Chemical Sound

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for Sound recording and reproduction, recording and Audio mixing, mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home proje ...

was located in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. Established in 1992, at 81 Portland Street by Murray B Mitchell artist, producer and producer engineer, Daryl Smith (often assisted by

Ian Blurton Ian Blurton (born 1965) is a Canadian musician and record producer. Early life He was born in Champaign, Illinois in 1965, and moved to Toronto in 1973. Musical career He has been a part of Toronto's indie music scene since the early 1980s. He ...

), as a "no-frills" operation, focusing on a large selection of vintage (circa 1960 and 1970s) recording equipment, API mixing consoles, and professional resources necessary for a best outcome. The tube mics, live room, sound formant, and burlap baffled walls were some of the expertise. Clients at that time included

Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado ( , ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 45 million records, including 35 million in album sales worldwide, making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. Critics have noted ...

Joan Osborne Joan Elizabeth Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is best kn ...

, Noel Ellis,

Daniel Lanois Daniel Roland Lanois ( , ; born September 19, 1951) is a Canadian record producer and musician. He has produced albums by artists including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, and Harold Budd ...

, Peter Moore, Our Lady Of Peace, Rusty, Sucker Punch, Big Sugar, Boot Sauce, Bare Naked Ladies,

Starvin Hungry Starvin Hungry was a Canadian rock band formed in Toronto and later based in Montreal, Quebec. History Starvin Hungry was initially begun as a solo guitar and vocal act by John Milchem in 1995, performing original songs that drew inspiration f ...

Big Wreck Big Wreck are a Canadian-American Rock music, rock band formed by Ian Thornley and Brian Doherty in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1992. The band was rounded out with David Henning and Forrest Williams. They disbanded in 2002 and Ian Thornley pursued ...

and more. The phone number "416-971-9635" was in both the White pages and Yellow pages directories for the stated 92-96 period, Mitchell and Chemical Sound, hard copy. The studio's original location was razed, making way for a real estate development and condominium project. The studio subsequently relocated to

Riverdale, Toronto Riverdale is a large neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bounded by the Don River Valley to the west, Danforth Avenue and Greektown to the north, Jones Avenue, the CN/ GO tracks, Leslieville to the east, and Lake Shore Boulevard ...

, eventually acquired by Dean Marino and Jay Sadlowski. In February 2012, Chemical Sound announced it was closing its operation but would honor bookings already scheduled.Chemical Sound recording studio
ChemicalSound.com

Selected discography

The following releases were recorded at Chemical Sound: *

Born Ruffians Born Ruffians are a Canadian indie rock band based in Toronto. Officially founded in 2004 in the Georgian Bay town of Midland, Ontario, the band is composed of frontman Luke Lalonde, bassist Mitch DeRosier, drummer Steve Hamelin, and keyboardis ...

, ''

Red, Yellow & Blue ''Red, Yellow & Blue'' is the debut album by the indie-rock band Born Ruffians. It was released on March 4, 2008, in the United States and Canada and May 26 in the UK/Europe. "Hummingbird" was the first single off the album, followed by "Foxes M ...

'' (2008) *

Constantines Constantines is an indie rock band from Guelph, Ontario, Canada. History Constantines was formed in 1999, by vocalist and guitarist Bryan Webb, drummer Doug MacGregor, and guitarist Paul Bright, all of whom had played together in the emo band S ...

, '' Shine a Light'' (2003) *

Death from Above 1979 Death from Above 1979 (also known as Death from Above or DFA 1979) is a Canadian rock duo consisting of bassist Jesse F. Keeler and drummer and vocalist Sebastien Grainger from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2001. The band released their debut album ...

, ''

You're a Woman, I'm a Machine ''You're a Woman, I'm a Machine'' is the debut studio album by Canadian rock duo Death from Above 1979. It was released October 26, 2004, through Last Gang Records. The album was produced by Al-P who would later work alongside Jesse F. Keeler i ...

'' (2004) *

Elevator Through Rick White (born 5 December 1970) is a Canadian musician and singer-songwriter. Born in Moncton, New Brunswick, he was a member of indie (music), indie bands Eric's Trip, Elevator, Perplexus, and The Unintended. White first played music, in a ba ...

, '' Vague Premonition'' (1999) *

Godspeed You! Black Emperor Godspeed You! Black Emperor (sometimes abbreviated to GY!BE or Godspeed) is a Canadian post-rock collective that originated in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The group releases recordings through Constellation Records (Canada), Constellation, an in ...

, '' Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven'' (2000) *

Raising the Fawn Raising the Fawn is a Canadian indie rock band, with its roots in Toronto. The band is composed of John Crossingham (who is also a member of Broken Social Scene), Scott Remila and Dylan Green (who are both members of City and Colour). History Ra ...

, ''

Sleight of Hand Sleight of hand (also known as prestidigitation or ''legerdemain'' () comprises fine motor skills used by performing artists in different art forms to entertain or manipulate. It is closely associated with close-up magic, card magic, card fl ...

'' (2007) *

Sarah Slean Sarah Hope Slean (born June 21, 1977) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, composer and musician. She has released eleven albums to date (including EPs and live albums). She is also a poet, visual artist, and occasional actress. Career Major recordi ...

, ''

Night Bugs ''Night Bugs'' is the second album by Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist a ...

'' (2002) * Sloan, ''

Between the Bridges ''Between the Bridges'' is the fifth album by Canadian rock band Sloan. The album was recorded in six weeks and was released in 1999 on Murderecords. The album continued the band's progression towards 1970s-influenced rock mixed with 1960s and 70 ...

'' (1999) * Sloan, '' Navy Blues'' (1998) *

Tokyo Police Club Tokyo Police Club was an indie rock band from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 2005, it consisted of vocalist and bassist Dave Monks, keyboardist Graham Wright, guitarist Josh Hook, and drummer Greg Alsop. The band found early success with ...

, ''

Elephant Shell ''Elephant Shell'' is the debut studio album by Canadian indie rock band Tokyo Police Club. It was released in the United States, Canada and Australia on April 22, 2008, by Saddle Creek Records Saddle Creek Records is an American record lab ...

'' (2008) *

Mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' *Mystery, a seahorse that SpongeBob SquarePants adopts in the episode " My Pre ...

, ''

The World is a Game ''The World is a Game'' is the fifth studio album by the Canadian rock band Mystery, which by this point consisted of a duo of Michel St-Père and Benoît David. It is the last studio release with David before his departure the following year. Pr ...

'' (2012) (Drum tracks) * 4 Star Movie, '' 4 Star Movie'' (Recorded in 1997/Released in 1998) * Perm, ''Customized Gold'' (1995) *

The Flashing Lights The Flashing Lights were a Canadian alternative rock band, active in the late 1990s and early 2000s. History The Flashing Lights was founded by Matt Murphy, as a side project, performing around Halifax when Murphy was not performing and record ...

, '' Where The Change Is'' (1999)

References

External links

The official Chemical Sound website
Recording studios in Canada Companies based in Toronto Mass media companies established in 1992 Music of Toronto Former recording studios {{recording-studio-stub