Something Strange In Your Neighborhood: Emandee Analog Studio Is All Heart

by James Jackson Toth

Emandee Studios, an affordable analog recording studio on Berry Street in Williamsburg, has a bit of a ghost problem.

Owned and operated by three-year Williamsburg resident Mark Ospovat, Emandee is more comfortable than your average recording studio. In lieu of interns and water coolers are two omnipresent miniature kittens and walls covered in snapshots of people who have visited. In the live room downstairs, vintage keyboards, toys, and various equipment are strewn about.

Then there is the matter of the video line, which provides direct visual communication from the band downstairs in the live room to Ospovat's station at the mixing desk upstairs. While Ospovat showed off this high tech new equipment, we witnessed a brief but alarming spliced flash of what appeared to be a looming shrouded figure projected from the monitor. We are, apparently, not alone. He is as surprised as I am.

"We just saw dead people," he deadpans. "That was a first. I'm never touching that thing again."

These type of encounters are what makes Emandee special. Working almost exclusively on analog equipment, Ospovat, a musician himself, coaxes the best performances out of musicians by allowing them their creative space. "You've gotta give the person you're working with the room to be comfortable," he explains. "Leave them alone in their artistic space at least until you've got something on tape. The most important thing when you're working with somebody is that it has to be honest."

Ospovat graduated from the Music Production Conservatory at Purchase College. Asked why he decided to become an engineer, Ospovat shrugs it off as a no-brainer. "I'd been recording on four track since ninth grade, recorded friends in college and it always sounded good, so I took the next step and focused fully on engineering. I love it. What's a better reason?"

He's hard pressed to cite any particular job that gave him trouble. "Some of the more eclectic projects are a challenge, but when the day is done, they're also some of the best sessions," he says, adding that he would like to record more jazz.

His advice to other engineers is to start small. "Practice is necessary. Start with the scene that you're a part of and branch out from there. And pace yourself. Leave yourself days off."

Ospovat plans to double the amount of Emandee's gear in the coming months, expanding the studio to allow more options for artists who prefer digital recording to analog, or for those who opt to mix the two. More tube compressors, a 2-inch tape machine, and a computer running Digital Performer are all expected to augment Emandee's already vast setup. Does this mean Emandee will no longer exclusively cater to analog?"It will have a digital option but I'll still be recording mainly on analog because I think it sounds a lot better. You can hear differences automatically. What the (analog) tape does is add a warmth that you really can't get on digital."

Currently, Ospovat's main set up is a one-inch reel to reel 16 track tape machine, an Alesis mixing board, and a constellation of filters, effects and consoles. There is also enough spare equipment in the live room to satisfy even the pickiest musician. The amplifiers, keyboards, guitars, piano, and accessories are all there to be borrowed and used on a recording by anyone on any given day. Mark also rents out this live room for band rehearsals.

The tape reels, which allow up to thirty-three minutes of recording time, cost $70, and Ospovat charges a daily rate of up to ten hours for $175. So feasibly, if you've got your act together, you can make a great sounding record at Emandee for less than what you'd normally spend at the vending machines at some other professional studios.

Just don't forget your poltergeist repellent.

Emandee Studios is located at 233 Berry Street in Williamsburg and can be contacted at (718) 599-1288.