Thomas Eaton’s Newburyport recording studio is a busy place. One wonders how a full-time studio can thrive outside of the mainstream, especially in these days of affordable, accessible home recording gear. Over the past 10 years, Eaton has seen many changes in the recording industry, including the rise in quality (and drop in price) of home and computer-based recording technology. Yet there’s been no drop-off in demand for his services. In fact, he is finding himself busier than ever.

“Strangely, the changes in the recording world have caused me to work on more records,” Eaton says. “More folks are doing pre-production work at home, some are doing overdubs, and some are tracking the bulk of their own parts. I end up tracking more complicated things for people, or things that need extra detail, or things people don’t have access to. I also end up mixing more records that I didn’t start, and mastering records that I didn’t mix.” 

Good ears will always be valuable to someone, no matter what changes in recording technology come down the road.

A number of hotspots scattered throughout New England have cemented the region’s reputation in the folk world as a songwriter’s mecca. One such spot is Eaton’s full-service recording, mixing and mastering facility. Notables like Lori McKenna, Joyce Anderson, Vance Gilbert, and Melissa Ferrick have all benefited from Eaton’s services. Other recent projects include a new CD from local cello whiz Kristen Miller and sessions for author Peter Guralnick, who recorded interviews for his recent biography of Sam Cooke, and celebrity life coach Cheryl Richardson, who is preparing an upcoming multi-disc recording.

Eaton says he has been “making records day in and day out for 10 years, and making my own music for 19 years.”

“I have an electronic music background,” he says. “MIDI, sequencing, working inside loops. I generally play bit parts on records: piano, accordion, Hammond organ, percussion, bass, some guitar. I should not be allowed to sing.”

Modesty about his vocal talents aside, he sees his niche as being a part of the singer/songwriter world, but not as an acoustic purist. “I do lots of electric overdubs on things that are in the folk realm,” he says. “Electric guitars, Hammond, keys, loops, etc. all have places they can fit in the pop/folk/ acoustic hybrid world.”

Yet this technical background should not lead one to assume that Eaton is overly enamored of studio wizardry at the expense of the organic core of acoustic folk music. The capacity of a modern studio equipped with digital editing to eliminate problems of tuning, timing and even taste is impressive. Yet the relentless use of “let’s fix it in the mix” can suck the soul right out of a session. Eaton seems keenly aware of this and comes down squarely on the side of a strong performance from the heart. “I like records to sound good, but human. I like people playing music together,” he says. “It’s far more interesting and interactive than making a record overdub by overdub. I think studio folks are hip to what badly used autotune sounds like, but I don’t know if the general public hears it, or cares. There’s plenty of great music that contains moments of questionable pitch ... records made by folks that understand that the emotional content of the performance is the thing that really matters.”

For singer/songwriter and fiddler Joyce Andersen, the experience of working with Eaton on her latest CD, Love and Thirst, was totally positive. Working with a crack group of session players (guitarist Duke Levine, drummer Dave Mattacks, and bassist John Troy), Andersen was able to create a more expansive sound than her own home studio would allow, yet was also able to record some parts at home, “off the clock.”

“I recorded basic tracks with the band direct to my own hard drive, and then I did overdubs on my fiddle at home,” she says. “Tom was great at letting me be really hands on throughout the whole process.”

“It’s hard to capture your best version of a song in the studio,” Andersen says. “You have to relax, but you also have to reach down deep and deliver something special even though you’re not in front of a crowd. Knowing Tom Eaton is at the soundboard, knowing he has customized his gear to best suit me and the song I’m playing, well, it makes me relax about the sound but it also puts the pressure on to give a great performance. There’s no reason to get a great recording of a mediocre take.”

As an owner/engineer working on lots of smaller and self-produced projects, Eaton also gets ample opportunity to wear an assistant producer’s hat. For those less familiar with the roles in the studio, the engineer is responsible for the technical aspects of recording the music, while the producer’s role can range from hiring musicians, writing arrangements and orchestrating the session to just making sure the artist shows up at the studio, going out for sandwiches and coffee and providing the an objective perspective. For Eaton, the additional challenge of having input in this area is a welcome one.

“I’m always willing to have an honest discussion with folks about the kind of record they want to make, and how I think I can help get them to that end,” he says. “In session, my idea hat is always on, and if people seem receptive, I’ll throw things in. Some people really like that give and take and I end up co-producing those records. An experienced engineer gets good sounds without getting in the way of the music and is flexible enough both ear-wise and in skill set to help each client get the sound he or she is looking for.”

Eaton is also aware of some of the other advantages of working in a non-home studio environment. “Any studio is only as good as the person behind the board, regardless of the space, gear, or recording medium,” he says. “But, as for the more physical things: my space has 10 foot ceilings, three recording rooms filled with instruments, a lounge, two cafes in the building, unlimited track count (I’ve never gone beyond 60, though) and a 48 input moving fader analog console with total recall of every knob on its surface. A tuned listening environment and phenomenal monitors.”
“Access to some of the best session players in New England is valuable, too,” he adds.
Eaton will likely keep busy, no matter what sort of new recording technology comes.

“More folks are recording, period,” he says. “And many of those find the kind of thing that I do meshes well with what they’re up to. Some folks are interested enough to get good sounds at home and some aren’t. A good song is a good song, regardless.”