LOCALadk Magazine

20 Fall 2015 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk providing the "live" audio sound reinforcement for the bands he was performing with as well as for other musicians. "I originally built the space for me to work in. It was a natural evolution for the space to become a room to record friends and associates that I have developed relationships with over the many years of performing," he says. Smithson sees the first major challenge to a recording session as whether the artist is really prepared to record. "That's a delicate area. Trying to get people to relax in the studio is very important. It can be an intimidating experience for some. Even veteran performers can find recording to be difficult." Steve Light, a founding member of The Bluegrass Gospel Project and banjo player extraordinaire, recorded his first "solo" cd, Banjo and Friends: Instrumental Duets with Skip. Robert Resnick's review for Seven Days Vermont reads, "Smithson was clearly a good choice; the result is a disc full of acoustic music that sounds "just like itself." In other words, it's as if the musicians are right there in the room with you." Light was more than pleased with the experience and the result- ing CD. "At The Addition Studios, the trees and sky of the Adirondack forest are visible through the large windows, which makes for a per- fect place to play and record music. Skip Smithson's friendly demean- or and expert knowledge put musicians at ease during what might otherwise be a nerve-wracking process. Since Skip is an accomplished musician himself, he understands what the musicians are hearing and what they want to accomplish, and he makes it happen!" Skip's love of hearing great music reproduced by stellar audio equip- ment tends to pose another challenge in recording. "We are now liv- ing in a time where most people are listening to music on their cell phones, iPad or laptop with speakers the size of bottle caps," he points out. "Trying to make a great recording that will be played back on subpar music reproducers is incredibly frustrating to the audio en- gineer!" Studio visitors read like a Who's Who of the region's top musicians: Roy Hurd, Junior Barber, Patti Casey, Ted Cornell, Jeff Rendinaro and Jeff Cochran, to name a few. "I believe each visitor has brought a unique characteristic in their work while recording in the studio, and that is what interests me," says Skip. "Every artist has his or her own vision as to what they want to convey in the recording process so I try not to let my own preferences get in the way." He sees his role as an audio engineer and not a music producer, but the audiophile in him will always provide suggestions as to the direction an artist can go with production, especially where it concerns audio quality and im- pact. He can handle all phases of production, from recording to edit- ing, mixing, processing and the mastering of the final product. The Addition Studio is a small, private affair. "I book studio time by appointment only. My love for music and the desire for others to ex- perience the emotional impact of a great recording drives me to keep the studio operating. It is these reasons, not the commercial aspect, that motivates me to offer my services to others." Beehive Productions Saranac Lake, NY www.beehivepro.com The Addition Studio Keeseville, NY www.theadditionstudio.com

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