Complex Podcast on “Pop Out Boyz” Recorded at Dubway

Complex Media podcast producer, Shiva Bayat, interviewed Hip-Hop quartet, “Pop Out Boyz” (Instagram: @popoutboyz) in Dubway’s Mezzanine recently.

Members of “Pop Out Boyz” were interviewed for Complex Media at Dubway Studios.

Pop Out Boyz

Members of the Hip-Hop group answered questions about their group’s inception, childhoods, and how their music careers began.

Notably, the Pop Out Boyz had recently been released from jail on charges related to credit card scheme, inspiring many of Bayat’s questions.

Dubway engineer Mark Tully used Electro-Voice RE-20 and Shure SM7 microphones to record this interview. Both microphone models are considered an industry standard for podcast recording.

This session exhibited Dubway’s ability to re-arrange its recording spaces into ideal podcast set-ups.

Randi Zuckerberg's crypto covers record at Dubway

Randi Zuckerberg–tech entrepreneur, Web3/crypto evangelist, and sister to Mark Zuckerberg–joined staff engineer Sydney Fuqua in our NYC studios last month to record a few covers extolling the values of cryptocurrency. The session was a freewheeling one–our engineer guest featured on one of the songs, and jumped in to sing backup during the choruses–and it produced a number of covers, which you can find on Zuckerberg’s Twitter or all over the internet; you can also find her cover of “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, originally by Twisted Sister, below.

CITIZENARTS premiers dramatic podcast play, "March"

Educational documentary arts organization CITIZENARTS has released MARCH, a two-part podcast in the style of a radio drama, which we had the pleasure of recording last year. The piece was tracked live in-studio, with CITIZENARTS producer Jeff Lewis in the control room and writer/director James Isaiah Gabbe directing the proceedings in the live room with the actors. Engineer Keenan DuBois tracked the recording with Dubway in NYC, keeping as much isolation between actors as possible while also making sure they had the space and flexibility to react off of one another in any given scene–especially necessary for dynamic material like March, which deals frankly with issues of nationalism and the history of Nazi Germany (and may not be suitable for small children). The piece follows a dramatized dinner party at a turning point in Germany’s 20th century history, in which an unexpected guest changes the trajectory for the evening and eventually the country.

The podcast is available on all major podcasting platforms (here’s a link to Apple’s version) and is out now!

Author Aiden Taylor featured on CBS News with "Me And My Afro"

Author Aiden Taylor (credit TAYLORMADE PUBLISHING, INC).

Aiden Taylor, the young author of Me And My Afro, was recently featured on a CBS News segment, showcasing his remarkable drive and talent in publishing two original children’s books at age twelve. We had the pleasure of hosting Taylor for the audiobook recording of Me And My Afro, and he was a delight to work with during the reading, which we tracked in-studio in New York.

You can hear the entire story behind his writing this book and his publishing plans for the future at the above link, or the embedded video below. You can also learn more about him here.

Tape restoration: before and after

We do many types of audio project at Dubway Studios, including a large variety of work in the audio restoration and preservation fields. These types of jobs are constantly ongoing quietly in our studios–we have a room dedicated to tape transfers and audio restoration–but rarely get a shine publicly. What better time to show the process in action?

The above tape came to us with a few different molds on the outside, as you can see from the discoloration on the tape. Tapes in storage can get dry over time, becoming brittle and cracked, or moldy if the storage location is too damp.

If you’re curious (or have tapes of your own that need some TLC), check out the process below, and see before/after pictures at the bottom!

Project Runway’s score records at Dubway NYC

The 19th season of Project Runway is currently airing, and the Dubway team were proud to contribute to the score’s recording! Check the scene out above, which is backed by a piece that was recorded in our NYC studios.

The piece was written and produced by composer Nick Rastegar, with studio engineer Violette Furton behind the console for the recording.

You can find the full season currently airing and streaming with a Bravo subscription!

"What's Inside A Flower?" wraps audiobook recording at Dubway NYC

Performer Tashi Thomas in the booth with engineer Darnell Burns during recording for What’s Inside A Flower?.

Penguin Random House published the informative and adorable What’s Inside A Flower?, from author and illustrator Rachel Ignotofsky, last spring; the book recently wrapped its audiobook recording sessions and has been released in audio format as of last week! We hosted the talented narrator/actor/multi-hyphenate Tashi Thomas for the reading. Penguin producer Nithya Rajendran produced the session, with Dubway engineer Darnell Burns in the control room recording Thomas’s performance.

You can find the book–in both hardcopy and audio formats–at this link. Congratulations to the author, publisher, and reader!

Penguin Random House records "The Shop On Royal Street" with Sophie Amoss

Dubway was proud to host another recording for publisher Penguin Random House–one of our favorite publishing houses to work with–to capture a lovely reading of bestselling author Karen White’s newest novel, The Shop On Royal Street. We were lucky to have a dream-team assembled for the recording, including producer Nithya Rajendran, director Staci Snell, and award-winning audiobook narrator Sophie Amoss. Staff engineer Keenan DuBois engineered the recording in a series of smooth reading sessions, with Amoss in-studio and Snell providing direction over remote Zoom link.

The Shop On Royal Street is Karen White’s latest novel in a long list of well-reviewed books that capture the spirit of their setting–often a historic city or region–while doing double duty as classic mystery page-turners.

You can find the hardcopy and audiobook for the novel here, available March 29th!

Narrator Sophie Amoss in front of the mic in our Main Floor Studios during recording.

The Botanist debuts Super Bowl commercial, with Dubway audio

You may have heard of The Botanist–the only gin distilled in Scotland’s historic Islay region–prior to this weekend, but if you hadn’t, you almost certainly have after this Sunday’s Super Bowl LVI. The distillery placed the ad during the game, traditionally the hottest advertising block in any given year, and Dubway was proud to have contributed! The voiceover for the ad was recorded in our Manhattan studios with staff engineer Sydney Fuqua, and under direction from production house Blacksmith & Jones head Trevor Jones.

The commercial saw a whopping 60 million views, which is always exciting for everyone involved in a project like this–congratulations to The Botanist and Blacksmith & Jones! If you missed the game and want to see the commercial, you can stream it at the top.

Author Lee Cole's "Groundskeeping" records and produces audiobook at Dubway

We’ve been recently joined in the studio by author Lee Cole’s team at Penguin Random House to record what will become the audiobook version of his forthcoming debut novel, Groundskeeping. The novel’s recording was smoothly handled by a veteran team of NYC audiobook professionals, including reader Michael Crouch, Penguin executive producer Orli Moscowitz, and director Joseph Grimm. Sessions were recorded by staff engineers Violette Furton and Sydney Fuqua in our Sand Room, part of our New York HQ’s Main Floor complex.

You can find a preorder of the book in both audiobook and physical formats at the publisher’s site.

"The Girlfriend Mom" audiobook produced & recorded at Dubway

Author Dani Alpert recently joined us in our Manhattan studios to record the audiobook version of her 2020 memoir, The Girlfriend Mom. The sessions were helmed by staff engineer Sydney Fuqua and directed by audiobook producer Gordon Rothman. The book was recorded efficiently with the author performing an excellent reading, and is currently in editing to prepare for a spring release.

Keep up with the author at her website linked above, or find the hardcopy through publisher Little Ricky Press!

Artist Carolyn Lazard records for arts installation

Mixed-media and intermedia artist Carolyn Lazard joined us in our NYC studios this month for a session of voiceover recording. Lazard’s work will be involved in a dance and video installation piece that they’re producing; their work often involves crossing mediums and draws on themes and experiences related to chronic illness, accessibility, and labor. They are a co-founder of arts group Canaries Collective, a group of artists and performers living and working with chronic illnesses and autoimmune conditions, primarily but not exclusively based in New York City.

Dubway engineer Charley Shealy managed the recording from behind the boards in the control room, ensuring the recordings would fit smoothly into Lazard’s process and workflow.

Find video documentation of Lazard’s previous projects here, and more on their website (linked above).

Jeremy Denk's "Every Good Boy Does Fine" records at Dubway NYC

Jeremy Denk with engineer Violette Furton in the studio lobby.

Legendary concert pianist, writer, lecturer, and teacher Jeremy Denk just published a memoir, titled Every Good Boy Does Fine: A Love Story In Music Lessons, and we were thrilled to host the recordings for the audiobook release! The work will be available through publisher Penguin Random House, who we’ve been lucky to partner closely with over the years on many projects.

Denk joined director May Wuthrich, producer Diane McKiernan, and Dubway staff engineer Violette Furton on a virtual call, with some participants in-studio with Denk and Furton and some remote via linked video call.

You can read a small preview to the bigger work in the form of a column Denk wrote for the New Yorker in 2013, or find the audiobook here in late March!

Penguin Audio produces, records "I'm So (Not) Over You" by Kosoko Jackson

Voice actor Torian Brackett with engineer Violette Furton in the control room during recording.

Dubway welcomed back one of our favorite producers, Nithya Rajendran from Penguin Random House, for a series of sessions for Kosoko Jackson‘s book I’m So (Not) Over You. The novel, which lands squarely and smartly in the rom-com genre and has earned accolades from Essence (listed under “New Books We Can’t Wait To Read In 2022”) and Popsugar (“New Romance Novels That Will Make You Fall in Love With 2022”), was published by Penguin and is getting the perfect audio treatment to make it 100% beach-ready for the summer!

Reading was handled by voice actor Torian Brackett, aka TeeBeeVO, who gave an excellent read of the book; Dubway’s Violette Furton was stationed in the booth to capture the performance for Penguin.

Check out I’m So (Not) Over You and Kosoko Jackson’s other work at his website, linked above.

Veganuary campaign launches with an on-site recording with James Cromwell

International pro-vegan nonprofit Veganuary launched their annual campaign a few weeks ago, featuring a lovely animation as well as a voice acting performance by James Cromwell (Babe, L.A. Confidential, Succession), well known for his longtime history of activism nearly as well as for his storied acting career and a perfect fit for the project.

The recording was engineered by Dubway staff recorder Charley Shealy, who brought a mobile studio upstate to Cromwell's residence to capture the performance–no easy feat when working to synced video!

Check out the video above, and if you’re inspired, you can take a peek at the rest of the campaign here.

Tech journalist Laurie Segall records biographical audiobook with Louis Fisher

Notable technology and business journalist Laurie Segall is releasing an audiobook of her recently released biographical work Special Characters: My Adventures With Tech’s Titans and Misfits. We were thrilled to be involved in the production and recording, which took place at our Manhattan headquarters earlier this month.

The sessions were produced by HarperCollins Publishing, helmed by director Cheryl Smith and engineered by Dubway staff engineer Louis Fisher. You can expect to see the audiobook available soon through Harper Collins!

L2C Studios shoots and records radio segment for BMF & Rock The Bells

Creative house L2C Productions took over the Mezzanine last September to record a fun and creative collaboration between drama series BMF and entertainment giant Rock The Bells. The session’s extensive list of skilled personnel are detailed in the Instagram caption below, and also included Dubway engineer Violette Furton behind the boards (pictured at bottom).

Thanks to its high ceilings and large windows the Mezzanine space both looks and sounds great, and is perfect for sessions with a video component. L2C made the space shine as they transformed it into the “WRTB 92.6” live room, complete with album artwork and some of our amp collection.

Check out more behind-the-scenes pictures below!

Dubway West records Avril Lavigne for Fallon

24/7 Productions and Dubway West have teamed up again, this time to produce and record pop-punk royalty Avril Lavigne with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker in an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The band performed recent single “Bite Me” live to a group of cameras and the Dubway West sound team with 24/7 Productions running all other elements of the production.

Engineering was lead by Luke Gerard Webb, assisted by Maja Sazdic. Read more about our recent work with 24/7 Productions here, and check out the finished product above!

Dubway West records production audio for Sephora

Makeup giant Sephora recently released an involved piece of advertising featuring a slate of talented musicians & performers, and Dubway West was proud to be on-set to record the production audio. Engineering was headed by Luke Gerard Webb, with Maja Sazdic assisting.

Performances featured in the shoot included Jai'len Josey doing "She Got It", Symphani Soto performing "Energy", Kari Faux’s "Color Theory", and Leven Kali with "Smile". Check it out above, and see some behind-the-scenes shots below.