Making music at Shine On Studios in Oakland, CA is fun! Take it from someone who has worked with this guy for decades. This review has been a long time coming. No matter what I say, I cannot do Shine On Dave enough justice. I met Dave 20 years ago, I'm guessing it was a Craigslist ad. I was building a recording studio in my home and needed guidance. Dave became that beacon. Since then, I have visited Shine On working with various projects many times over the years. As someone who is a 30+ years experienced vocalist, I have watched Dave grow for decades. He is and has always been, as far as I could see, completely dedicated. Dave's passion of being a well earned award winning recording engineer and studio is why Shine On Studios was awarded as best recording studio after many years of growth. I have witnessed him building 1st hand and his success is from hard work, taking on any project he could get in the early days. He can now pick his jobs as he has paid his dues many times over. If Dave is recording you, you must have something real good. Dave has established an awesome pro studio in Oakland. The sounds he is getting are great. The amps, mixing board and most importantly, Dave's ear are all excellent. Dave's interest in offering a comfortable working environment is obvious. The couches, his attitude and studio sounds are 2nd to none. Thank you Dave and Stef! You make a great team... read more

Bluhd I've been with Dave since 2010 and don't wanna go no where else, Shine On Studios for life.

I just want to thank David for his passion, patience, discipline, and willingness to collaborate. He is always open minded to your creative journey but also eager to bring his own creativity into the mix. The songs I work on with him completely surprise me, beyond my expectations and what I had originally envisioned for the song. First and foremost, David is a great engineer. But even more than that, he is an artist who truly loves and respects the craft. read more

Shine On Studio, and more specifically David, was amazing to work with on my project. I had never been in a recording studio before or put together a a project like the one I was doing (a meditation/breathwork series) and I was really nervous. David made me feel comfortable and gave me great suggestion on what worked/sounded better. He is extremely talented, has a great ear (of which I don't) so it was very helpful to get his feedback and suggestions). He works fast so the sessions are focused and a lot of work can be completed in a short time. I wouldn't go to any other studio or engineer. I have started putting the final product into the world and people love it! Thank you, David! Can't wait for the next project to work together again. read more

should have a minus star. Too bad place and wastage of money. DO not go to this place for any mastering and mixing and recording work. The engineer David is impatient very much inclined to the money. Do not know basics of mastering. It's your risk if you are going to this place. read more

We did a fun voice recording with our daughters, David is wonderful to work with from the first inquiry all the way to the actual session and receiving files! Very relaxed, friendly and laid back. The studio is comfortable and recording came out great! The rate is reasonable for us first time experience. The files were sent to us within the hour of recording! This studio has safety procedures in place during this pandemic. So happy to have tried out this studio! read more

First of all I should have given a negative star rating for this studio. Here are the following reasons I am giving the ratings: 1) We booked the Recording Engineers time for a Sunday for some Indian Bollywood type songs. He said he is very knowledgeable about all types of songs recording and mixing and mastering. We need to mix and master a few Indian songs, which we told him earlier. He was confident in phone but when we first meet for the first time he just spent 3 hours and could not achieve whatever we wanted. 2) We gave hime some sample songs (which were recorded in India in a much more inferior studio) of my old album. Even then he could not understand what type of reverb and delay it was having and the vocal quality was not at all matched our satisfaction. 3) whenever I tell hime can we do this about a particular thing, he starts at no time to do that. He is very impatient. In Art patient is much more needed. 4) He took half the money as advance, but after 1 date as we could not achieve I asked the money back. He refused and I am compelled to put this review. read more

David Hughes is a multifaceted engineering maestro and all around good guy. The person that called him "dumb" is obviously frustrated with their own lack or artistic skill, or maybe a bad session date, and their inability to communicate what they want to their engineer and expectations for him to read their minds is obvious. Saying they want it to sound like Bollywood is kinda like saying I expect my music to sound like Hollywood. There's a lot of possibilities in either scenario. With engineers, you have to be specific, not vast and vague. I have recorded at Dave's old studio, and at this new one, both as a solo artist, and with a band, over a span of 10 years. Working with Dave is really easy. His knowledge of protools and studio gear makes him really efficient. If that seems hurried, it is perhaps because he is much faster than most engineers. Our last band demo was completely satisfying, and we are all happy with the outcome. If you aren't getting the sound you are looking for from this place, perhaps you are either not prepared to go into the studio, or, you aren't telling Dave specifically what you want and making him guess what it is, then getting mad because he's not a mind reader. Or, maybe you need to try remixing it, or recutting it on a different day. When I have said what I want to hear in the engineering, Dave accommodates. The rest is on the band/ musicians/ production, not on the engineer. The things that have turned out badly are because of the performance, not the capturing of it. Protools can shine your turds for you, but it will still be crap if it is crap read more

I just have to update this post after having visited the NEW Shine On Studio. The space and equipment is absolutely amazing. As an artist, I am not able to talk about specific equipment but I will say that the amount of energy that has been dedicated to this new studio space and the investment in quality gear is obvious. And working with David is always a pleasure. He is the ultimate professional--always attentive to client needs, patient and laid back. With years of experience under his belt, working with a wide variety of musical genres and unique personalities--I would recommend Shine On Studio to my own mother without hesitation. Not to mention, their rates are completely reasonable for the quality of service provided. Check them out, you won't be disappointed. read more

When my band was looking to record its debut EP, we were looking for someone who would help us perform our best at a reasonable price. After reading about Shine On here on Yelp, we checked out his website and liked what we heard. David is the consummate professional: friendly, reliable, knowledgeable, and truly invested in making your music sound as awesome as it can. Thanks Dave! read more

I highly recommend Shine On Studio. I recorded and produced my Preposthumous CD there and was thrilled with the result. I could never have done this without the expertise and creativity of owner/engineer David Hughes. I am currently working on new material there and always look forward to each session to see what we'll come up with. read more

I recently recorded my first voice-over demo with David & it was a remarkable experience! David is professional, extremely knowledgeable & supportive. I really appreciated his expertise in guiding me through a challenging yet exhilarating day! Thanks David! read more

David was great! His studio was very clean and well organized. And he was efficient, really nice and really easy to work with. Plus the studio was easy to get to from the freeway! read more

Shine On Studio is a wonderful business (around for over 15 years) and the only place I choose to take my projects. You'll never find a more hard working, careful or talented sound engineer than David Hughes. I would recommend this team to anyone. Thanks for all you help over the years, Dave, and Shine On. :) read more

Working with David Hughes at Shine on Studio was a really wonderful experience. David is incredibly knowledgable and helpful in the creative process. He's quick to answer the phone and respond to emails. The quality of the final product was top notch. In addition, the studio itself is an awesome space to work in. I would highly recommend Shine on Studio! read more

Fantastic place to take your music to the next level. The energy of the space, professionalism of it's staff (thank you David Hughes for your expertise & meticulous fine tuning) and the genuine care provided to ensure you get exactly the sound desired, make choosing Shine a no-brainer. Would record there again in a heartbeat. read more

I first met Dave in 2003 in the Oakland studio. However, my band and I weren't privileged to work with him until the summer of 09. Shine On Studios is a fantastic facility with great people running it. People that love to record realize that the studio is like a blank canvas, and can very much be used like another instrument, to help bring out their best sounds, and this studio grasps that concept. Shine On is an intimate studio that allows the artist to be fully engaged with the engineer while also maintaining control of their own sound. I'm very pleased with three main things that Shine On offers. A reasonable price, a hiqh quality and proffesional sound, and a fun and positive atmosphere that provides for a great platform upon which to record your work that is so important to you. Thanks Dave!!!!!! read more

Shine On Studio is amazing and so is David Hughes. Dave recently moved to his BRAND NEW recording studio in Oakland and it is BEAUTIFUL. My husband and I have done several projects with him and besides being the nicest guy you will ever meet...he is an amazing engineer/producer. We have worked with him on voice-over and music recording projects as well as live theatre performances. The very cool thing about him is he is so easy to work with. He is professional, highly knowledgeable and so talented. You and your project will be in good hands with Dave - that is for sure. And he will also travel and do amazing live recordings...check him out and his beautiful brand new super high tech fully loaded recording studio. We are so happy to have found him. read more

Fabulous local studio to do voice overs. I always feel comfortable in the space, it's conveniently located and we always end up with a great end product. David is great to work with. He is knowledgeable and patient through the entire process. I've come back time and time again and am always impressed. I would recommend anyone needing to do Voice Overs to use this studio. read more