Welcome to 1979 is one of Nashville’s finest, most unique recording studios–not only in name! Established by husband and wife duo Chris and Yoli Mara, the studio is currently celebrating its 10th birthday in 2018. The massive 13,000 square-foot facility is a converted record pressing plant, so its roots have always been in music.
Welcome to 1979: A Complete Analogue Experience
As its name suggests, Welcome to 1979 is “a capsule of vintage vibe and gear unlike any other studio in the world.” The facility is one of a handful around the globe offering a complete analogue release, from tracking and mixing to vinyl mastering and lacquer cutting. While they rightfully pride themselves on such capabilities, the studio, of course, features a full Pro Tools HD rig for the modern-minded as well.
Welcome to 1979’s centerpiece is a fully restored 1978 MCI JH428 console with 20 API mic preamps. The studio also keeps a 10-channel Trident 80B sidecar handy alongside a huge collection of vintage instruments and microphones, including an original AKG C12a tube condenser and a pair of RCA 44 ribbon mics.
In addition to an entirely analogue tracking, mixing, and mastering experience, 1979 offers a variety of tape services as well. Mara Machines, the studio’s sister company, is one of the world’s largest tape machine restoration services, which specializes in restoring and modifying Sony MCI JH24 and JH110 tape machines. The company calls Welcome to 1979 home and is able to offer a variety of tape services to clients, such as analogue-to-digital transfer and archival.
Twice annually, 1979 also offers what they call “Tape Camp”–an educational experience for analogue enthusiasts–in an effort to keep classic techniques alive. It’s a fantastic way to build community and rapport amongst engineers while simultaneously giving back through education.
More Than Just a Recording Studio
Today, Welcome to 1979 operates four businesses under one roof: a recording studio, a tape machine restoration company, a vinyl mastering service, and vinyl manufacturing.
As such, the facility is the only studio in the world where a record can be tracked, cut, and plated all in the same day. Truly, Welcome to 1979 is a Nashville gem and one of the finest music production establishments on the planet.
