Sigma Sound Studios was a

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, U.S.. It was founded in 1968 by recording engineer

Joseph Tarsia Joseph Dominick Tarsia (September 23, 1934 – November 1, 2022) was an American recording studio owner and engineer from Philadelphia who was credited on many classic pop music tracks, earning him over 150 gold and platinum record awards. He was ...

. Located at 212 North 12th Street in Philadelphia, it was one of the first studios in the United States to offer 24-track recording capacity and the first anywhere to successfully employ

console automation In music recording, mix automation allows the mixing console to remember the audio engineer's adjustment of faders during the post-production editing process. A timecode is necessary for the synchronization of automation. Modern mixing console ...

. Tarsia, formerly chief engineer at Philadelphia's Cameo-Parkway Studios, also opened Sigma Sound Studios of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1977, at the

Ed Sullivan Theater The Ed Sullivan Theater (originally Hammerstein's Theatre; later the Manhattan Theatre, Billy Rose's Music Hall, CBS Radio Playhouse No. 3, and CBS Studio 50) is a theater at 1697–1699 Broadway, between 53rd and 54th Streets, in the Theater ...

building.

History

Recording

From the beginning, Sigma Sound was strongly associated with

Philadelphia soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia TSOP, is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often feat ...

and, in the 1970s, the sound of

Gamble and Huff Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production team credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as ...

Philadelphia International Records Philadelphia International Records (PIR) was an American record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1971 by songwriting and production duo Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff along with their longtime collaborator Thom Bell. I ...

(its driving rhythm a precursor to disco music), as well as the classic, sophisticated productions of

Thom Bell Thomas Randolph Bell (January 27th, 1943 – December 22, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, pianist, and composer known as one of the creators of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s. He found success as a producer ...

. Both featured large productions with strings and horns creating what became known as "The Sound of Philadelphia," or "T.S.O.P.", a term which became trademarked and was the title of the chart-topping theme song from the TV show, "Soul Train". Their success attracted many artists and producers from various music genres across the US, as well as Europe and Japan. By the late 1970s, Sigma was operating 10 music rooms on a 24-7 schedule. Sigma's long-time general manager, Harry Chipetz, managed the business operations and worked hand-in-hand with Tarsia in developing a staff that numbered close to 50 at its peak. Sigma is credited with well over 200 gold and platinum awards with an extensive client list that begins with

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

and ends with

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound ...

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

recorded much of his album ''

Young Americans ''Young Americans'' is the ninth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 7March 1975 through RCA Records. The album marked a departure from the glam rock style of Bowie's previous albums, showcasing his interest in soul and ...

'' in August 1974 at Sigma Philadelphia.

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

used the New York studios to record her 1983 debut album, ''

''. On April 15, 1972, singer-songwriter and pianist

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...

and his touring band played an hour-long concert at Sigma Studios. The recording of "

Captain Jack Captain Jack may refer to: People * Calico Jack (1683–1720), a pirate in the 18th century * Captain Jack (Hawaiian) (died 1831), Naihekukui, commander of Kamehameha's fleet and father of Kalama * Captain Jack (fl. 1830s on), Kaurna man in c ...

" from this event received extensive radio play in the Philadelphia area, long before Joel became widely known, which helped him establish a national following.

Sale and closure

Tarsia sold the New York studios in 1988 and the Philadelphia location in 2003, but they still retained the Sigma Sound Studios name. The 6,000 unclaimed tapes from Sigma's 35-year-old tape library are now part of The

Drexel University Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Art, S ...

Audio Archive. In 2019, Drexel University's MAD Dragon Music Group released 14 formerly-lost tracks from funk-soul group

Nat Turner Rebellion Nat Turner's Rebellion, historically known as the Southampton Insurrection, was a slave revolt, rebellion of Slavery in the United States, enslaved Virginians that took place in Southampton County, Virginia, in August 1831.Schwarz, Frederic D.1 ...

that had been a part of the archive. It was reported in the April 2015 issue of Pro Sound News, (a

NewBay Media NewBay Media, LLC was a magazine and website publisher founded in 2006 and headquartered in New York City. NewBay Media served five marketplaces — Music, Pro Audio/AV, Video & Broadcast, Consumer Electronics, and Education. In April 2018, Fu ...

publication), that "the building that houses the historic Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia has been sold for $1.55 million, with the intention of renovating the space for office, retail or residential use." The studios had closed for business in 2014, according to the www.philly.com website. When checked on April 9, 2015, the Sigma Sound Studios website was still available for viewing, but it has since been taken down.

Legacy

On October 15, 2015, the original building for Sigma Sound Studios was officially dedicated as a historic site by the City of Philadelphia. The historic site marker was placed at 212 N. 12th Street. On November 13, 2020 the Sigma Studios building (212 N 12th St) — birthplace of the famous “Philly Sound” — won a spot on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, protecting the beloved cultural landmark from demolition.

Special Collections Research Center

Information on Sigma Sound Studios exists at the Special Collections Research Center at

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

in Philadelphia. The memorabilia available includes newspaper and magazine clippings, collected ephemera and other publications. There are also photographs of both the New York City and Philadelphia studios, as well as advertising and promotional materials which include "AddZest" materials that are primarily in

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

. Additionally, there is a limited selection of several types of studio records, and clippings.

References

External links

The defunct Sigmasound.com Web site
from

Archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

Journal on the Art of Record Production - Capturing That Philadelphia Sound: A Technical Exploration Of Sigma Sound Studios
{{Coord, 39.95605, -75.15905, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-PA, display=title 1968 establishments in Pennsylvania 2014 disestablishments in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Philadelphia Culture of Philadelphia Recording studios in the United States