Rough Magic Studios Joins Forces With The End in Greenpoint

Rough Magic Studios – the recording and rehearsal facility that’s been located in the Pencil Factory in Greenpoint – has relocated its recording studio to The End just down the block.

Occupying The End’s Studio B, Rough Magic now has access to the brand-new facility’s multiple tracking spaces, including its 100-capacity live venue.

Rough Magic manager Joe “Moose” Demby – who previously managed Chung King Studios – says the move allows Rough Magic to expand and at the same time separate the long-term and hourly rehearsal spaces from the commercial recording studio, which caters to clients such as Talib Kweli and Kyp Malone of TV On The Radio.

“I really wanted to separate the rehearsal rooms and recording spaces – it doesn’t always go so well to have them right next to each other,” says Demby. “So we’ve turned the original studio space into another long-term rehearsal space (for Kid Savant) and we’ll continue to maintain a number of other long-term and short-term rehearsal rooms and writing studios over in the original location.

Meanwhile, The End’s B room is a step up for Rough Magic’s studio clients. “It’s a really good fit for us,” says Demby. “It’s a gorgeous space…and definitely a bit more polished, so I can bring some of my clients from Chung King that I wasn’t able to bring to the other space.”

Rough Magic’s new spread at The End

To get setup at The End, Demby hired Billy Cameron to wire the second live room (which doubles as an art gallery) and live music venue for additional tracking into Studio B, which already had a window and ties into the facility’s main Studio A tracking room. They also cut a window into the interior wall so the control room now has a line of sight into both of the main tracking rooms.

“It’ll be great to have that venue space wired up so we can reamp in there, or get super big drum sounds, or offer stage rehearsals with recording capabilities,” adds Demby. “There are a lot of bands that need more than what our other hourly rehearsal rooms can hold. Like the Balkan Beat Box are doing a show later this week, and needed a full stage to rehearse their live set, and it made more sense to put them over here in the End’s venue where there’s a full stage, a real PA and one of the owners, Brian Crowe, is a live sound engineer.”

In the meantime, Rough Magic has relocated its mic collection, select instruments and amps, and studio gear – including ORAM Octasonic, Vintech and BAEs, Neve 33609 and Universal Audio 610s – into the new studio, which is equipped with Pro Tools HD and C24 controller.

The move is a win-win for both The End and Rough Magic who are essentially joining forces in the process – pooling gear, instruments, space, expertise and, ultimately, clients.

So far in the new space, Rough Magic chief engineer Alby Cohen has been working with Kyp Malone on his solo project, Rain Machine, and Kieran Hebden aka Four Tet has been mixing a new project.

Click for more on Rough Magic and to book a session. And visit The End at http://www.theendnyc.com.

Please note: When you buy products through links on this page, we may earn an affiliate commission.