Studio X Explained

Studio X
Type:	Recording studio
Industry:	Music
Successor:	Steve Lawson Productions
Foundation:	Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Founder:	Steve and Debbie Lawson

Studio X (formerly known as Bad Animals Studio and Kaye-Smith Studios^[1]) is a music and media recording studio on 4th Avenue in downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. Originally part of the Kaye-Smith Enterprises media conglomerate founded by Lester Smith and actor Danny Kaye, the studio was used to record commercials and musicians. The studio was re-launched as Steve Lawson Productions by Steve and Debbie Lawson in 1979.^[1] The sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson of the band Heart owned the studio from 1991 until 1997, and named it Bad Animals after their 1987 album of the same name. Artists such as Heart, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Queensrÿche, Mad Season, Foo Fighters, Audioslave, Aerosmith, The Beach Boys, Jerry Cantrell, Eddie Vedder, Duff McKagan, Johnny Cash, B.B. King, Radiohead, R.E.M., Deftones, Soulfly, Steve Vai, KMFDM, and Neil Young have recorded at the studio.^[2]

History

In 1991, Nancy and Ann Wilson of the band Heart entered into a partnership with Steve Lawson, who owned Kaye-Smith Studios where many of their 1970s hits, as well as their 1980 album Bébé le Strange, had been recorded.^[3] They upgraded the facility to the state-of-the-art, and renamed it Bad Animals Studio. The studio was named after Heart's 1987 album, Bad Animals.^[4] Ann and Nancy sold the studio back to the Lawsons in 1997, and it was renamed Studio X.^[5]

Several of the Humongous Entertainment games were also recorded by Bad Animals Studios.

In May 1993, Nirvana entered Bad Animals Studios to remix the songs "Heart-Shaped Box" and "All Apologies" for their album In Utero.^[6]

The music video for Soundgarden's 1994 single "Fell on Black Days" was filmed at the studio.^[7]

In 1997, Steve Lawson sold Bad Animals to Mike McAuliffe, Dave Howe, Charlie Nordstrom and Tom McGurk.^[8]

In 1998, the Spice Girls recorded vocals for the song "Boyfriend/Girlfriend", their contribution to the South Park soundtrack at the studio.^[9]

In 2001, Bill Brown recorded all of the music for Microsoft's Windows XP operating system with a live orchestra at the studio.^[10]

On September 1, 2003, Seattle radio station KNDD 107.7 The End hosted a solo acoustic performance by Thom Yorke at Studio X.^[11]

In October 2017, the studio was purchased for $21.6 million by Skanska, which plans to build a 346-unit multifamily tower with ground-floor retail in the building.^[12]

On October 31, 2018, Studio X, now managed by Reed Ruddy, moved its location from Belltown to Capitol Hill.^[12] Alice in Chains' 2018 album Rainier Fog was the last album recorded at the original studio.^[12]

Albums recorded at Bad Animals/Studio X

Partial list.

• Bette Midler (1973) – Bette Midler (as Kaye-Smith Studios)^[13]
• Track of the Cat (1975) – Dionne Warwick (overdubbing) (as Kaye-Smith Studios)^[14]
• Little Queen (1977) – Heart (as Kaye-Smith Studios)^[15]
• M.I.U. Album (1978) – The Beach Boys (as Kaye-Smith Studios)^[16]
• Bébé le Strange (1980) – Heart (as Kaye-Smith Studios)^[17]
• Greatest Hits/Live (1980) – Heart (as Kaye-Smith Studios)^[18]
• Private Audition (1982) – Heart (as Kaye-Smith Studios)^[19]
• Metal Church (1984) - Metal Church (as Steve Lawson Productions)^[20]
• Automatic For The People (1992) – R.E.M. (mixing)^[21]
• Inhaler (1993) – Tad (mixing)^[22]
• Desire Walks On (1993) – Heart^[23]
• Superunknown (1994) – Soundgarden^[24]
• Live Through This (1994) – Hole (mixing)^[25]
• Vitalogy (1994) – Pearl Jam^[26]
• Above (1995) – Mad Season^[27]
• Mirror Ball (1995) – Neil Young^[28]
• The Road Home (1995) – Heart (mixing)^[29]
• Adrenaline (1995) – Deftones^[30]
• Lucy (1995) – Candlebox (mixing)^[31]
• Alice in Chains (1995) – Alice in Chains^[32]
• Down on the Upside (1996) – Soundgarden^[33]
• New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996) – R.E.M.^[34]
• Yield (1998) – Pearl Jam^[35]
• Boggy Depot (1998) – Jerry Cantrell^[36]
• Heart Presents A Lovemongers' Christmas (1998) – Heart^[37]
• 13 Ways to Bleed on Stage (2000) – Cold^[38]
• Riot Act (2002) – Pearl Jam^[39]
• Audioslave (2002) – Audioslave^[40]
• Deftones (2003) – Deftones^[41]
• Savages (2003) – Soulfly^[42]
• Transatlanticism (2003) – Death Cab for Cutie^[43]
• In Between Evolution (2004) - The Tragically Hip
• Catch Without Arms (2005) – Dredg^[44]
• Pearl Jam (2006) – Pearl Jam^[45]
• Into the Wild (2007) – Eddie Vedder^[46]
• Ukulele Songs (2011) – Eddie Vedder^[47]
• Fanatic (2012) – Heart^[48]
• The Heist (2012) – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis^[49]
• King Animal (2012) – Soundgarden^[50]
• Lightning Bolt (2013) – Pearl Jam^[51]
• Satyricon (2013) – Satyricon^[52]
• Rainier Fog (2018) – Alice in Chains^[53]

Film scores recorded at Bad Animals/Studio X

• Army of Darkness (1992)^[2]
• Dennis the Menace (1993)^[2]
• 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)^[2]
• Office Space (1999)^[2]
• The Way of the Gun (2000)^[2]
• The Wedding Planner (2001)^[2]
• Vanilla Sky (2001)^[2]
• Big Fish (2003)^[54]
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)^[55]
• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)^[56]
• Into the Wild (2007)^[46]
• Orphan (2009)^[57]
• The Blind Side (2009)^[58]
• Eat Pray Love (2010)^[59]
• Carol (2014)^[60]
• The Founder (2016)^[61]

Video game scores recorded at Bad Animals/Studio X

• Halo 2 Original Soundtrack (2004)^[62]
• (2005)^[2]
• Halo 3 Original Soundtrack (2007)^[63]
• The Incredible Hulk (2008)^[64]
• Halo: Reach Original Soundtrack (2010)^[65]
• Solitaire Blitz (2012)^[2]
• Plants vs. Zombies Adventures (2013)^[2]
• Destiny Original Soundtrack (2014)^[2]
• Peggle 2 Original Soundtrack (2014)^[66]
• Age of Empires II (2013)^[2]
• Heroes of Skyrealm (2016)^[2]

External links

• Bad Animals
• Studio X

Notes and References

1. Phalen, Tom . 25 November 1995 . Seattle's history as studio Mecca predates grunge . Billboard . 0006-2510 . 107 . 47 . 69 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181009110803/https://books.google.com/books?id=Pw0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA69&lpg=PA69 . live . October 9, 2018. October 9, 2018. .
2. Web site: Clients - Studio X . studioxinc.com.
3. Mix. 0164-9957. 169. 1–6. 22. Heart. Mix Publications.
4. Web site: Recording Studio Just A 'Heart' Beat Away . Updike . Robin . October 7, 1991 . The Seattle Times.
5. Web site: Bad Animals, Inc . Moby Games.
6. Azerrad, 1994. p. 337–38
7. Web site: SOUNDGARDEN were working hard on the SUPERUNKNOWN album at Bad Animals studios in Seattle in the autumn of 1993 . June 23, 2018 . Instagram.
8. Web site: Hear, Hear: Sound Effects Win Emmys -- 'Nye The Science Guy' Team Go To Great Lengths . Kelly . Brian . June 17, 1999 . The Seattle Times.
9. Studio Action . September 12, 1998 . 110 . 37 . 66 . Billboard. 12 September 1998 .
10. Web site: Brown . Bill . Almost 14 years ago I wrote the music for Windows XP… . . July 4, 2013 . en . 21 July 2023 . limited.
11. Web site: Studio X - Seattle, WA USA September 1, 2003 . greenplastic.com.
12. Web site: Belltown's Studio X, witness to some of Seattle's greatest music milestones, makes way for the wrecking ball . Brodeur . Nicole . August 24, 2018 . The Seattle Times.
13. Web site: Bette Midler – Bette Midler . Radio.Video.Music. 16 November 2021 .
14. Web site: Dionne Warwick – Track Of The Cat. Discogs.
15. Web site: Little Queen – Heart. AllMusic.
16. Web site: M.I.U. Album. albumlinernotes.com.
17. Web site: Bébé le Strange – Heart. AllMusic.
18. Web site: Heart – Greatest Hits / Live. Discogs.
19. Web site: Private Audition – Heart. AllMusic.
20. Metal Church . . 1985 . LP sleeve . Elektra Records. 60471-1.
21. Web site: R.E.M. – Automatic For The People. Discogs.
22. Web site: Tad – Inhaler. Discogs.
23. Web site: Four classics recorded at Seattle's Studio X, aka Bad Animal. Metal Hammer. July 19, 2018.
24. Web site: The Oral History of Soundgarden's 'Superunknown' . June 5, 2014 . Spin.
25. Web site: Hole – Live Through This. Discogs.
26. Web site: 23 Years Ago: Pearl Jam Overcome Internal Strife on 'Vitalogy'. Loudwire. December 6, 2017.
27. Web site: Above – Mad Season. AllMusic.
28. Web site: Mirror Ball – Neil Young. AllMusic.
29. Web site: Heart – The Road Home. Discogs.
30. Web site: Adrenaline – Deftones. AllMusic.
31. Web site: Candlebox – Lucy. Discogs.
32. Web site: Alice in Chains – Alice in Chains. AllMusic.
33. Web site: Down on the Upside – Soundgarden. AllMusic.
34. Web site: New Adventures in Hi-Fi – R.E.M. . AllMusic.
35. Web site: Yield – Pearl Jam. AllMusic.
36. Web site: Boggy Depot – Jerry Cantrell. AllMusic.
37. Web site: Heart Presents A Lovemongers' Christmas. AllMusic.
38. Web site: 13 Ways to Bleed on Stage – Cold. AllMusic.
39. Web site: Riot Act – Pearl Jam. AllMusic.
40. Web site: Audioslave – Audioslave. AllMusic.
41. Web site: Deftones – Deftones. AllMusic.
42. Web site: Savages – Soulfly. AllMusic.
43. Web site: Transatlanticism – Death Cab for Cutie. AllMusic.
44. Web site: Catch Without Arms – Dredg. AllMusic.
45. Web site: Pearl Jam – Pearl Jam. AllMusic.
46. Web site: Into the Wild [Original Soundtrack] – Eddie Vedder]. AllMusic.
47. Web site: Ukulele Songs – Eddie Vedder. AllMusic.
48. Web site: Fanatic – Heart. AllMusic.
49. Web site: The Heist – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. AllMusic.
50. Web site: King Animal – Soundgarden. AllMusic.
51. Web site: Lightning Bolt – Pearl Jam. AllMusic.
52. Web site: Satyricon – Satyricon. AllMusic.
53. Web site: Destroy Or Be Destroyed: Alice in Chains Confronts Ghosts, Past on 'Rainier Fog' . Beaudoin . Jedd . August 27, 2018 . PopMatters.
54. Web site: Big Fish [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] – Danny Elfman]. AllMusic.
55. Web site: Seattle scores in Hollywood . Dietrich . Heidi . May 5, 2005 . Pudget Sound Business Journal.
56. Web site: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]]. AllMusic.
57. Web site: Orphan [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]]. AllMusic.
58. Web site: Carter Burwell - The Blind Side . carterburwell.com.
59. Web site: Eat Pray Love [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]]. AllMusic.
60. Web site: Carter Burwell - Carol . carterburwell.com.
61. Web site: Carter Burwell - The Founder . carterburwell.com.
62. Web site: An Oral History of the Halo 2 E3 2003 Demo . G. . Andrew . July 30, 2016 . Medium.
63. Web site: Staff. September 20, 2007. Interview with Halo 3 Composer Marty O'Donnell. https://web.archive.org/web/20080408192713/http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=172. April 8, 2008. Music4Games. October 9, 2018.
64. Web site: The Music of The Incredible Hulk . https://web.archive.org/web/20081003121349/http://music.ign.com/articles/879/879182p1.html . Van Zelfden . Alex . . IGN Entertainment . June 6, 2008 . October 3, 2008 . January 4, 2022 . dead.
65. Web site: Halo: Reach Soundtrack Available For Musically Inclined Gamers . Usher . William . September 12, 2010 . Cinema Blend.
66. Web site: Making the secret symphony of Peggle 2 . December 11, 2013 . Polygon.