Instant Karma

Officially opened in January 2010, Karma Sound Studios is poised to set a new benchmark in the Thai recording industry. And with good reason – in contrast to studios that have misguidedly believed that an exotic location and extensive equipment list will ensure a successful business, Karma Sound is the carefully crafted brainchild of UK music producer and executive Chris Craker, a 25-year veteran of the business who has served his time as a performer, composer, record producer and engineer, label owner (of various independent record companies through the 1990s) and, more recently, as general manager and senior vice president of Sony BMG’s Masterworks Divisions in London and New York.

Through the early 1980s, Mr Craker produced more than 400 classical, jazz and pop recordings and was behind more than 10m record sales, making him one of the most respected record producers based in the UK. His resignation from Sony BMG in the spring of 2008 opened the doors – both figuratively and literally – to Karma Sound Studios, as well as to setting up the Craker Media Company management operation, which is based in London. Working with partners in telecommunications and film, CMC has already taken on one of the most talked about young pop bands in the UK called Franko and singer-songwriter Joe Acres.

It was from his own postproduction studio in London, that Mr Craker established and ran one of the industry’s most innovative and efficient recording facilities, providing A&R concepts for many of the major labels and technical facilities through his company Black Box Music Limited. In April 1998, he launched his own record label, Black Box, which is now owned by Universal and maintains a reputation as one of the first and independently most successful elite boutique labels in the classical and jazz fields.

His career to this point also involved recording projects in the US and Asia. In the US he worked with the soloists of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and established a very strong link with Thailand. He has produced recordings featuring the compositions of His Majesty The King of Thailand, King Bhumipol Adulyadej, and also produced the music for the Asian Games – watching the theme song, ‘Reach For The Stars’ performed by Sony BMG pop artist Ta Ta Young, sell more than 2.3m. In the summer of 2006, he produced two albums to mark His Majesty King Bhumipol Adulyadej’s 60th year on the throne. With the scene set, Mr Craker turned his attention to Karma Sound Studios.

Taking the concept behind Sir George Martin’s 1970 Air Montserrat facility in the Caribbean as inspiration, the idea was to bring an international standard residential recording studio to the Southeast Asia region – ‘a cross between a five-star resort and a wonderfully equipped recording studio complex’. Located in Thailand, it would offer a cocktail of classic analogue and the latest digital equipment. ‘It was always my intention to build a “creative oasis” away from the stresses of everyday life, so that musicians can get on with the business of being creative in an atmosphere of tranquillity,’ he explains. ‘The minute you walk through the gates, you’re transported to another world…’

Karma Sound was also to be more than a studio business – given Chris’s experience and contacts within the industry, Karma Sound was conceived as a hub of creativity and a portal for international acts, along with local Thai artists, who would widen their audience base and commercial potential by tapping in to the Craker network. His intention is to oversee projects as required, co-ordinate marketing efforts and broker recording deals, as well as provide essential links to booking agents and the other vital resources that artists need to develop their international potential.

Having produced more than 20 records over the past 15 years in Thailand, Mr Craker has built a longstanding relationship with his friend in the country, Jesada Pattanatabut –or ‘Jack’ of Jack Sound Systems Bangkok, as most people know him. And it was to Jack that he turned for advice on the local companies and people he needed to bring Karma Sound Studios to life. Local contractors were employed for all aspects of the construction and design of the complex, supplemented by assistance from European contractors who worked on the Bangkok project for The Ministry of Sound.

The facilities are set around a central swimming pool, in spacious tropical gardens, accompanied by a stunning roof terrace with views of the local beach. With the aim of attracting both local and international clients to the complex, a manager was needed with local knowledge and experience of the international music business. Enter Howard Smart, who has worked extensively in the live and recorded sound world with such artists as Ian Brown, Massive Attack and Leftfield. He has also been based in Thailand for many years and has worked with Jack Sound Systems on a number of projects. Duly appointed in the summer of 2009, he has fully embraced the role as the studio manager.

‘My introduction to Chris Craker by Jack was absolutely prefect timing,’ he says. ‘After more than 14 years on the road touring doing live sound around the world and having used Thailand as a home base for the past five years, I was actively seeking a non-touring role in the audio industry. I felt the need to put down roots and not live out of a suitcase. The chance to engineer projects using the best of new and the best classical studio technology, and manage a world-class studio in the country I now call home was just too good to pass by – kinda like winning the audio lottery.’

The studio complex boasts two studios – one large-scale room that will house up to 35 live musicians and a further 12 in the two main isolation areas, and a smaller studio designed for pre-production, recording vocals and solo instruments, as well as mixing and mastering. Both studios have access to a comprehensive microphone collection and an excellent selection of vintage and modern outboard gear. Particular attention has been paid to the live rooms, which have received unanimous praise both in design and sound. A useful selection of instruments and other gear is available, and eight luxury guest rooms are available for residential clients’ use.

Studio 1 provides spacious recording areas (1,000-sq-m), consisting of the main live room plus a very large drum booth/isolation area that could contain up to a 12-piece horn or wind section, as well as a large vocal and guitar booth and two further guitar amp/speaker isolation areas. The spacious control room has two seating areas for musicians/guests and both the live room and the control room feature large windows giving natural light over-looking palm trees, tropical gardens and the pool. Comprehensive and flexible connectivity between the rooms is equipped with a four-way HearBack individual monitoring system.

Studio 2 comprises a comfortable 120-sq-m control room and a flexible live room for recording vocals, guitars, percussion, string or wind overdubs. A seating area – in front of a large window – is complemented by a studio lounge that is shared with Studio 1, close to the pool and spacious dining/living room.

In terms of equipment, highlights in Studio 1 are the 56-channel SSL 4000E/G+ analogue console, chosen for its classic sound and familiarity to so many of the world’s rock and pop engineers. The Genelec 1035A main monitors and an array of smaller close-field monitors from B&W, KRK, ATC and Yamaha are intended to accommodate all genres of music, and are interchangeable between the two control rooms. The collection of mic preamplifiers come from the likes of Neve, Millennia Media, API, Great River and others, while the hub of the recording set-up is based around a Mac Pro 8 core computer running Pro Tools HD and UAD quad systems. Studio 2 is fitted out with an identical Pro Tools rig to Studio 1 so that projects can be transferred or worked on simultaneously without any problems of compatibility. Outboard equipment includes items from familiar industry manufacturers, with Neve, Neumann, Urei, Hear-back, AKG, beyerdynamic, ATC, Lexicon, Smart Research, API, GRE, GML, Eventide, TC Electronic, ATC, KRK and Yamaha all represented.

The microphone collection at the studio is constantly expanding but already includes an impressive array of classics from Neumann (U87s, KM100s, KM84i), AKG (414s, 451s, D112s) and Sennheiser (421s, MKH30s), as well as B&K 4006s, Coles 4038s and Manley gold reference mics – which are quickly becoming a modern-day classic.

Having previously mixed bands such as Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, Sugababes, and Mika, engineer Dario Dendi recently completed two of the pilot sessions at the studio: ‘Karma Sound has an extremely relaxing vibe – the food is amazing, staff are reserved and efficient and everyone is willing to go out of his way to make sure the clients are happy,’ he says. ‘I was particularly impressed with the beautiful live room, awesome drum sound and the very well balanced acoustic environment in the control room. It was a pleasure to mix.’

‘The equipment side of things has passed with flying colours,’ Mr Smart reports. ‘Our latest pilot session with classical German guitar legend Hucky Eichelmann has produced an amazing album ahead of schedule and was done completely in-house.’

The studio has already played host to a couple of projects by way of experimenting with the new facility and is fully booked for January and February of 2010, with new British band Honey Ryder – who supported Will Young on a recent UK tour and at the Royal Albert Hall – being followed by rock legends, Placebo.

‘I think managers and musicians will be surprised at the incredible value that Karma Sound presents – the rates are eminently manageable in this troubled financial climate,’ Mr Craker reflects. ‘Bands will find they quickly amortise the cost of air fares – especially when balanced with the five-star treatment and the extraordinary Thai food and the luxurious aspect of the accommodation.’

Karma Sound, Thailand: +66 8 7937 7340

www.karmasoundstudios.com