There are many legends that surround the music industry, but Sound City was an actual place that embodied a mythology. Located in Van Nuys, California (i.e. the Valley, i.e. this is when you groan), Sound City was an outdated dump that refused to let the digital revolution through its front doors, but bands continued to seek it out because of two reasons: the staff that welcomed you in like you were one of their own, and the Neve console. The beautiful board that lived at Sound City was custom ordered and gave the studio its signature sound – a perfect distribution that made even distortion sound good. But it was not that this board was magical or that the studio was designed to create this effect (it ironically was not designed at all, just lucked out on having such good acoustics), it was thanks to the “magic” of analog recording which provides a warmth that digital is not yet able to duplicate. Dave Grohl‘s documentary Sound City is certainly a story about the studio and all the artists that recorded there, but that story focuses truly on this board and the one-of-a-kind sound it was able deliver.

It would be a tough task to list all the iconic bands who recorded albums at Sound City, but the trailer for the documentary from Dave Grohl (putting on the director’s cap for the first time) makes a brief attempt. The film seems like a must-see for music fans, especially those passionate about a particular rock sound captured from the 70s through to the baby steps of the digital era. The story here is one of a legend who gets left behind once computers take over. Featuring interviews with all of your favorite musicians, it celebrates a studio that didn’t have enough shag carpet-covered walls to house all of the platinum records it minted. Check out the trailer for yourself:

That room. That board. With its glossy shots and ejaculatory praise from some of the best musicians of the modern era, the teaser for Dave Grohl‘s documentary Sound City is seductive, especially for those who have ever picked up a guitar or dreamed of recording in such a hallowed space. Unfortunately, it’s also too short. Check it out for yourself and get excited:

Sound City Studios in Van Nuys has had a hand in creating 7 of the 500 greatest albums on Rolling Stone’s list. It’s a legendary spot, one rich with sonic history and a sense of American Rock ‘N’ Roll when it was far purer than it is today. It’ll no doubt make an engaging doc subject, and Foo Fighter/Nirvana member Dave Grohl plans to make sure that his directorial debut celebrates that musical birthplace in Sound City. According to Aint it Cool, Grohl is making himself mayor of Sound City after buying their Neve 8028 recording console (that was used to lay down tracks for everyone from Neil Young to Nirvana to Nine Inch Nails to bands that didn’t start with the letter N). The press release from Roswell Films calls the movie “a film about America’s greatest unsung recording studio.” Another phrase for it? A damned cool project.