Q Division Studios

Making great sounding records in comfort and style in Boston's best recording studio

Rafi

Studio B’s Gallery

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While thinking about the new studio we discussed having an area that could serve as a gallery. It turned out that Studio B’s lounge wall is almost perfect for that (it does get some blinding winter morning sun). The inaugural show is now hanging and features 54 black and white photos taken and printed by photographer Jon Strymish.  Photos taken in rooms all over New England of artists who’ve worked at Q and those we hope will stop in some time soon, including Dennis Brennan, Melissa Ferrick, Peter Wolf, Richard Thompson, Hazel Royer, Anne Heaton, Billy Conway, Laurie Sargent, Jonathan Richman, Dave Robinson and many more.

Jon writes:  “Music is the only universal, effective tool for keeping troubles at bay, and I’ve always felt a need for the largest dose possible! The streams of music that run through the bars and basements of Camberville and Boston have been very welcoming to awkward nerds like me, and I’ve tried my hardest to preserve some of the beauty I’ve been lucky enough to witness, and am very grateful for anyone who has allowed me to get away with it!”

Jon’s photos will hang for the next few months, and we’ll have an opening at some point in the near future. If you’re not planing on recording at Q and would like to see the show, please drop us a line and we’ll be happy to find a time for you to visit. 

Big Richard – Town Line

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Ours (and everyone in Boston’s) friend Hazel Royer joined the Colorado based bluegrass band Big Richard a while back. While they do most of their recordings in Colorado, Hazel does drop in at Q on occasion to cut a vocal or bass part.

Their new album is called Girl Dinner, and the vocals for the first single, Town Line, was recorded in Studio B by Rafi.

The Ronan Fund Apprenticeship

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We’re really pleased to share the news that we’ve partnered with our friends at the Ronan Fund to create a special apprenticeship program. This apprenticeship will give a high school graduate, who’s not college bound, the opportunity to learn on job while earning a stipend. Q Division has for decades run a robust internship program – in fact, all our engineers started out at as interns.

Ronan Jeanotte was an incredibly talented musician who recorded and then interned at Q Division. The Ronan Fund Apprenticeship at Q Division seeks to keep his memory alive and enable youth, who much like Ronan, want to learn by doing.

Details about the apprenticeship can be found on our website here. One part we need your help with is spreading the word to potential candidates – high school grads who aren’t headed to college. Please help us spread the word of this unique opportunity. In addition, the Ronan Fund can use support – please visit their website to find out how you can help them – they’re supporting aspiring musicians/engineers/producers, and kids who’re looking to strike out on their own in a variety of fields.

Studio B is OPEN!

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We’re happy to share that Studio B is ready for prime time, open, and that we’re booking sessions in there.

Studio B is designed for mixing in both STEREO and ATMOS. Artists can take advantage of both analog and digital – aka hybrid – mixing techniques. An SSL-XL analog desk is at the center of the system alongside analog and tube compression and EQ. In addition to the console and the outboard, access to our EMT 140 Plate, tape delays, spring reverbs, and vintage digital delays and reverbs, make this room particularly appealing for hybrid mixing workflows. We’ve loaded the M2 Studio Mac with plugins from iZotope, UA, Waves, Soundtoys, FabFliter, and others. Not only that, we’ve finally installed Logic Pro on both our machines – so if your DAW of choice isn’t Pro Tools, we can still accommodate your sessions!

The ATMOS rig utilized Neumann speakers, and stereo mixers can take advantage of both the Neumanns and a pair of Fulcrums.

There’s also a small ISO booth for overdubbing. Artists can access all of our microphones, instruments, and amps, and one can get quite a lot of overdubbing done in what is a relatively small space (compared to our Studio A). This space is also great for V/O work.

The truth is that Studio B’s lounge is still a work in progress (we didn’t want to hold up opening the room). There’s a couch, a table, and some comfy chairs there now, not to mention an upright piano- but it will be getting a few more amenities as time goes by. Both studios share a kitchen, fridge, coffee, and bathrooms, though Studio B has its own entrance!

Ed Sheeran in Studio A

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Back in June of 2023 we had a super fun and super secret session with Ed Sheeran. He came through to shoot some video of him playing through his new loop pedal station. They also shot some interviews with him in the control room.
He was friendly, gracious, and incredibly fast – in and out in under two hours!
Check out the video of Shape Of You, and the interview, below.

https://youtu.be/IiSgX-T_oPw?si=PdSnZ53t6BQVbdgr
https://youtu.be/BHcHPKM87ao?si=4SSEbUdv6_KbCiOf