Recording and I are old friends. I started with it at an early age, playing around with my parents’ portable cassette recorder, making fake news broadcasts. In my teens I graduated to a Tascam 4-track, and recorded basement demos of my friend’s bands as well as my own material.
Eventually I decided to make recording a career, and in 1989 I moved to New York City to study audio at Center for the Media Arts. At the time, 24-track 2-inch analog decks ruled the roost and digital recording was in it’s infancy. ProTools was a stereo audio editor called Soundtools.
After graduating I worked at several NYC studios including Coyote Recording in Brooklyn where i was mentored by the owners, Mike and Albert Caiati. Steve La Cerra at The Woodshop was a great inspiration as well, and I learned a lot from those guys, not just how to record but also how to handle clients and make sessions go smoothly.
Over the years, however, technology advanced and cost went down to the point where I could open my own studio. Enter Garage Mahal Recording, a purpose built facility where I record and mix local, national and international artists. At Garage Mahal, artists are encourage to be themselves, and I can both lay back and let them do their thing or guide them when they need guidance. I’m flexible.
I’m quite proud of the variety of musical artists and styles that have come through the door, and of the work we have done together. With a nod to the old school, I still think the best way to record is everyone in the room, playing off each other, with a dedicated engineer (meaning me) behind the glass keeping an ear/eye on things.