In October 2022, Audio-Technica hosted an exclusive event, the Art of Analog, in honor of our 60^th Anniversary. This event featured a guided listening session with an expert panel that included Chris Mara, recording engineer and founder of Welcome to 1979 – the only studio in the world where a record can be tracked, cut, and plated all in the same day.

In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Chris Mara and learn about his inspirations, annual events, favorite A-T gear, and more!

What inspired you to open a recording studio like Welcome to 1979?

I had been in a lot of studios that were either fancy and everything worked but had no vibe, or studios that were fun to be in, but nothing worked. So, I set out to create a large, comfortable recording studio that had the equipment of the “big” studios but that was affordable enough for the self-funded independent artist. I also wanted a studio that was able record a variety of instruments in great sounding rooms to create unique sounds. I think we did it! The studio space has over 6,500 square feet, about 100 places to plug microphones in, a ton of gear, and a very affordable day rate. Most independent artists book 3-5 days at a time!

What was your favorite record that you recorded at your studio?

Oh man- that’s a tough question. Hundreds and hundreds of records have been done at ’79 over the last 15 years.... but I’d have to say Cory Chisel and The Wandering Sons. It’s such a cool record and each song had crazy instrumentation on it. The producer (Brendan Benson) made sure we tracked as many people as we could on each song together, which was really challenging, but it paid off! I also love a record called Applewood Road. We did an entire record around one microphone.

Who is your dream artist that you’d love to record with at your studio?

I’ve been told by a few people that Dave Grohl would love it at ’79 (and I’d love to have the Foo Fighters here, too!). Tom Petty was a dream of mine as well.

At Welcome to 1979, you’re able to entirely do analog tracking and mixing, all the way to lacquer cutting in one shot. What kind of recording gear goes into a project like that?

Correct. We’re setup to record with Pro Tools (32 I/O), on analog tape, direct to disc (aka live to vinyl) and every combination of those you can imagine. If you choose to do a direct to disc record it requires a dedicated team who understands the task at hand. You also need a vinyl mastering lathe like our Neumann VMS70 to be in the same building as the recording studio. It also requires an analog console, analog outboard gear (even analog De-Essers) and an analog mastering chain. As the icing on the cake, we also feature analog reverbs such as a plate, spring, analog tape delays and even an echo chamber to keep the entire process analog. Oh, and you need a stellar band who can play 4-5 songs in a row without mistakes!

As part of your studio, you offer a ‘Tape Camp’ twice a year and a ‘Recording Summit’ every year. Can you tell us a little bit about each of these events?

Education via firsthand learning is one of our core values here at ’79. Over the years people have taken the time to help me understand recording and business concepts, so we do two Tape Camps and a large Recording Summit each year in hopes of being the spark for someone’s career or concept. The Tape Camps are small, ultra-hands-on, three-day weekends with a limit of 10 people. We spend three days together talking about recording, their setups, how ’79 has evolved, then we record a band using their ideas, microphone, and outboard gear choices. They each engineer parts of the session. We then transfer the tape to Pro Tools, and they get to take the .wav files back to their studios to hear the results. The third day is spent on teaching them how to calibrate tape machines. We do a vinyl mastering evening as well so attendees can learn the depths of the vinyl world and see how vinyl mastering works with their own eyes.

The Recording Summit is a large event that features 60 attendees and about 40 panelists talking on subjects in three “food groups”: Music, Business and Tech. It starts off with a direct to disc party on Friday night (each attendee gets a record the very next day!) with panels on Saturday and Sunday. Attendees are encouraged to bring their mixes for evaluation, learn how to solder and troubleshoot, and panels take a look at attendees’ websites in such panels as “Put Your Brand to The Test” to help improve their online presence. The panelists that are involved each year are simply amazing people. We also host a listening party each Summit where we listen to an album in its entirety, then sit with the engineer/producer for a nice Q&A about the project. The list of records we’ve featured is stunning. Both events take place right in the studio so it’s very comfortable and encourages people to ask questions and engage with each other.

At the Art of Analog event, hosted by Audio-Technica, you noted that analog and digital are both useful in different ways. Can you elaborate on the different uses of each and what your favorite parts about working with each tool are?

I look at analog and digital recording from a workflow standpoint. I love tracking to tape. I feel it is actually faster to work in a linear fashion. The focus that analog recording requires tends to help create a better performance. Digital recording in a DAW allows for fine tuning on editing and a more fun way to approach vocals and mixing with comping and trying ideas in mixes. At the end of the process, I print my mixes to a Mara Machine 1/4” two track, so analog and digital work seamlessly together. It’s the best!

Is there any Audio-Technica gear that you would recommend for a beginner just starting off in the industry?

Yes! The AT4033 is one of my favorite mics. I use them on almost every session I do. It’s a really underrated mic and very affordable.

As an experienced analog listener, what is your ideal listening environment for experiencing vinyl? A favorite chair? Room? Beverage of choice?

It really doesn’t matter what room or chair I’m in as long as all the cell phones in the room are shut off!!

Check out Welcome to 1979 to learn more!