DECATUR ★ ALABAMA

Clearwave is a private recording studio, not open to the public. We will happily show the studio and discuss future projects by appointment only. Please respect our privacy, the privacy or our neighbors, and the privacy of our artists. Please don't show up at Clearwave unannounced. We hate that. Contact us at clearwavestudio@me.com to make an appointment.

WHAT WE DO

★ MUSIC PRODUCTION ★

★ MIXING ★

★ ANALOG and DIGITAL RECORDING ★

★ MASTERING ★

★ LIVE IN STUDIO MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION ★

★ SESSION MUSICIANS ★

INDIE, ROCK, ALT COUNTRY, GOSPEL, NEO SOUL, PUNK, JAZZ

JEREMY STEPHENS

JEREMY STEPHENS-

I am a recording engineer and producer, mixing through the state of Alabama like a freakin' hurricane. I've had the honor of collaborating with some of the greatest musicians on this green planet, from the Alabama Shakes to Jason Isbell, Gregg Allman to Chuck Leavell. I learned the art of producing and recording from the legendary Johnny Sandlin, the platinum rock and roll producer who built the Allman Brothers Band, Widespread Panic and invented the genre of Southern Rock. For over 20 years, I served as Johnny's right-hand man, learning everything there is to know about making a goddamn good record.

In 2001, I founded Clearwave Recording Studio, a place where I could let my creativity run wild and birth the most organic, earthy, musical records imaginable. Musicians flock to my studio because they dig the laid-back vibe and the divine tones, and I love it because it's cost-effective and allows me to work on my own terms. So come on down to Alabama and let's make some magic together.

As an independent producer, mixer, and recording engineer, sometimes I venture to some of the most exotic recording studios in the world. I am a sonic adventurer, journeying to the furthest reaches of the planet in pursuit of the ultimate musical escapade.

Rancho de la Luna-Joshua Tree, Ca.

Capricorn Studios-Macon, Ga.

Clearwave Recording Studio-Decatur, Al.

Fame Studios-Muscle Shoals, Al.

The goal here is to make hit records and win Grammys. I remain convinced that with the right approach, anything is possible. That's why I focus on capturing the very best performances of great songs, and give my musicians the freedom to explore and create. It's a formula that's served me well so far my friends, and I have no doubt it'll continue to do so in the future.

PRESS

Jeremy Stephens learned how to record, produce and mix music straight from a Southern rock legend: Johnny Sandlin.

Sandlin had helped craft ‘70s Allman Brothers Band albums “Eat a Peach” and “Brothers and Sisters,” Gregg Allman’s solo gem “Laid Back,” Widespread Panic’s first three LPs and many other gems.

Later in Sandlin’s career, at Duck Tape Studio in Decatur, Stephens was his recording engineer for more than 20 years. From Sandlin, who died in 2017 at age 72, Stephens learned how to make recordings that sound warm, natural, clear and alive.

The ‘70s Southern-rock obscurity sampled for a ‘90s hit

The Allman Brothers’ only number-one album

After starting off with a home studio as a teenager, in 2001 Stephens opened his own studio, called Clearwave, in a Decatur space formerly occupied by another studio. He also produces and releases music through his label 10 Ton Records, including strong tracks by rising local acts like Lamont Landers and 53 Judges.

Back in the day, Stephens worked on Gregg Allman’s 1997 album “Searching for Simplicity,” early Alabama Shakes demos and tracks featuring Jason Isbell.

He’s worked in iconic studios like FAME in Muscle Shoals, Capricorn in Macon, Ga., and Rancho de la Luna. And been featured in recording industry bible Mix Magazine. A while back, Stephens and I connected for an interview via video chat. Edited excerpts below.

Jeremy, early on as a young music fan, what album or song got you interested in recording music yourself?

It probably goes back to The Beatles’ (album) “Abbey Road” when I was in high school. It sounded very thick and milky. More than anything, it inspired me to play bass. That’s kind of how I wanted to contribute at first - as a musician, as a bass player. I always thought Paul McCartney was cool. I think he’s the best Beatle, in my opinion.

What was the moment where you kind of realized, OK I’m not going to make it as a bass player, but I could maybe make it as the guy who records the bass?

For a long time, I was the guy who did both. But then when I started working for Johnny (Sandlin), he was doing an album and I was his assistant. And I remember the album we were working on, we had my favorite bass player on earth, at that time and probably still now, Oteil Burbridge (of the Allman Brothers, Dead & Company, Aquarium Rescue Unit, etc.) playing bass.

And Oteil was such a cool guy. Fun to hang out with and a great bass player, of course.

We’re just hanging out and I’m talking bass stuff with him. And he’s like, “Hey, man, come to my house, and I’ll show you some stuff, give you some lessons.” I wanted to do it. But there was a lot of stuff going on at Johnny’s (studio), and I was just so happy working at Johnny’s being an assistant engineer. Just looking back on it, that’s when I officially turned that switch where I’m more interested in recording than playing bass. That was the key moment for me.

I think Johnny must’ve known Oteil was my favorite bass player. Because I had started just as assistant (engineer) for him (Sandlin), and my first time recording and behind the console was with Oteil.

And Johnny gave me my chance. How cool is it, the first person you ever record professionally in a professional studio is your favorite musician of all-time?

Looking back, what stands out about the early recordings you did with Alabama Shakes? Did you have any inkling they’d take off like they did?

Well, I mean, I definitely felt great about the band. And I was into them and believed in then. And Brittany (Howard) stood out as just this great singer. They didn’t have a whole lot of songs back then. Or any money. [Laughs] But I saw it as that’s two things we could fix. And I can remember going out to find an investor.” Hey, I’ve got this great band. Listen to this stuff we did, and I think we can do this and this and this.” And I totally failed at that, by the way. No one wanted to give Alabama Shakes a drop of investment at the time. But then they found their way, and I’m very happy for them because they’re my friends.

But it’s very motivating. Because as good as they were or are, that caliber band, I probably get a couple of those a year, that are that good. And some bands make it some bands don’t. A lot of it has to do with work ethic or maybe luck plays a part in it. If they (Alabama Shakes can become so big or she (Brittany Howard) can get that big, it’s possible for anybody to do it.

I think generally if you put talent with the right songs, work ethic and luck and get the right person or two with some leverage to believe in you, that’s when an artist really connects. And Alabama Shakes had all that. What kind of stuff did you record with Alabama Shakes? Were they like demos?

Demos. And most of them were like fragments of songs, some of them I think they ended up finishing and putting out later with somebody else. But one thing I noticed with them, those things that you listed - work ethic and talent and luck - they also answered the call. Maybe just a year or so after they left here, I saw them on whatever (late night TV) show it was. That band, as green as they were when they were here, they whipped into shape. They transformed themselves. “Hey, we have this opportunity, we better take it.”

They met the moment.

Yeah. I was very impressed with that. Actually, that was a little unexpected, how good they became so quickly.

What did you record with Jason Isbell? And what was he like to work with in the studio at the time?

Isbell was like a side musician. If you needed someone to come in and play different types of guitar parts and be very versatile, he was someone you could call on. And also background vocals. I worked with him a lot in that capacity, just as a studio musician. There was a Barry Billings record and Barry is a singer/songwriter in the Shoals area, and I remember Jason played on that a lot. And he played Kenneth Brian’s record.

But yeah, Jason was always very reliable and super cool to hang out with. Very smart. You could tell he had a really great work-ethic. You knew he was going to show up, care about the music and do a really good job and execute it perfectly. And I think singing background vocals is probably the hardest job and music.

Singing background vocals is the hardest? Why?

Not only do you have to be a real singer, you have to understand harmony. You have to know when to sing, and when to not be in a way. You have to listen to the lead vocal and know which lines are important, that you need to emphasize. You’ve got to be able to match the way someone else sings, their phrasing. The best musicians I’ve ever known are background singers. And I always appreciate a very good rhythm-guitar player also. That’s kind of under-appreciated art.

As we’ve talked about before (for a 2019 AL.com piece on Johnny Sandlin), Gregg Allman wasn’t in the best place in the late ‘90s, when he recorded with you and Johnny at Duck Tape. But was there a moment or two where his talent shined through that? Where you were like, “Yeah, he’s still Gregg Allman”?

Yes, a couple things stand out. He sang the song “Dark End of the Street” (recorded for the “Searching for Simplicity” album). It’s just a great song, and I’m not sure if Gregg picked it out or Johnny picked it out. But after Gregg sang this really kick ass vocal, he said, “That was my brother’s favorite song.” [Allman’s brother and legendary guitarist Duane Allman died in 1971 at age 24 just as the Allman Brothers were gaining some fame.]

And there was another time where we were just sitting around in the studio, real late, just two or three people. Me, Johnny, Gregg, maybe one other person, and he (Allman) picked up acoustic guitar and started singing (the traditional gospel song) “Will The Circle Be Unbroken.” Just him and an acoustic. That voice was just resonating the whole room. That room just changed, and it really was pretty magical.

Biggest lesson from working with Johnny Sandlin you keep with you and use to this day?

One thing I remember, the first time I ever mixed a song for him - he just didn’t feel like mixing it, it was just a rough mix and he just wanted to get it out to the band - I probably spent 12 hours straight and worked so hard on this song.

And I brought it to him. I think it may have been on cassette back then. “Hey, Johnny, here’s that mix you wanted.” And he listened to it and hated it. [Laughs] And I figured out what it was. I had been his sideman for a few months at that time, maybe even a year, and I watched Johnny mix very closely as I was assisting him. I knew what kind of compressor (studio processor) he would use on bass guitar, and how he EQ-ed the vocals, and which side he would pan the guitars to.

And so, this mix for the entire time I was thinking, how would Johnny do it? I was trying to mix like Johnny. And I played it for him and he hated it. Then a couple months later, he gave me the opportunity to mix another song and I was like, well, screw it. I’m just gonna mix how I hear it and how I like it, and that time he hated it a lot less. [Laughs] He acted like he almost liked it.

From there, I learned I just need to mix like me, like how I hear it. And then fast-forward a bunch of years later, Johnny gave me probably the best compliment I’ve ever got from anybody. And I think about it all the time. I mixed something for him. And he listened to it, loved it and he said, “Jeremy, this is why I hired you. Because the way you mix, you mix musically.” I still think about it, man, and it gave me a big boost, because I have a huge ego, but it’s very fragile. [Laughs]

Who are some other well-known engineers and producers you look up to?

Well, I’m a big fan of (producer) Rick Rubin’s work, and he has quite a few engineers he’s worked with.

When do you know a recording is done and to quit monkeying with it?

If it feels good when you hear it, then it’s good and it’s probably close enough. I’ve worked on things before where I knew it was pretty good, but I want to start perfecting a little bit. I’ll tweak it more and more and more, and it starts to hit these diminishing returns. I’ve done that so many times that I’ve learned to avoid that situation.

If you feel like you’re 98 percent there, that’s about as good as you’re gonna get it. I work with some really good mastering engineers [pros who do the final bit of sonic tweaking on a commercially available recording]. So sometimes I’ll just assume they’re gonna make it a little bit better. It makes me feel a little more comfortable letting something go.

What’s the most exciting thing you’ve worked on lately as a recording engineer and producer?

Well, there’s this young band that’s kind of a regular around here, Drop Diver. For some reason, I just have a really good feeling about them. They have a lot of energy and they’re very creative. They’ve been coming over here a lot since they were teenagers. And they listen to criticism, they work on their music, do their homework, then they come back and they’re a little bit improved. It’s something I definitely appreciate. Most of their originals slap pretty good.

I try to go hear bands before I record them, but I don’t always have that luxury. And sometimes I go hear a band and it’s like, oh my god, what we got the studio totally does not capture who this band is really and who they are live. And that’s a little disappointing to me. But I felt like with Drop Diver, they’re pretty consistent as far as their studio thing and the live thing.

What are the most encouraging things you see about original music in North Alabama right now?

These young bands, I can go back and think about when I was their age, trying to play in bands, and these people are so much better than I ever was and any band I was ever in. And they seem very fearless. I see young bands who don’t seem to be afraid to put on an entertaining show, or they’re not afraid to say something that they think needs to be said. Young people who are super talented. I see people actually who care about their craft and work on their craft.

And it’s a whole bunch of different genres. The black churches in Decatur and Huntsville, they’re like a factory for these great musicians. We’re so lucky to have it here and I don’t think they have that in Iowa. I mean, they just turn out these great musicians and they’ll stick around town for a little while, play drums or as a bass or guitar player, and then next thing you know, they’re on tour with someone and you won’t see him again. But I’m very happy for them because my friends and they’re successful.

This area is a hotbed for talent and always has been. I’ve always felt like we’ve kind of exported that talent. We always send it away. It seems like they leave when things start to click for them.

A thing I miss in local music is that every city used to have at least one hotshot guitar player, whether it was Dave Anderson here in Huntsville or Tim Boykin in Birmingham, different people like that. But now in mid-sized markets like this, I don’t really hear young people who can tear it up like that on guitar, to that degree, anymore. There are some pretty good guitar players around. But maybe not truly great young lead guitar players here.

Come to think of it, I guess I’ve noticed that. But for a while, it seemed like every song you recorded had to have like a long-ass guitar solo. And then it became cool to not have guitar solos. People figured it out that no one wanted to hear guitar solos anymore. And now there’s been kind of a drought of showcasing a musician in your band, so maybe it will start to come back a little bit.

During an era where many recording studios have closed and it’s easy for people to record their music at home on their laptop, why have you been able to make things work for your studio?

Everybody who records here now is capable of doing stuff at their house on their laptop. But I think there are a lot of people who still want somebody who knows how to make records. You know, somebody knows how to mix.

It helps having a building where people can all play together at the same time. That’s a huge thing as far as what I like to do, and I don’t think it’s gonna go away. And I feel like I’m just now getting started.

https://www.mixonline.com/tag/jeremy-stephens

Decatur, AL (July 20, 2021)—Engineer and producer Jeremy Stephens has outfitted his Clearwave Recording Studio in northern Alabama, in operation since 2001, with a pair of passive ATC SCM12 Pro monitors.

Stephens, who spent 23 years as an assistant engineer with legendary Southern Rock producer Johnny Sandlin until his death in 2017, has hosted clients including Alabama Shakes, Jason Isbell, Lamont Landers, Heartland, Drop Diver and others at the facility.

“On forums, people always talk about how different monitors ‘sound,’ but I learned not to care about what they sound like,” he said. “What matters is how well they translate. I remember my first experience listening to a mix I did on the radio. I was so excited! I was waiting for it in my car, but when it came on, it sounded terrible! So disappointing!”

Now Stephens has been working with ATC monitors. “I heard they sound great and translate well, and I took the plunge,” he said. Because he already had a beloved ’90s-era Crown audiophile reference amplifier and a relatively small control room, Stephens opted for the passive ATC SCM12 Pro monitors, the smallest boxes in the ATC monitoring lineup.

“Of course, the ATCs sounded fantastic out of the box, but I tried to ignore that,” he said, having been burned too many times by “great sounding” monitors that didn’t actually do their job. “I initially listened to work I had already completed. Some things popped out immediately — the kinds of things I could have fixed had I known about them. The sound stage was huge, and it was easy to discern what was working and what wasn’t working with the panning.”

But the real test came in the months afterward. Stephens enjoyed recording and mixing on the ATC SCM12 Pros, and he was pleased to discover that his work translated beautifully to everything.

TransAudio Group • www.transaudiogroup.com

LISTEN

10 Ton Records · Clearwave Studios

THIS IS WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS

BUILT BY MUSICIANS FOR MUSICIANS

CLEARWAVE RECORDING STUDIO-"GET COMFY AND GET WORKIN' "

Welcome to Clearwave Recording Studio, located in the heart of Decatur, Alabama - a town as gritty as it is charming. This ain't no "museum" or "recording college". This is a REAL WORLD recording studio built by musicians, for today's musicians - a place where the creative spark can ignite and be captured forever on analog tape.

The studio itself is a haven for musical experimentation, with a main studio floor, drum booth, vocal booth, and two small booths for guitar amps. The control room is a masterpiece of design, with a layout inspired by the best mastering studios in the business. Every room in the studio has excellent line of sight and personal cue mixes, ensuring that the music flows seamlessly from the mind to the recording.

When the recording is done for the day, head on out into the wilds of Decatur.
There are barbecue joints aplenty, and bars where you can wet your whistle and get inspired for the next round of recording. And when the night gets too rowdy, there's affordable lodging nearby to crash in and recharge for the next day. Clearwave Recording Studio - "where the magic happens".

Lillie Mae

Eddie Alford "Spankey"

Jason Isbell

Taylor Hunnicutt

Britney Howard

David Hood

GEAR

Here at Clearwave Recording Studio we're unique in that we don't obsess over gear. We obsess over music and the magic that makes music good. These are just the tools that make your visit easier. But sometimes you need to know, so here ya go.

INSTRUMENTS/AMPS