Bill Putnam is considered to be the "Father of modern
recording." He is acknowledged to be the firstperson to
use artificial reverberation for commercial recording. He also
developed the first multi-bandequalizers, and with his
company Universal Audio, was responsible for the development of
classicequipment like the Urei 1176LN and Urei Time Align
Monitors. He was involved in the early development ofstereophonic
recording and founded studios in Chicago, Hollywood and San
Francisco. During the 1950's,
Putnam's engineering credits grew quickly working with such
artist's as Patti Page, Vic Damon and DinahWashington. A
number of firsts occurred at the Chicago based Universal
Recorders: the first use of taperepeat, the first vocal
booth, the first multiple voice recording, the first use of
8-track recording trials andexperiments with half-speed disc
mastering. With his Chicago studio so successful, Putnam's
clients: Nelson Riddle, Mitch Miller and Quincy Jones urged him to
open a facility on the west coast.
Finally in 1957, he sold his interest in Universal Recording and started a
new company called United RecordingCorp. and moved to
Hollywood, taking over a building at 6050 Sunset and started new
construction onnew studios. Stereo was taking off and Putnam
was determined to incorporate as many technological
innovations in to the new complex as possible. In 1961, Western
Recorders at 6000 Sunset was acquiredand remodeled and
incorporated into the complex with the facilities being known as
United Western Recorders.
Western Recorders Studios at 6000 Sunset hosted the who's who of
music in front of and behind theglass: Bones Howe, Wally
Heider and Lee Hirschberg were on staff while artists like Bing
Crosby, FrankSinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Nat King
Cole, Johnny Mercer and Ray Charles were recording thehits
of the day. Ray Charles' classic, "I Can't Stop Loving
You" was recorded here as well as Sinatra's,"It
Was A Very Good Year," and the legendary "Pet
Sounds" album, which was the inspiration for
The Beatles' Sgt. Peppers album, was recorded here also.
In 1977, the United Recorders building at 6050 was purchased from
Bill Putnam by Allen Sides. Shortly thereafter, the Western
Recorders building at 6000 Sunset was added to the complex that
became Ocean Way Recording. Ocean Way still exists at 6050 Sunset
and the two buildings together continued under Allen Sides to
produce many hits of the 70's and 80's, including albums by Rod
Stewart, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Elton John and Eric
Clapton to name a few.
Cello Studios assumed ownership of the building located at 6000
Sunset in January 1999. The equipment inventory was also purchased
from Ocean Way Recording at the time. The collection of rare
vintage microphones alone is irreplaceable, not to mention the
outboard gear, with such valuable effects units as Fairchild 670
limiters which are no longer made. Additional equipment was added
by Cello. Many sought after vintage mics and additional items both
old and new have been incorporated into the studio's gear list,
making this studio the perfect blend of rare analog equipment,
as well as state of the art gear. The building itself has also
been modified to accommodate the new facility's needs. The studios
themselves have not been altered in any way since Bill Putnam's
original design. During the "Cello" years, the studio
has been host to such artists as Alanis Morissette, Natalie
Merchant, Elton John, R.E.M., Bette Middler, Barenaked Ladies,
Stone Temple Pilots, Matthew Sweet, Motley Crue, Green Day and
Blink 182.
At the end of 2003 the name was changed back to Western Recorders.
The staff at Western Recorders is comprised of Industry Veterans
as well as a support staff of eager new audioenthusiasts.
Studio Manager/Owner, Candace R. Stewart,an industry vet has
managed such facilities as Take
One Recording, Red Zone Recording and most recently Sound Castle
Studios. The chief engineer anddirector of technical
operations Gary Myerberg, came to Cello after over 20 years in the
audio industry spearheading the technical efforts of Bruce Springsteen, Bob
Clearmountain's "Mix This!" RoyaltoneStudios (and
too many others to list) with 14 years as the key technical player
at A&M Studios as wellas it's chief engineer in the late
90's
Western Recorders still exists in
the same location as it did 40 years ago. It is the ultimate
Temple of Sound. Owners Gary and Candice are shown below.
