Talk:The Hit Factory

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 * The final album to be recorded in The Hit Factory New York was Dream Theater's Octavarium.

I'm curious, when was the last album recorded? Gbeeker 21:49, 11 July 2005 (UTC)


 * It may be almost a year later, but I just added this in (It was Friday, February 25, 2005) --Varco 20:22, 22 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Baddie rawr 173.62.189.147 (talk) 15:13, 29 March 2024 (UTC)

recent edits
hey i just added a ton of info, but forgot to sign in before doing so. cheers, -c —Preceding unsigned comment added by Charlienyc (talk • contribs) 02:18, 15 January 2008 (UTC)

Ragovoy's involvement
I remember reading somewhere that Jerry Ragovoy founded The Hit Factory, but no mention is made here of that - only of it being sold. Does anyone have further info.? Thanx. --Technopat (talk) 10:41, 3 July 2008 (UTC)

Jerry owned it during my brief time there - 1970-71. My band (Tundra) was signed to a production deal by Joe Finnelli, an engineer who worked for Jerry. We recorded once at the 42nd street facility and then 2 to 3 times a week on off hours at the 48th street studios for more than a year. I met Jerry only once or twice, since we were usually there from very late to very early in the morning.

Joe told me Jerry built (or bought, I don't remember which) the studios with the money he made off of songs he wrote.

They had a modified API console and Altec Lansing soffit speakers, but Joe used little KLH speakers as nearfields to mix.

During those years I met The New York Rock and Roll Ensemble and The Brooklyn Bridge, who recorded there frequently.

Steve Cruz — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.48.80.227 (talk) 18:16, 20 March 2014 (UTC)


 * According to NYTimes.com and LATimes.com, Ragovoy founded this studio in 1969. And according to Sound on Sound, Ragavoy (sic, aka Ragovoy) invited Bill Szymczyk as a regular engineer in 1967 when Ragovoy was preparing for founding this studio.--Ikespirit (talk) 16:55, 15 January 2015 (UTC)

Locations, etc.
I realise that with studios located in different places it's difficult, but the fact is that the article just confuses the issue further. I have just deleted a reference to Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life (1975-76) having been the first album to have been recorded there (at one of the studios?), whereas the actual article page for that particular album states differently. Of course, recording & mixing & remastering, etc. are often done in diffent places, but this should get sorted. No mention is made of chief engineer Bill Szymczyk, who was there in the late 60s/early-70s during what I would imagine was The Hit Factory's heyday and certainly when it made its name. I wish I could do something to help sort this out but I don't know enough about the matter - and even if I did, it would be original research. As the article stands, it is just an assortment of trivia and unconnected "facts". Hope someone can do something 'bout it. Thanx. --Technopat (talk) 11:05, 3 July 2008 (UTC)

first time posting to wiki talk - hope I am doing this right. I was looking to see if there were dates associated with the Hit Factory Times Square location - I used to work in various studios back then (still do) and was trying to place something in time... I noticed the information under LOCATIONS was not reading right and that the studios at 353 West 48th street are mentioned as the "Times Square" location... as well as the actual H.F.T.S. location. I'll provide some info here - maybe it will help. 353 West 48 was the first Hit Factory facility that I was aware of in the '70's - it was the only one for years. There were, as I recall, three floors with studios, plus the basement. There may have been another floor with offices and maybe tape duplication but that was a long time ago. I was told once that that 353 was the second "Hit Factory" location - the first being the original Jerry Ragovoy's Hit Factory facility somewhere else but I am not sure about that. When I met Jerry it was after he and Eddie split and he was in his Counterpoint facility on, I guess, Broadway in the W50's. I was there to work and not talk about HIt Factory. The "original" Germano-owned facility at 353 West 48th was almost across the street from the A&R's "R" rooms, where Phil Ramone worked, and where Local 802 (Musician's Union) is today. 353 was just "The Hit Factory" and then I guess it became the "old Hit Factory". The actual Hit Factory Times Square facility was at 130 West 42nd street near the corner of 6th avenue - ninth floor as I recall. The first time I saw that studio was when Mark Freeh, the same person who owned Chelsea Recording (135 W 14th street), took it over and called it Chelsea North in around 1980. That room at 130 w 42 was large - bigger than anything at 353 West 48th. There was only one studio there (control room and studio). The ceilings were really high - it was a great recording room with a crappy sounding control room (not unusual for old studios). Prior to Chelsea North moving in, the studio had been something like American Recording or Don Elliot Sound or something along those lines but I am not certain. I think it was Mark who built out a second control room and studio on that floor before Eddie took over the facility... not certain if it was Mark who did that or if Troy did... but in the mid-late '80's (and this is what I was trying to place in time) it became Hit Factory Times Square with two rooms. I rebuilt a Neve 8068 console for them shortly after they got in there. The H.F.T.S. facility was run day to day by Eddie Germano's son Troy, and Troy's sister (who's name escapes me).(it's Danielle216.27.142.96 (talk) 04:56, 13 May 2013 (UTC)) H.F.T.C. put a mastering room in. I think Herbie Powers was the mastering engineer who moved there from Frankford Wayne Mastering (where he started). Hit Factory - around the same time - mid to late-mid '80's took over an existing facility at 54th and Broadway. I can't remember if H.F.T.S. or "Broadway" came first. Somehow I think it went 353 - Times Square was added - then 54th Broadway and 353 closed - then 421 W 54th and H.F.T.S. closed. The 54th and Broadway facility was originally Bel Sound, then it became Sound Ideas and went through a couple owners with that name and then Eddie took over the facility and moved the contents from the 48th street location up to the "Broadway" facility on 54th. The 48th street facility was then taken over by others... Sear Sound (Walter Sear) moved from the hotel space where he (maybe famously - everyone know this then) did soundtracks for porn movies, to the studios on the upper floors at 353. He also took the basement space for storage. The second floor space at 353 was taken over by Intergalactic Recording. Sear still exists even though Walter died. Intergalactic and that studio space are both long gone. After that Hit Factory obtained another large space further West on 54th at 421. The 421 west 54 space, as far as I know, had not been a recording studio prior to Hit Factory taking it. 421 W 54 became the flagship Hit Factory facility - now condo's... Hit Factory left the Time Square location and the rooms went to other owners - one of the rooms (the smaller one) became "Big House" and the larger one became something that sounded like "Savabone" and then it became Mirror Image - owned by Tommy Uzzo. Hit factory operated both facilities on 54th street with 421 being the flagship and very "high-end". The "Broadway" facility was more work-a-day and relatively utilitarian or "down market". So in NYC as far as I know there were four Germano associated Hit Factory locations... and hope this is useful. JohnKlett — Preceding unsigned comment added by Johnklett (talk • contribs) 14:30, 17 July 2012 (UTC)

Unsourced accusations
Removed the unsourced accusation "Troy Germano (CEO and son of owner Edward Germano) told the New York Post, however, that rumors about the "digital age" or a lack of business were false, and that the studio had closed directly due to the actions of his mother, Janice Germano. Which is true because im in the Germano Family it is true".

I checked the NY Post and found no such article. Emanonguy (talk) 16:37, 26 January 2011 (UTC)

Kelly Rowland
Just out of curiosity, how could she have recorded her album at the NYC location in 2013 given that it closed in 2005?

74.131.28.180 (talk) 23:35, 11 August 2013 (UTC)

Hit Factory/Bell Sound
The Broadway location of the Hit Factory had a long history of recording before Ed Germano's purchase.

237 West 54th Street was originally Bell Sound Studio, where such recordings as "Rave On" by Buddy Holly, "Runaway" by Del Shannon, "Lonely Boy" and "Diana" by Paul Anka, "A House Is Not A Home" by Dionne Warwick, "Stagger Lee" by Lloyd Price, and the first album by the band Kiss were made. Many record labels that had access to their own cutting lathes (where the "master" for vinyl record pressing plates originates) would use Bell Studios instead.

Read more here: http://books.google.com/books?id=wQoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA43&lpg=PA43&dq=bell+sound+studio+new+york&source=bl&ots=XKUpqektZU&sig=50r06D3YdZ4YUjS_RlAmw0PLHMU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=FheAU5m-BNHhsATso4HABQ&ved=0CFoQ6AEwCg#v=onepage&q=bell%20sound%20studio%20new%20york&f=false

I believe mentioning this would be historically significant.

2001:558:6016:33:75E8:F4E7:E337:8E69 (talk) 04:17, 24 May 2014 (UTC)