Hardgroove's Studio Profile - Manhattan Center Productions' Studio 7

A unique glimpse inside a world-class recording studio

By Phil O'Keefe

Have you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall watching a recording session in a top-flight room? Do you enjoy checking out state of the art facilities and getting insights into the recording process from industry heavyweights? Well then you're going to dig this video, brought to you courtesy of producer / multi-instrumentalist and longtime friend of Harmony Central, Brian Hardgroove. You may be familiar with his work with Public Enemy. Another face in this video that's bound to be familiar to many musicians is Fred Schneider, who was a major contributor to the success of New Wave heavyweights, the B-52's.

Expertly shot and edited, this video was filmed at Manhattan Center Production's Studio 7 in New York City and also features their chief engineer, Darren Moore, and his thoughts about microphone selection, the advantages of having the wide variety of equipment on-hand that a major studio provides, and the sonic attributes of tube gear.

As Emmy-Award winning composer and session musician Paul Jacobs brilliantly points out in the video, playing in a major studio is like playing through a million dollar stereo. Brian Hardgroove and his musical cohorts bring those who are unfamiliar with professional studios like MCP's Studio 7 an interesting glimpse into what that experience is like, and how inspiring and rewarding working in a professional studio can be.

Click the play button on the video below to check it out, and enjoy!