A & R Studios
A & R Recording Inc. was an American major independent studio recording company founded in 1958 by Jack Arnold and Phil Ramone.
Before founding A & R Recording in 1958, Arnold and Ramone had been working at JAC Recording, Inc.; Arnold had been a partner at JAC. The "A" and "R" initials were derived from their surnames. But also, Arnold and Ramone relished the idea that their initials and company name matched the industry acronym for "artist and repertoire," an important avocation in the recording industry.
Jack Arnold ended his association with A & R Recording shortly after co-founding it, due to health issues.
The original studio was in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on the 4th floor of Mogull's Film & TV building at 112 West 48th Street. The studio was named "Studio A1." The "A" stood for "Arnold." Manny's — a famous music instrument retailer — was one-half of the first 3 floors; Mogull's Film & TV was the other half. Jim and Andy's Bar, an important hangout for studio musicians was next door at 116 West 48th Street. Ramone installed an intercom from the studio to Jim & Andy's to call for musicians if someone didn't show-up.
In the first studio, Ramone quickly gained a reputation as a good sound engineer and music producer, in particular for his use of innovative technology. According to David Simons, author, the original studio at 112 West 48th St., which was started on a shoestring budget, remains Ramone's greatest legacy.
The studio was designed for the purpose of doing demos. According to Ramone, the room, 11.5 metres (38 ft) by 12 metres (39 ft), had an incredibly unique sound. He attributed much of it to the height of 3.6 metres (12 ft) and before long clients were requesting to do their final tapes there and in no uncertain terms letting it be known that this was no mere demo studio. In a short period of time, Ramone felt the need to upgrade the equipment.
In October 1967, A & R purchased Columbia's Studio A on the 7th floor at 799 7th Avenue at 52nd Street and leased the space, which consisted of about 10,000 square feet (929.0304 m2)Columbia had owned the studio since the 1930s.
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