In the mid 1950s Walt Disney hired composer and arranger Salvador “Tutti” Camarata to build a recording studio where the animation giant could record their numerous soundtracks. Opening in 1958, Sunset Sound became one of the go to recording studios for film in Hollywood but as the Rock and Roll revolution hit the bands began to come. This is a truly legendary place, producing more than 200 Gold records in just 60 years.
It’s also a studio with an incredible history with Sound Techniques so, 60 years later, The Parts you Don’t Hear headed over to Sunset Boulevard to talk with the owner, and Tutti’s son, Paul Camarata. In 1967 Geoff Frost installed a Sound Techniques “A Range” in Studio 2 when Paul was just a kid. The desk was bought on site from Frost himself by Tutti in London. Paul would watch classic acts like Buffalo Springfield, James Taylor, Led Zeppelin, Earth Wind and Fire, The Rolling Stones, Alice Cooper and many more artists record some of their finest work. In fact some of Led Zeppelin’s alternate mixes from this desk surfaced last year.
Paul and studio manager Craig Hubler along with Mick Higgins and Wren Riderover at Sunset Sound couldn’t have been more fun and generous. They are obviously still very proud of the hallowed ground they get to work on every day. So a huge thanks to the team for opening their doors and helping us with getting the history straight on the inception of Sound Techniques in the USA. You can read more about this still working music mecca at their website.
