{"id":38758,"date":"2023-05-31T12:39:14","date_gmt":"2023-05-31T16:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/soyuzmicrophones.com\/?p=38758"},"modified":"2023-09-11T03:07:25","modified_gmt":"2023-09-11T07:07:25","slug":"soyuz-spotlight-willis-sound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/soyuzmicrophones.com\/ru\/articles\/soyuz-spotlight\/soyuz-spotlight-willis-sound","title":{"rendered":"Soyuz Spotlight: Willis Sound"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Willis Sound is a recording studio just outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan that\u2019s enshrined in timeless character. When co-founders Ben Lorenz and Jason Magee found the building \u2014 a church built in the mid-1800s \u2014 it had been abandoned for years. They teamed up with Vintage King to design and integrate a studio that combines convenient functionality and a collaborative, vintage-style workflow. Bands recording at Willis Sound typically congregate in the live room and play together, just like they would have in the sixties or seventies \u2014 before the advent of digital recording and isolated tracks recorded to a click. There\u2019s bleed. There\u2019s a \u2018live\u2019 room sound. And there\u2019s an authentic creative energy as a result.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Tell us a bit about the people behind Willis Sound and how the studio came to be.<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Jason and I have been in a band together since age 14. After high school we both toured locally with a band called the Restroom Poets until the prospect of making 10K a year with no health insurance smacked us in the face. From there, we spent a little time apart, but soon found ourselves in the tech industry and founded a company called Human Element in Ann Arbor, MI. We also began playing music together again. Our first office space had a small studio in the middle of it and made for some confusing client meetings. Eventually, our tech company grew and now twenty years later we\u2019ve separated the two businesses.

<\/span>Willis Sound was inspired by our dedication to our local music community and we\u2019ve partnered with so many wonderful people to make the project happen. If you can imagine, turning a run-down church into a world class recording studio is not for the faint of heart. It took a village \u2014 this space reflects the efforts of so many of our friends. We filmed<\/span> a few videos<\/span><\/a> with some of those folks who shared their experiences helping us put this place together.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

You\u2019re in a pretty unique location. Can you tell us a bit about it?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Willis Sound is in a church that was built in the late 1800s. We found it in an abandoned state and were quick to strike a deal with the pastor. It was a perfect location for artists from Detroit, Ann Arbor and those traveling from far away. The Detroit airport is about 15 min away. With our onsite lodging options, it\u2019s perfect for a BAND-CACTION (a vacation for bands). Some bands stay for a weekend, some stay for a week.<\/span><\/p>

Vintage King did a<\/span> great video<\/span><\/a> documenting the process of buying the church and building out the studio.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Could you tell us about a couple of your favorite projects since moving in?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMy favorites are always the ones where the bands play live. Let it rip! I\u2019m currently recording a project with <\/span>Jason Magee<\/span><\/a> where we\u2019ve brought in some of our favorite area players to do a bit of a soul project where it\u2019s all live. It gets me excited to see players communicate in real time, let their ears produce as they go and craft the ensemble in real-time.<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

How did you decide what gear and instruments to fill it with? What are some of your favorite pieces around the studio?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

We wanted a blend of analog and digital from the start. We grew up with tape and I\u2019ve loved the punch of API. After a long talk with Vintage King, we settled on the API 3208 (an API 1608 with a 16-channel expansion). <\/span>Some more of my favorite gear\u2026<\/p>