Best studio in the world , always professional, great place to make your music come alive!!read more

Hands down the best, super talented and kind. My first time…read morein the studio felt like my 5th, Luigi made everything so easy and so comfortable to work with him. Highly recommend. This place is UNDERRATED and it needs to go UP! Much love to Lu!

If you are a musician with a recording project that means ALOT to you, look no further, Oscar Autie…read moreand El Cerrito Recording Studio is the place for you. I have known Oscar from teh Cuban music scene for years now, I began recording and working with him back in 2000, we have built a professional yet family like relationship. I would not go anywhere else! The studio is state of the art, and it is like home at the same time. So much warmth eludes from both Oscar and his adorable wife, Kenya who also doubles as the Business Manager.....this woman knows her stuff, and she is elegant and professional yet warm and caring. I am in the middle of recording and ending my projects but I am sure that our relationship will continue with the time. I will still keep returning for projects, and I will be in touch! Check out their studio and evaluate their portfolio, you will see why I say this place is the Cream of the Crop! Cheers!

El Cerrito Studio was the ideal recording experience, and I look forward to returning many times in…read morethe future. As a harpist, many studios are flummoxed by how hard it is to capture the real sound of my instrument - Oscar dialed it in right away. The studio itself is brand new with 2 recording booths and a clear line of vision for isolation work. One booth is medium sized and would fit up to an instrumental trio I would say, the other very large with a grand Yamaha fitting up to 8 performers approximately - just guesses. All the equipment looked brand new and the sound, the most important thing, I was thrilled with. Both the neighborhood and all the soundproofing allow total silence, which has previously been a difficulty in other studios. Not an issue at El Cerrito Studio, where we could work fast and keep all the magic. Kenya is a true host, putting me instantly at ease with her charming and welcoming personality. There's a resting area with beverages and snacks, plus their garden out back is wonderful to re-energize in. Parking is easy. In total, Kenya and Oscar work as a perfect team in setting the stage for a great recording plus delivering on the final result.

Really cool studio - fully equipped with tons of crazy gear - awesome outboard, every instrument…read moreyou could ever need. So many different mics - a lot of vintage ones too. Laid down vocals and 12-string guitar for a folky track. Danny B. the engineer I worked with was incredible - really flexible and meticulous with understanding my vision and making it happen. Did a three-mic setup for the guitar - and it sounds INCREDIBLE. Highly recommend for recording anything from simple folky acoustic all the way up to full band and everywhere in between. This place is straight up legit and captured my music in a way I'm not sure other studios could have. Again highly recommend working with Danny if you can. Prices are also pretty reasonable - will def be recording more here when I get the chance.

This review is specifically for Chris Paxton. I've had a great experience working with Chris in…read moremixing/mastering one of my latest house tracks. He's a fun and professional to collaborate with, and I'm beyond happy with how my song sounds as a finished product. I've been producing on Ableton for a few years, and I was specifically looking to work with someone in studio to learn and improve my mixes in general. I spent a few hours with Chris in his Oakland studio and learned so much during that time. It was one of the most informative sessions I've had since I started making music! Chris shared numerous different techniques and workflow tips with me while making suggestions and helping refine my track. It's clear that he's an expert in Ableton, but is also generous in sharing his knowledge. After our in-person session, we collaborated for another week or so via phone/e-mail through the mastering process. Throughout this process, he was thorough, patient, and gave invaluable feedback and recommendations - all while communicating effectively. Something I really appreciate about working with Chris is that he makes suggestions and gives honest feedback, but also makes sure that he respects the original vision for what the track should sound like. He makes suggestions but never pushes or makes it feel like you're straying or altering your original track. I look forward to working with Chris again! Highly recommend Mothership Studio.

I worked with gifted engineer James Ward at Live Oak Studio to record the Audible version of my…read morebook "Better Than Real Life." With James' help, I believe we created an Audible book to be proud of. This was my first experience doing such work, and James helped me feel right at home. I was also able to meet Priscilla, the owner, who was gracious and supportive. I give Live Oak and James my highest rating and hope you consider using them for your work.

This was the first audiobook that I recorded for a book coming out with Harper-Collins/Zondervan…read morePublishing and it was a really, really great experience. Thanks to Priscilla and to James the audio technician who was amazingly helpful, patient, and so kind coaching me as I went along. I couldn't recommend a studio higher for the way they communicated quickly and answered all the questions I had. I was in the studio for 3 whole days, and then back another few hours for some touch-ups the publisher wanted to do - and "How (Not) To Read The Bible: Making Sense of the Anti-Women, Anti-Science, Pro-Slavery, Pro-Violence and Other Crazy Sounding Parts of Scripture" is done and I am so thankful the publisher chose Live Oak Studio to have me record the audio. THANK YOU PRISCILLA AND JAMES!

Charlie is great. We have had him mix our last couple records and have been very happy. On the last…read moreproject, he even mastered for us and did quite a good job. Charlie's studio is comfortable and while he's certainly a guy who knows his gear (and has plenty of the good stuff), he's also an idea person, constantly walking the line between engineer and producer. The location is close to a few food spots (and Peet's!) which is nice for taking breaks. If you're in the Bay Area, you'll do yourself a favor to head on over to his place in Berkeley.

Sonic Zen Records is a recording studio…read more Just came from my first-ever mastering session with Charlie from Sonic Zen Records and I'm juiced! I went in with a mix I was satisfied with - just needed to bring volume closer to industry standards so my music wouldn't be drowned out by some wanker with supercompression - and came out with a bonafide masterpiece debut (if I do say so myself). Charlie was warm and professional from beginning to end. Listened patiently to what I thought I wanted, then made sure I was bringing what he needed to do his job. As I arrived, he offered me water then got to work. While he was working, Charlie talked with me about what he was doing to make sure he was moving in the right direction, but never asked questions I didn't have the knowledge to answer and kept moving towards completion; that is truly professional! We didn't talk about philosophy (his degree on the wall), but seems like he took his aesthetic cues from the music (not the musician). That's what I'm trying to do - let the music lead me. My project was small, but Charlie has the skill and capacity to record live albums (7 isolated performers at once), and in-house instruments too. Thank you, man, for treating my music with respect and making it sound great! p.s. to check the record see www.myspace/ncsmithbabysteps

It was a pure joy to work in this studio. Bryan and Ben could not have been kinder or more…read moreprofessional. I am sometimes given the impression that my expectations may be too high in terms of the kind of care one can expect to get in a studio - but this was the first time in my life where there was NOTHING I could say could have gone better....they were consummate professionals and absolutely ON IT with EVERYTHING, even the nit-picky musician stuff! They care SO much about the music they are making and they are real musicians themselves, not posers but highly educated and skilled. I was so particularly pleased that Ben's knowledge of music was so extensive, coming from his education at Berklee in Boston...he was SO helpful and was able to use language in talking with my drummer that clarified and nailed down concepts I was struggling to express. He also came up with some brilliant ideas to save me loads of time (and money!). I can't wait to mix my recording here when I finally get it finished! This was hands down the best studio I've ever worked in.

Great space, excellent owner. There's parking, it's easy to get to, good food nearby. Awesome gear,…read moregood vibes, clean studio. Come record your music here!

This recording studio is Hidden Gem on the East Bay! However, what sets this place apart from other…read morestudios is the Artist/ Owner (Michael)! He was completely professional, upbeat, and a master of sound! He totally took his time to understand my music project and asked me questions and made recommendations to help polish my initial first time recording of a specific song. Even, my vocal coach who flew in from Canada for my recording; agreed on Michael's work ethic and vast knowledge. She is a Juno Award winning artist and has recorded at some of the most well known studios in the world and mentioned that sometimes, ppl may have the the best technology, but they may not know what they are doing and produce crappy results. She mentioned I was in Great Hands and when it was time to complete my project that I should work with Michael! Trust me this was an amazing experience! Thanks Michael!

Fantastic set up. Michael is a pleasure to work with, and very thourough and passionate about his…read morework. Our band wanted some demo tapes and Michael had some great ideas and guidance, yet never tried to take over the band's vision for what we wanted. He mentors a nice lad named Phoenix whom, I suspect, will go far in recording. The Studio had all the we required, and communication and studio rates were quite favorable. A no brainer as far as any future projects we may have.

Ultra-talented, mega-meticulous, and incredibly reliable . . . a rare combo these days. Ask for…read moreChris ( aka Action Paxton ) and he will blow your mind with what he can do for your music . . . whatever your genre/sound flav is . . . whether it be a dialed mix, a thumpin' crystal ear clear master, or build you something from scratch with his talented team of prolific 'n proficient musicians and songwriters. And most of all . . . the warm good fun vibes with make it a pleasure for you to create within. -Rance Lane ( Jefe of The Dangaleros) ps. check out our song AZUL 65 for the quality of his craft.

This place and the staff are wonderful. Come here every time my drummer is in town and we need a…read morespot to rehearse. Honestly, wouldn't go anywhere else in Oakland or the east bay. This is where the "East Bay Bros" were born and thrive. Thanks to all the guys at Nexus for being great hosts!