Recording and Restoration: Charles Laurence runs an attention-grabbing ad in MC headlined "Save Your Tapes!" While it focuses on his unique array of audio and video transfer and restoration services, that only scratches the surface. His Porter Ranch facility is also a one-stop shop and a true state-of-the-art recording, production, and remastering facility. Leveraging his educational background as a Chemical Engineering/Electronics major and Music minor at Cal State Northridge, he augments his 24- and 32-track analog and digital music production with an on-site grand piano, percussion, and multiple synths. His audio production library also includes thousands of sound effects. The main studio is dedicated to new recording projects while much of his space is dedicated to vintage analog tape restoration (including baking, transfers, legacy data acquisition, and digital transfer processes). His credits for remastering high-profile classic pop and jazz recordings include music ranging from Billie Holiday and Dizzy Gillespie to Ike and Tina Turner.
The Perfect Description: Rolling Stone wrote an extensive piece about the restoration of a quirky lost Beastie Boys track called "The Jerry Lewis." Laurence (who did the transfer of the original tape) was described as an "engineer, producer, vintage gearhead, a man with the Jerry Lewis spirit in his genes." The columnist was struck by how his home was "surrounded by thatched porches housing endless exotic fishtanks." The studio inside was even more remarkable: "His collection of gear runs from a 78-rpm lathe to a TOM sequential drum machine."
A.I. Technology Transforms Audio and Video Transferring: In 2010, Laurence integrated wide-ranging video capabilities with his existing production and restoration business. His services include 8mm, 16mm, 3/4 inch, Beta, and VHS film transfers to DVD, 1⁄2 inch video, mono 3/4 Umatic transfers, video editing, DVD duplication, and the creation of training videos. More recently, A.l. technology has added an exciting new dimension to this side of his business with its greater restoration capability. With A.I., Laurence can enhance old video up to 60 frames per second, improving the clarity and resolution of everything from old home movies to videotapes to all imaginable sources. A.l.'s noise correction capabilities (including the reduction of noise artifacts) also dramatically improve the sonic characteristics of video and transferred audio tapes, marking an additional advance in the state-of-the-art.
Contact Charles Laurence Productions, 818-368-4962
