Q Division Studios

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

recent news

Juliana Hatfield Livestream 1/23/21

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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.

Our Big News

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We have a rather big announcement; after roughly TWO decades at our Davis Square location, we’re getting ready for another big move. That’s right – we’ll be closing the doors on our Highland Ave home this coming summer and opening them at our new digs at nearby Rindge Ave in Cambridge.

It seems like we just re-opened Studio B and reshuffled the office and bathrooms. At the time we signed a 5 year lease, and this summer it will be up… The pandemic throws a wrench – into everything, of course – and it also affected our relocation, but we’re persevering and ironing out the details of our next location. We can’t wait to share the new space with folks. We’re leaving two great rooms, but we’re taking incredible memories and some great music with us, looking forward to sharing our next adventure with you all.

In the meanwhile – we’re still here and open for recording and mixing – drop us a line and get in touch!

FAQ

Q: Wait, what’s that now?
A: Yup. We’re moving!
Q: Didn’t you just move?
A: Well, we did and we didn’t. Studio B, the bathrooms, and our office space moved. 
Q: So why are you moving again?
A: We knew our time at 363 Highland Ave was limited; the new landlords have other plans for the space. 
Q: Where are you moving? 
A: We’re moving about 3500′ (as the crow flies) away! Our new location will be on nearby Rindge Ave in Cambridge. 
Q: When?
A: We’re leaving our current location by July of 2021.
Q: Can I still book time at Q Division?
A: Yes, please! Although of course we have new protocols. Call us up to discuss. 
Q: When will the new studio open? 
A: Uhhh. We’re working out the details, but it’s hard to answer this question concretely! We’ll keep both studios operating for as long as possible while building out the new space. And we’ll share news of our progress as we go.
Q: What’s going to be in the new studio? 
A: Lots of the same things you’re used to seeing and using now, but in new spaces!
Q: Hey, that reminds me – I left my _____ there – what should I do about that?
A: Come pick it up! Seriously. we are cleaning out stuff. and if that stuff is tapes and you want us to transfer it for you, now’s the time to ask.

Update 6.24

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Hi Everyone!

We’ve been cautiously optimistic about the Covid-19 news in Massachusetts over these last few weeks. Governor Charlie Baker has announced the beginning of “the second step of phase 2”. For most people, that means indoor dining, and at Q division we are starting to book sessions involving more than one person recording. That doesn’t mean we’re back fully, but it means we can host more folks than we have.

What sessions can we book, EXACTLY?

While we’d like to give clear yes/no guidelines, the reality is that it has to be a conversation. The first principle is that everyone involved needs to feel comfortable with the session. We’d probably feel comfortable with a trio where the members have been isolating together, and not comfortable with a 12 piece live band with horns and singers (no masks) where people are flying in from around the country. We’ll save the specifics for later, but it’s going to involve all the (now) usual things- Screening, masks, distance, hand washing… The goal here is to create a good creative situation where everyone feels safe and knows what to expect.

So with that in mind- give us a call when you’re ready to work.

Spring 2020 Update

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Dear friends!

While we’re all waiting to see each other in person again, we’ve turned our gaze to our tape vault. Q Division, having been around for over 30 years, still has a massive analog tape library. If you’ve visited us in the last 4 years, you’ve seen it (in our previous layout the tape vault was much harder to find). The thing is, it belongs to some of you, but we might have lost track of you over the years. We’d love to reunite you with your analog tapes, and we’d be happy to archive them in the process. Get in touch!

There’s another way we can all connect in this time of distancing – help us fill in the holes in our discographies and artist lists.

How can you help?

If you, or an artist you know, has worked on projects at Q and you can’t find it on our list, remind us what we’ve missed! We’d love specifics – album or EP/singles titles, years, engineers, producers, musicians, record label (if any), how the material was released. Mention anything really – great food? Amazingly long waits for the bathroom? Give us links – videos, articles, reviews, whatever you have – we’ll take it.

If you’re interested, write and submit an article or review of a project and we’ll integrate it into our website. You needn’t have worked on the album – maybe you love it and want to share some of your knowledge and affection of it with us.

If you don’t want to write or get in touch, you could add albums to a crowdsource playlist on Spotify – it’s a collaborative playlist, so all you have to do is “like” it, and then add your music to the playlist.
It’s here:

Spring 2016

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As Q Division starts its 30th year, we are getting ready for our first major overhaul in the 16 years we’ve been in Davis Square. While we’re bidding a fond farewell to our Studio B and our current offices as part of our new landlord’s reconfiguration of the building, we’re also looking forward to renovating and expanding our existing Studio D to replace and improve on it. The new studio will feature an upgraded Pro Tools HDX system, enhanced mixing and mastering capabilities and a brand new control room designed by Lou Clark, of Sonic-Space. We are also planning some major equipment improvements and increased booking flexibility in the new studio to meet the needs of different projects. Studio A, our Neve 8068 room, will remain open throughout the renovations, and we will continue booking sessions in Studio D as long as possible. Right now things are a bit chaotic with the move and the construction but we are still open for business – and we’ll have an announcement soon about the configuration and design of the new studio. As part of the move we’re clearing out the tape vault. If you recorded here in the past, and think you might have left tape, now’s the time to claim it. Check qdivisionstudios.com and www.facebook.com/Qdivisionstudios for updates, and stay tuned!

Server room looking sad.