Business of the Week: Riverworks Studio, Dobbs Ferry
At the old Pickwick Theatre, 39 Cedar St., Dobbs Ferry, there’s a whole lot of music going on.
At street level, The Muzic Store, is full of musical instruments for sale and rent, with sheet music on display and people bringing in their cherished instruments for repair. There’s information about a Disc Jockey service and live bands for weddings and corporate events through an affiliate called Stolen Moments, but in the back, down several corridors and behind the stage of the original theatre, in the virtual heart of the old building, is a magical place where true audiophiles practice their art in a studio run by Paul Scattaretico and his brother Peter.
The two brothers started their music business back in 1985, when the main emphasis was on recording and working with different talent, producing titles and helping to get them into distribution. Peter’s love was the drums and Rock and Roll. Paul played piano and favored a hybrid of classical music and jazz.
In the early days the focus was on vinyl and the advent of the digital music CD began to change the way music was produced. Today, the brothers are proud to say they are one of the few recording studios around that records in analog as well as digital for enhanced production quality, and the result is what they and their clients claim is a more highly polished and pure sound.
With so much digital music production software out in the general consumer market, musicians looking to get their original pieces into the hands of advertising companies or record labels think they can create a master on their own, says Paul. The truth is that when they come into a studio like Riverworks, they enter into a whole new world. The professional knowledge and quality of the recording equipment and even some of the instruments available for use – such as a Hammond B1 Organ B3, purchased by Paul in 1975 and maintained to perfection over the years, is what can give them the edge over other songwriters.
Because the studio is buried deep within the confines of an old theater there is no ambient noise filtering in. The walls are very thick, which means no music going out and no noise coming in. The studio design, including two isolation booths, was done by John Storyk, who also did Electric Lady Land.
“Every wall is angled to get the best recording quality,” Paul explained.
In addition to the Hammond organ, there is a seven-foot Kawai grand piano and other musical instruments available for their clients use. As well, there are vintage high-end microphones made by Neuman and AKG all over the studio, Avion headphones, and in the mixing booth, Pro Tools HD is the quality product of choice.
Having worked with some of the great artists over the years, Paul and Peter have touched on fame several times. They understand the difficulty of getting original works out into distribution and for them, no project is too big or too small, each is unique, with special requirements.
The studio is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Much of the work they do happens overnight during the early morning hours, when creativity seems to peak, says Paul.
For more information visit www.muzicstore.com, like Riverworks Studio on Facebook, or stop by at 39 Cedar St., Dobbs Ferry. A whole world of musical creativity and entertainment awaits.
