Share Your Studio Horror Stories

[PSN Big Al]

Tales from the trenches...

What's the weirdest or most dangerous thing that's ever happened to you in the studio?


Client take all your gear at gunpoint?

Singer fall over dead after hitting an unusually high note?

Clay Aiken hit on you? (Men only)


Regale us with your riveting stories of danger and intrigue!


.

[Charles Dye]

Nice thread!

Let me dig 1 up, there's gotta be @ least 1.

[Shan]

Tales from the trenches...

What's the weirdest...

Here is one of the very many:

I was getting ready to record this singer(I mean waveform donor:grin: ) Everything was prepped and ready to go. I heard the singer checking his mic thru the monitors. He was saying "check one two three...I cant hear myself". I give him some headphone gain and he says, "Check, check, I still cant hear myself". I give him even more gain that would make your ears bleed. He started getting irritated and said, "check, check I cant f**kin' hear myself!" I check all the connections and patchbay etc in the control room. Now he's starting to get really pissed. :icon_eek: I finally look over at him through the glass. I walked out of the control room, opened the door to the ISO booth and looked at him. I then said, "put your headphones on", in which he replied, "Oh". :Roll eyes:

:lol: :lol:

Shane

[PSN Big Al]

:lol:

[Spock]

This was a told to me by an AE over 20 years ago. We were doing a demo tape for our band, at his small studio, 30 second clips of about 6 songs. We have just finshed all the basic tracking and were clearing the drums out to do the vocals, and were taking a food break.

By this time he's getting to know us a bit and just letting things fly a bit, kind of like a Slippy rank. He said something, and then looked at us kind of strange, and said, I hope you guys don't mind me cursing a bit. We said, no, its all cool.

He said he got into big trouble last week. He had a christian/country group in that was having trouble geting things done. After a trainwreck of a take he pushed the talkback and wanted to say, "OK, you country folks...", but it came out...





"OK, you country fucks...."

[PSN Big Al]

Yee-HAW! :lol:

[FredSanford]

Never anything at gunpoint, but I did have a bass player threaten to throw a hot "cup of noodles" at me. He got his very own red shirt mix, but his band mates still rib him about being a "tough guy" to this day.

[PSN Big Al]

I did have a bass player threaten to throw a hot "cup of noodles" at me.

What flavor?

[Old Man]

This story only proves that my handle is accurate:

Many years ago I was working as a tech at one of the largest studios on the planet. When getting a room ready for a session, we would put up the 24 track tone reel that came with the session or if the session was new we would align either to house tones or to what the engineer for the session spec'd, align Dolbys, etc.
Typically at the end of playback tones was a record pad separated by leader.

Also at this time it was typical to leader between takes and songs on master reels. Do you see where this is going?

Also you should know that we were using paper leader because people were paranoid about the 3m leader leaking ink into tape. When the paper leader went over the heads, you could hear it, sort of a mild scraping noise.

One day as a joke I took the TONES REEL and at the leader AFTER the record pad I labeled it as if it was the tail leader of the master of the song that we'd be working on that day. When we were setting record with all 24 tracks in red, all could hear the leader go by at the end of the pad and when the labled leader went by everyone thought that we had wiped the master. Funny Huh?

I will never understand why they didn't kill me. :icon_eek:

[PSN Big Al]

:icon_eek: :icon_eek: :icon_eek:

[otek]

I have told this story once before at the old RecPit, and while it's not exactly "dangerous", it was plenty uncomfortable.



Once I was working at a studio which had the control room in the basement of an old movie theater, with tie lines running up to the actual theater room. We were sheduled to start tracking on Monday, after loading in and setting up on Friday and taking the weekend off.

When we returned to the studio on Monday morning, we were greeted by a rather bleak and exhausted-looking studio manager, who quickly gave us a recounting of the weekend's events.

This particular studio had its rest rooms located right outside the control room door, and shared its sewage system with an adjacent fast food restaurant. Apparently, sometime during the weekend, a stoppage in the sewer lines had backed up the entire system, and the torrent of assorted swill - a potent mixture of fries, gone-over meat products, cooking grease, rotting lettuce and human excrement - had found its way through to the only possible exit, namely the two thrones in the studio's bathroom stalls.

The manager told me that as he entered the place on Saturday morning, the whole floor was covered with about an inch of the stuff. The smell alone had almost caused him to pass out.

So for the rest of that fateful weekend, the studio manager and his trusty assistant used the tried and true method of sorting the mess with shovels, and later mops and buckets, as well as ample amounts of Pine-Sol. Of course, no detergent completely rids the room of the underlying smell, so for the rest of that week, we spent our time tracking with grim determination, engulfed in a silent but deadly cloud of this most evil olfactory concoction - with frequent breaks for air and a smoke.



Fresh air never smelled quite so good before.

[PSN Big Al]

Oh lordy...and I was eating breakfast while I read this. :icon_eek:

Well, I'm good until tomorrow now. :Uh oh:

[spkguitar]

I love threads like this.

Many years ago, I was working in one of those DA-88/ADAT project studios that seemed to be prevalent in the mid 90s. We had a band booked for a late evening session, and I was playing assistant engineer for the night (read: gofer). It was a rather unusual night, as it had started snowing early in the evening, and by 2am, the ground was covered.

I was up front in the reception area taking care of some biz and I heard a "pop, pop" noise outside that sounded like gunfire. I looked out of the window to see a truck speeding through the parking lot and sliding and smashing into parked cars in the snow. My thought was "Yep, that was gunfire", and went to give the engineer a heads up.

A short while later, the police came in inquiring if any of the occupants in the studio that evening were owners of the cars that were hit out in the parking lot. Luckily, none were, but after inquiring what was going on, we discovered that the hispanic eatery across the parking lot had just gotten it's license to serve alcohol and things had gone a little stereo-typical; someone had gotten drunk and then gotten shot. The police officer related that it might possibly have been gang related and recommended that we all leave ASAP.

The band was having none of that; they had made plans to be there all night anyway because of the snow. So we locked the front door, turned out the lights in reception, and made sure to stay back in the studio area, away from any stray bullets, into the early morning.

They were a metal band, and were extemely happy with the tracks recorded that evening. They claimed they had a lot of "Aggressive energy". :grin:

[PSN Big Al]

...someone had gotten drunk and then gotten shot. So we locked the front door, turned out the lights in reception, and made sure to stay back in the studio area, away from any stray bullets, into the early morning.

NOW we're talkin'! :Twisted:

[FajitaTone]

...we discovered that the hispanic eatery across the parking lot had just gotten it's license to serve alcohol and things had gone a little stereo-typical...

so you sayn' hispanics get homicidal when they get drunk? is that what your'e sayin?


:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[PSN Big Al]

so you sayn' hispanics get homicidal when they get drunk? is that what your'e sayin?

"...llllllllet's get ready to rrrrRRRRumbllllllllllle!"

:Coolio:


.

[con mucho gusto]

so you sayn' hispanics get homicidal when they get drunk? is that what your'e sayin?


:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:



i was gonna jump on that one...





though i'm perpin. :Coolio:

[spkguitar]

so you sayn' hispanics get homicidal when they get drunk? is that what your'e sayin?
Nah.
just gotten it's license to serve alcohol and things had gone a little stereo-typical; someone had gotten drunk and then gotten shot.What I'm saying is; Drunks + alcohol + new place = stereo-typical hijynx³.

The adjective hispanic was describing the eatery, not the drunks! Drunks in general are stereo-typically rowdy (myself included ;) )

[Charles Dye]

Oh, man... that petered out waaaaayyyyyy too quickly.


:fatdrunkenboxerguy: : fatdrunkenboxerguy: : fatdrunkenboxerguy:

[PSN Big Al]

Oh, man... that petered out waaaaayyyyyy too quickly.


Come on Charles...say something really inflammatory! :Twisted:

[Charles Dye]

You guyz r a bunch of pussies!!!



SG, ya know u were dissin hispanics. Stop denying it. Stand up for yourself. Be a man!



And CMG + FT, u guyz beat the living crap out of him for dissin hispanics.



:twodrunkenboxerguys: :twodrunkenboxerguys: :twodrunkenboxerguys:

[PSN Big Al]

LOL Yeah boy-eee! Let's you and him fight! :Twisted:

[spkguitar]

Actually, I think the shooter and shootee were african-american.

:grin:

[PSN Big Al]

I also heard the shoother was a woman, and that she was
grossley underpaid for the shooting as compared to her
male counterpart who took part in a similar shooting the
night before. :D

[Charles Dye]

Holy CRAP, Al!!!!!


Thatz way 2 funny!!


! :lol: ! :lol: ! :lol: ! :lol: !

[spkguitar]

I'm not sure if this horror story is one of client stupidity, or incredibly idiotic studio design, but...


I was working at the same studio as the shooting from earlier in this thread. The guys that designed the place weren't the brightest bulbs in the pack. The control room had a drop ceiling in it, with open warehouse space above. We also had practice rooms in the back of this warehouse space, with a big hallway in the middle and bathrooms between them. The space above the practice rooms was open warehouse space as well, but the ceiling was solid there. The owners had built the space up there with intentions of making it a "lounge" but it never got finished so all that was up there was a pool table, and it was open to the entire warehouse space.

So one night tracking in the studio, out of nowhere this dude falls straight though the drop ceiling into the control room, smashing one of the MIDI keyboards on his way down.

Apparently, someone had taken a wild cue shot, and the ball went flying across the upper warehouse space landing on the drop ceiling. So this dude climbed past the open hallway across the top of the bathroom to retrieve it, but apparently didn't understand the basic concepts of physics with regards to drop ceilings.

Kind of funny now, but it wasn't then. He took a trip to the hospital and the studio owner's insurance covered it all except the MIDI keyboard replacement.

[Comte de St Germain]

I used to do sponsor an event on Elvis' birthday which was a concert that allowed different local musicians (from punks to crooners) to get up with a crack band called 2,000 Prescriptions we'd put together for the event.

Two nights before the gig we would rehearse at at the studio and the different musos were on a schedule so we could let them in, do their bit and they'd leave and we'd let the next musi in...

During one of the changeovers we're all hanging around in the big room and the drummer comes in, looks at the keyboard player and says: "Hey JJ, there are some dudes driving off in your Suburban." No emotion, no nothing until the keyboardist asks if he's serious and when answered runs out the door to find his truck gone.

Not much of a horror story but the fact that the drummer acted like nothing was wrong and just reported it, made for an interesting rehearsal and gig.

Duh um.




Then there was that time when the landlord asked to see the room renovations while a metal guitarist was playing solos in the buff.

[jord]

My "horror stories" was more of a case of God wasn't finished with me down here just yet...

15 years ago, I had a project studio set up in the basement of our old house and, because of the small size of the house, it was right next to the laundry room. One night as I was wrapping some recording, I had just taken off my electric guitar when I suddenly heard a bang. Our water heater burst and before I knew it, the whole basement was flooded around me and I was in bare feet at the time. Fortunately, all of the equipment was well above the flood and the only real damage I ensued was salt water damage to my (now) 30 year old Ibanez 2630 semi-acoustic. I have managed to restore all of the wiring and stuff, but there still seems to have some salty deposits somewhere on it that I find hard to locate, let alone remove (I think it's the pickguard, which I may remove and soak in some CLR). It does make me wonder what may have happened if I had decided to do one more guitar take.

In the same house 6 years after (ie., 10 years ago), I was wrapping up another "session" and it was around midnight. My wife went out bowling with her friends. I heard a pop and fizzle in the basement (no, not in the laundry room). All of a sudden, huge sparks were flying out of our electrical box which was about 7 feet away from me. I bolted upstairs and grabbed all of the kids and got them out of the house (including our youngest at the time who was 2). The fire crew and hydro got the sparks contained with nothing catching fire. What happened was the ground shifted where my house is and the main conduit from the transformer to my house ripped away from our hydro meter, shorting against the house. We stayed at my wife's friend's place for the night while hydro replaced the entire conduit and our hydro meter.

Fortunately, we moved out of that house a year later...

jord

[PSN Big Al]

Fortunately, we moved out of that house a year later...

:icon_eek: :icon_eek: :icon_eek: :icon_eek: :icon_eek:

[PSN John Davidson]

Big Al, I was in a post session at the big TV studio that I work at once. We were recording narration, so only me, a producer, and VO talent. We notice a figure at the door behind us to the side. It's a man, dressed in all black with a black ski-mask over his head. He opens the door to come in and puts his finger up to his lips in the "ssshhhhhhh" style, and walks slowly across the back of my mix room.
After "crapping" myself, he continued through, and went into the VO booth, and walked out the other side. All three of us thought we were going to be murdered. We locked the doors, and immediately called our security and HR.

Turns out the guy was a crazy security guard, and has done this to other people. I physically talked to the state police about it, and they said there is no law prohibiting someone from dressing like that. Turns out, this guard was insane and got a kick out of it I guess. He also wore glasses, without the glass...just the frames....hahaha

[Goes211]

...Turns out the guy was a crazy security guard, and has done this to other people. I physically talked to the state police about it, and they said there is no law prohibiting someone from dressing like that. Turns out, this guard was insane and got a kick out of it I guess. He also wore glasses, without the glass...just the frames....hahaha

What do you mean ?
I do this myself on week-ends.



















:lol:
err. not really.
That's really freaky.

[PSN Big Al]

After "crapping" myself, he continued through, and went into the VO booth, and walked out the other side. All three of us thought we were going to be murdered. We locked the doors, and immediately called our security and HR.

LOL Did you ever get back at him?

[volthause]

Big Al, I was in a post session at the big TV studio that I work at once. We were recording narration, so only me, a producer, and VO talent. We notice a figure at the door behind us to the side. It's a man, dressed in all black with a black ski-mask over his head. He opens the door to come in and puts his finger up to his lips in the "ssshhhhhhh" style, and walks slowly across the back of my mix room.
After "crapping" myself, he continued through, and went into the VO booth, and walked out the other side. All three of us thought we were going to be murdered. We locked the doors, and immediately called our security and HR.

Turns out the guy was a crazy security guard, and has done this to other people. I physically talked to the state police about it, and they said there is no law prohibiting someone from dressing like that. Turns out, this guard was insane and got a kick out of it I guess. He also wore glasses, without the glass...just the frames....hahaha

Holy crap. I'm LMAO here. I'm sure it sucked at the time, but that is totally hysterical.

[PSN John Davidson]

Big Al....get back at him? You stay away from people like that!!!

Volt...It did suck....He looked like the guys who came to get Hussein at his execution. We all froze solid, and didn't move. I don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but I thought I was seconds away from being shot by a man in a ski-mask. It's funny as hell now, but it's a feeling I can't explain.....Now I got a shotgun under my console...hahaha

[PSN John Davidson]

Oh Volt....I got another one if I can do 2.....
I was final mixing in my work studio, so I'm barracaded in my mix room, doing my thing. It isn't unusual for me to go hours not seeing anyone. So I'm behind my SSL , solo, waist deep into my mix. The main mix door .....way to my side opens, and in come a fireman in full dress.....oxygen mask and tank and all.
He freezes and looks at me pissed, as I looked at him the same. We have this moment of extreme confusion, and I hear him say through his mask...."What the F are you doing in here?" Stupidly and confused, I returned with "Mixin', What are YOU doing in here!"
He tells me the building's roof is on fire and the alarm has been going off. Well, my rooms lights and alarm were dead! I rush outside to see a wall of firetrucks with lights a blazin', not to mention 220 employees staring at me. My supervisor who is supposed to account for my where-abouts is out there eating donuts. Gee...thanks.....hahahaha

[jord]

Now I got a shotgun under my console...hahaha

I have a set of Katana (Samurai Swords) in my studio, and I know how to use them. :grin:

jord

[slabrock]

I wasn't the engineer in this session, but I'll tell it anyway. This happened something like 15-20 years ago.

A band was due in a studio. It was midwinter, very cold and snowing. The bass player comes riding a bicycle, bass on his back and without a case. He comes in the studio, brushes most of the snow off the bass, plugs in and starts playing.

We listen in horrified silence.

After a while the engineer says, very politely: "Could you please tune up the bass, please?"

The bass player gets angry. He puts down the bass and storms in the control room shouting: "I borrowed this bass from a guy who's been playing bass for 30 years! Surely he knows more about having a bass in tune than you!"

The engineer looks like he's carved out of marble. Without blinking an eye he says: "Maybe he didn't use pre-tuned strings this time, then?"

Now the bass player gets all excited. "Pre-tuned strings! Wow! That would solve all my problems!"

The engineer points to the telephone: "Maybe you should order a set for your own bass too, then, while you're at it."

-

This story was true.

Peace,

Slabrock

[PSN Big Al]

"Maybe he didn't use pre-tuned strings this time, then?"

ROFL Priceless! :lol: