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Wally Heider Studios

Studio A, Hyde Street Studios (formerly Wally Heider Studios)
Industry	Recording studio
Successor	Hyde Street Studios
Founded	United States (1960s (1960s))
Founder	Wally Heider
Defunct	1980 (1980)
Headquarters	California , United States

Wally Heider Studios was a recording studio in San Francisco, California between 1969^[1] and 1980, started by recording engineer and studio owner Wally Heider.

In 1978, Heider sold the studio and its name to Filmways, but remained as manager^[2] until 1980 when Filmways sold it to a partnership composed of Dan Alexander, Tom Sharples, and Michael Ward. The three partners renamed the business Hyde Street Studios, which is still an operating recording studio as of 2013, now owned solely by Michael Ward.^[3]

History

In early 1969, Heider opened Wally Heider's Studio at 245 Hyde Street, San Francisco, between Turk and Eddy Streets, across the street from Black Hawk jazz club, in a building that had previously been used by 20th Century Fox for film offices, screening rooms and storage^[1][4] Heider had reportedly apprenticed as an assistant and mixer at United Western Recorders in Hollywood, CA, with Bill Putnam, The Father of Modern Recording,^[5]
and he already owned and ran an independent recording studio and remote recording setup called Wally Heider Recording, in Hollywood, California, which was one of the most successful such operations in the world.^[1]

Heider and his crew were very well known for making excellent studio and remote location recordings and for top notch engineering. Two years earlier, in 1967, Heider had been involved in live recording at the Monterey Pop Festival. Artists like Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service and The Grateful Dead had been recording in Los Angeles and New York, and Heider saw the need for musicians involved in the nascent San Francisco Sound to have their own well equipped and staffed recording studio close to home. The studios were built by Dave Mancini, who later built his own studio in the San Fernando Valley.^[1]

Heider planned four studios—A and B on the ground floor and C and D upstairs. However, studio B was never finished and instead became a game room.

Frank DeMedio built all the studios' custom gear and consoles, using Universal Audio (UA) console components, military grade switches and level controls, and a simple audio path that used one preamp for everything in a channel. He designed the console with 24 channels and an 8-channel monitor and cue—replicated in both the Studio 3 setup in Los Angeles and the remote truck. Monitor speakers were Altec 604-Es with McIntosh 275 tube power amps.^[1]

They completed Studio C first and it began operating in May 1969 with staff that included General Manager Mel Tanner, Booking Agent Ginger Mews, Technician Harry Sitam, and Staff Engineer Russ Gary. Its dimensions were similar to Heider's Studio 3 in Hollywood—though its control room, instead of being at the end the room, was parallel to Studio C's long side. The walls were kept from being parallel with square gypsum devices that were used as mid-range sound diffusers and absorbers. At the Grateful Dead's request, its studio doors were covered with airbrushed paintings. Studios A and D became operational a few months later.^[6]

According to researchers who later explored studio history for Hyde Street Studios, the first release out of studio C was the Jefferson Airplane’s Volunteers, which was also the first album they recorded in their hometown. Between 1969 and 1970, many other high-profile acts followed, including Harry Nilsson, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, the Steve Miller Band. Creedence Clearwater Revival recorded several albums in that room, and named their record, Cosmo's Factory after the "factory" at Studio C (Cosmo's Factory was CCR's rehearsal area.). Engineers and staff of that era also included Bill Halverson, Stephen Barncard, and Glyn Johns.^[6]

While Crosby Stills Nash and Young were recording, studio D opened. It was an exact replica of Heider's Hollywood Studio 3. Among its first uses was to record Jerry Garcia’s steel guitar overdub for Teach Your Children, while the live recording setup was kept intact in studio C, where CSNY recorded. In that same period, Deane Jensen supervised installation of a new Quad Eight console in studio A. Santana and John Hall used studio D a few times. CBS Records had a priority lease on Studio D for a year, before eventually taking over Coast Recorders as their west coast recording facility.^[7] Many other artists followed.

Wally Heider Recording, Hollywood

Wally Heider Recording, 1604 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood^{[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]}
also known as Wally Heider's Studio 3, 6371 Selma Ave, Los Angeles^[16] also known as Filmways-Heider Recording, 1604 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood^[17][18]

Albums recorded

1969

• 
  Volunteers by Jefferson Airplane
  


• 
  Green River by Creedence Clearwater Revival
  


• 
  Shady Grove by Quicksilver Messenger Service
  


• 
  Zephyr by Zephyr
  


• 
  Neil Young by Neil Young
  


• 
  Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere by Neil Young with Crazy Horse
  

1970

• 
  Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  


• 
  Eric Burdon Declares "War" by Eric Burdon and War
  


• 
  Abraxas by Santana ^[19]
  


• 
  Blows Against the Empire by Paul Kantner
  


• 
  American Beauty by The Grateful Dead
  


• 
  Portrait by The 5th Dimension
  


• 
  The Black-Man's Burdon by Eric Burdon and War
  


• 
  Cosmo's Factory by Creedence Clearwater Revival
  


• 
  Tarkio by Brewer & Shipley
  


• 
  Pendulum by Creedence Clearwater Revival
  


• 
  The Original Human Being by Blue Cheer
  

1971

• 
  Bark by Jefferson Airplane
  


• 
  Sunfighter by Paul Kantner and Grace Slick
  


• 
  Chilliwack by Chilliwack
  


• 
  Electric Warrior by T. Rex
  


• 
  If I Could Only Remember My Name by David Crosby
  


• 
  Songs for Beginners by Graham Nash
  


• 
  Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison
  


• 
  Shake Off the Demon by Brewer & Shipley
  


• 
  Guilty! by Eric Burdon & Jimmy Witherspoon
  


• 
  Grin by Grin
  


• 
  Papa John Creach by Papa John Creach
  


• 
  Moments by Boz Scaggs
  


• 
  Endless Boogie by John Lee Hooker
  


• 
  Mwandishi by Herbie Hancock
  

1972

• 
  Graham Nash David Crosby by Crosby & Nash
  


• 
  Long John Silver by Jefferson Airplane
  


• 
  Burgers by Hot Tuna
  


• 
  First Taste of Sin by Cold Blood
  


• 
  1+1 by Grin
  


• 
  Rural Space by Brewer & Shipley
  


• 
  Come by 1


• 
  Saint Dominic's Preview by Van Morrison
  


• 
  Toulouse Street by The Doobie Brothers
  


• 
  Garcia by Jerry Garcia
  


• 
  Ace by Bob Weir
  

1973

• 
  Byrds by The Byrds
  


• 
  Head Hunters by Herbie Hancock
  


• 
  Baron von Tollbooth & The Chrome Nun by Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, and David Freiberg
  


• 
  Full Sail by Loggins and Messina
  


• 
  How Time Flys by David Ossman and The Firesign Theatre
  


• 
  GP by Gram Parsons
  


• 
  Deliver the Word by War
  


• 
  Be What You Want To by Link Wray
  


• 
  Betty Davis by Betty Davis
  


• 
  Sextant by Herbie Hancock
  


• 
  Roger McGuinn by Roger McGuinn
  

1974

• 
  Grievous Angel by Gram Parsons
  


• 
  Manhole by Grace Slick
  


• 
  The Phosphorescent Rat by Hot Tuna
  


• 
  Early Flight by Jefferson Airplane
  


• 
  Dragon Fly by Grace Slick, Paul Kantner, and Jefferson Starship
  


• 
  Quah by Jorma Kaukonen
  


• 
  What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits by The Doobie Brothers
  


• 
  ST11621 by Brewer & Shipley
  


• 
  Look at the Fool by Tim Buckley
  


• 
  The Heart of Saturday Night by Tom Waits
  


• 
  Southern Comfort by The Crusaders
  


• 
  Peace on You by Roger McGuinn
  


• 
  No Other by Gene Clark
  

1975

• 
  America's Choice by Hot Tuna
  


• 
  Red Octopus by Jefferson Starship
  


• 
  Yellow Fever by Hot Tuna
  


• 
  The Tubes by The Tubes
  


• 
  Tale Spinnin' by Weather Report
  


• 
  Chain Reaction by The Crusaders
  


• 
  Adventures in Paradise by Minnie Riperton
  


• 
  Atlantic Crossing by Rod Stewart
  


• 
  Song for America by Kansas
  


• 
  Saturday Night Special by Norman Connors
  


• 
  Steppin' by Pointer Sisters
  


• 
  Venus and Mars by Wings
  


• 
  Coke by Coke Escovedo
  


• 
  Angel by Angel
  


• 
  Tell Me The Truth by Jon Hendricks
  


• 
  An Evening with John Denver by John Denver (Recorded Live at Universal Amphitheater)

1976

• 
  Spitfire by Jefferson Starship
  


• 
  Heritage by Eddie Henderson
  


• 
  Hoppkorv by Hot Tuna
  


• 
  Amigos by Santana
  


• 
  Small Change by Tom Waits
  


• 
  Salongo by Ramsey Lewis
  


• 
  Alessi by Alessi Brothers
  


• 
  Legs Diamond by Legs Diamond
  

1977

• 
  Rumours by Fleetwood Mac
  


• 
  Thunderbyrd by Roger McGuinn
  


• 
  Conquistador by Maynard Ferguson
  


• 
  American Stars 'n Bars by Neil Young
  


• 
  Having a Party by Pointer Sisters
  


• 
  Donald Clark Osmond by Donny Osmond
  

1978

• 
  Earth by Jefferson Starship
  


• 
  Double Dose by Hot Tuna
  


• 
  Do It All Night by Curtis Mayfield
  


• 
  Comes a Time by Neil Young
  


• 
  Jass-Ay-Lay-Dee by Ohio Players
  


• 
  Streamline by Lenny White
  


• 
  Twin Sons of Different Mothers by Dan Fogelberg and Tim Weisberg
  

1979

• 
  Jorma by Jorma Kaukonen
  


• 
  Connections and Disconnections by Funkadelic
  

1981

• 
  Law and Order by Lindsey Buckingham
  

1982

• 
  One from the Heart by Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle
  


• 
  Right Back At Cha! by Dynasty
  


• 
  Long After Dark by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
  

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hyde Street Studios.