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Quotes from some of Chip’s many clients

1.  Thanks! from Certain Inertia. “You made us sound great”

2.  “ The sound was intensely impressive to me, you could really tell that everything was fine-tuned for the room. Thanks again for all your help!”
~ Andrew Iwancio

3.   “we were pleased and impressed with the quality of the recording.  If we decide to record again, we would certainly choose to work with Chip and the facility at the C.C.T.”
Sincerely,  Barbara Hoffman /  Mad Frog Marimba

4.  We first met Chip in 2000 while recording our debut CD.  It has since sold several thousand copies, and has been played on several radio stations around the northwest.  We were so thrilled with Chip’s work that we hired him to work on our second record when C.C.T. was under construction.  Then we went back a third time to record as soon as the doors were open.  We have thrown a show there with over 350 people and were hoping to do so again in the near future as well as going back for additional recording as we have been asked to provide a sound track for feature film.  Because of Chip’s quality of work we have referred him and Columbia City Theatre to everyone we know including in radio, TV and magazine interviews.
~ Jamie Love / Out From Underneath


5.  “This is the only good live recording I have of the group.  Your team’s assistance at the live showcase and your own work on the mixing/mastering was outstanding.“
~ Thanks J.

6.   I had the pleasure of working with Chip at the C.C.T. in Seattle. His professional acumen was impressive. He is an experienced pro who has extensive knowledge and experience in both live and recorded sound.  In addition Chip showed considerable skills at organizing and overseeing a project. He further proved a capable and personable representative of the facility and his directness and professional demeanor were greatly appreciated and made you want to do more business with both the theatre and the man.
 
I’ve had the great pleasure to have worked in some of the great 
recording centers in the business and my experience with Chip was as comfortable and as capable as any.
~ Billy Mac

7.  As we proceeded,  I saw that Chip was into the project, had a great ear, grasped quickly the vibe I was going for and had amazing talent and capacity to make it happen. We worked well together and shared the same ideas about how the record could and should sound. I decided to go ahead and make the record what it could be;
none of this would have occured without Chip. He was willing to do the work, had an unparalleled understanding of what i wanted to accomplish, knew musicians that would be willing to help, had ideas for arrangements that I would have never thought of, and have ended up loving them. With all that chip could offer how could I say no?
~ Zach Bishop

8.  Chip is one very talented, caring, selfless (to a fault perhaps) badass engineer that I’ve worked with on not only my own personal projects, but all those 107.7 the End sessions and KMTT Live Music Lounge Shows
Thank You Chip,  Seth Pavlik

9.  We had a blast at your theatre, it sounds  DIVINE!
I have been a recording artist since I was 17 years old, made many, many records, toured internationally, written a few more than 13 top 10 songs for such varied artists as Cher, Kim Carnes, Bonnie Tyler, Andy Curran, Benatar, Fiona, Kix, Steve Perry, & Ace Frehely among others.

I have two current records/CD’s released today [the jimi project] and CRUEL INVENTIONS-The Remix that are being played in rotation on XM, SIRIUS, Clear Channel, many NPR stations and many non - commercial internet radio stations all over the world...my website documents has a few credits.

Chip engineered and did an incredible job remixing this show for us.  My manager and I are thrilled to have this recording.I have made many records in some of the finest studios in the world and The C.C.T. and Chip MADE IT HAPPEN. So often the engineer is at best a wanna-be sound technician and unable to co-create with the act any kind of real AND meaningful simpatico - Chip did this.

I attribute the success of this recording completely to his genius in manning not only the board but the subsequent mixes that he did on our behalf. Having Chip on your staff is imperative for ever more continued success as a “LIVE” recording facility and as a major recording studio. In short, you have God’s 2nd AND 3rd cousin as a sound man/engineer/producer in your midst!

I want you to know that I have got to come up there to record and perform again…
philbrownmusic.com
myspace.com/philbrownguitar

10.  I am writing to thank Chip Butters for all he did for us during the run of our two productions at the C.C.T. this spring. Chip went out of his way to make us feel welcome and to help facilitate our time there.

It is very fortunate that you have someone as knowledgeable and helpful running your theater as Chip. We are very much looking forward to bringing another production to your theater and working with Chip again.
~ Victor Benedetti - Artistic Director,  Black Box Opera Theater

11.  This summer, I composed a string quartet for my wedding, and I asked Chip to record the group during our final rehearsal. Due to time constraints, it was necessary for him to set up around the group as we rehearsed. He handled it stresslessly, and was ready to record the final run-throughs when the group was ready to play them. Being a jazz pianist, I had very little idea how to go about working with four string instruments, but Chip didn’t bat an eye.
I had asked for simple audio files to take home and play with in my own workstation, but Chip went out of his way and gave generously of his time and skills to produce a beautiful recording. I look forward to working with him again, in whatever studio wise enough to enlist his services.
~ Kacey Evans

12.   My band Counterfist came into the C.C.T. Studios by accident and ended up choosing to record our album there over all the other great Seattle studios due to the quality of equipment there and level of expertise from Chip the engineer. I have been through the process before… I have been to many studios and have been part of many recording projects… I know the drill… and I have become quite the Studio Snob I must say. Chip has lived up to my expectations and beyond in EVERY SINGLE ASPECT. That is the reason Counterfist chose your studio over Robert Lang or Studio X or Bear Creek… those guys were options, but your studio had energy, life, passion, and a true heart for the musicians and their art.

I cannot express how the passion of a studio just shines bright as day and how easy it is to just blow off one great studio for the next due to the first impression of their head engineer. Thanks Chip for being real, and for going above and beyond… you’re the reason C.C.T. Studios is as great as it is (along with the awesome equipment)…
~ Tony Peterson

13.   I have worked with Chip on about a dozen projects throughout the last seven years.  I have recommended the studio and his services to everyone who asks for a quality studio in Seattle.  I am a professional full-time musician. I play roughly 300 performances a year throughout the US and internationally with several different projects.  I network and play with literally thousands of musicians and engineers every year, yet I have found Chip to be one of the most talented, knowledgeable and enjoyable people I have ever worked with.

I have recorded my own music in the C.C.T., as well as appearing there on several projects featuring other musicians, most of whom I brought into your studio because of Chip’s dedication and ear for music.  They are some of the best recordings I own.  Everyone I have worked with in the studio has been impressed with Chip’s musicianship, his ability to produce music of quality and value, his ability to cultivate talent and to work with the artist, helping to develop their sound and music.  He has extensive relationships within Seattle’s music community, and is able to work quickly and efficiently.   He always approaches his work with a professional attitude and an attention to detail.   I will continue to regard the C.C.T. as my first venue of choice for recording in Seattle as long as Chip Butters is the head engineer.
Sincerely,  James Whiton 

14.  Chip’s positive professional attitude has impressed me, and after we finish the demo for Femme Brulee, I am planning on using the studio and his services for my demo for my jazz trio. After that, I am encouraging the big band group I am playing with to finally get it together and do a demo there.

It’s a beautiful place, Chip’s detail oriented, efficient, attentive and easy going attitude, is awesome.  He does great work, its fairly priced, and well, I just like it there. I really couldn’t ask for anything more, and I recommend Chip and the studio to anyone who asks about recording.
~ Patricia Ellinghausen

15.   Chip Butters is one of my favorite engineers I have worked with in my 20+ years as a professional musician.  I speak from my experience with Chip back in 2001 on my 8th album.  I recorded a number of songs for the album at C.C.T. Studios and absolutely fell in love with the atmosphere and creative energy that was in the air..  It was a wonderfully laid back place that just lent to the music coming out the way it is meant to ... real.

Chip was incredible with the gear and getting the tones i asked for as well as taking care of any problems in a timely fashion so as to not break the flow of the session.  His musicality and creative mind was a huge help in molding the tracks.  It was impressive how he was capable of this with only a few days of hearing the material.  All in all the combination of Chip and C.C.T. is a winner.  I am considering a Live DVD shoot there with my new band and can’t wait to work with Chip once again.
~ Charley /  Dexter Grove

16.  My good experience at the C.C.T. is due in large part to the opportunity to work with Chip Butters.  His command of recording in a live setting as well as studio is impressive.  I came to the theatre with four women who had never before met and had only seven sessions together in which to work out some tunes.  Chip’s patience with all of us was amazing and his mix and knowledge of harmony really helped to push the music in the direction I wanted it to go.  I was, and still am, very happy with the music that came out of my experience at C.C.T.  I enjoyed working with Chip and I look forward to the chance to do it again.
Sincerely,  Zarya Rowland Bintz - Producer/Director

 17.    I have looked at what Chip does best, and this is what I want to use his abilities for. I like Chip’s approach to mixing: to hone, and create a sonic plataeu that rivals any studio in Seattle, and in the proper time, in the country.
~ Justin Roeser – M.usikal I.ntellect N.ever E.nding

18.    Dan Bonow here with some observations and kudos for the ideology and reality embodied in the C.C.T. through the efforts of Chip Butters.  He impressed me with his pragmatic approach to his job. Most production/tech/engineer types are lacking the empathy with the material or artist and do not reach out or push a project along...they sit back, remain aloof and move sliders. Chip was acting as ad hoc manager, producer, and engineer.

We forged a friendship based on a  mutual goal: to record a world class potential hit on a tight budget. Chip put so much thought and work into this project...and made a beautiful recording.
 I also had occasion to visit the theater a number of times when Chip was managing a wide variety of events smoothly, whatever the occasion.

 Diplomatic, pragmatic, energetic and thoughtful...Chip is a person I will work with again.
~ Dan Bonow

19.    My name is Paul Minniear.  I am a singer/songwriter who recorded at C.C.T. Studios, while it was still Peak Studios.  At the time of my recording, Chip Butters was the manager of the theater, as well as the chief engineer.  More importantly however, Chip was the cornerstone of the theater’s reputation, and the main reason that I chose to record there.

Chip has always transcended his role as an engineer.  He also acted as a producer, and collaborator on many of the tracks that we cut.  Chip provides a network of resources which includes the C.C.T. into the greater Seattle music scene.  My manager, was familiar with Peak Studios through reputation.

Peak Studios was the first facility that I visited, and the last. I was instantly sold on the studio, not just based upon the facility, but due to the ease with which I was able to communicate with Chip. My session, which lasted 2 1/2 weeks, would have been a nightmare for most engineers. 

I am a very demanding artist who requires an eclectic group of artists, including a tabla player, a tanpura player, and an accordion virtuoso.  Not only was Chip resourceful in collecting this group of eclectics, but he made the phone calls and appointments for me.  In other words, I was able to focus on my creative process without interruptions.

Chip Butters is the main reason that I chose Peak Studios as a recording facility. The quality of the recording has impressed all those who have listened to it, and fooled some people into thinking that it was already mastered.  He is a true professional.  I have always planned on recording with Chip again.
~ Paul Minniear

20.   I wanted to shoot you a quick note (last night) of my sincere appreciation & gratitude for your warm hospitality and time last evening.  I’m just tickled pink the creative community and passionate people like yourself are flourishing in this community.  Again, I applaud your commitment to the arts and follow through on a creative vision, a well-deserved ‘BRAVO’ is due!
~ Heather Caraway www.avenue-films.com