by Christopher Walsh          Roslyn Heights, NY-just 20 miles from Manhattan and directly off the Long Island Expressway, Sabella Recording Studio is a commercial facility that has steadily boosted its profile as clients have found success with recordings made here.          The addition of Flying Faders automation, in late 1999, has also contributed to Sabella's rise among the mid-level recording facilities of

the region. But ownerJames Sabella, a guitarist, producer and engineer, is supplying more than equipment and space-his experience and ear for arrangements and production are producing a growing track record of bands signing major label deals on the strength of their work at Sabella.
          Designed and built by Frank Comentale, Sabella is a one-room, floated facility featuring a Neve 8068 Mk II console. An appreciation for Neve boards-and analog gear such as Pultec tube EQs, of which Sabella has nine-comes from James Sabella's acquaintance with John King of New York's Chung King Studios, he recalls. "He was my early mentor," says Sabella. "He also turned me on to Pultecs and all that kind of stuff. One of the reasons we did Public Enemy's first album is because we had Pultecs here. They wanted a big bottom. John turned thetn onto that."
         With equipment comparable to-but rates lower than-Manhattan's better rooms, Sabella began hosting more New York-based clients after recording several punk bands for a Johnny Thunders tribute album. But it was Long Island-based Marcy Playground, whose eponymous 1997 Capitol release was recorded at Sabella, that better defines the studio and its owner.
"It was a group thing," says Sabella. "It wasn't me, but I was the focal point. These guys walked in and didn't know anything about this console. We work with them. The bands come in, we help them out with arrangements. We are a production team- we listen to records, we show them why records sound a certain way. We make a musical connection." Shapeshifter, the followup to Marcy Playground, was also recorded here.
         That success was recently repeated when the group Nine Days signed to Sony/550 Music, and for Sabella, is further confirmation that his services extend beyond recording. "I want to be a producer-I don't just record," he says, adding that he hopes to formalize and acknowledge his abilities as a producer with a position at a major label, discussions for which are underway. "I know how a record should sound, arrangement-wise. Most bands I work with get to that level, once they work with me. Now, I'm looking to get involvedon the contract level."
          Meanwhile, the clients flocking to Sabella on the basis of Marcy Playground's success enabled its owner to install Flying Faders, replacing an earlier automation system. His only regret , Sabella says, is that he didn't do this sooner. "The console is one thing, but Flying Faders, to me, is the most incredible automation out there. I wish I could have afforded it 10 years ago. A lot of producers came through here-Michael Barbiero, Steve Thompson-many, many times. They were coming up in their careers again, and we did so many 12-inches and one-song remixes. Mike and Steve's careers escalated. I know (the previous automation) wasn't to their liking; it was archaic. If I'd had Flying Faders then, we'd have fared a lot better." Now, he adds, Sabella is a "great boutique mixing room."
PRO SOUND NEWS / March 2000