When asked if his sample collections take work away from real musicians, Rogers is quick to respond. “No way. You need to know your craft and have the skills to construct samples into a composition, and that takes skilled songwriters and musicians. Don’t forget, you are playing an instrument—it’s just not a physical one.”
Looking to expand business and centralize his research, Rogers purchased the former United Western Recorder Studios in Hollywood, CA, in 2006, and renamed it EastWest Studios. The facility houses five recording studios and is the Hollywood production facility where Rogers’ sounds and software products are created and marketed. The non-technical areas of the complex were extensively remodeled, but the studios themselves and their famous acoustics remain as originally built in the 1960s.
As a recording studio, the facility has over 50 years of incredible musical history. According to the best-selling book Temples of Sound, the complex has been the scene of more hit records—from the ‘60s to now—than any other studio in existence. Moreover, no other studio has won more technical excellence awards and “Best Engineered” Grammys.
In fact, it has been said that the acoustics and vibe in the recording rooms are unmatched. So much so, a virtual “who’s who” of music have worked at the studio, including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and more recently, Christina Aguilera, Audioslave, Ozzy Osbourne, Bruce Springsteen and many more.
With such auspicious surroundings, Rogers has his own personal R&D facility housed in a premier recording studio. “It is inspiring,” he discloses. “And since we have five rooms, I can work in one and lease the others. It’s a perfect situation.”
Most intriguing is the way in which Rogers is offering EW’s virtual collections to musicians, producers and composers. Unlike other sample providers, he wanted access to be easy, simple and affordable. “A subscription plan like ours,” he says, “is totally unprecedented. In the past, producers and composers with limited budgets could only purchase a new (sample) product periodically. Now, they can access everything we offer at an affordable monthly price, including new products as they’re released and some that will be exclusive to members.”
The full Composer Cloud plan costs $29.99 a month, which gives members access to all 51 products from EastWest's vast collection, that's over 9,000 virtual instruments from every genre and style. It's pay-as-you-go, so members can start and stop their subscriptions from month to month. There is also a student plan for $14.99 a month that gives one access to seven products at a time. For the serious orchestral composers out there, there's Composer Cloud Plus, a yearly plan that offers multiple mic positions for their award-winning orchestral collections. There's currently a free trial being offered as well.
Rogers firmly believes, “With the Composer Cloud we are offering access to more instruments than anyone could ever own. And, by doing so I think we have leveled the playing field and created infinite possibilities.”
For additional details and information, go to soundsonline.com/composercloud
