Why The Record Co. Trusts Earthworks Mics

We here at Earthworks are always thankful to be in the company of such great partners in the audio world - and we're also thankful that we get to share some of their insights with you.

Today, we're talking with Matt McArthur and Jamie Rowe of The Record Co.

First off, can you provide some background on who you are and what The Record Co. is?

I’m Matt McArthur, the founder and Executive Director of The Record Co. (our friends call us TRC!) TRC is a nonprofit community music workspace in Boston. We have a brand new 20-room facility for recording, rehearsing and gathering. Think of it like a community center, but instead of a pool we have a recording studio.

How did TRC first learn about Earthworks mics?

I’m going to turn these next two over to our Studio Operations Manager Jamie Rowe. He’s a very skilled recording engineer and is responsible for all technical training, maintenance, and client support.

Jamie: Primarily through our staff using them at other facilities in town, and also recommendations from many of the freelance recording engineers who use our space! I'd say Earthworks mics are pretty synonymous with high quality and clear audio. We have lots of robust, consumer level equipment in our collection, but as we started to compile a list of "nice" things to have in our new facility... Earthworks popped up right away!

What does TRC typically use Earthworks mics for, and in your view, what makes Earthworks mics different from other mics out there?

Jamie: I tend to notice lots of pop, jazz, and R&B sessions going for the Earthworks mics - particularly for drum or piano tracking. We have the DK7 kit and the PM40 piano mic system, those get used pretty much every day! I think a lot of young engineers now are leaning towards getting very pristine recordings in the studio, and then taking those files home to mix or craft a new vibe in the box. Engineers know if they grab the Earthworks mics, they'll have plenty of headroom to work quickly and still get a professional sounding recording.

How did TRC get its start?

The initial idea was really simple: let’s build a recording studio that doesn’t belong to anyone because it belongs to everyone. I’d noticed that a lot of recording spaces were prohibitively expensive or you had to know someone or they belonged to an institution or being gate-kept in some way. I wanted to created a place where anyone could walk in, get hands on with useful recording tools in a welcoming environment, and make cool stuff.

In 2011 we opened our first (very) homemade recording studio. A couple years later we built a second room in the same building. Those two rooms grew to host 1,400 recording sessions for more than 3,500 music makers each year, we were turning people away every day, so we decided to build a new space. In 2020?we embarked on a staggering 12,500 square foot, multi-million dollar renovation to build the new space. It opened in January of 2021 and we’re already hosting almost 600 sessions each month.

What does a typical day at TRC look like?

It’s a party of course! The studio support team shows up around 10am to begin prepping for the day. Most important step: brew the coffee. Clients begin showing up at 11am for rehearsals, writing sessions, recording projects: you name it. Throughout a typical day we’ll host meetings with partner organizations like Beats by Girlz, fix at least 2 or 3 pieces of gear that need a little love, connect with donors about supporting our work philanthropically, and turn over every studio in the house at least once. At 6pm the studio support staff has a shift change, night crew shows up to host sessions as late at 1:30am. And right about 2am the day’s shift captain locks the door and heads home to get some sleep.

And finally, do you have any takeaways or insight from being at TRC that you could share with our followers?

I feel a little uncomfortable saying this to the makers of such excellent gear, but’s not always about the gear. A great carpenter can build a beautiful house with a crappy hammer. A great drummer can make a Fisher Price drum set sound good. Good tools make capturing the human elements, the human EXCELLENCE of a musical performance that much easier. We focus most of our time and energy on creating a environment that feels welcoming and inspiring so the human aspects of music can find their way out. If there happens to be a really high quality microphone open in the room at that moment of inspiration, then it’s probably going to be a good day.