Historical Connection to RCA: 93 years after RCA’s first ribbon mic impacted both the audio and broadcast industries, AEA Ribbon Mics in Pasadena is still mastering the art of the ribbon, creating state-of-the-art mics and preamps that bring the imaginations of musicians and engineers to life. AEA’s original owner Wes Dooley, an engineer and audio salesman who started the company as a record label, began servicing RCA’s classic ribbon mics in the mid-'70s after GE bought out RCA and closed its microphone division. After surviving cancer, Dooley made it his goal to create a replica of the RCA 44BX from the stock replacement parts AEA had built up over two decades. Since creating the AEA R44C, the company has built and designed an array of new ribbon mics, each with a unique application and function, using the same RCA traditions combined with advanced ribbon technology and updated manufacturing techniques. AEA’s current owner, Julie Tan, is a 30-year audio industry veteran who began her association with Dooley and his wife as a sales consultant. 

Since taking the reins in 2022, Julie has made it her mission to not only continue to bring AEA’s products to a wider market, but also to help build a consortium that promotes and preserves legendary analog-based companies with roots in Southern California. 

Trademark AEA Products: In 2000, Dooley followed the R44C with the first of two proprietary ribbon mics that launched the company’s era of original products. The R84 series ribbon mics delivered the classic tonality of the legendary R44, with extended top-end and reduced proximity effect for mid-ranger and close-range recording. The R84A is an active version of the passive R84 that allows compatibility with a wider ranger of preamps. The R88 Stereo ribbon mics, which followed in 2005, capture sound as the ears hear it, with an honest and open tonality. The R88 and R88A effortlessly record complex sources like drums, strings, piano and other instruments that produce intricate transients, harsher highs and bellowing lows. 

NUVO Series: AEA’s bestselling line of active mics is its NUVO modern ribbon series, including the ubiquitous near-field 22 and far-field N8. In Spring 2024, the company will release a new midfield NUVO series called the mid-field N13. They are also releasing 44-CX25LE a limited edition 25th Anniversary of their flagship mic as well as TDI, an active DI box based on the circuitry of our acclaimed RQP and TRP preamps. 

Quote from Julie Tan: “Sonically, our ribbon mics offer less harshness and brassiness. These mics are used a lot on brass sections to tame harsh overtones. Digital recording emphasizes the sharpness of square waves at the high end, while analog old school mics smooth out the sharper, harsher tones. AEA mics are a throwback to the analog sound people appreciate on vinyl records. We’re long past the era of the '90s and 2000s where every recording was as ear piercing as possible. We are dedicated to bringing that old analog warm into the digital realm.” 

Contact AEA Ribbon Mics, 626-798-9128 

Carrying on the Legacy: Thirty years after becoming a staff engineer at Stagg Street Studios in Van Nuys, CA, under the tutelage of original owners Gary Denton and Melody Carpenter, Trent Slatton (pictured) recently became the sole owner upon Carpenter’s passing. Both Slatton and the room he proudly calls “a true mom and pop studio” have fascinating histories. After years of helming the boards there and traveling the world as producer Gavin MacKillop’s assistant, Slatton—who has worked with everyone from The Ramones to Rod Stewart—left the business for over 10 years and sold real estate in San Diego. When he returned to L.A. in 2017, his love for “my true calling” was rekindled and he launched his current stint there. This time, he invested in the business, and when Carpenter fell ill, her fondest wish was that Slatton take over and continue to build Stagg Street’s legacy. While The Rembrandt’s Friends theme “I’ll Be There For You” is probably the most famous track recorded there, over the years the studio has been the out-of-the-limelight choice for a wide array of superstars and legends—including Johnny Cash, John Mayer, Chaka Khan, Tori Amos, Little Richard, Queens of the Stone Age and Smokey Robinson—and numerous jazz musicians, including Keiko Matsui, Dean Parks and Tigran Hamasyan. 

Quote from Trent Slatton: “Gary and Melody developed an amazing workspace out of their love and passion for music,” Slatton says. “Whether we’re working with big names or upstart indie artists, what’s great about it to this day is that we’re not genre-specific. We’ve done rock, jazz, country, bluegrass, film music—even circus music. Stagg Street offers a combination of privacy, a conducive creative environment and overqualified staff, which is dedicated to upkeep and excellent service to our clients. We may not have the history of some of the larger studios in L.A., but we have an incredible array of equipment and a lot of heart. From Gary and Melody to myself, Stagg Street has been run by people who care about the music. It’s like an alchemy lab to create magic and amazing performances.” 

Vintage Console and Mics: Stagg Street Studios is home to a rare, white, Brent Averil modified mid-'70s vintage API console (originally housed in A&M Studios) consisting of two sections. The original 32 channels section has 554 semi-parametric EQs and the 16 channel fully integrated sidecar is equipped with 550 stepped EQs. Both offer the mega-headroom 312 mic preamps. Clients get a legendary API sound with 32 inputs to Pro Tools. The studio is designed with three isolated areas surrounding the main room, offering an ideal setting for live ensemble tracking. Each room has windows for maximum visual contact—and with 16 channel personal headphone mixers, clients can cue mixes just right. In addition to a ‘70s Yamaha G7 grand piano, the room also has an extensive mic locker with vintage mics from the '40s through the '80s, in addition to vintage outboard gear.

 Contact Stagg Street Studios, 213-949-7957 

Welcome Back Your Natural Voice: A well-respected cantor for over 40 years, Nathan Gluck was a popular and influential presence in that role for 32 years at Flatbush Park Jewish Center in the Mill Basin section of his native Brooklyn. The projection dynamics of his voice was so powerful that his chants filled the space without use of a microphone. Concurrently launching his career as a well-respected private vocal instructor, he has spent over 30 years helping students of all ages—from pop/rock singers and TV/radio announcers to children and older adults—achieve such power and “welcome back” their natural voices. Taking a holistic, individually customized approach which draws from the many different methods and unique cultural practices he has studied, Gluck—who calls himself a voice builder and vocal specialist—has helped over 2000 students from the U.S. and Israel to the U.K. make their natural voice better, stronger, clearer and more comfortable for the throat. One of his specialties is bringing back the vitality of the voice for those who have lost it. He was also able to bring back the voice of a client who had lost her voice completely to chemo. “As people get older, people often lose the vitality in their voice and I have learned how to bring back their youthful voice,” Gluck says. “Most teachers concentrate on vocal exercises, but I have learned how to make the lungs stronger and fuller while also developing direct exercises for the vocal cords/folds themselves.”  

Natural Supplements for Voice, Throat and General Well-Being: Since launching its initial product line in 2014, his company Vita Vocal Health, has helped thousands of singers, musicians and “civilians” enhance their vocal health with natural, gluten, dairy and gelatin free supplements. The company’s mission is summed up in their statement: “When you are done wasting time on solutions that don’t work, try our health products. We’ve gotten some of the best feedback from real life performers like yourself.” All supplement products are vegetarian capsules, manufactured in a facility that is FDA approved. All products are GMP and made in the United States. 

Vita Vocal Throat & Voice Enhancer: This flagship product is a natural blend designed to boost and strengthen the voice to the max.  After years of searching for the right blend, a voice specialist arrived at the perfect formula to help prevent vocal cord inflammation, minimize dryness, boost vocal clarity and soothe the throat—ensuring that the singing voice feels comfortable. It is a powerful blend of natural herbs and vitamins, including a flower known as Linden, American ginseng, slippery elm bark, chamomile and marshmallow root, plus many others. 

Other Vita Vocal Supplements: The Vita Vocal Super Defense is a natural blend designed to boost and strengthen your immune health and fight against colds. Like the Throat & Voice Enhancer, it loosens phlegm and may help with laryngitis. It works in conjunction with that supplement to help clear sinus and respiratory passages and help the functions related to the lungs. Calming and Anxiety Ease is a stress relief and mood booster supplement that helps with stage fright. Memory & Focus Booster helps memory and cognition by supporting oxygen and circulation in the brain, brain cells and neurons. Vita Energy Boost plus Vision Support, which may assist with increased physical and mental stamina and improved endurance. Aller Relief reduces seasonal discomfort and sinus congestion while boosting immunity. VitaVocal’s newest product is Sleep Support, which helps users fall asleep quickly, achieve quality rest and refresh their minds. 

Contact Vita Vocal Health 718-514-0773

Premiere PR Firm for 25-Plus Years: A 2019 quote in Music Connection about SRO PR’s enduring success and influence in the industry remains relevant, as the firm launched in 1995 by veteran rock journalist and publicist Mitch Schneider as MSO (Mitch Schneider Organization) closes in on its 30-year anniversary: “One of the world’s premiere public relations firms... (the) roster is eclectic and encompassing. It includes various styles and genres, superstars, musical legends, festivals, award shows and emerging artists. That diversity enables them to obtain coverage in multiple outlets and mediums, from underground to mainstream.”

Eclectic History: The company was rebranded to SRO PR that year to reflect the promotion to partner of Marcee Rondan, who joined Schneider’s previous company, Levine/Schneider PR, in 1989. Establishing itself as an indie powerhouse, SRO PR’s dynamic array of clients over the years includes David Bowie, Tom Petty, Janet Jackson, Rod Stewart, Soundgarden, and it has represented Ozzy Osbourne since the company’s earlier incarnation the late '80s. Schneider and his team did publicity for Coachella’s first dozen years and this past year was hired to work with Powertrip, Goldenvoice’s heavy metal festival that takes place on the Coachella grounds. With offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, Phoenix, San Diego and Las Vegas—where Schneider relocated in 2020—SRO PR’s team of publicists includes Lyndie Wenner, Kelly Walsh, Andrea Faulk and Hillary Smoot, who was brought on board for her extensive Vegas-centric portfolio and to build the company’s presence there. Schneider is proud that in all incarnations, his company has been a female-strong company.  

The More Things Change: Even as music consumption has morphed into digital and streaming and social media drives fan and artist interactions, Schneider says the goal for major acts (which he calls “the lottery tickets of PR”) remains the same—getting them on the network morning shows, “Saturday Night Live,” Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Rolling Stone, etc. Major guitar magazines are also highly coveted, as SRO PR’s recently scoring covers for Brian Setzer on Guitar Player and Vintage Guitar prove. “Legacy clients still want to get into print,” Schneider says. “There’s an expression I heard when I first got into the business: A cover is a cover is a cover. Print and TV remain supreme.” In the current environment, he and his team have to keep up with niche websites in country and hard rock, which have largely replaced major print magazines. For bigger names, podcasts like Marc Maron’s are a coup as well. For up-and-coming indie artists, a clever approach is necessary—like photoshopping Vegas alternative band Crashing Wayward’s debut album onto an image of the groundbreaking Sphere venue. 

Lead Single Foreplay and Social Media Impact: Back in the day, PR firms like SRO would do campaigns around full albums as they dropped. These days, there has to be equal focus on getting attention for lead singles and video (aka “musical foreplay”) to keep fans engaged—especially for artists who are not major stars or going on tour. Often these artists will want a video premiere on a specific high-profile website. One of the other major changes is that artists used to hire publicists for a full year to see a project and tour through. Now, it’s more likely to be three to five months because once the project is out, some artists can coast on social media and keep fans entertained and updated there. 

Contact SRO PR 818-266-9285

From the Ground Up: There’s a fascinating link on the Studio Tour website page of The Greene Room, a full-service state of the art studio launched by veteran engineer Marc Greene in 1999. It’s a step-by-step photographic essay of how the structure was built from the ground up on an empty residential lot in Sherman Oaks, CA, followed by images of how the rooms inside were developed under the sonic design guidance of Steven Klein’s Sound Control Room, considered one of Los Angeles’ leading acoustic design and consultation firms. Greene built his own commercial space after years as a successful freelance engineer in the ‘80s and ‘90s, working on a diverse array of high profile and independent projects at top facilities like Wally Heider’s in Hollywood, as well as at Cherokee, Devonshire, Enterprise, Evergreen and Capitol. 

Diversity of Projects: Greene’s goal at launch was to offer an auxiliary room for himself and fellow engineers to track small rock and pop projects – but The Greene Room has grown through the digital era to include film work (including overdubs and individual instruments on the 2022 animated film Addams Family 2), ADR (where actors replace dialogue), editing and mixing of choirs and orchestras and shooting videos. The studio also offers mixing and mastering in stereo and 5.1 Surround, full band and drum tracking, vocal recording, tuning and repair, recording of small string groups, location use for film, TV and video, Pro Tools instruction, audio restoration and noise reduction, voice overs, narrations, audio books and podcast recording.

The Studio Layout: “Because The Greene Room was literally built from the ground up rather than by converting an existing space, the electricity is correct, the floors are floating, the walls have the perfect soundproofing and the correct quiet flow of air conditioning. The ceilings are 12 feet high and the rooms (a 320 sq ft main recording room, 300 sq. ft. control room and three smaller isolation rooms) are set on a diagonal to lend a feel of spaciousness while avoiding acoustic problems. Steven Klein did a great job of nicely tuning the rooms. They’re not gigantic but they sound amazing. We designed it together based on my input from years of experience as a mixing and tracking engineer at large studios. The best thing about this space is that it’s very quiet and focused. The intimacy allows you to hear every detail that you might have trouble with in a much larger commercial facility room.” 

Vintage Analog Equipment: Having started his career in the analog era, Greene balances keeping ultra-current with the new technology while maintaining and offering the use of some of the best vintage analog equipment he used in the 80s and 90s. His collection of vintage equipment is impressive and includes Neumann, AKG and Sony tube mics, RCA and Royer ribbons. Neve, API and Trident Mic pre’s. UREI compressors, Lexicon and Bricasti reverbs, keyboards, guitars and amps. In his words, “It’s not about just sounding good, but sounding right”—and he will find the mics and equipment that work best for the client. A full list of his digital and analog gear is available on the website. 

Contact The Greene Room, 818-781-1144

Bewitched Microphone Kits: Reflective of the sonic magic they’re designed to capture, the growing line of microphone kits created by veteran audio designer Jules Ryckebusch of Sound Sleuth LLC (in association with JLI Electronics) features items named after female characters from the classic sitcom Bewitched—Samantha, Endora and Serena, with Tabitha on the way. Ryckebusch began developing the products with JLI capsules, and when he came up with the circuitry, he reached out to JLI Operations Manager Brad Confer to see if his company could build and market them. The greatest challenge was sourcing the microphone bodies—but Confer was able to source them from his established vendors. 

Background: Ryckebusch has an extensive background in analog design for audio, building compressors, mic preamps, EQs, etc. and always aiming for “clean and pristine.” He started building mics eight years ago with kits from Microphone Parts. He started replicating the classic FET Schoeps circuit with a few minor improvements. Working through issues with parts obsolescence (most of the through hole components were 40 years old), he found a FET input opamp that could provide a high input impedance and had low distortion and low quiescent current—meaning it runs on Phantom power. With the Bewitched line, the PCBs are fully assembled and tested. To build their mic, users simply need to solder 5-9 wires, assemble a few items with small screws.   

Samantha, Serena, Endora: The starting point into OPA based Sound Sleuth microphones, Samantha uses a 26mm electret condenser capsule reminiscent of the CAD E 100 mic that’s been a go to for voiceover artists. Its design goal was low noise, low distortion, high bandwidth and a lot of headroom—which led to a Texas Instruments operational amp. Its audio quality is perfect for voiceovers and podcasters. Serena builds upon Samantha and takes it to the next level, using the same OPA circuit but replacing the capsule with a TSC-1, a full 34mm K67 style (Center Terminated) cardioid capsule. It’s ideal for choirs and orchestras. Endora is like having two Serenas in one microphone, using a dual diaphragm capsule. Each side of the capsule is a mic that faces the opposite direction. While all multi-pattern microphones do this, each side of Endora is brought out separately, which allows users to create the pattern they want after recording via DAW or audio software.  

Jules Ryckebusch: “What separates these Bewitched products from anything similar on the market is the simplicity of the kit. The circuit board has modern components and straightforward state-of-the-art pre-built circuit board. These are mics you build yourself that are on par with expensive Neumanns. My philosophy is, if you capture everything pristinely the first time, you can add anything in post to make it sound the way you like. These mics don’t sound vintage or colored, they just sound good.”

Contact Sound Sleuth 214-399-0931

Our Thing: While continuing to develop her career as an independent rapper and recording artist, SAAVI is also creating a dynamic, one-of-a-kind environment for musical creatives at Cosa Nostra Studios (“CNS”), the independent state-of-the-art Burbank studio she developed from the ground up after she relocated from the Bay Area in 2022. SAAVI’s passion for hip-hop came from her dad, and when he passed away when she was 19, she abandoned her industry ambitions, went to UCSB, and became a paralegal for years at an intellectual property law firm.  At some point, while still with that job, she decided to revisit her early ambitions and connected with veteran engineer Renson Mateo, who convinced her to pursue a career as an independent artist. 

Having once had to work four jobs to support her family, SAAVI applied her DIY work ethic to building up an arsenal of equipment and launching Cosa Nostra Studios—one of the few female-owned facilities in the L.A. area. Partly an homage to her mother’s Sicilian heritage,” the clever moniker translates in Italian to “our thing”—which reflects her mission to develop not only a room for commercial recording but a safe gathering space for a close-knit group of creatives to develop their craft. While men are welcome, she is actively working to build a tight-knit community of talented female creatives. Cosa Nostra Studios’ grand opening was on Aug. 12, 2023.

Creator’s Camps: Driven by SAAVI’s “La Famiglia” concept, CNS is now hosting regular creator’s camps, inviting people to meet other creatives and, as she says, “pressing play” on any body of work they would like to share and receive constructive feedback on. The gatherings are intended to bring artists, songwriters, and producers together. At the event in September, a female rapper came in and inspired SAAVI to create bars of her own on the way to a deeper collaboration. “We let the results speak for themselves,” she says. “In an industry that sometimes marginalizes females, I want to give women a sanctuary where they can feel comfortable and, most of all, where they can feel appreciated and heard.” SAAVI also hopes to launch educational camps around different creative disciplines.

Now Available for Booking: Cosa Nostra Studios is a two-room, Mac-based studio with an Apple Studio display. The vocal chain consists of Neuman Neve 1073 SPX, into an LA 2A, then an Apollo Twin, which goes into either Protools or Logic. The mics for recording include Neumann U87 and a TLM-103. There is also a podcast recording space featuring two Shure mics. For clients who need engineers, she has contracted top local talent. The walls are blacked out while the space is white accented and illuminated by cool LED light strips. SAAVI says, “When someone walks in here, I want them to experience a great vibe that makes them feel like they’re at home.” 

Contact Cosa Nostra Studios, 818-732-9118

Keeping the Fender Legacy Alive: In 1980, legendary instrument designer and inventor Leo Fender launched his final company, G&L, with George Fullerton. G&L’s guitar designs leaned heavily upon the looks of Leo’s original instruments while incorporating innovations such as enhanced tremolo systems and electronics. Before Leo passed away in 1991, he gave his blessing for his wife to sell the company to his friend John C. McLaren, Sr., owner of BBE Sound Inc.—a pioneer of audio improvement technologies for professional and consumer applications. Fulfilling his commitment as owner of G&L to expand and develop the company in a way that would please Leo, His sons Dave and Johnny McLaren continue to make instruments in Fender’s historic factory on Fender Avenue in Fullerton, CA. Thanks to a special blend of traditional craftsmanship and pioneering technology, G&L instruments deliver unsurpassed performance and value. Leo’s private workshop, the center of his creativity, remains at the heart of the large factory and has been visited by music folks from around the world. 

Guitar and Bass Lines: G&L offers four essential guitar and bass lines—the Fullerton Deluxe, CLF Research and a Tribute Series. Created from the most popular and customer-requested models and options, the Fullerton Deluxe line is the heart of the American-made G&L experience. Inspired by Leo’s legacy of continuous innovation, the CLF Research models take their styling cues from the inventor’s vibrant era of the 80’s while incorporating expanded technical capabilities. The G&L Tribute Series guitars and basses brings Fender’s proprietary innovations to a popular price range, with core G&L features like Magnetic Field Design pickups. The G&L Custom Shop is where their ultimate instruments are crafted based on user’s specialized needs.

BBE Pedals: Aside from the Fender products, BBE also offers a unique array of pedals. The BBE Sonic Stomp Pro is the next generation of the popular Sonic Maximizer in a compact pedal format. It has been re-engineered to offer musicians extended dynamic range. The BBE Green Screamer v2 is the next evolution of the classic “green” overdrive circuit, designed to yield greater transparency and versatility.

Artist Relations/Business Development Manager Steve Araujo: Araujo’s role at BBE/G&L Guitars grew out of The Bass Hang, his popular multi-media website and YouTube channel dedicated to supporting the bass playing community. He began working with the company producing video and other media. “As a veteran musician and certified music nerd,” he says, “it’s the ultimate honor to contribute in an environment dedicated to honoring and continuing his revolutionary work, on the premises where he designed so many classic instruments. We are as close to Leo’s legacy and spirit as anyone can get.”

Contact BBE/G&L Guitars, 714-897-6766

renkus-heinz.com

Over Four Decades of Sonic Innovation: Founded in 1979 by electronics engineer Harro Heinz and original partner Algis Renkus, Orange County, CA-based Renkus-Heinz is a long-recognized global leader in professional loudspeaker technology, driven by groundbreaking premium audio innovations, a passion for sound and dedication to solving great acoustic challenges. Harro’s most impactful contributions to the engineering side of the company was the creation of controller based systems, and Renkus-Heinz was one of the first loudspeaker companies to combine speaker specific electronics crossover EQ and limiters in a way that enhanced and improved the performance of a system right out of the box. One of his innovations was to sell a completely packaged solution this way. 

Multi-Generational Passion for Sound: Harro’s son Ralph Heinz, now CTO, joined the company early on as a mechanical engineer with a natural talent for understanding acoustics. In addition to holding patents for innovations like TRAP (True Array Principle) and CoEntrant technologies, Heinz developed some of the most advanced digital beam steering solutions on the market today. Renkus-Heinz recently developed the Unibeam—a steering algorithm that crafts asymmetric beams and utilizes the entire array for all frequencies. In the music industry, the company’s niche is providing monitors, front of house systems and sound reinforcement products for live concerts. They also provide sound technology for spaces from international airports and landmark museums to glass corporate atriums and marble cathedrals. Now in his 90s, Harro is joined by two generations of the Heinz family. “Regardless of pricepoint and specific technology,” Ralph says, “our products have similar sonic characteristics, combining intelligibility, extreme clarity and excellent musicality. We see ourselves as a small family company that often punches above our weight.”   

Steerable Arrays and the ICLive X Series: Renkus-Heinz has taken the expertise gained from more than a decade of creating digitally steered line array technology and scaled it to meet the needs of larger spaces. Ralphs says the product that best embodies that for their Iconyx arrays is the new ICLive X Series—“our ultimate solution for concert level reinforcement using these technologies. Designed to be the most scalable sound system ever created, the ICLive X Series brings a new level of flexibility for integrators, contractors and production/rental houses alike to provide an optimal solution for any application. 

The series is a complete system consisting of three freely combinable, steerable-array modules, the ICLX, ICLXL, ICLLX and a matching subwoofer, the ICLX-118S. A new element of the series is the company’s exclusive Acoustic Source Multiplier (ASM) waveguide, along with a coaxial drive arrangement that delivers a consistent and symmetrical array of high and low frequencies. The ICLive X is designed to offer the ultimate audio performance with ultimate flexibility.  

Contact Renkus-Heinz, 949-588-9997

dburanchrecorders.com

Fulfilling a Lifelong Vision: Growing up on a farm in Northern Nevada, Dusk Bennett always believed that someday he would own a cool studio with a Neve console in the backyard. After years of working in L.A. with both superstars and hundreds of indie artists—and winning a Grammy for his engineering on Rod Stewart’s platinum 2004 standards album Stardust—the multi-talented engineer and producer fulfilled his vision with the 2021 launch of dBu Ranch Recorders in the northern San Diego County area of Valley Center. 

Bennett brings a unique and varied history to his facility, and his hands-on behind-the-board work with up-and-coming artists of all genres, including sessions over the past few months that have resulted in four songs by San Diego based clients in the Mediabase Top 100. 

Launching his career at 4th Street Recording Studio in Santa Monica (under the tutelage of Jim Wirt) while working on his degree in Communications/Recording Arts at Loyola Marymount, Bennet’s credits include Fiona Apple (her debut album Tidal), Black Eyed Peas, Five for Fighting, Mötley Crüe, Sixx AM, Mike Love, Chicago and Barry Manilow. For about a decade, while working as a free-lance engineer, he also served as department head and faculty member in the Recording Arts department at his alma mater, LMU.

The Studio: Proudly offering what he calls “the ultimate 1980s room,” dBu Ranch Recorders has a 32-input Neve 8014, a 24-track analog tape machine synchronized to a Pro Tools HDX system, and an extensive retro gear collection. In addition to a 25 x 30 ft. tracking room with 20-foot ceilings, Bennett also has a dedicated piano room with a Yamaha C7, Hammond C3 and Leslie, Rhodes piano and Yamaha CP-80. There are five isolation spaces, an EMT 140 stereo plate reverb and spacious control room. Each room is treated with different acoustics to create unique recording environments. Bennett has also integrated a full DMX lighting system so artists can capture exciting live content on video and couple it with the front end typically reserved for expensive high end L.A. studios. Bennett makes it clear to each client he chooses to work with that this is not simply a facility to rent out; he will be hands-on in helping them reach their potential.  

Incredible Amenities: Moving his family from Los Angeles down to Valley Center in late 2019, Bennett spent the pandemic year building a facility on his property that he calls “the ultimate San Diego recording studio experience,” where clients can “enjoy your days with open mountain views and your nights under a magnificent star-filled sky.” Situated on two acres, the 1650 sq. ft. facility was designed to fully immerse the artist in the mountain atmosphere, including breathtaking views from nearly every room. Artists have access to onsite and offsite lodging, a pool, hot tub, outdoor grill and patio area, a shooting range and a small brewery where Bennett engages in one of his favorite hobbies. They can enjoy local hiking, biking, casino visits and wine tasting during breaks. His ultimate goal is to make dBu Ranch Recorders a full-on destination facility along the lines of Muscle Shoals and Caribou Ranch. 

Contact dBu Ranch Recorders, 310-413-0845