Corey Johnson's Biography

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Corey started his career in Vancouver BC with the punk band GTB with Dean Elbe, and Darren Denker, at the age of 16. After moving back to Edmonton, he started hanging out at a a local music store and dreaming about owning a Korg DSS-1, or a guitar or something other than a piano.

Finally his parents gave-in, and bought him an Ibanez Roadstar, and a fender amp.

From there Corey studied guitar at Grant MacEwan college and started recording

using a Tascam fourtrack, (which lasted about a week before becoming too restrictive), which was then upgraded to a six track Sansui WSX-1.

He moved his "studio" to the south side where he started writing music commercially, eventually buying a keyboard and some sound modules. From there he built his first real studio, IMPULSE recording, and started working on commercial projects with his partner Darren Seiben. After an upgrade to the Tascam 688, and E-MaxII keyboard, they rebuilt Impulse studios and Backstreet Recording was born.

Backstreet Recording was without a doubt a "shithole" of a building, but mainstream studios soon felt it's presence. The starting point for many local artists, Volya, The Maximum Definitive, Hippy Child, Drool, Martin Andrew; the list is loooong, Backstreet offered multitrack recording with separation between the control room and main room, the ability to record drums, and full midi implementation. Corey's father Daryl saw the potential of the studio, and invested a few thousand dollars and formed a partnership with his son. AmTek was born. But it was born into a pre-digital age, the only digital recording systems available costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was Daryl and Corey's intention to create a proprietary digital audio system developed on the Commodore Amiga's powerful RISK processing system and Motorola 68000 series chips. In fact, most of the keyboards are and, until recently, most of the computers today were based on the same chipset- and all original DAW's were designed based on it's power. Corey and his father were on the right track!

They moved AmTek (AmigaTek) to the south side and developed the studio space formally known as Platinum Recording into a bustling little project studio with thousands of square feet of recording and rehearsal space they turned the small partnership into one of Alberta's largest recording facilities. Adding a second 688 gave the new studio 16 tracks to record on, allowing the studio to break into professional demos and CD projects for bands like Froggert & James, RASA, Screaming Hornet, Billingsgate etc.

Due to the amount of work AmTek was doing, and largely to the high hours on the Tascam machines an equipment upgrade was in order. AmTek became the first professional +4 24 track adat digital facility in Edmonton.

Soon it was time to expand and build "the dream studio". They moved the studio just off of Calgary Trail South and built a large drum room, vocal booths, a huge main room, control room and two sound-proof rehearsal rooms. AmTek was a main recording hub for local Edmonton talent for several years. Bands like Disciples of Power, Harper's March, Volya, Chad Johnson (who helped build the studio), Choke, XII house etc., recorded and produced fantastic product from that location.

Then what happens to every successful business if you aren't watching... the studio was bought into by some people who, in short, never paid, but having transferred ownership "legally" to a new company "The Machine Room", which they were conveniently the directors of, left Corey and his father in the lurch for about $40,000 cash, and the loss of all their equipment, unfulfilled recording contracts with just about every major punk bands and Rap groups in Edmonton and an unfinished compilation CD. Subsequent legal battles were expensive, and Corey and his father wrote off the experience as one "mother huge learning experience". Most of the groups were supportive, but many harbored a grudge against Corey and AmTek, noy understanding the money time and effort Corey put into making good on the promise to release the compilation cd. In fact, Corey tried to get all the punk bands together to sue The Machine Room but by then the bands were tired, they had each lost $230.00 each and were more concerned about moving on to better things and putting the whole thing behind them.

Corey went to work for Access Television and eventually started a studio with the rap group Won18. The Dungeon stayed a float for a couple of years as the transition from digital tape (adat's) to Nonlinear recording started. Corey left Access to work at the Dungeon full time, and after the Dungeon closed it's doors, he moved the studio to his house, and started working for A-Channel Edmonton. And building recording facilities for hire.

After reclaiming the old space, Corey and his partners rebuilt and reequipped the studio with all new state of the art digital equipment. they ran the studio there for a few years and then movedinto thier current space in Jan of 2004.

The move allowed them to redesign the studio from the groud up to cater to thier clientelle's needs. Iso booths provide sound seperation, as well Owensound has a bigger client lounge/media room, a kitchen lounge area and sits in a quiet bay in central Edmonton.

With the help of dedicated and savvy business partners, Owensound Studios is a digital monster providing us with the very best in speed in productionand quality.