More on the Shore: This Asbury Park Studio Builds Up NJ Recording and Mixing

One of America’s classic music towns is the natural home for a classic recording and mixing studio:

Dug Deep founder Jack Daley has the session experience to know what’s expected from a studio.

What to think of first when the words “Asbury Park, N.J.” hit your consciousness? It could be the wide sands that make this a beloved Jersey Shore beach town, the deep live music history that launched the careers of icons like Bruce Springsteen, or the Boss’s startling 1972 debut album that gave us “Blinded by the Light”. It could also summon hours of pinball pleasure at the Silverball Museum by the boardwalk.

But why try to separate it all out? Over the decades, this beach town has become an American cultural touchstone all its own. So it’s no surprise to learn that the Asbury Park studio, Dug Deep Productions is there, founded by a hard working bass player on a deceptively simple-sounding quest to record and mix great music.

We’re talking about Jack Daley, an in-demand live touring and session man who’s played with Lenny Kravitz, the Spin Doctors, Beyonce, Naughty by Nature, Robb Thomas, and many more. His 10,000 hours onstage and in the studio with the musical elite, combined with his years of audio engineering, forged a clear concept for him: make a place where musicians and producers can do their best work.

Equipped with his personal experience, singular vision, a custom API console, and a highly creative vibe, Dug Deep is making it happen. Now dig in with Daley on how this seaside studio came to be and everything it has to offer. And next time you’re in Asbury Park, don’t just bring your beach towels – be ready to track.

Facility Name: Dug Deep Production

Location: Downtown Asbury Park, New Jersey

Date of Birth: 12/1/2020

Studio Clients/Credits: Spin Doctors , James Maddock, Brad Butcher, Marc Ribler ,Marius Mueller Westernhagen, Mark Rivera,  Waiting on Mongo, Brother Andrew, Mr. Ticklehands, The Uneasy

Recorded Here:

Neighborhood Advantages: Well, for starters we are just a few blocks away from The Atlantic Ocean! Secondly, Asbury Park has a huge Musical Heritage. Starting way before Bruce Springsteen’s now iconic 1973 release, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. Asbury was a stomping ground for jazz greats like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Billy Holiday, Fats Waller and many, many more. This rich musical history combined with the development of rock and roll and rhythm and blues in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s gave birth to Bruce, Little Steven VanZandt, Southside Johnny, Bon Jovi, to name just a few! Asbury has always been a party and music town! Let’s party on!!

Bass Ace: I started playing bass in the ‘70’s when the bass line was king! And the best session musician to ever live roamed the earth…

I played in several bands in upstate New York and after a three-year stint as head recording engineer in Woods End recording studio in Saratoga in 1989 I realized I had to make a move. Within two years I was in 13 bands in NYC. This led to big auditions like Lenny Krazitz. I got that gig and played with him for 14 years. When we were home I played on records with Beyonce, Naughty by Nature, Robb Thomas, Joss Stone, Alana Davis, Daryl Hall, Jason Mraz, Sara Bareilles, Phillip Phillips, Five for Fighting, Avril Lavigne, Everlast etc.

All of these studio recordings hours  and experiences shaped my idea and concepts of how I wanted my studio to feel and sound. I try to keep improving it everyday but have been thrilled with how it came out.

When it comes to preparation for a recording session as an engineer, I learned about that from being a studio musician. You have to be honest with yourself: Can you play the song arrangement from front to back by yourself confidently? If the answer is “no” you’re probably 50% prepared, and if you’re working with any of the artists I just mentioned – people like Lenny Kravitz, Bruce or Steven Van Zandt – that 50% is  gonna get you fired.

Something Good Came Out of Covid! I moved to Asbury Park in 2010. After about 20 years of very constant touring I had started to concentrate my energies on producing and mixing. My goal was to purchase a building and then build my studio. It was my first commercial real estate purchase and everything took forever.

Dug Deep’s custom API Legacy board.

About five years in I had built my wife’s yoga studio and a small facility for myself for mixing and overdubs. Directly after that I started framing Dug Deep but had also starting touring again  with several bands including a four-year stint with Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul.

Dug Deep was framed and sheetrocked but incomplete. Covid hit and I needed a job! (I played two gigs all that year – Lenny Kravitz in Davos, Switzerland and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street and on SNL). So, 12 hours a day in 2020 I was a studio builder and we opened in December of that year. If not for Covid it may still not be done.

Mission Statement: Because of my session musician background I just love the magic of live tracking! In a five-minute span nothing exists and then this piece of magic appears out of thin air! When that happens there is absolutely nothing better. I am hoping to cultivate something here like Dave Cobb has done in Nashville (at the historic RCA Studio A): Cool, soulful music that is timeless and rocks! That’s my hope for Dug Deep.

System Highlights: My API, which is basically a Legacy, predates the newer 1608 and 2448 consoles. I was looking for a summing system to mix through and noticed in a magazine a story about API’s new DSM system. I purchased one and loved it but also wanted some input strips so I got eight 7600s (channel strips) and loved them. That soon turned to 16 and then 24. So, I had a frame built by Boutique Audio and Design’s Ian Gardiner and then a custom center section with 500 rack, built by Steve Firlotte and Ian Gardiner – and tons of API parts and tweaks along the way. It was a long process! I wanted a product that was not yet available so I created it myself – not the easy way, that’s for sure.

The API and excellent outboard beckon you at Dug Deep in Asbury, Park, N.J.

My outboard gear is basically like a Noah’s Ark of all my favorite stuff in pairs.  My pride and joy  at the moment is probably my Undertone Audio UnFairchild compressor. I love it on everything from drums, bass, vocals, piano and Mix Bus! I also love my mastering Pultecs and Shadow Hills mastering compressor. We also have 16 channels of Neve 1081 and 1073 if you want that flavor. LA-2A, 1176, Distressors, Chandler Mic Cassettes, Manley SLAM!, Vari Mu, and Massive Passive. All this stuff excites me – maybe I’m weird?

Monitoring Environment: My mains are ATC SCM 110ASL which are soffit mounted. I had first heard them at Mission Sound in Williamsburg and fell in love with them, so designed the room around them being soffit mounted. I also have their SCM25A as my midfield and  ATC SCS70 subwoofer. Avantone NS10 and ADAM A7x round out monitor choices. Every part of the room design is functional in regard to sound and translation. From the angled ceiling and walls to the bass trap soffits and rear wall treatments, there’s a lot going on and it all works great in regards to knowing what you’re getting and how it will translate!

Live Room Vibes: Around 2013 I started to get completed designs back from world class studio designer Larry Swist. (Larry passed suddenly in December of 2013 – we last met on the project  in October of that year.)  I was also playing bass on many hit records in NYC around the time, and noticed that most drums were being recorded in smaller studios probably because of shrinking budgets, but this changed the sound of contemporary records maybe by accident or out of necessity. So, I told Larry I wanted a tight but big enough sound if possible and that is what we achieved. Contemporary!

It adds up in Asbury Park!

Most Memorable Session Ever: I was called to play on some songs for (the 2011 album) Beyonce 4! Drove into the city and played on three tracks. Beyonce was getting roughs as we recorded them from a different room. I received a call to come back a few days later, I played on a song written by Babyface, full Motown. I killed it with my best James Jamerson imitation. I was so thrilled and thought, “Damn, this is gonna be HUGE.” The problem with a record this big is that maybe 30 songs will be recorded and 10 will make it.

The best part was the next song we cut, “End of Time”! Me and B worked out the entire bassline together and it made the record. She said in interview that the bassline was heavily influenced by Fela Kuti. I didn’t see him there – guess it makes for better interview than this Irish dude from Albany!

Session You’d Like to Forget: I was called to play on a session for Daryl Hall soon after (longtime Hall & Oates bassist) T-Bone Wolk had passed. How do you make that work? I had played bass on Daryl’s Can’t Stop Dreaming solo record so it made sense that I received the call, but the sadness in the room was overwhelming. RIP T-Bone.

Dream Session: Probably someone unknown that just completely blew me away .That realization that you just found a star that had not been discovered yet! That would be amazing! Fingers Crossed!

— Interview with Jack Daley by David Weiss. David Weiss is an Editor for SonicScoop.com, and has been covering pro audio developments for over 20 years. He is also the co-author of the music industry’s leading textbook on synch licensing, “Music Supervision, 2^nd Edition: The Complete Guide to Selecting Music for Movies, TV, Games & New Media.” Email: david@sonicscoop.com

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