Reflecting on my journey from early recording experiences to where I am now, it’s been quite a ride. My first exposure to recording came from experimenting with cassette recorders, using both blank and commercial tapes. Multitrack recording didn’t enter my consciousness until high school. By then, I had been playing drums for years, saving up for a car from my job. I nearly derailed that plan by considering a Fostex multitrack setup, which was seen as inferior to the 2-inch, 24-track standard. On the advice of a local recording guru, I held off, bought the car, and kept playing drums.
Fast forward to 1994—I had moved from New Mexico to San Francisco and was on my second band and record label deal. This was a time when six-figure budgets were the norm, tape was the primary medium, and the internet had yet to impact our lives. That same year, a band I admired, Spackle, asked me to produce their record. I cobbled together a couple of ADATs (new at the time), a Mackie board, and some borrowed microphones, and we recorded at Bay Area Rehearsal Studios (BARS). Overdubs and mixing were done at Studio 684 in San Francisco, formerly known as Sound and Vision, run by Michael Molinda and Neal Breitbarth. They had played a role in the early recording development of one of my bands, The Sextants. The studio was now owned by Buddy Saleman, another early mentor of mine. I mixed the record on a small Trident board with minimal outboard gear, and Studio 684 became my main recording home.
I recorded many bands there and met another mentor and friend, Jerry Stucker. In 1998, I took the plunge into Pro Tools—expensive as hell back then, only capable of 16-bit at 44.1 or 48k. I started with the Pro Tools 3 system and later upgraded to a Mix Plus system, which was bigger, better, faster, and even more expensive.
In 2000, I moved to a shared co-op studio in Emeryville with engineers Lisa Richmond and Josh Roberts. I met Josh a few years earlier when he was the tour manager and FOH guy for my band, Seven Day Diary. Eventually, Lisa moved on, and Josh and I took over the studio. We upgraded to PTHD and had a nice setup. Life at the Emeryville studio was great—the overhead was low, and the gear was just right.
One highlight during my time there was recording The Samples’ last album, Rehearsing for Life, in 2005. It was a strange time, with Hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans during the sessions. We kept the TV on to follow the news and watch in awe at the devastation while venting about the government’s response.
In 2007, I had the opportunity to take over the former Coast Recorders Studio in San Francisco, sharing a building with my mastering engineer friend, Michael Romanowski. I renamed it Broken Radio Studios and opened in June of 2007, but moved out by December 31, 2011. I couldn’t have picked a worse time to open a big studio—the economy was tanking, but I pressed on, spending thousands to redo the control room and buy more gear. Life became stressful, especially after my second child was born in June of 2008. With three maxed-out credit cards, little business, and high rent, I was stuck in a tough spot. I took almost any gig that came through the door, but the silver lining was that I honed my recording skills significantly.
As the lease renewal approached, I realized I couldn’t continue and, with Michael’s help, got out of the lease. By January 1, 2012, I was relieved not to be a studio owner. I had to reinvent and reconfigure my audio career, focusing on mixing from home. I initially set up in one bedroom, but eventually moved into my kids’ playroom, which had surprisingly good acoustics due to its irregular shape. It was a humbling transition, but the right move financially.
Since I no longer had my own studio, I began working with other studios for tracking. One standout was Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, run by Ryan Massey. It has everything I need—plenty of space, a great live room for drum sounds, and, unlike my old studio, a dedicated parking lot.
By 2014, I had been mixing at home for a couple of years, and the quality of my mixes had surpassed what I used to do in professional studios. I attribute that to maturity, skill, and a determination to make it work. Letting go of the idea that I needed to be in a studio to mix properly allowed me to really focus and get the job done. I sold my last Pro Tools HD rig and put together a more affordable and reliable setup—no board, no hybrid approach, just 100% in the box. For simple overdubs, I bring clients to my home; for full band tracking, I take them to Sharkbite, Tiny Telephone, or Studio Trilogy.
I’ve moved past the stigma of working from home. I’m doing great work, taking care of my clients, and I get to be around for my kids when they need me. Financially, things are looking up too. There’s more to share, but I’ll save that for future posts. Thanks for reading.
