Indigo is one shade above blue in the color spectrum. It is also the name of Indigo Ranch recording studio run by veteran recording engineer and record producer, Richard Kaplan and his wife, Julie Kaplan. The two recently celebrated the 25th year anniversary of the studio, nestled high in the mountains of Malibu.
Kaplan says the name Indigo was inspired by his first partner, the British band The Moody Blues.
“There’s a lot of history to Indigo Ranch,” Kaplan says. “We first opened our doors in the 1970s and have been booked since then. Artists are drawn to come here and they keep coming back.”
Along with a string of gold and platinum records that have been engineered and produced at Indigo Ranch comes a diverse client list that includes artists and bands such as Limp Biskit, Korn, Sting, Lenny Kravitz, Neil Diamond, Marvin Gaye, Motley Crue, Kenny G, Neil Young and Slipnot–to name a few.
Artists make the drive through the thin windy road leading up to the ranch to use Kaplan’s extensive variety of vintage equipment, which includes the world’s largest collection of guitar effect pedals, an original Beatle’s microphone and a 1931 Steinway model B piano.
Whether it’s the equipment or the expert engineering that attracts artists to the ranch, it’s the chemistry of the land and the comfort of working in an “at home atmosphere” that really intrigues them. “Artists seem to discover a musical freedom here that stretches their talent,” says Kaplan.
Kaplan explains that the “Chumash used this land to hold music ceremonies and celebrations. It could be fate that we chose to continue to use the property as musical grounds.”
The past year included projects such as the completion of Machine Head’s latest album, with engineer assistance by Kaplan, and Wasp’s “Unholy Terror” album, engineered by Kaplan. This year brought international acts. Latin group A.N.I.M.A.L recorded at the studio.
Julie Kaplan and 15-year client and friend Charlie Sheen collaborated as guest artists contributing background vocals to Norwegian heavy rock group Far Out Fishing. Martin Sheen has also recorded voice-overs in the studio for the movie “JFK,” the additional 41-minute dialogue for the new release of “Apocalypse Now, Redux” as well as National Geographic and Discovery Channel projects.
Many bands also recorded music videos at the ranch.
With a record that passed the platinum mark, rap core group Limp Biskit found it irresistible to include Kaplan’s old cars parked out on the ranch in their music video. Alternative-metal band Korn, with a double-platinum record, also filmed their music video “Blind” on the grounds.
Kaplan also assisted the band Machines of Loving Grace in rigging an extension cord to a portable recorder to record the sound of a guitar as it fell off the mountain. Kaplan explains the band wanted “to capture the ‘realness of the sound.”
That video also incorporated special lighting effects that reflected the silhouettes of band members over the mountain that surrounds the ranch. “It was a pretty cool effect,” says Kaplan.
Kaplan says it always fascinates him to recall past experiences he and Julie have shared with artists during recording sessions at the studio.
“For a long time Neil Young would have three days out of every month booked out to him so he could use the studio during the ‘Full Moon Cycle.’ Sometimes he didn’t even use those days, but he liked to have them reserved,” says Kaplan.
During Korn’s early recording sessions, band members signed a cardboard pizza box shaped as a record album. The band members pretended they were signing a platinum album. “Julie and I realized the band’s potential, so we saved that pizza cardboard and we now have it framed in the office next to Korn’s platinum record–the real one.”
Assistant recording engineer, Kevin Bosley says Indigo Recording Studio is like “Band Camp. People come here and feel like they’re walking into a home instead of a business, because they don’t leave after recording each day,” he explains. “They stay overnight, sometimes for weeks. They take over.”
Despite the long, rich history of the couple’s experiences at Indigo Ranch, the two are giving up their mountain recording retreat. The property is for sale.
With an interesting 25 years at Indigo, Kaplan says, “Future plans will include greater focus on producing.”