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Gaétan Pilon – Son Soleil – Studio Victor

Gaétan Pilon owner of Studio Victor in Saint-Henri, Montreal

Text written by: François Pilon: François Pilon

Gaétan Pilon (1955 – today)

Sound engineer and producer, he was born in Saint-Henri, Montreal. He studied at Vincent d’Indy.

Son Soleil (1977-1985)

In a basement in 1977, the house studio Son Soleil was born. Three young entrepreneurs Gaétan Pilon, Gérard Brunet (Junior) and François Pilon are developing their skills in the field of recording on rue De Monts in Ville-Émard. They will start by acquiring 2 TEAC A-3340 4-track recorders, then move on to a TEAC Tascam 80-8 8-track recorder and finally acquire the 24 track MCI JH24 from Studio Tempo. All this in a few Months. As a console the small studio started with a Trident Fleximix to eventually upgrade to an AMEK 2500 before moving to Saint-Henri. At that time, they will acquire an AMEK Mozart.

Some sound engineers made their debut there, among others, Gaétan Pilon and Glen Robinson.

Studio VICTOR (1985-1990)

In 1985, the team moved to 1050 rue Lacasse in the Saint-Henri district, a former RCA Victor factory.

Studio A is one of a kind which is why it is so popular with musicians, artists and directors. Built by the multinational RCA Victor in 1943, Studio A was the first Canadian recording studio to feature a recording room with polycylindrical wooden acoustic treatment. The exceptional quality of its reverberation meets the special requirements of the sound recording industry. This room of appreciable dimensions (30 ’x 26’ x 18 ’) is very popular with rhythm, brass and string sections and choirs. It is equipped with a Yamaha C-7 piano, a Hammond B3 organ and three voting booths.
Spacious and comfortable, its control room is equipped with an SSL 6000 E / G + analog console and a Pro Tools HD Accel digital system, analog recorders and high-end peripheral equipment.

Here are some sound engineers who have worked in the studio. Billy Szawlowski, Carl Bastien, Elie Jalbert, Francis Beaulieu, François-Charles Legault, Gaétan Pilon, Louis Legault, Sébastien Blais-Montpetit and Simon Lespérance.

n 1992, wishing to share with the public the fascinating history of sound recording in Quebec, Studio Victor collaborated closely in the creation of the Musée des Ondes Émile Berliner. This permanent institution is dedicated to the history of the sound industry and preserves, collects and presents to the public the objects of this industry.

Among some artists that recorded at Victor’s, Jean Leloup, Mara Tremblay, Rock et Belles Oreilles, Daniel Bélanger and Roch Voisine recorded compositions that have become classics of Quebec song.

The legendary Studio Victor closed its doors on December 31, 2019.

Studio VICTOR 3.0 (2019-present)

In order to offer services more suited to the current musical and technological reality, Studio VICTOR, still operated by Gaétan Pilon, is being transformed into an urban mobile studio. Thus, following the closure of the premises at 1050 rue Lacasse, most of the equipment is transferred to studio 451 in Verdun, or is used for recording events outside the studio. In collaboration with the Skytracks initiative, a project is being set up to offer an online music sharing service. The first cloud-based DAW is thus born, and allows musicians from all over the world to create simultaneously and live, greatly facilitating creative exchanges.

Welcome to the digital age.