Located in the heart of Ottawa’s sunny Elmvale Acres, Metropolitan offers a delicious blend of Tracking, Mixing, and Mastering services. Owned and operated by Jason Jaknunas, Metropolitan specializes in world-class productions that focus on groove, soul, texture, feel, and superb sonics.
NEWS 21 08 2008 - August News
Well it's August already, but Hockey is in the air! Lots of Hockey Night in Canada themes being worked on in the last couple of months. Be sure to check out Justin Coutu'sRed Line Adrenaline. Super pumped up track featuring some of Ottawa's top brass players....Brian Asselin on Sax and Bari, Carmelo Scaffidi on Trumpet,
and Mark Ferguson on the trombone.
Click on the link below and give it a listen!
26 06 2008 - June News
Yipes..what a month..as far as I know June is when summer starts, right? I'm still waitin' for the sunshine and hot weather, dammit!!
Busy month, though...started a new World Voices Choir CD...real cool stuff including an arrangement of U2's MLK..one
of my favourite songs. Mixed some Monkeyjunk tracks starring Tony D,Matt Sobb, and Steve Marriner...holy smokes those dudes got
some serious groove! Trumped! stopped by for a 4 song EP..Trumpet, guitar, and voice..loved the tracks..awesome dudes. People Project's
Rommel Ribeiro recorded six songs for an upcoming release..Brazillian music...that dude's guitar playing and voice are the best! Started some new
SoulJazz Orchestra tracks...lookout!!
22 05 2008 - May News
New reviews keep coming in for JW Jones'Bluelisted. 4.5 / 5 star review in All Music Guide.
Nice going dude! Also received my copy of Peter Brown'sThe House on Franklin Street..check out the credits page for more info.
He's got a couple of CD release shows booked...May 25th at Ballygiblins's Restaurant (151 Bridge Street, Carleton Place) and May 31st at Cafe Paradiso (199 Bank Street).
Looking forward to it!
26 04 2008 - SSL 4000 Collection Received my new Solid State Logic bundle...feels great to start mixing through these channel strips...they've
got "that sound" you know?..the sound of ..victory. No, wait..that's the smell of victory. Well, either way, they sound awesome.
South Korea's Cuttlefish was the first to use 'em and despite the 13 hour time difference, they seem cool with the sound!
25 04 2008 - Lotsa stuff a-happenin'! Lynne Hanson'sEleven Months is mixed and mastered! Al Wood'sMood Swingin' Blues is mixed and mastered!
Great fun to work on these records...serious talent all around... These cats can write a song, lemme tells ya!
17 03 2008 - JW Jones CD Release Checked out JW Jones' CD release show at the Rainbow on Saturday night..the dude
knocked it out of the park! Lot's of press for the event, too...The Sun, The Citizen, and the cover of the XPress!
19 02 2008 - February News Finished mixing and mastering Peter Brown's upcoming CD...looking forward to a March release. Had the pleasure of
working with the one and only Lynn Miles...put down some harmony tracks on Lynne Hanson's latest. Lynn Miles' voice
is second to none...she's got the chops! Mixed 3 Henderson Howells tracks over at Al Bragg's studio...itchin'
to record some more bed tracks! Put down some pre-production tracks with Steve Marriner...he's got some killer songs in the works!
Looking forward to mixing a few more Brad Basnett tracks shortly...always a treat! Recorded some new drum tracks with Miche Pouliot...one song, one take.
That dude can play! 28 01 2008 - January News
Busy January!!...Started recording a new Tony D track...great song, great guitar playing...
Tony's the dude. Al Wood sessions are in mix mode...4 in the can, 9 to go..sad to see this project coming to an end.
Put down some vocals and percussion for SoulJazz Orchestra's upcoming release Manifesto..serious funk. Lynne Hanson's project has moved to the vocal recording stage..can't wait to hear the songs come
together. Mixed a Jimmy Knox track..recorded by Marty Sobb over at Raven Street..great throwback track. Started recording the guitar tracks for
Denis Larcher's upcoming EP..not only can that dude play a mean piano, he plays great guitar too! Also..found out that
Bridgehead sells croissants made by the French Baker over on Murray Street. There goes the waistline!
23 12 2007 - Dyalek CD available Just got my copy of Dyalek's debut record Misinterpretations. Love this CD...! Check out the
credits page for more info!
20 12 2007 - New API plugins Started using my new API collection of plugs...faithful emulations of the original classics.
I was fortunate enough to have worked on a classic (but temperamental) API console in the 90's and this plugin set nails the sound just right! (without any downtime!)
01 12 2007 - JW Jones Bluelisted Mixed and Mastered Looking forward to the release of JW Jones' latest record Bluelisted in 2008.
This was fun record to work on..super heavy tracks with a focus on JW's awesome guitar playing....and the Asselin groove is
featured throughout. As per usual, I was not permitted to play tambourine on this recording.
30 11 2007 - Lynne Hanson Met with Lynne Hanson yesterday...can't wait to begin working on her latest CD...she's got an armload of strong songs
and a killer voice to match. Feels great to be involved in this project...and I'm looking forward to working with some seriously
talented musicians...
25 11 2007 - Denis Larcher Recorded the scratch tracks to Denis Larcher's newest EP. 5 great songs featuring Denis on guitar and vocals...a departure
from his regular gig as Dyalek's piano player. Can't wait to fill out the tracks!
21 11 2007 - Brad Basnett The mix of Brad Basnett's latest is in high gear. Brad's music is an eclectic mix of jazz, rock, folk, funk..well pretty much
a funky blend of all styles..but it works! We've got 3 mixes in the bank right now...with more to come in the new year...
21 10 2007 - New CD's Mixed and Mastered! Completed the mix and master of Dyalek's new record and Daddy Long Leg's new record. I was real happy
to be a part of these discs. Dyalek drops a serious jazz tour de force with their first full length...music that draws
you in..great saturday night / sunday morning vibe. Cool dudes, too. Daddy Long Legs are ready to press their King for a Day CD..
a treat to mix...thick and creamy blues, produced by Steve Marriner. Great live off the floor vibe...
16 09 2007 - Tony D / Rozalind MacPhail CD's
Just received copies of Tony D's Shake For Me Again, and Rozalind MacPhail's Edgework. Check out the
credits page for more info!
23 08 2007 - Peter Brown Trio Gonna start tracking the Peter Brown Trio next week over at Raven Street Studios. Looking forward to working with
producer Bruce Wittet again. Peter on piano, Bruce on drums, and Chris Breitner on upright bass...serious talent all around...
can't wait to plug in Raven's kick-ass Focusrite Red Range preamps...I love those things...
23 08 2007 - Daddy Long Legs / Steve Marriner I'm pleased as punch to be mixing Daddy Long Legs' latest CD. Great production
by Steve Marriner and great performances by the band. Thick and creamy analog sound..kudos to the tracking engineer...these dudes have recorded a monster!
23 08 2007 - Ben Duchesne The recording of Ben's debut CD has gone into high gear...tracked some smooth
guitar and added leads to a few beds. Real happy with the sound...recording lots with my new Ampex MX10 preamps...
23 08 2007 - JW Jones #5 Began mixing some of JW's tracks from his forthcoming CD. Recorded in Hollywood
featuring the talents of Junior Watson, Larry Taylor, Little Charlie Baty, Richard Innes, and of course, JW! Heavy sound..these cats can
play, lemme tell ya!
11 08 2007 - Al Wood! Started working on Al Wood's record this week...we laid down some ultra groovy drums, guitar,
percussion, and bass. Harp and vocals coming soon. We're going for an ultra-organic sound..the studio reeks of burnt dust on hot tubes...
the worlds best smell...
25 06 2007 - World Voices Choir Started a new WVC recording last week...feels good to be back working with the Brookfeild gang...a great bunch as always
headed by the one and only Jeannie Hunter. Great session..we'll be mixing the tracks on the Friday...
18 06 2007 - Kate and Hollis: Sugar Babe Just received my copy of Kate and Hollis' latest record Sugar Babe. A killer follow up to
2005's The Last Chore. I was happy to be part of this project..be sure to check out K and H's
CD release show, September 20th at the NAC 4th stage.
01 06 2007 - Cool-Ass Mic! Received this great mic the other day...a gift from Sound Creation Studio's engineer Scott Walsh...Bang & Olufsen Beomic 1000...seems to be made in the late
60's...won a design award...I'll retro-fit a standard XLR type connector to it and test 'er out! Cool! 01 06 2007 - Rozalind MacPhail's Edgework CD
Rozalind's latest CD Edgework has been mixed and mastered...we left the record in the more than capable hands of Lacquer Channel's Noah Mintz for
the mastering duties. Sounds tight...check out some mastered tracks up on Roz's myspace page.http://www.myspace.com/rozalindmacphail 19 04 2007 - Tony D Compilation CD Started putting together Tony D's upcoming compilation CD today...tons of material
to listen to...we're looking to collect the best tracks from his extensive catalog of ultra groovy bluesy tunes. Even had to
pull out the funky 'ol DAT machine (shown in pic) to transfer some tracks to Pro Tools. Ahhh, DAT...how the mighty have fallen... 19 04 2007 - Rozalind MacPhail Mixage Began mixing Rozalind MacPhails CD last week...the mixes are going great...we
received tracks and performances from musicians all across Canada and somehow it all came together! Take a listen to three unmastered mixes up on
Rozalind's myspace site...http://www.myspace.com/rozalindmacphail 11 03 2007 - News! Checked out Pat Moore's sold out show at the NAC 4th stage on Saturday night.
Great set, great sound, and a great vibe. There's talk of Pat playing a show at the Mayfair Theatre sometime
in the future...I couldn't think of a better venue to showcase her killer set of lovin', leavin', drinkin' and hurtin' songs! 11 03 2007 - Lotsa News! Began mixing the new Dyalek record last week...super cool jazz. Half the record was
recorded in New Brunswick and the other half at the piano lounge upstairs at Fridays. Sounds modern and retro at the same time...
60's vibe..very nice... 11 03 2007 - More News!
Started the mix of Kate and Hollis' new record. This one was engineered and produced by Kate and Hollis at
Constant Sound, their ultra comfy home studio. Tracks sound really cool so far...I'm happy to
be involved in this project! 18 02 2007 - Pat Moore and the Vinyl Frontier
Pat Moore's CD arrived from the duplication house this week. Looks and sounds real good...great packaging with photos taken at
the Mayfair Theatre..very retro... 16 02 2007 - Ubuntu CD Release
The World Voices Choir showcased their new CD at the National Library of Canada on Friday night. A killer set of tunes were performed
from Ubuntu. BHS had the audience on their feet by the end of the night. Great show.
FEEDBACK "Jason Jaknunas patiently walks that fine line on the confluence of art and science.
His poised patience, professionalism and technological know always result in the perfect take.
Passionate about what he does, and always ready to discuss
every alternative JJ has become "the guy" to get a project from seedling to tree!"
- Al Wood,
Red Wood Central “It's all true...
I had a wonderful time working with Jason Jaknunas on two full-length studio
albums. He has sharp attention for detail, great musical intuition, an
understanding of a broad range of instruments and recording approaches, and
strikes a refreshing balance between professionalism and personability,
making for clear communication and a fun recording atmosphere. All these
qualities instilled confidence going into the projects, as well as
satisfaction with the end results, even listening to them years later."
- Trevor Tchir "Jason Jaknunas has a natural gift for making musicians feel at ease
during sessions, and commands the best personal performance in a fun
and creative atmosphere. As a producer he understands what needs to be
accomplished, gives honest feedback, and goes the extra distance to give
each project the best representation of the artist’s vision. Every musician who has
worked with JJ can’t wait to get back to Metropolitan Studios to record again!"
- Julie Larocque
Received my new Solid State Logic bundle...feels great to start mixing through these channel strips...they've
got "that sound" you know?..the sound of ..victory. No, wait..that's the smell of victory. Well, either way, they sound awesome.
South Korea's Cuttlefish was the first to use 'em and despite the 13 hour time difference, they seem cool with the sound!
