Basement Studio Computer
Running Cool Edit Pro
Bedroom Server Farm
When it comes to recording studios, it’s easy to obsess over gear—the mics, preamps, monitors, and plugins that shape your sound. But while equipment is critical, it’s often the overlooked details that make or break a session. A forgotten cable, an overheated amp, or even a lack of snacks can grind the creative process to a halt. That’s where this Studio Survival Guide comes in. It’s a practical checklist for everything beyond the gear—cleaning supplies, tools, food, and creature comforts—that keeps sessions running smoothly and everyone focused on making great music. Whether you’re a seasoned engineer or a first-time studio owner, this guide ensures you’re prepared for anything, so the session never skips a beat.
Tony Kuzub
Anthony Peter George Kuzub or simply Tony Kuzub, as he is better known, is a Canadian recording engineer and producer based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He is the founder of the now defunct High Voltage Recording, and is currently co-owner and head engineer of Tanda Recording.
Biography
Kuzub was born April 4, 1983 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where he attended Cardinal Leger Elementary School, and later moved to Evan Hardy Collegiate for high school . Something of a child prodigy, Kuzub showed precocious skills with computing and media equipment, often building computers from scratch, creating videos, and even establishing a viable recording studio in his mother’s basement . At the age of ten he founded his first company, Copycat Recording, which duplicated audio CD’s to cassettes for the benefit of those who did not own CD players. It was in high school that his talents truly blossomed, as he founded High Voltage recording, and began to connect with budding musicians from the Saskatoon area. He also stood out as class president during his senior year.
Career
After graduating from high school in 2001, Kuzub moved his studio to the heart of downtown Saskatoon and began to engineer professionally. He also worked briefly during this period for the Division of Media and Technology at the University of Saskatchewan, editing and arranging video for the local educational cable channel SCN . After leaving this job, he came to concentrate exclusively on recording and producing for studio High Voltage Recording, working with such notable Canadian artists as The Wheatmonkeys, Joel Plaskett, North of Shorty, Spade the Shovelhead and Jordan Cook, and later on even more high-profile acts such as The Mars Volta . His impressive resume landed him a job as an engineer at the MuchMusic Video Awards (or MMVAs) in 2004, where he worked with such artists as The Beastie Boys, Evanescence, Hoobastank, Arcade Fire and Hilary Duff. Kuzub reprised this role in each of the years which followed through to 2007 .
After cutting ties with his employee Sandy Burnett in late 2007, Kuzub closed High Voltage Recording. Soon after, Kuzub spent several months in Sydney, Australia, where he worked at Fox Studios as an audio editor before returning to Canada. Having forged a partnership with session/studio drummer Arlen Hall, Kuzub co-founded Tandaphonic Incorporated and its subsidiary Tanda Recording, a new recording company with a capacious studio, also based in Saskatoon . Here Kuzub works not only as a recording engineer and mixer, but has become even more active in the creative process as a producer.
Controversy
Kuzub made local headlines in 2006 when he identified a potential conflict of interest in the adjudication process to select a song for Saskatoon’s centennial that same year. Speaking for a number of disenchanted members of the Saskatoon recording industry, Kuzub identified that one of the judges, Ross Nykiforuk, had overseen the selection of a former bandmate by the name of Corey Hildebrand as the winner of contest and the $1,000 recording contract that came with it.
Ward-Beck Preservation Society
Kuzub is the founder of the Ward-Beck Systems Preservation Society, an organization dedicated to maintaining Canadian make Ward-Beck recording equipment. The mission statement of the society, as described by the website, is to “keep vintage Ward-Beck equipment running and working by supplying a database of documentation, knowledge, and support.” In order to accomplish this task, Kuzub has created an online library of technical manuals, and photo gallery for Ward-Beck equipment, as well as a forum for the exchange of Ward-Beck related information .
Discography
Year | Artist | Album / “Song Name” | Role |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Arms Up | “Caroline” | P, M, E |
2008 | Jordan Cook | Seven Deadly Sins | E, Cp, M, Ed |
2008 | Magic Band | Magic Band | E |
2008 | Sundown Strip | P, M, E | |
2007 | Drowning Ophelia | TBA | P, M, E |
2007 | Jeremy Lane | Skeletonmask | P, M, E |
2007 | Johnny Gritt | Johnny Gritt | M, E |
2007 | Matty Powel | Ness Creek Sessions | Ed |
2008 | Arms Up | “Streets Cities”, “Oh well” | P, M, E |
2007 | Otenang | M | |
2007 | Rising 4 | “Before I Awaken” | M, E |
2007 | Smokekiller | “Out there” “Back to the Heart” | M, E |
2007 | Spade the Shovel Head | Get a Helmet | P, M, E |
2007 | Streetlight Scenery | P, M, E | |
2007 | Sundown Strip | P, M, E | |
2007 | The Huxxtabulls | The Huxxtabulls | M, E |
2006 | Everlong | Mixing | |
2006 | Les Fabian | “Here She Comes” | M, E |
2006 | Letter Bomb | M, E | |
2006 | Mykal Gambull | Volume 1 | M, E, A |
2006 | Noel Wilcox | “Generation Why” | P, M, E |
2006 | North Of Shorty | Trouble in Paradise | P, M, E |
2006 | Poser Disposer | A | |
2006 | The ROA | M, A | |
2006 | The Wheatmonkeys | “Television” and “Brightside” | M, E |
2006 | Whiskey Halo | M | |
2005 | Darry Dinnell | “Sorry Ms. Brandon” | P, M, E |
2005 | FYFy | E, A | |
2005 | Holy Cross High School | Sound and Fury | M, E |
2005 | Hush Twins | A, E | |
2005 | Joel Plaskett | Live at Amigo’s | E, M |
2004 | Holy Cross High School | Sound and Fury | E |
2004 | Liberated Noise | A | |
2004 | Orchestra Diamante | Orchestra Diamante | E, M, A |
2003 | Clete Rekve | “Sleepin’ on the Engine” | M, E |
2001 | Ambush | Rural Brewery | P, M, E |
2001 | Tint | M, E |
P=Producer
M=Mixed or Remixed
Ed=Editor
E=Engineer
D=development
Cp=Co-Producer
A=Assistant
I most certainly had a busy “reading week”. It started with finishing up a job My brother Mike started. Moving 7 pallets of equipment from my moms garage in Saskatoon. Followed by great visits with Family and friends. I’m sorry I did not get the chance to meet with everyone I had planned to visit with. Things got a little busy in the IT support world and there was so much family to visit!
Three consoles were packaged and palleted up for shipment across the country.
Custom made dollies were built for the two large sections of console frames.
Modules were packed, boxed and palleted. A small fortune in bubble wrap and pallet wrap were employed.
This is the PSU for a console along with a 1″ Studer A80 8 track Recorder that was made transportable.
I’m excited to work on these projects again in my “Spare time”
Stay tuned for updates of what’s happening with this lot. We’re very excited for what’s planned :-)
In 2006 we (Myself and Andrew Waters) built a ceiling diffuser for the studio. I’ve been doing some data backups and thought I’d share some pictures and info on the build. The whole thing was made out of 2 X 4s and 3/4″ MDF. I had a carpenter friend cut all the pieces
This was the proposed layout. Using a “herringbone diffuser” design, a frame would hang from the ceiling with some turnbuckles. Continue reading
I was going through some very old pictures when I stumbled across this. I was working at a TV station and was learning how to draw in 3D using Maya.
What a fun exercise!
I was going through my old wallet contents When I found and old rate card for my studio. Each of use carried the card so we knew exactly what discounts and perks were when talking about packages. The taxes were included in the package price, Perks were back line, Drum Kits, and Mastering discounts. It was nice to pull this card out and share it with prospective clients. Good old sales tricks.
So I’ve been digging through some pictures and found These Gems from about 10 years ago…
I was 19 years old and moved into the 3rd floor of 115 2nd Ave North Saskatoon. It was RIGHT downtown saskatoon. It had a conference room in it that had the most amazing sounding vault. It was about 560 sq feet. They build me a room inside of a room.
One of my classrooms, and stepping stones.
Not one good piece of gear in the racks, but damn did I make a lot of records with this stuff. One of my classrooms. The Funniest part is… I think I only kept 7 things in these pictures…