Professional Sound - February 2017 | Page 21

ELLIOTT SAIRAN

By Andrew King

PROFILE

For many recording professionals , coming across a classic console or enviable piece of vintage outboard gear in great condition is a dream come true . And while that certainly rings true for Elliott Sairan , these days , he ’ s just as happy to find them in notso-great condition , too .

A veteran of Toronto ’ s recording community , Sairan and his business partner , Jay Young , recently launched Mod My Gear , a new company that builds custom and replica recording solutions while also maintaining , modifying , and restoring treasured vintage equipment . It ’ s the latest stage of his career ’ s ongoing evolution , which has taken him from recording enthusiast to studio owner to educator to , at one point , all of those things at once and more .
As Sairan shares ,“ Keeping busy in the field you love sometimes takes you down paths you didn ’ t think you ’ d find yourself on . Teaching certainly was one . Starting a company that maintains , customizes , and builds studio gear is another .”
It all began when , at 14 , Sairan ’ s guitar teacher suggested he get himself a fourchannel cassette recorder . That way , he could record a rhythm track and then lay down some Blackmore and Hendrix solos overtop .“ Little did I know ,” he says in hindsight ,“ that this would lay the groundwork for my future career .”
The recorder came in handy for his first few bands , but at 18 , he ’ d progressed enough to want to experiment with more channels and rented an eight-track cassette recorder ; however , it seemed he ’ d outgrown the medium altogether .
Based in the big city , he didn ’ t have trouble finding himself an eight-track , 1 / 2-in . reel-toreel tape deck . Next , he needed a console , so he reconnected with Barry McVicker of Montclair Sound and bought a 10-channel Chilton from the studio where he ’ d previously recorded . Having everything he needed to get started , he enrolled at the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology in London , ON to learn his new trade .
Out of school , he cut his band ’ s first album and used that as something of a calling card to quickly land new projects .“ And before I knew it , I had a recording studio business ,” Sairan says .
In addition to working out of his own space , Vyner Road Studio , he assisted McVicker when he took a room at Phase One , then Studio 306 , then out to his current location in Cedar Valley , just north of Toronto .
Continually investing in Vyner Road , he was attracting more business from bigger names , including producers Dale Penner ( Nickelback , Holly McNarland ) and Dave Schiffman , who came up shortly after wrapping up work with Rage Against the Machine and Red Hot Chili Peppers . Unfortunately , the latter didn ’ t like working in a “ renegade studio ” and took his project elsewhere , but that was a healthy catalyst that pushed Sairan and his studio to their next plateau .
“ I gutted the whole floor and hired [ studio design firm ] Pilchner Schoustal to design and build the next incarnation of the studio .” With that came an SSL console from McClear Digital , and Sairan soon found himself “ renegade no more .” He was landing full album projects from major and indie imprints alike and earning a solid reputation for himself and his space . “ And then the unthinkable happened ,” he says . “ I had kids .”
Quickly learning that clients don ’ t take too well to engineers holding babies in one arm and pushing faders with the other , Sairan sought a career that was more family-friendly and eventually took a job teaching at the then-new Metalworks Institute in Mississauga . “ Teaching became my primary job ,” he shares , “ and I got good at it , especially because I was still involved in a subject I ’ m totally passionate about and sharing it with likeminded people .”
Several years ago , Sairan started consulting as a studio designer , drawing from his own studies and his experiences designing rooms with McVicker . He also continued to work out of Vyner Road on occasion until 2014 , when he decided to cease operations . “ It was a
tough time for me because [ the studio ] was such an extension of me ,” he says candidly . “ I had to reinvent myself and eventually realized that my skill set naturally evolved into my new business , Mod My Gear .”
Now , he and ex-Pilchner Schoustal consultant Marco Resendes regularly collaborate on the studio design side and have several projects underway that he ’ s excited to reveal . Meanwhile , he and Young continue to grow Mod My Gear , and in addition to some major restoration projects , they ’ re taking steps to create digital / analog hybrids of classic gear for seamless DAW integration .
“ This pushes the door wide open for artists and engineers who love the analog sound of SSL 4K and 6K consoles , using the amazing analog bus they ’ re famous for , but don ’ t want to lose the workflow capabilities these newer console / controllers have with their DAWs .”
Both businesses are still being built , though he ’ s had his share of success on both sides and is genuinely excited for what ’ s to come . “ When you ’ re passionate about what you do , even though it ’ s a cliché , the truth is it doesn ’ t feel like work ,” he says , adding that he ’ s also still producing and recording music . “ It ’ s fun and it ’ s a challenge , but it ’ s a challenge you embrace , and every success is rewarding . It feels amazing .”
So if you come across that console or compressor you ’ ve been seeking for years but it ’ s not working at 100 per cent , consider giving Sairan a call . To him , that ’ s a great find .
Andrew King is the Editor of Professional Sound .
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