Recording Studio

About the Studio

The Albany area's Premier Recording and Production Studio...

The most important aspect of a great recording is the feel of the music, and achieving a great feel depends greatly on the comfort level of the musician(s).  Whether you play your best in your rehearsal room, your living room or on stage, our first goal is to make you feel as comfortable as you would in one of these places.  We'll strive to get you a great headphone mix, or if you prefer no headphones at all, that's fine too. Would you like us to simply capture you doing your thing, or would you rather have us help you along with the input of our experienced engineers and producers?  What ever makes you comfortable.  We at Blue Sky are musicians first, and we know what it's like to be on "the other side of the glass".

Whether you're creating in our recording studio, getting your album mixed, mastered or transferring a record to CD ...you'll love what you hear!  We proudly put our heart & soul into everything we do, and we stand behind our services.

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Audio CD Mastering

Take your mix to the next level!

Your recording should sound great whether it's played on a boom box, headphones, computer speakers, home stereo or a P.A. system... period.

The mastering engineer, through skillful use of EQ, multi-band compression, and stereo phasing techniques, will add a great amount of clarity and can actually bring out subtleties in your mix.  The mastering process also includes song sequencing and spacing, level matching, fades, noise reduction (if necessary), and raising the overall level to commercial standards ("radio ready").  Mastering is the most under-rated step in the recording process, and when done with care, it can give your music the finishing touch it deserves.

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Music Production Services

Yes, even you can benefit from a producer...

Why do most major artists use an outside producer?  A producer has the ability to see the song (and album) from an outside perspective, aware of what is translating as a whole from the speakers to the listener.  A good producer also has the musical skills and the ability to know how to arrange instruments and vocals so they create a good feel and don't step on each other - a good mix starts with the arrangement!  Artists and songwriters, who have usually been with their music since the beginning, often hear it only one way.  This can put them too 'inside' their music, preventing them from seeing the full potential of their songs and their ability to musically reach people.  If there are lyrics, without a stellar musical vehicle, they won't reach anyone either.  A set of fresh ears can hear improvements in things such as tempo, time feel, key, instrumentation, or song form for example.  If the bass player is playing the same rhythm as the guitar & keys, perhaps a contrasting rhythm or line can bring out the funk, getting more people to dance or tap their feet.  Maybe the song's beautifully cruising along, but there's suddenly a weak chord change that brings the song down, or there's a chord that needs to be held longer going into the chorus in order to give the band time to build into it.  Or maybe the vocalist is singing with the wrong attitude, detracting from the meaning of the lyric.  Maybe there's an instrument or a background vocal arrangement that would bring the chorus to life.  The goal of the producer is to breathe new life into the song by bringing out the best in the band or artist, or if there is no band, hiring the best studio musicians and hearing the best arrangement for the song.  Also, a good producer is not a dictator - he will keep the artist's vision in tact, and will listen to ideas from the artist or the band as well.

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Improve Home Recording

Do you make your own recordings, or are you using a project studio?

Do you have a home studio or are using a professional, but smaller or less equipped studio?  If so, you should consider using Blue Sky Recording to supplement your recording capabilities.  Do you have a limited budget, but can't afford to sound like you're on a limited budget?  What's your weakest link?  Here's how we can help:

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Transfers and Restoration

Audio & Video Transfers & Restoration

Whether you have an old recording of family members from years ago, on a format that's no longer serviceable or available, or you're an investigator or litigator who needs a recorded conversation to be more intelligible, or you just want a CD of that old, noisy, favorite LP of yours, Blue Sky can help!  We can take the "pops" out of records, restore the high end & take the hiss out of tapes, or if necessary, perform some "major noise reduction surgery".

We also do Video Transfers! Get those old tapes, records and VHS tapes onto CD & DVD!  Contact us for more details.

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On Location Recording

Capture your live performance!

Would you like to document a special event such as a concert, recital, club gig, or even a seminar?   Or, is your band looking to create a live demo from your rehearsal space?  If you can't come to us, let us come to you!  We can record live to 2 track, which can then be mastered in the studio, or we can record to 24 track, which would then enable us to edit, mix and master in the studio for a polished product.

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Our Engineers

Scott Apicelli

Scott Apicelli, owner of Blue Sky Recording / Music Studios, graduated from the Berklee College of Music with a B.M. degree in Music Production & Engineering.  For decades he's played drums in top area bands based in both Boston and currently in the Capital Region, also taking on the role of sound technician and vocal arranger for several of these bands.  He's been recording, mixing and mastering solo acts and bands of many genres for over 30 years, and has produced many acts as well, including 2 albums for top Albany based band 'Hair of the Dog', and 3 albums for for 'Get Up Jack', the latter earning the awards "2015 Album of the Year" and "2015 Song of the Year" by Celtic Radio.net. In addition to the many hats he wears at Blue Sky, Scott currently performs with Irish-American Rock band 'Get Up Jack', Jam-band 'Raisinhead', jazz band 'the Standard Clams', is a freelance player and also teaches the audio engineering course at Blue Sky.