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Ron Flack, Owner of Realgrey Records

Ron Flack, Owner of Realgrey Records

“I’ve crossed lines because of the help and challenge of others, I feel like the studio is a catalyst for that challenge to be passed on.”
—Ron Flack

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Want to Record to Tape? Here’s What You Need to Know

Want to Record to Tape? Here’s What You Need to Know

For many musicians, the allure of analog recording holds a timeless appeal. As digital technology continues to dominate the music industry, some artists are rediscovering the unique qualities of recording to tape. If you’re considering this route, here are some key points to keep in mind.

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The Art of Drumming: Live Performance vs. Recording Sessions

The Art of Drumming: Live Performance vs. Recording Sessions

After a recent Marty Ryan  produced drum session with drummer, Matt Schulz  some thoughts flooded my mind about how a pro like Matt approaches live VS studio drumming.  Matt Schulz is pictured here during his recent session at Realgrey.

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Collaborating with Session Players at Realgrey Records

Collaborating with Session Players at Realgrey Records

Realgrey Records offers solo artists a unique opportunity to enhance their music through collaboration with skilled session players.

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Musicians Who Sustain: Building a Lasting Career in the World of Music

Musicians Who Sustain: Building a Lasting Career in the World of Music

The life of a musician can be a rewarding and fulfilling one, but it’s also a path filled with uncertainty and challenges. In an industry where collaboration is key, showing up and being a dependable person can make all the difference in building a sustainable career. Musicians who sustain their success understand the importance of reliability, professionalism, and working well with others. Here, we’ll explore the building blocks of a lasting career in the world of music.

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Studio Manager

Studio Manager

Anya Antonavich, among other things, is a rock star, a fashionista, a dog lover, a financial advisor, a notary, a partner, a friend, a leader, and now she is the manager of our own Realgrey Records.

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The studio house kit as recorded in our new acoustic room

The studio house kit as recorded in our new acoustic room

Realgrey is blessed to have a host of very talented interns this semester, two of which help me with an idea.  Percussionist Adam McClousky and Composer Callum Amacher have worked together for quite some time so I felt like they’d be the perfect duo to test the studio kit in our newly revamped acoustic room (formally known as our control room).

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What has working at Realgrey meant for you?

What has working at Realgrey meant for you?

We moved to NE Ohio from Nashville in 1998.  I still had some of my recording gear from my traveling days.  Freelance design became my mainstay as I found myself wanting to sleep in my own bed every night.

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The Nuts and Bolts of the PhantomFocus Monitoring System

The Nuts and Bolts of the PhantomFocus Monitoring System

Utilizing an amalgam of techniques, proprietary protocols, hardware and software, the PhantomFocus™ System is a powerful tool in optimizing monitor systems.

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Wrestling with the Bad News: Guy Randall

Wrestling with the Bad News: Guy Randall

“Play me the bad news,” Guy Randall sings, his voice a little like Don Henley, a little like Joe Cocker.  The riffs, the words, are bluesy for certain, but they are also full of tender, honeyed, existential soul

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Newest Member of the Realgrey Arsenal - Neotek Elite Mixing Console

Newest Member of the Realgrey Arsenal - Neotek Elite Mixing Console

Over the last few years I’ve become familiar with the Neotek line of vintage recording consoles.  We’re thankful to have added an Elite to our recording tool offering.

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DIY HVAC mufflers for the control room

DIY HVAC mufflers for the control room

a quick look at how we’re going to keep the control room cool and quiet
DIY HVAC mufflers.

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Friday’s Coffee Episode #001: Ben Payne Kicks the Tires on His New Guild Acoustic, Podcast Transcription

Friday’s Coffee Episode #001: Ben Payne Kicks the Tires on His New Guild Acoustic, Podcast Transcription

Ben and Ron discuss the sound profiles of Ben’s new Guild guitar and his old Seagull.

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Decoupling Live Room Walls

Decoupling Live Room Walls

The basic definition of decoupling is to separate objects. Decoupling to isolate sound is most commonly done with Hush Sound Isolation Clips, resilient channel, or specialty framing like double stud or staggered stud walls.  Here’s what we’re doing ...

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The next phase of Realgrey Expansion - Control Room II

The next phase of Realgrey Expansion - Control Room II

We’ll be closed the entire month of December 2021 for construction.  We’ll be doing the prep work for the contractors to move the walls and doors and level the ceiling in the current live room.

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Realgrey Records hosting in-ear monitor study

Realgrey Records hosting in-ear monitor study

Dr. Alex Meibos of The University of Akron and Dr. Heather Malyuk of Soundcheck Audiology are researching isolation and output levels of in-ear monitors (IEMs).

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TEC Award Winning, PhantomFocus™ System Comes to Canton

TEC Award Winning, PhantomFocus™ System Comes to Canton

Carl Tatz has pencilled in, Our Carriage House Recording Studio in Sunny Canton Ohio, for the Summer of 2022.

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Dealing With the Brink of Desperation: Shame Chamber

Dealing With the Brink of Desperation: Shame Chamber

A lonely, isolated closet.  Cables and wires.  The pulse of a drum machine.  “I’ve wanted to make heavy, loud music for a long time…” says John King.

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Tebbs (Stephen) Karney - Cleveland Pedal Steel Session Player

Tebbs (Stephen) Karney - Cleveland Pedal Steel Session Player

Rodney and the Regulars, Terrycloth Mother and Cory Grinder & The Playboy Scouts find Tebbs lighting up the stage on a regular basis.

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LIVING IT UP WITH LOUIS BEGUE

LIVING IT UP WITH LOUIS BEGUE

“Music heals,” says Louis Begue, who just a few months ago released his EP, Living Memories.  “It saved me many times”.

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Artist centered by design

Artist centered by design

When I’ve asked artists what they’d like to be different about our space I get feedback like this

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Song naming convention

Song naming convention

A simple way to keep track of song arrangement changes along with recording iterations.

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Recent repairs to the Midas Verona

Recent repairs to the Midas Verona

Lucky Channel 37 is up and running like new

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Ready to Record? Here’s a good starting point

Ready to Record? Here’s a good starting point

Learning how to make your own scratch tracks can go a long way in helping you prepare for your recording sessions.  It can even help you understand the DNA of your own songs.

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Michael Omartian, Producer, Arranger, Recording Artist

Michael Omartian, Producer, Arranger, Recording Artist

Michael Omartian (born November 26, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, keyboardist, and music producer. He has been a participant in numerous albums during a career that has spanned more than four decades. As a producer, he has had number-one records in three consecutive decades —Wikipedia

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Getting THAT Kick Drum with Brian McTear

Getting THAT Kick Drum with Brian McTear

This morning I reached out to a few respected drummers to get their opinions on a drum kit I thought might be a good fit for the studio.  In the process Brian McTear and I ventured over to topic of getting the kick sound “right” and what right could mean.

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Ledges are Releasing Hope

Ledges are Releasing Hope

With Connie Flack providing La Croix and Ron Flack offering the space, Andy Hoffman and Matt Gregory from the Ohio Native band, Ledges, sat down in the Realgrey Records, Our Carriage house Studio to talk about the process of building a song.

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How Can I Keep From Singing?

How Can I Keep From Singing?

Music speaks where words cannot. During this pandemic, we have all struggled to know how to access deep connection as we’ve experienced so much change and isolation from our typical ways of being together.

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Compass North Worship CD:  A Conversation with Kyler

Compass North Worship CD:  A Conversation with Kyler

His hands fumbled around on a Wal-Mart guitar, searching the strings for one chord, then another. He was learning the ropes. He had stories to tell, untapped passions living just below the surface.

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Renaissance Heart: an interview with Jesse Gearhart

Renaissance Heart: an interview with Jesse Gearhart

Jesse Gearhart talks to Josh Compton about his various writing and music-making projects, his approach to producing others, and what he is learning from Ron and John through his internship at Realgrey Records in Canton Ohio.

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Shocked When I Sing: The Got it Got it Need it

Shocked When I Sing: The Got it Got it Need it

Jason “Goody” Goodwin talks to Josh Compton about finding your voice, the evolution of a band and his new EP.

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The Art of Capturing the Song: Greg Snier

The Art of Capturing the Song: Greg Snier

Greg Snier talks with Josh Compton about music making, his history with Realgrey Records, and learning to use technology to serve the songwriter.

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Severity and Beauty: Brandon Covey’s Reflections

Severity and Beauty: Brandon Covey’s Reflections

“Anything that happens in life, no matter how severe or sinister, can be turned into something beautiful”.  This is how Brandon Covey describes the themes of his new album, Reflections, a series of mostly instrumental pieces centered around his bass guitar.

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Gary Peck, Vision Of Life And Love

Gary Peck, Vision Of Life And Love

Some time ago, I found myself at Realgrey Studios, visiting the “control room” while songwriter Gary Peck put down vocal tracks in the room adjacent. He stood quietly behind the microphones as the dark light of Canton crept through the windows.

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Yankee Bravo, Good Stories Told Well

Yankee Bravo, Good Stories Told Well

The summer sun is beginning to wane. Fall winds have swept in, and along with them come rainy, gray days; warning us of the impending winter. Ohio is known for its meandering climates, but I think it’s the chilly, fall evenings that best encapsulate a land that refuses to give up, despite the imminent cold of winter, or of hard times. That is Ohio.

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Embleton Has Only Just Begun

Embleton Has Only Just Begun

There’s a fair amount of spirituality that creeps into the songs of Embleton. Not so explicit that it would turn away those less inclined to religion or its ilk, but subtle enough to draw your attention, if only for a moment, to something beyond this life.

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