Jack’s Sonora Studios
Photo credit: SEARCH MEDIA
Jack Nigro has a rich pedigree as a producer at the forefront of Australian music, with production & engineering credits with artists such as DMA’s, The Amity Affliction, Skeggs, Dune Rats, The Terrys, Pacific Avenue, Middle Kids & more, so it was only natural he would take the next step and create his own studio. Jack has recently opened the doors of his own boutique recording & creative space, ‘Sonora Studios’, located just 10 minutes from the Central Coast beaches, . We caught up with Jack to chat about the new studio, the funny moments he has had since opening Sonora and his thoughts on streaming services.
For those that haven’t heard of Jack Nigro before, can you give our readers a bit of a rundown on who you are and what your connection has been to the music industry?
So I started my career as the in house engineer and studio manager at the renowned Grove Studios. Here I got to learn under many of the very best producers and worked my way up from assisting to engineering for bands such as DMA’s, Middle Kids, Skeggs and The Amity Affliction during my time there! I also used The Grove as a spring board for my own productions and is where I started producing and mixing for emerging bands such as The Terry’s, Pacific Avenue, Rum Jungle and DICE to name a few.
Jack, you have just opened your brand new recording sanctuary, Sonora Studios. What was the catalyst for going it alone and opening your own recording space?
It was a scary and big jump at first but it made a lot of sense for where I was at in my career. I needed a space that I had complete control of to maximise how much time I could spend on tracks with artists, whilst keeping things within budget. I set up and customised a lot of things for how I enjoy recording, for example having a really nice sounding live room as I do record a lot of drums, attached amp booths and systems to allow me to track bands live (a process I find very important at times) and also having loads of great guitar amps and pedals that I can do to for different flavours and textures.
I also tried to create a really relaxed and calm space, studios can feel daunting at times for artists, so I really wanted to create an environment where you could be relaxed and open minded an be at your most creative.
“I have full confidence that the Central Coast will establish itself as an absolute music hub of the country over these next few years.”
What made you choose the Central Coast over one of the capital cities to base Sonora Studios?
Great question, for a start I did grow up here, but in saying that it is the perfect spot to open up a studio. We are smack bang in the middle of Sydney and Newcastle, two huge music hubs and an easy 1 hour freeway trip either direction. We are close to some of the nicest beaches in the country and The Central Coast has absolutely exploded over the past 5-8 years in population and culture. We have had a rich music history too here and I have full confidence that the Central Coast will establish itself as an absolute music hub of the country over these next few years.
Your studio features all new, state of the art equipment from Universal Audio, Fender, Ludwig, Neumann & VOX. Was it hard selecting which equipment to bring in or are these brands you have had a long-standing working relationship with?
To be honest it wasn’t too hard, having worked in this industry for 10 years so far I already knew what I liked. Some of the gear I already owned and would take travelling with me to other studios, the hard part was prioritising what to get first within budget and then continue to expand over time.
I leant towards getting some great front end gear (mics, pre amps) and great amps. Most of the time artists already have their own instruments sorted, so having a great range of amps, snares etc. tends to really excite them and give them new flavours to play with!
“We weren’t open officially yet and were still half building, so we didn’t even have an air con and did the session half naked haha.”
Sonora is open for business, so what was the first song recorded it this new creative space?
The Terry’s came in and we did a bonus single for their album which I produced called ‘Hopscotch’. We weren’t open officially yet and were still half building, so we didn’t even have an air con and did the session half naked haha.
Previously you have worked with mainly indie and rock bands. Will Sonora Studios be specialising in these genres or will it be open to all types of music?
It will absolutely be open to anyone! Even for myself I have been working with a lot of singer songwriters with varying back grounds from more traditional pop, to hints of country, soul etc. Working with rock/indie surf rock styles has definitely been my main back ground but I am always excited to delve into new sounds, genres and skills and in the end if the song has an element that excites me, whether it be a lyric, melody, groove or arrangement I will want to work with it.
What's been the funniest or most memorable moment for you in the studio and why?
Doing the Terry’s last single basically half naked was quite hilarious, I just finished up a fairly large project with Surf Trash also and it was packed with funny little inside jokes and moments. When Nick (bassist) wasn’t recording he’d go off and surf or doordash to earn some extra money which I thought was pretty great.
“The only things I don’t really like is if someone isn’t respectful of their fellow band members or the studio.”
Have there been any horror stories come out of the studio or people you just wouldn't work with again?
No horror stories yet at Sonora Studios and hopefully that doesn’t happen, but inevitably at some point something un favourable will probably happen. In terms of who I wouldn’t work with again I have been fortunate to have very little run ins with people I don’t like. Talent level is rarely an issue for me, if people are having fun, are focused and open for ideas I don’t really care if they aren’t that proficient players. The only things I don’t really like is if someone isn’t respectful of their fellow band members or the studio. But again, that’s basically never happened to me yet!
Who do you credit as your musical influences?
I grew up on a lot of punk when I was young. The era of Blink 182, The Offspirng, Green Day etc and also some of the late 90s early 00s aussie indie scene such as Jebediah, Kisschasey etc. I think what I learned from them was the ability to lock into catchy melodies and hooks that don’t have to be overly complex or ‘clever’. If you listen to any of these bands, their ability to write banging songs with simple chords is actually not as easy as people think. I always say in the studio that ‘the average listener is simple’, sometimes people learn TOO much theory and try and over complicate things that is too much for the average consumer to process.
These genres, along with some of the heavier genres I also listened to younger also have some fantastic grooves and rhythms, where the drums and bass are paramount to be locked in, that is a huge thing I focus on in the early stages of my sessions. If you build a track on a solid drum and bass groove that feels tight and good to move to, everything falls into place on top so much easier!
“One thing I have thought about would be to look at the streaming subscription numbers to calculate how much revenue these companies are making and what percentage of that is being passed onto artists… that is an important thing to consider.”
Being you come from behind the music, what are your thoughts on streaming services? Are they helping or hurting the industry?
Definitely helping, 100%. Don’t get me wrong it isn’t the hay day of Vinyls and CD’ of 15+ years ago, but streaming has basically stopped people illegally downloading music. I don’t think anyone would torrent a new album any more. So yes I do understand that the royalties are not great per 1000 streams, but it has allowed the industry to re gain some control and say of how the listener is consuming the product.
Who I really think it has helped are the massive bands of the 60s-90s… A band like the Beatles for example, sold 10s of millions of records in the heyday obviously, now they are getting a second wind of income and huge streaming numbers because the technology for how their music needs to be consumed has been updated.
One thing I have thought about would be to look at the streaming subscription numbers to calculate how much revenue these companies are making and what percentage of that is being passed onto artists… that is an important thing to consider.
Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is it they do that keeps your world turning?
My manager Isaac Lewis at Ripple Effect. People like him are the driving force of the industry. We have been working together for about 4 years now and he looks after some great bands too such as Rum Jungle and The Rubens. He is one of those rare few people in the industry that do it purely for the love of the industry and spreading music. They don’t earn near enough their worth for the hours they do, no one outside of the industry knows their face or name, but without these people, nothing get’s executed or done.
What's next for you and Sonora Studios? Where would you like to be five years time?
Spaciously I have now constructed and designed a beautiful space that I love making music in. I want to share this with as many people as possible. A big thing for me will be to balance continuing to build my production career out of this space while fostering a new generation of producers and their artists out of the studio. I’ll always have my eye out for special bits of gear and instruments to add to the spaces value and charm and I just want the studio to be a special part of the Australian music scene.
Senora Studios is a two story, purpose built recording facility, featuring ‘Sound Space A’, an impeccably treated live room & acoustically isolated control room, alongside ‘Sound Space B’, a secondary production & mixing space, with additional living area & leisure facilities attached. Contains a collection of world-class recording equipment, including hardware from Neumann, Avalon, SSL & Universal Audio, as well as a range of in-house backline from Orange, VOX, Fender, Ampeg & a 1975 Ludwig drum kit, Senora Studios is the perfect place for artists and bands to create magic
Interview by Michelle Symes
July 2023