Sound 80
Company type | Recording studio |
---|---|
Industry | Music |
Founded | 1969 |
Founder | Tom Jung and Herb Pilhofer |
Headquarters | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
Website | sound80 |
Sound 80 is a
In 1978, Sound 80 made the first digital audio recording to win a Grammy Award—The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra's recording of Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring" and "Short Symphony," and Charles Ives' "Symphony No. 3."[2][3]
In 2020, Sound 80 was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.[4]
History
Jung and Pilhofer had previously worked at the
Tom Jung left the company to work in New York City, but created a mobile recording unit known as Road 80, which was rented to Sound 80 studios on occasion. Jung later created the company DMP Digital Music Products, which also pushed the envelope of later digital audio technology (the company recorded the first multi-channel Super Audio CD).
In the mid 1980s the building became the home to AVC Systems, one of the largest pro audio contractors in the midwest. The basement, including the live echo chamber, was converted into a staging area for system fabrication. The main studio was converted to a showroom and office facilities. The smaller studio was rented by "Roger Dodger Music", a Minneapolis based keyboard/synthesizer dealer.[citation needed]
Orfield Labs
This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2021) |
The Sound 80 building was sold in 1990, but the original recording studios 1, 2 and 3 still exist, and the complex is now home to Orfield Laboratories (OL), the world's only independent multi sensory design research lab, who added a 3,500 square foot NIST/NVLAP Acoustical Lab to the complex. In this lab, OL operates the only NVlap accredited independent anechoic chamber in the U.S. At −13 dBA, it is listed as "the quietest place on Earth" by the Guinness Book of World Records for 2005 and 2013. In its acoustic lab, OL also has 3 NIST accredited reverberation chambers, for testing of sound transmission, sound absorption and sound power, as well as for research uses. Sound 80 also has the first Acoustic Lab Acoustic Camera for source localization research in any accredited American lab.
Sound 80 was listed in Guinness again in 2006 as the "Oldest Digital Recording Studio in the World".
Orfield Laboratories consults in architecture in acoustics, AV, daylighting, lighting, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, human factors and forensics. OL has completed commercial buildings of most types across the United States. OL consults in product development in sound quality, visual quality, thermal quality, usability quality and tests products acoustically, vibrationally, photometrically and thermally. Clients have included Harley Davidson, Whirlpool, Cessna Aircraft, Maytag, Kohler, JI Case, Herman Miller, Steelcase, Haworth, Microsoft and many others.
Recording artists
Artists who recorded at the studio include:
- Bob Dylan
- Dave Brubeck (1978)
- Debbie Friedman
- Flamin' Ohs
- Flim & the BB's
- Michael Johnson
- Leo Kottke
- Lazarus
- Lipps Inc., Funkytownsessions 1980
- Prince, demos (1977)
- Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
- Skogie and the Flaming Pachucos, (1972)
- Skogie, (1973)
- Cat Stevens (1976)
- The Suburbs
- Suicide Commandos, Make a Record
- Don Voegeli
- McDonald & Sherby (1969/1974)
- Yanni (1980)
- Straight [ 1975 ]
References
- ^ "Guide2Prince.org: Studio Nights: Sound 80 2CD". Archived from the original on 2014-11-05. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
- ^ a b Roise, Charlene; Gales, Elizabeth; Koehlinger, Kristen; Goetz, Kathryn; Hess, Roise and Company; Zschomler, Kristen; Rouse, Stephanie; Wittenberg, Jason (December 2018). "Minneapolis Music History, 1850-2000: A Context". City of Minneapolis. pp. 47–48. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
- user-generated source]
- ^ Bream, Jon (2020-08-12). "Minneapolis' Sound 80 studio lands on National Register of Historic Buildings". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved 2020-07-25.
- ISBN 9780873519007.
- ^ "Sound 80 - MN150". Archived from the original on 2014-11-05. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
- Jan Erickson Sound 80 Website
- Tom Herbers (June 8, 2005). Three Tracks, Echo, and a Bunch of Hungry Teenagers. City Pages.
- David Lander (June 2004). Tom Jung of DMP: Making Musical Sense. Stereophile.