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Big Red’s Trident TSM (40 input, 32 monitor, 24 bus) was hand built in England and first belonged to Jose Feliciano.

 Shortly thereafter it became the centerpiece for San Francisco’s legendary recording studio: The Automatt.

With David Rubinson, Fred Catero and the gang , it was used on countless Gold and Platinum records including those by Santana, Herbie Hancock, The Pointer Sisters, Journey, Con Funk Shun, Jefferson Starship, Sister Sledge and many more. Later, it migrated a few miles north to Tarpan Studios where Narada Michael Walden made hit after hit (Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey et al.) on it.

The sound is big, warm and very analog. It was meticulously maintained by Doc Shaffer in the bay area and was commissioned at Big Red Studio May, 2000.

It is now maintained by Alan Garren Waltzing Bear Audio

About 12 years ago I was at the Oregon Country Fair where I play violin with a crazy modern vaudeville troop every July. From a distance, (the fair is set on 200 acres of forests, paths and meadows), I heard the sound of a drum.

I followed the sound about 20 minutes to its source and found Jarrod Kaplan playing his Djembe with a unique and melodic style. I introduced myself and we fast became friends. Jarrod soon after found a wonderful Senegalese Djembe for me, ever since a fixture at Big Red. And Jarrod became a regular session player, providing great sounds and playing on many of my productions. For each session, Jarrod would bring a van full of percussion instruments and would set up a “kit” consisting of a Djembe, 2 dumbeks, shakers and bells on his ankles, splash cymbals, bell trees and a large orchestral bass drum.

What a sound!

Jarrod began his creative life early, as a childhood actor in New York. He was in the cast of “The Guiding Light” soap opera and appeared in numerous commercials. He left acting and went to music school. Since moving to the west coast, Jarrod founded and toured extensively with Trillian Green, Hanuman and Taarka, three distinct and well-known high energy jam bands. It was great co-producing 3 CDs for the latter two.

Anyway, Jarrod auditioned for and received a call to be a member of the band for a new production of Cirque de Soleil. He left Oregon this New Years Day for two months of rehearsals in Montreal to be followed by two years of world tours.
I am happy for Jarrod’s deserved success and look forward to seeing him when Cirque de Soleil comes through Oregon.

Guitar wizard and longtime Big Red client Dan Crary has really done it this time with his San Diego world premiere of “Primal Twang”: The Legacy of the Guitar — the first definitive theatrical journey through the guitar’s colorful and surprisingly controversial 3500-year history.

The show was filmed for a TV special and a DVD… with five cameras and 80 tracks of Protools! I attended the show and was blown away hearing sixteen of the world’s greatest living guitarists in a 4 hour concert that felt like 5 minutes. Big Red Studio clients Beppe Gambetta, Mason Williams, and John Doan were also in the show and visiting with them and meeting Eric Johnson, Albert Lee, Doc Watson and others l at the cast party was a real treat.