Real Instruments, Vintage and Modern Gear
Classic Production Values.

Grand piano, B3 & Leslie, Rhodes, Wurly, guitars/basses/amps, elite "Rick Baker" custom drums, 36-input in-line console
Expansive mic locker, transformer-balanced "British" mic pres, tuned control room, large neutral studio,
Analog formats: 2-inch 24/16-track, 1-inch 8-track, quarter-inch half-track, all housed in a factory-loft vibe
Wrapped in century-old reclaimed BC fir planks, Plus: Pro Tools, Digital Performer, Logic Pro, and Sonar Platinum Producer

Beginnings

In the spring of 2015, musician friends Rick Baker and Phil Manning discussed their shared vision of a creative environment, ready at any moment to host a rehearsal, jam, recording or social event. Thus began Foundry 85 Classic Recording Studio

Vision

Rick and Phil like old stuff. Foundry 85 Classic Recording Studio will therefore focus on classic technology and production techniques as a big part of it's product offering. Modern digital capability, however, is necessarily a foundational and practical element within our operation.

Vibe

A particular ambience can make or break the recording experience for many (perhaps most) performers. Rick, being the artsy-fartsy, has undertaken direction of the visual vibe department. Ancient reclaimed materials as well as factory and foundry elements serve to inspire the artist while reducing the stress often associated with a sterile corporate environment.

Mission

Foundry 85 Classic Recording Studio provides an inspiring and low-stress recording environment. We identify with our artists with a mind to catching their vision early on, and we support it with our skills, experience and resources. We strive to move projects efficiently from artistic conception to delivery, realizing the artist's vision to their total satisfaction.

Values

Foundry 85 Classic Recording Studio values open and frank communication during every stage of a project. We value the establishment of clear, defined, and measureable targets at the outset of each project. We value our own skills, experience and resources as much as we value our client's investment in their project.

Market

Foundry 85 Classic Recording Studio is well-suited to provide recording and production services to choirs, big bands, string sections, full bands (rock, pop, country, blues classic rock, metal, gospel). Generally, ensembles who are ready to be recorded just as they are would be a good fit for our facilities. We are also happy to assist in pre-production where and when approriate.

What We Are, What we Aren't.

First and foremost,
we are an environment for creativity, productivity and accomplishment.
We have assembled a wonderful space with a great visual and sonic vibe so that artists will feel free to generate their finest product.
We are not in a mad rush to adopt every new advancement in recording technology.
We are, however, unapologetically "state-of-the-art" in the passion of audio, embracing the human experience of sound.
As such, we enjoy employing some of the older technology and production processes while recognizing the timeline and economic advantages of the modern digital tools. By default, we don't automatically record or mix at the highest resolutions (88.2k/96k/176.4k/192k). We have not been convinced of any sonic superiority of higher resolutions and the added bandwidth which they consume. We are equipped, however, to record up to 24 tracks at 96 kHz if that's what our client prefers. We have lots of outboard and plug-in processing available but prefer to limit their use to judicious application only, in favour of the thoughtful engineering of excellent performances.

We Are Currently Under Construction

It's been a little over three years since Rick and Phil first concieved Foundry 85 Classic Recording Studio. We've already recorded full band, shot video content, provided archival analog-to-digital transfers and we're continuing presently with some other projects. These include artist and songwriter demos as well as remixing of some older recordings which never saw the light of day. Functional operations, however, are occasionally limited while the finishing touches are being applied. This website is, likewise, still under construction with new content and photographs on their way. In the mean time, certainly give us a call or arrange for a visit if what we're doing here appeals to your sensibilties. We love sharing our vision and just talking shop.

Construction

Most of our interior construction is finished, with a few elements yet to be completed. These include...

Studio

Our live room is roughly 1200 square feet with irregular ceiling between 10' and 14'. It is effectively...

Control Room

Our control room is 18' wide by 15' deep with a 9' ceiling. Judicious application of broadband...

Rick Baker

Established in a manufacturing business for nearly a half century, Rick brings his design sensibilties... and resources to the construction phase of Foundry 85 Classic Recording Studio.

Phil Manning

Creating, performing and recording music since the mid seventies, Phil brings the experience of many dozens...

Studio Gear

Where do I start? On hand at Foundry 85 Classic Recording Studio is the culmination of 40 years...

Have a recording project in mind?