Mixing business with pleasure

Adam Greenberg has followed his dream and built a state-of-the-art recording studio in Western North Carolina, a facility nestled in a remote area of Buncombe County near the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway.

The studio’s surroundings are a true breath of fresh air, the lush foliage and beautiful mountains the perfect backdrop to inspire any musician. Less than a hundred yards away from the studio is Greenberg’s main residence, an impressive mountain home that’s secluded from neighbors and the bright lights of the city. Not only does he have his work just a few steps from his front door, he also has a pond, a greenhouse, and a sustainable garden.

“I am definitely a computer nerd, but the outdoors and nature nourish me,” Greenberg said. “My wife and I love to garden and grow things. It’s why I came to live out here almost 20 years ago. The property, the greenhouse, the pond, the garden are all things that take me out of the tech world and back to the dirt. It’s grounding.”  

Adam Greenberg grew up in Miami during the 1970s before moving to Athens, Ga., to attend the University of Georgia. With a major in TV, radio and video production and a minor in music, Greenberg experienced the early 1980s in Athens as the music scene exploded as bands like the B-52’s, R.E.M., and Pylon went from home town heroes to nationally respected artists. A proficient musician and guitarist, Greenberg played in the clubs, but he also had the technical background to expand on his love of music and began recording bands.

 “I was fascinated with the creation of recordings and ways to capture and manipulate the sounds,” Greenberg said. From humble beginnings, Whitewater Recording was established in 1983 in his bedroom.

“I started the studio in my house while attending UGA. There was a non-stop stream of creative people in Athens ... I started with a four-track in the bedroom and tracked bands all over the house and sometimes on the front porch,” Greenberg said. 

Several years in the Athens music scene pushed Greenberg to seek a change of lifestyle and location, Adam moved to Asheville, already a musically and culturally rich town, where he was keenly aware that it was oddly lacking in high-quality recording facilities. Whitewater Recording ended up in a massive 3,000-square-foot facility near the city, but in 2006 Greenberg decided to build his own studio on his six acres of land near Arden, N.C. 

“I ran a commercially located facility for 20 years in Asheville and thoroughly enjoyed it, but this building is just right for me and my clients. I’m back home, but in a fully professional environment,” Greenberg said. 

An A-list of the region’s most talented bands and artists who have worked with Adam would be fairly extensive. Greenberg has worked with Bob Moog, David Wilcox, Kenny Anderson, Larry Keel, Velvet Truckstop, and Sons of Ralph just to name a few. 

In addition to music, Greenberg is also responsible for many local and national voiceovers for media packages — radio and video commercials, web presentations, and other mediums. Some of his productions have included well-known companies and organizations such as the University of Phoenix, Toyota, Subaru, Spotify Internet Radio and Silk (soy milk).

“Although I still do a lot of recording, since about 2005 I have focused more on the mastering, mixing, and the post-production side of things, and the studio reflects that,” Greenberg said.  

 “I love what I am doing, but it’s always changing, which keeps it fresh. I can’t see myself not doing this. Life is what we make of it, and there is so much to learn and so much to discover.” 

For more information, visit whitewaterrecording.com 

Q&A with Adam Greenberg

SML: Where did you grow up? I know you’re a musician as well, but when did you get into music?  

Adam Greenberg: I grew up in Miami, Fla. during the 1970s and went to the University of Georgia in 1981. I majored in TV, radio and video production, but my love really was music. I was fascinated with the creation of recordings and ways to capture and manipulate the sounds. I was usually fooling around with some gizmo. I minored in music while at Georgia with a focus on arranging, theory, and music business. Unfortunately for me, performance classes were not available for music minors, so I never got the chance to take formal guitar training as I had hoped. Fortunately I had taken quite a bit of piano at an early age and a little guitar so I could play. But I’m really self-taught.  

SML: When did you get the idea to start Whitewater Recording? 

Greenberg: I started the studio in my house while attending Georgia. There was a non-stop stream of creative people in Athens in 1981. I was always out playing in the clubs and knew lots of fellow students and musicians. I started with a 4 track in the bedroom and tracked bands all over the house and sometimes even on the front porch. The name Whitewater came from my addiction to whitewater canoeing and rafting.

SML: Do you have a philosophy towards recording music?

Greenberg: Capture what is happening the best way you can and don’t do anything to get in the way of what is being recorded.

SML: From the looks of it, you’ve got some pretty nice “toys” in the studio, what’s your most prized possession in here?

Greenberg: The view! Kidding aside, I’m not as crazed for the gear as I used to be. I was afflicted with gear disease for a long time. I’ve been around awhile, so I have a nice collection of vintage gear from Neve, Avalon, Urei, TLA, Neumann, AKG, but the gear is really not so important as what the sound is at the source when you capture it. Yes, the great equipment helps, but it doesn’t make the player or instrument any better …  My favorite? Probably still the Sony mixing console. It’s the centerpiece of the control room and really bridges the old with the new since it’s not only a digital controller, but a fully automated audio mixer. And it sounds great.