• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Q Division Studios

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

  • Home
  • News
  • Staff
    • Matt Alexander
    • James Bridges
    • Sean Cahalin
    • Joel Edinberg
    • Colin Fleming
    • Chuck Hargreaves
    • Jon Lupfer
    • Rafi Sofer
    • Matt Tahaney
    • Ed Valauskas
    • Q Alumni
      • Matt Beaudoin
      • Pat DiCenso
      • Jon Lukason
      • Joe Tooley
    • Q Tech
      • Jason Bitner
      • Michael Healey
  • Studios & Gear
    • Studio A
      • Equipment in Studio A
      • Plugins in Studio A
      • Live Room
      • Lounge
    • Studio B
      • Equipment in Studio B
    • Mic List
    • Amps and Cabs
    • Guitars and Basses
    • Pedals, Effects, Stomp Boxes
    • Drums
    • Keyboards, Synthesizers, Tape Samplers, Miscellaneous Toys
      • Studio A’s Grand Piano
      • Mellotron
  • Artists
    • Artist List
    • What do they sound like?
  • FAQ
  • Services
    • Livestreaming and Multi Camera Video
    • Tape Transfer Services
    • Voice Overs and Remote Sessions
  • Contact
    • Directions
    • Q’s Internship and Trainee Program
    • Merch
  • MJD

Live

Juliana Hatfield Livestream 1/23/21

January 13, 2021 by Rafi

We’re psyched to host Juliana Hatfield for a SECOND livestream from Studio A. Juliana will perform her LP BED in its entirity.

On December 19, 2020, Juliana Hatfield performed her LP Become What You Are in its entirety (twice!), and over 800 viewers joined us. We’re looking forward to this next livestream – which again will feature only Juliana Hatfield and her guitar.

Here’s a note from Hatfield:

Hello, friends. I want to thank all of you who took part in my first livestream last month. I am heartened by your generosity and your kindness and attentiveness. I am going to continue to do this, playing a different album of mine all the way through, once a month. For my second livestream I will perform, at Q Division Studios, my “Bed” album, start to finish, by myself with an acoustic guitar. It will be broadcast via the Q Division YouTube channel. Showtime is Saturday, January 23rd at 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (Massachusetts time).

As before, there will be no tickets and no set ticket price—you can pay what you want, or not (it is entirely up to you), and then just show up to the appointed place/link at showtime. Since none of us—artists nor audiences—can have in-person concerts until who knows when, I am hoping that some of you will be able to contribute something, which will help generate some of that lost touring income. But I understand that a lot of you are struggling financially and I want everyone to be able to see the show so if you can’t pay, that’s okay!

Starting right now, there will be a “donate” button with my PayPal YeOldeRecords account and a link to the Q Division channel. You can pre-pay (pre-donate) now or at any time from now until and during the show on January 23rd. Happy New Year and thank you for continuing to be here, listening.

–Juliana

P.S. We can chat, live, before/after/during the event.

Donation will be accepting via PayPal at this link.

Filed Under: Juliana Hatfield, Live Tagged With: bed lp, juliana hatfield, livestream, recent news, studio a

Analog Tape Week FAQ

We’re turning off the computer* for a week in May.

Did you ever wish you could record in as they did in the heyday of the analog studio? Don’t get us wrong, we like the computer, but sometimes we miss the smell and sound of analog tape, and well, the whole thing is just very different. You can always record to analog tape at Q Division, but for a few days in August we’re going to make it a little easier by setting everything up ahead of time: tape machines, drums, amps, headphones, even instruments; not only that, we’ll waive drum rental AND the tape rental costs.** We’ll be renting out the studio by the day and half day for our SECOND ANALOG TAPE WEEK, where you can track basics to 2” ANALOG TAPE. Are you interested? Drop us a line!

*Actually, we’ll most likely be leaving the computer on so that we can dump your tracks to Pro Tools lickety split, and we’ll most likely run headphones from Pro Tools too – to take advantage of our squeaky clean Hearback headphone mix system.

**So, tape rental is 100% free; however, if you want to keep your work on 2? analog tape, we’ll pro rate the tape cost and you’ll need a tape flange, which we’ll also have available at near cost.

 

FAQ:

Why are you guys doing this? 

We hear people reminiscing about tape, getting excited about it, but then the reality of working to tape hits: it takes longer and costs a lot more to work in that world. So, we thought it’d be fun to give everyone a chance to work like we used to, before Pro Tools became ubiquitous, while keeping costs down. We’ll eat the tape and drum rental costs, and by making it ANALOG TAPE WEEK, we’ll cut a large chunk of the setup time out of your budget; this way everyone can get a taste of what it was like to work on music with your ears and not your eyes, w/out breaking the bank.

What will be set up and ready to go? 

First of all, the tape machine! It’ll be calibrated for the tape we’re supplying (3M 996), and setup to record at either 30IPS or 15 IPS. 

Second – We’ll have a basic rock drum kit – 22” DW kick, Maryland toms, Zildjan hats, and a selection of cymbals and snare drums. We can tweak the kit as needed, and we encourage you to bring your own sticks, cymbals, snares, pedals, etc. But we’ve got you covered if you’re coming as you are. The kit will be set up in the big room, for “big rock” sounds. While tweaking is encouraged, moving the kit to the dead room isn’t going to be a possibility. If you want dead sounding drums we’ll go old school, and build a drum hut, like we used to be fore we had dead rooms.

We’ll also have an array of guitar amps ready to go – Fenders, Marhsalls, our Matchless, HiWatt, and small combos – Skylarks, Ampeg Reverberocket, and the like. 

For bass we’ll have our B15 and either an SVT or a V4B. For keyboards we’ll use whatever works best – DI’s, amps, rotating cabinets – etc.

In addition, we’ll have our usual collection of instruments available, including our Hammond organ and Leslie, our Rhodes, Wurlitzer, various synths, and Clavinet. (Our Mellotron is only available if you give us notice and we’ve co-ordinated and have plans to use it.) 

Our grand piano is also available, but if you’re thinking you’ll track drums and piano at the same time, please be prepared for bleed, as they’ll both be in the same room. 

How long is a half/full day? We’re thinking 10 am to 4 pm for the morning crowd, and 5-11 pm for the evening crowd, but we’re flexible here. In short – 6 hours for a half day block, and 12 hours for a full day. We’re limiting people to no more than 1 full day, as we’d like to expose as many people as possible to these sessions. Contact us for info regarding rates.

Are there any limitations? 

Because we’re working with (giant 14? reels) tape, we only have 33 minutes per reel (at 30IPS) or 64+ minutes (at 15IPS), so we’re asking bands to consider the length of their pieces. This just makes it much easier to manage the tape during takes. Average length songs aren’t a problem – but epic songs/pieces  require some consideration.

Can we bring our own 2? tape?

Maybe! Let’s discuss this ahead of time; we’re able to calibrate the machine for two presets, and we plan on setting it up for 30 and 15 IPS and using NOS M3 996, so other tape formulations would require re-calibration, which isn’t quite in the spirit of being setup and ready to go.

What happens when we’ve got a keeper take? 

There are a few options:

1 – The 70’s – stay on tape! We’ll cut the piece of tape and put it on a comp reel, where you can keep working on it till the song is finished, then you can mix it to 1/2” tape in Studio A like a drug lord rock star. If you choose to keep working to that piece of tape in the future, there could be a modest fee. 

2 – The Aughts method – print SMPTE to track 24, work on the 2? for as long as possible, then dump to Pro Tools, print a reference mix to 2?, and keep working on tape, wiping previous tracks as you go.  

3 – The teen: dump drum and bass (sure, guitars and keys can also go) tracks to pro tools, and keep working on it in the box (keep in mind that other than dumping to tape, we will NOT be setup to do any Pro Tools work during ANALOG TAPE WEEK), so really if you want to work on overdubs, let’s do those to tape too!

We want to book three days of ANALOG TAPE WEEK. Can we do that? 

We’re capping bookings at a single full day (or two half day blocks), because we’d like to get as many people to check out ATW. 

BUT, we’d be more than happy to discuss an analog (or other) lockout at another date. 

Our drummer has the best taste in brews and ties but drops a beat every once in a while (ok, he also speeds up during fills); can you fix that? 

While analog beat detectors are not just the thing of urban legends (check out Mr. Matthew Ellard, the fastest razor we’ve seen), we’d like to keep tape edits to a reasonable minimum. But, we’ll be happy to keep take 4, but pull the chorus from take 2 or an intro from take 1, and grab the solo section from take 3. But if you think you might not be able to make it through a complete take and don’t like the way your band deploys accelerandos and retards, we recommend sticking to Pro Tools for the time being. You are of course welcome to play to a click – this, and other tricks, can make editing drums in PT easier after the fact.

Can we track an entire album in 1/2 a day? 

Well, you could conceivably do that; we’d recommend this option for bands that have been touring/playing a ton. Also, 15 IPS is your friend in this scenario. Leave enough time to dump said album to Pro Tools; if you’d like to track and keep an entire reel of tape, there would be a tape fee. Finally, you might consider blocking out two half days if you think you’re up to tracking more than one or two song. 

Oh man, we love the idea of not paying for drum rental and saving on setup costs, but we’re really not a tape band. Can we book a block and track to Pro Tools? 

Sorry, but not this week. We’re basically taking the Pro Tools rig out of the room (except for dumping takes). BUT, we’ll most likely do another lockout like this in the future – either Pro Tools based or analog tape – let us know what floats your boat, and we’ll try to plan accordingly.

I’d love to learn more about analog tape, are you guys offering any tape workshops? 

We’re looking into the possibility of offering tape workshops – setup, calibration, preparation, editing, and more would all be covered. Drop us a line and tell us you’re interested in this sort of thing, and we’ll let you know when we offer it. 

I love working with engineer/producer XYX – can he be on our session?

Maybe! We’re reserving the right to staff these sessions with engineers who are comfortable in tape world, but as you know – some of our engineers and alumni engineers have rates for specific things and might not be available for ATW, but as with everything in life – this is subject to change and worth asking Ed about!

Can we bring an engineer for our session?

Sure, but since this is ATW, we’ll be staffing the session with a staff engineer anyway, so we won’t necessarily be able to offer a discount.

I’m an engineer; can I bring a band in?

Yes! But, as we pointed out above, since the nature of ATW is sort of complex, we’ll be staffing the session with one of our engineers too. Please check in with Ed and work out some details.

The fine print – we reserve the right to change any of these terms at any time; you know how it goes – things can change; if we have an overwhelming response we’ll add days, but if you book a day and we can’t fill the space around it with ATW sessions we might ask you to move your dates.

Session Americana

December 9, 2014 by Jon Lupfer

The multifaceted Session Americana recorded this gem with Matt Beaudoin and it looks amazing! Oh, and it sounds great too.

Filed Under: Client Albums, Clients, Live, Neve, Session Americana, tracking Tagged With: artists, matt beaudoin, neve, Session americana, studio a

“Pre-union” party at Q!

October 14, 2014 by Jon Lupfer

[slideshow_deploy id=’1998′] Some old Q pals got together in advance of their show at Cuisine en Locale- Lots of fun had by all.

Filed Under: Cavedogs, Clients, Flying Nuns, Gigolo Aunts, Live, The Natives Tagged With: cavedogs, flying nuns, natives, party, rock, studio a

Blue Ribbons – Gas Station Girl (Video)

April 24, 2014 by Rafi

Here’s another video from the Blue Ribbons session in Studio A.

Filed Under: Blue Ribbons, Live, Mixing, Multimedia, Video Tagged With: artists, blue ribbons, gipsy pixel, grand piano, huge drums, james rohr, jef charland, joe tooley, matt beaudoin, mb, Mike Castellana, studio a, video

Primary Sidebar

Recently at Q

  • We’re BOOKING SESSIONS IN STUDIO A!

    We’re BOOKING SESSIONS IN STUDIO A!

  • Will Dailey Tracks a New Album, Live in Studio A

    Will Dailey Tracks a New Album, Live in Studio A

  • Ira Klein, Hazel Royer, Kevin Berry

    Ira Klein, Hazel Royer, Kevin Berry

  • First Test Session in Studio A!

    First Test Session in Studio A!

  • Q3.0 Winter 2023 Update

    Q3.0 Winter 2023 Update

  • Spirited!

    Spirited!

  • Q3.0 Fall Update

    Q3.0 Fall Update

  • Q 3.0 Spring Update

    Q 3.0 Spring Update

  • We’ve Moved!

    We’ve Moved!

  • Bill Janovitz Virtual Happy Hour – Live from Studio A!

    Bill Janovitz Virtual Happy Hour – Live from Studio A!

  • Juliana Hatfield Performs Only Everything on Electric Guitar, Live from Studio A.

    Juliana Hatfield Performs Only Everything on Electric Guitar, Live from Studio A.

  • Mandorla Music at Home presents the Zahili Gonzalez Zamora Duo – taped Live in Studio A!

    Mandorla Music at Home presents the Zahili Gonzalez Zamora Duo – taped Live in Studio A!

  • Tyson Jackson Trio Livestream

    Tyson Jackson Trio Livestream

  • Juliana Hatfield Live Stream!

    Juliana Hatfield Live Stream!

  • Our Big News

    Our Big News

  • Update 6.24

    Update 6.24

  • Update 5.18.20

    Update 5.18.20

  • Quaran-amping!

    Quaran-amping!

  • Q Division & Covid19

    Q Division & Covid19

  • Spring 2020 Update

    Spring 2020 Update

Footer

qdivisionstudios

Here's our big news... Studio A is ready! At long Here's our big news... Studio A is ready!
At long last, we’re looking forward to introducing you to our new 2800 square feet of our main recording room.
Q’s Neve 8068 is spic and span - inside and out (more of the restoration story soon), and we have a big - currently lonely- live room that’s waiting to be filled with you. The performance studio includes a large high-ceiling central space, a sizable live isolation room (we’re calling it The Drum Room), and a very dead room we’re calling The Piano Room. We’ve prioritized sight lines between all these rooms and also into the control room. There are two additional small isolation booths for amps, and an area we’re calling “The Inspiration Wall” which we find visually and acoustically… um… inspiring.
So give us a call - after almost two years of working on this space - we’re looking forward to hearing you in it!
FAQ’s:
When?
We’re now booking sessions starting from April 15th and beyond.
Where?
171 Rindge Ave. It's behind 169 Rindge and across from the Reservoir Church.
Parking?
You can reach us easily from three MBTA stops - Porter Square, Davis Square, and Alewife. We have limited parking in our driveway for artists, and there’s a bit of guest/non-permit parking in the neighborhood. More details on our website.
How Much?
We’ve built a brand new facility and put an incredible amount of effort into restoring the Neve, and well - the world’s come a long way since 1986 - so our rates have gone up. BUT - while we’re still building Studio B, we’re offering an introductory rate. Check in with Ed or any of us via email or phone for all the details.
Hey friends! Big announcement coming Wednesday! Hey friends! Big announcement coming Wednesday!
Did you guys know that @willdaileyofficial has bee Did you guys know that @willdaileyofficial has been LIVE STREAMING his actual recording sessions from studio A? He’s live right now and it’s super cool… link in our bio.
So some of the old artwork just won’t make it to So some of the old artwork just won’t make it to a wall in the new studio, no reason it can’t live forever here, right? This is an excellent First Aid For Choking poster from the New York Health department that hung in the B dining room area for a while. It’s worth zooming in for the user mods.
We’re deep into both the testing phase and the e We’re deep into both the testing phase and the end of construction phase… things are sounding and looking good, if we say so ourselves. There’s a band in there today helping us figure some stuff out!
Had a nice visit from Adam and Jen of @stompboxson Had a nice visit from Adam and Jen of @stompboxsonic today. They gifted us this neat book on the history of Roland - a company at once both adventurous and innovative - and completely essential to music as we know it. Which reminds me that small companies like Stompbox Sonic occupy a unique and essential space for us tone seekers!
Check out the first ever recording session in Stud Check out the first ever recording session in Studio A - with @ericsaltmusic's band Electric City. We got to hear the rooms and find a few faults. With @valauskased on bass, @mikeorammusic on guitar, and Denis Saulnier on drums and grins. @chuck.hargreaves and I (@mr.distorter) moved mics and faders, and I took a few pictures. We're going to keep trouble shooting - and there's more to build, but we can see the finish line.
We put away the soldering irons and hid the constr We put away the soldering irons and hid the construction equipment for a few hours. This is what Q 3.0 is looking like right now. Here's to next year - we very much are looking forward to hearing folks making music together in these spaces (and helping you sound your very best!).
Shout out to all the fine folks who've made this come together @recordingstudiodesigner, @soundwallconstruction, @chuck.hargreaves, @communalwaves, @colindrumskinda, @henrysoults, @themeganchase, @terrance_reeves, @valauskased, @jbmoney33, @mr.distorter, and folks who can't be tagged - Andrew Lypps and Matt Tahaney. Be safe out there folks!
Slow and steady - but progress. Control room views Slow and steady - but progress. Control room views and almost fully loaded racks, lounge and mezzanine views, and a view into the live room and of @chuck.hargreaves tuning the house kit’s floor tom. We’re getting close friends - can’t wait to hear you in here!
This is the state of things in Studio A’s contro This is the state of things in Studio A’s control room. We have racks and are slowly moving the gear back into them - which is pretty damn exciting!
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Search QDivision.com

  • Home
  • Staff
  • Toys
  • Studios
  • Contact
  • FAQ
  • Artist List
  • Studio A
  • Studio B
  • Connect
  • Merch
  • About
  • News
  • Home
  • Services

Copyright © 2023 · Parallax Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in