Company Profile: Canadian Recording Services

by Nathan Stafford

So you’re ready to record an album, or so you think. Take it from me - you’ve got a lot of work to do before you even hit the studio. It’s time to start looking for a producer, an engineer, someone to do your mastering, and of course, you have to find the perfect recording studio. Wouldn’t it be great if there was someone out there who could do all that for you? Guess what. Her name is Mimi.

Mimi Northcott is the owner/operator of a Vancouver-based studio referral and project coordination company called Canadian Recording Services (www.canadianrecordingservices.com). She and her team (Bree Cassidy and Jordan Birch) help everyone from novice recording rookies, all the way up to Platinum-selling celebrities coordinate their recording projects. So what exactly can she do for you?

“CRS (Canadian Recording Services) hooks artists up with studios, producers or engineers - based on the style of music and budget,” says Northcott. “I’m pretty tapped into the whole pro recording scene across the country - so I know who's who. After years of doing this, we're ‘in the know’ with reputable producers, engineers & studios in most of the cities across Canada.”

Sounds great! How do we get started?

“For a local band, we usually start with a budget - so we have
a rough idea of what to work with. Then we send them some producers’ credits and demo reels and they pick who they like based on their music style and budget. Then I send the producer the band's music. If they want to work together, then we take the budget and try to get the best studios for the best rates. In a nutshell, we try and get the best people and studios for they money they have to make it go the furthest.”

So who is this Mimi person anyway? How do I know she can help me get the best bang for my recording buck? Starting out as a receptionist in a recording studio, Mimi said she soon realized that “it’s the producers and engineers that are the key to a successful project”. She moved on from the studio to work for a US-based referral company for bands looking to tour or record in Canada, back when US Dollars went a lot further. She began working as an agent for a few producers and engineers, referring artists to them for a small fee, and years later the idea morphed into a nation-wide network, boasting the slogan “All Audio – All of Canada”. Her experience and connections speak for themselves.

Take a look at Mimi’s client list if you’re still unsure. It looks a bit like a “who’s who” of the music industry, with acts from all over the world. AC/DC, REM, Snoop Dogg, Moby, plus BC favorites Colin James, Limblifter and The Cruzeros are among her many happy customers. Remember when The Police opened their tour in Vancouver last May? Mimi does.

“We were hired to find them (The Police) rehearsal space twice when they were here. Second time, Bree and I were hired to be on site as local coordinators. They were low maintenance and the whole Police project was a joy from beginning to end. SOMEONE had to stare at Sting all day...”

As you can tell, Mimi doesn’t mind going that extra mile just to make the customer happy. An unnamed source told me that when R.E.M was in town working on their new album Accelerate last year, Mimi was asked to find the band a lawyer to have something notarized at the studio. I didn’t see legal services on the Canadian Recording Services website, but for you Michael Stipe, anything goes.

“Yes, I called a lawyer to go to the REM session for some work at their request,” says Mimi. “Everyone is different. Some stars prefer services come to them, others are happy to leave the studio. Like to think we go the extra mile for everyone.”

I wonder just how far that extra mile has been stretched. Mimi must get some strange requests from her celebrity clients. I remember hearing about Ozzie fabled brandy glass filled with brown M&M’s. Mimi wouldn’t name names (believe me, I begged), but she told me about some interesting things clients have asked her to source:

“Strangest requests....Opium....Viagra.........swimming with Killer Whales....”

That last one sounds a little bit difficult to organize. I can just imagine the waivers one would have to sign! All in a day’s work though, I suppose. Speaking of work, I wonder how exactly Mimi and her staff go about gathering contacts for this huge referral service. Her cell-phone contact list must be filled with some pretty interesting names. We’re talking about an ever-growing network of producers, engineers, studios and more - all at the artist’s beckon call. I was assured that the list on the CRS website is just a sample of what’s available. Mimi told me that if there is ANY producer I want to work with and I have the budget, she would try to get them here. So how do they do it?

“I think just years of doing this - when I don't know where to find a piece of gear or something someone has requested - I get on the phone and find out. For local connections in Toronto or Halifax - I work with studios and people in those cities and rely on their expertise. I have aligned myself with companies and people that have that "can-do" attitude and are all about making the client happy,” says Northcott.

As if Mimi wasn’t busy enough, she is also the business manager for one of Canada’s top record producers, and a mixing engineer with a resume longer than my iTunes playlist. I’m talking about mixer Mike Fraser, who has worked with AC/DC, Aerosmith, and Norah Jones to name a few (www.mikefrasermix.com) and producer Jeff Dawson whose clients include Kelly Rowland, Holly McNarland and BC’s own megastar Daniel Powter (www.myspace.com/jeffdawsonproductions). She also represents other “name” producers and engineers like Dave “Rave” Ogilvie, Steve Berlin and Chris Potter (who has the much-envied position as Sarah McLachlan’s engineer) on a referral fee-basis. If you ask me, working with one of these guys might help launch your career to the next level.

When you get to be a Heavyweight producer, chances are you won’t be willing to do just any project, even if the money is good. I’m told you can pick and choose what you work on at that level. You probably wouldn’t see Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden) producing “A Smurf Christmas Carol”. Mimi and her staff take this into account and try to look for projects that their roster will be interested in doing not only from a financial standpoint.

“We’re trying to place these guys we manage with great artists - and acts that THEY want to work with. They're the ones spending 14 hours a day in the studio with them - I want them to enjoy what they're doing as well as working with acts that will see success.”

Organizing so many successful recording projects over the years would be hard work, but I bet it has its rewards. I envisioned the walls at the Canadian Recording Services covered in Gold Records. I asked Mimi if this was the case, and she proudly confirmed my belief.

“Yep, I have a few. The latest was an Australian Gold Record for Xavier Rudd which I'm really proud of, as we put the whole project together and the whole camp are wonderful people. We did the studio, Dave Ogilvie as producer/mixer and Dean Maher was the engineer - so great to see success come to great people. Plus I love my gold record.”

If you’re wondering what’s next for Mimi and Canadian Recording Services, I’ll give you a hint. Someone on her roster is working on a top-secret project designed to put the spotlight on Vancouver as a “World-class recording destination”. I’ll say no more. I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise! Think of it as selling a vacation package to rock stars. She told me that Vancouver is already attracting some big name recording acts, but the scene is just waiting to explode.


“As far as bringing people in and "selling" a destination - 99% of the time the request is for Vancouver. It's a world-class city, cosmopolitan, great climate, plus our studios are world-class and have killer rates. Vancouver has a legendary history as a recording Mecca. Most importantly it's our producers and engineers that bring people in. If we can market what we have to the world, we could really put Vancouver on the map as the first choice for recording destinations.”

But let’s say you want to think outside the box. Mimi’s Residential Service can help set you up with a live-in studio anywhere in the world you’d like to record! Remember Pink Floyd at Pompei or U2 recording “Unforgettable Fire” at Slane Castle in Ireland? CRS could set that up for you.

“People either phone looking for a castle or somewhere with a beach that's hot to go record. We put together a list for them. Megadeth phoned for a residential studio in Northern Europe or England - a castle that could sleep 12. Tim McGraw wanted a 5-Star residential studio in Canada or the
US. Alicia Keys' people phoned for an SSL tracking room in Madrid last week. Nathan - Venice, Belize, the Bahamas, Greece, Rome....where do you want to go? If it's a city we haven't dealt with before, we make it our job to learn about that market. Always handy for the next time someone calls.”

So if you are an artist looking for a little help organizing your next recording project (no matter how modest your budget is), you might want to contact Canadian Recording Services. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and give Mimi and the gang a call. As it says on the website, “CRS is not an internet-based business – We are a real live office with happy humans answering the phones.” What more could you possibly want? Access to some of today’s top studios and recording personnel, PLUS real live humans to answer your questions! It takes a lot of work to set up the perfect recording project, but peace of mind is just a phone call away.


For more information, visit www.canadianrecordingservices.com or phone 1.866.888.6464 (Toll Free in North America).



If you enjoyed reading this article, please check out the author’s website at www.nathanstafford.blogspot.com.