Ancient Temple Recordings
Quispamsis is a quiet village on the outskirts of the city of Saint John. It is a peaceful countryside with quiet ocean views. However, there is still one place where you can still find some noise.
Ancient Temple Recordings, a small recording studio/record label, operates in the basement of resident Scott Miller. It is not your stereotypical studio woth large mixing boards and gigantic speakers, but rather a homemade operation that Miller has been building towards since high-school.
“Was doing it [recording] in an apartment for quite a while which obviously has tons of limitations to it.” said Miller.
Miller says that his new studio has made the process of recording much easier and more enjoyable.
“One thing I’ve really learned from recording in some different situations is comfort is a major thing” said Miller.
Miller is the guitarist in Anthesis, a heavy metal band that he started with his two close friends, Scott Lilly and Andy Robert. He has recorded all of the bands material, self-teaching himself in the art of recording.
“I never took any courses or went to school for it, its been all kind of trial and error, ” said Miller.
Ancient Temple Recordings is an extension of the jam space that Miller’s band has operated out of for years. He now offers it as a space for bands in the area to come and record their albums.
Some of his clients include local punk acts Scumlord and Deep Fryer as well as the metalcore quintet Verses.
Miller also mixes albums that are already tracked for bands outside of the region. He has done work for Toronto’s IRN, Montreal’s Angles and Wyoming’s Casket Huffer.
His most acclaimed project to date is an album he mixed for Cambridge, Ontario’s Greber, a two-piece grind/doom metal act that has previously toured with Miller and Anthesis. The record, titled Cemetery Preston, hit the top of the loud charts for multiple weeks on earshot.com, a website which tracks airplay for Canadian campus radio stations.
“I think he is someone who has been really dedicated to learning…he does alot of reading and alot of research and likes to experiment.” said Anthesis drummer Andy Robert when asked about what makes Millers mixing and editing style great.
Miller exudes a second passion through the label, pressing most of his releases in traditional physical mediums. He has a staggering collection of vinyl, his preferred method of collecting music.
“I have released a couple things only digital and I’m never satisfied with it. I always like to have something in my hand, and I think that makes a big difference to alot of music fans,” said Miller.
Miller’s side business recently extended with his recruitment to Yokai Music Manufacturing, an Ontario-based pressing company who brought him on as a sales rep after he recommended the company to several different bands.
The past few months have been a slow period for the label due the current renovations of the main studio. Miller is working on upgrades to the soundproofing of the live recording room to control noise levels and improve the quality of the sound for future recordings.
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Miller assures however, that lots of new releases are already in the works for the upcoming year.
“There’s a few things in the works and I’ve talk to a few other bands as well who want to do stuff this year,” said Miller.
