Stamey, Chris (April 15, 2018). A Spy in the House of Loud: New York Songs and Stories. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-1-4773-1624-5.
- ^ "Drive-In Studio". Discogs. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
- ^ Pylon - Beep / Altitude, retrieved March 26, 2023
- ^ Mills, Fred (June 14, 2007). "Mitch Easter: Perfect Sound Forever". Magnet. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013.
- ^ "Sense Of Place North Carolina: Mitch Easter". NPR. April 22, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2023.