Crystal Palace

Jun 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Mike Levine

           
 

THE CRYSTAL METHOD DITCH THE BOMB SHELTER FOR A GLEAMING NEW RECORDING SPACE

Scott Kirkland (left) and Ken Jordan in Crystalwerk’s control room

For years, Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland, better known as The Crystal Method, recorded their big-beat electronica from a studio they called The Bomb Shelter, which they built in a converted 2-car garage attached to a 1950s-era house in Glendale, Calif. That studio was where they produced such albums as Vegas (Outpost, 1997), Tweekend (Interscope, 2001), and Legion of Boom (V2, 2004). The Bomb Shelter had a lot of funky ambience, but, according to Jordan and Kirkland, it was not a perfect recording environment.

Bonus Material

Video: A Studio Tour With the Crystal Method, Part 1

Video: A Studio Tour With the Crystal Method, Part 2

Related Link: Crystal Method's Official Site

Remix Article on Crystal Method Tweekend Album

“The first couple of years were wonderful. We were able to create this sort of science-fiction-looking pod surrounded by keyboards,” Kirkland recalls. “We were really happy there. And we used to live there early on. But as with most places that are the size of a shoebox, you eventually get that feeling of being confined.”

“It was very difficult to have anyone come over and do overdubs or to have vocalists come over,” Jordan recalls. “There was just nothing set up for it. We really wanted to be able to do that.” And considering that Jordan and Kirkland use guest singers for all of their songs that have vocals, it became a real issue. The Bomb Shelter's sub-par air conditioning and ventilation also contributed to their decision to start looking for a new place to call headquarters.

About two-and-a-half years ago, Jordan and Kirkland began searching and eventually settled on an industrial space in North Hollywood. There, with the help of a studio design firm, they built their striking new facility, Crystalwerks, a multiroom complex stocked with Apple Macintosh computers and monitors, Digidesign Pro Tools hardware and software, a Digidesign D-Command console, and an eye-popping collection of vintage synths and processors. The main control room (see Fig. 1) has hardware synths on both walls — all wired into the patchbay for easy availability. On the floor along the walls are even more vintage keyboards and drum machines, and a center island contains synths and outboard gear. To the left of the room is a soundproofed machine room that houses the computers and the Pro Tools hardware. On the right — behind sliding double-glass doors — is a live room. A second studio, currently used only for storage, is beyond that.

FIG. 1: A view of the Crystalwerks control room. The glass doors on the left open to the machine room.

I had a chance to sit down with Jordan and Kirkland there, and talk about the studio, their production methods, and their new CD, Divided By Night (Tiny e Records, 2009; see Fig. 2), the first one recorded in the new facility. The CD features a rich list of guest vocalists including Justin Warfield, Matisyahu, Emily Haines, and Meiko, among others.

When you were still in The Bomb Shelter, did you put vocalists? in the same room with you?

Jordan: In the living room. In the kitchen.

Kirkland: What was the funniest was when we had Tom Morello [of The Nightwatchman and Rage Against the Machine] over for a [guitar] session and production work. This is a guy who's probably used to working in beautiful studios. And we set his stack up in the kitchen; it was a really bizarre setup.

FIG. 2: The cover of Divided By Night, The Crystal Method’s new release.

Has having this big new space with its improved ergonomics made the production process smoother for you?

Jordan: You never know what's going to happen when you're trying to make art. You get everything set up and art still has to be inspired. But it's much more enjoyable to come here, where everything works and everything's on a patchbay. Yeah, that's a true joy. So I think it's helped a lot.