“ The
past and present are diverging in many ways , but also coming back together in many ways ,” Moore muses , simultaneously speaking about Metalworks and the music production industry as a whole .
Moore and his bandmates in heralded Canadian rock trio Triumph founded Design Staging , the sound company and recording studio that would become Metalworks Studios the following year , in the fall of 1977 with the dual purpose of being able to record and rehearse together and also welcome other artists and clients as a commercial facility .
Metalworks forged its reputation as a top-tier studio on the then-bustling Canadian recording landscape quickly , outputting platinum-selling projects by the likes of Triumph , Tom Cochrane ’ s Red Rider , Platinum Blonde , and Haywire in its first decade of business . Before long , it was an internationally-known destination studio , welcoming the likes of Prince , David Bowie , Guns ‘ N ’ Roses , Rush , Tina Turner , and dozens more of the world ’ s top-selling recording artists .
Over that time , the facility expanded and evolved in tandem with industry trends , eventually moving into mastering , audio post-production , surround mixing , and video editing and authoring .
When Metalworks opened , it was one of fewer than 10 large-scale commercial facilities in Toronto and its surrounding area , and the term “ project studio ” didn ’ t mean much to anyone . Four decades later , that landscape looks quite different , and yet , not without its challenges , Metalworks has kept pace with it all .
“ I never found it frightening or intimidating , really ,” Moore says about the paradigm shift in the recording industry nearing the turn of the millennium that eventually saw several of Metalworks ’ competitors in Toronto and across Canada close their doors for good . “ The industry has changed and will keep on changing but we ’ ve always been able to adapt .”
Interestingly , part of the reason Moore believes Metalworks has been so resilient throughout the second half of its history is the reputation it developed over the first . “ We have a brand that people recognize , that represents a network of 40 years of musicians , producers , engineers , projects , and so on .”
But arguably the most significant factor affecting Metalworks ’ ongoing growth and success is the “ musical ecosystem ” supported by its three divisions : the studios , live event
“ When I look at Metalworks , I look at the three arms of the company and leverage everything we ’ ve learned in each one to strengthen the others .”
STUDIO 2 CONTROL ROOM
company , and school . “ We started as a studio , and a recording studio is a recording studio is a recording studio ,” says Moore . “ But our model now is rather unique , I ’ d say .”
After all , other famed and now-defunct large-format studios that once kept Metalworks company in the bustling GTA recording market boasted equally impressive facilities , personnel , and credits , but suffered much different fates .
“ I think we ’ re untraditional in the sense that , when I look at Metalworks , I look at the three arms of the company and leverage everything we ’ ve learned in each one to strengthen the others ,” offers Moore . “ On the education side , for example , we ’ re able to beta a lot of emerging technologies and work with manufacturers and software developers that have an interest in interacting with those young people that [ can offer input ] without the prejudice of working in the business for 20 , 30 , 40 years . Or with [ Metalworks ] Production Group , we ’ re constantly able to reconnect with artists through their live events and bring new projects back to the studio .”
That ’ s just a pair of examples , as really , the opportunities for experience , ideas , and resources to cycle through more than one
STUDIO 1 CONTROL ROOM
STUDIO 2 LIVE ROOM
facet of the business are virtually endless . When Moore delves into another of those examples – about how MWI students , graduates , and instructors help to shape the evolution of the studios ’ signal chains and workflows – that ’ s when the discussion shifts from focusing primarily on the past to the present and future .
“ A lot of our direction on the studios used to come solely from our engineering staff and producers ,” Moore admits . “ Now , we ’ re also talking to our instructors , and talking to graduates who are out working in other studios and with other artists in different parts of the industry .”
Basically , the idea is that the bigger the network , the more perspectives there are to consider .
Drake ’ s go-to recording engineer , Noel Cadastre , is a Metalworks Institute graduate . “ He ’ s been all over the world in top-tier studios ,” says Moore , once again offering a prime example of a larger concept . While Cadastre does much of his work with Drake and the extended OVO family at Metalworks – specifically the recently renovated Studio 2 – “ Noel sometimes records Drake in make-
PROFESSIONAL SOUND • 27