This is your Real Pensacola In-Studio Education

Background

Sonic Recording was built from the ground up in 1989 by Bo Davis. The studio has always maintained an old school approach with an MCI JH 2″ 24-track recorder and Sound Workshop 34C analog console. Complementing the analog approach is a collection of top of the line, industry standard microphones from Neumann, Shure, AKG, Sennheiser, Royer, beyerdynamic and more. We’ve also got mastering quality A/D D/A convertors as part of our top-of-the-line Pro Tools HD rig.

Our analog tape and Pro Tools HD has connected the best of the old and the new technology while providing industry standard tools to compete in today’s marketplace. Getting all that great sound into Pro Tools is done with multiple Lynx Aurora convertors and mic pre’s from API, Universal Audio and our vintage analog console. Our collection of plugins includes companies such as Universal Audio, Waves, SPL, Plugin Alliance, Antares, Steven Slate Digital and much more.

The facility is a stand-alone building custom designed recording studio and covers over 2000 square feet. Advanced sound treatment includes non-parallel walls and ceilings plus quadratic residue diffusers in the back of the control room using a LEDE (live-end, dead-end) design. The main tracking room has wood floors and wall treatment and is the largest in SWFL. Drums sound incredible in this space and all tracking areas have tall, angled ceilings, even our adjoining isolation rooms. Even the lounge has a great sound for tracking!

Services: Albums, EP’s, singles, demos; tracking, analog or digital; mixing; overdubs; song production, composition, co-writing, arranging and programming; instrument instruction; audio consulting; and graphics. We can work with whole bands or singer/songwriters. If you don’t have the whole band we can supply top session players for just about any genre. Say you have guitars and vocals recorded at your home studio but don’t have the room or mics to record drums, we can help. We can handle files from Pro Tools, Garage Band, Sonar or any DAW that supports the OMF file format. Got the tracking done but need a great mix? We can help with that too.

We have established relationships with designers who can develop your artwork, CD cover art and any other typesetting you need. We also know a select group of videographers as well as equipment rentals when you’re ready to make a video from your music.

You can follow some of our current projects on our Facebook page. Feel free to leave comments or ask questions there as well!

From our Cape Coral location, we serve musicians in Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Naples, Port Charlotte, Lehigh Acres, Punta Gorda, Sanibel, Captiva, Pine Island, Marco Island, Estero, Bonita Springs and all the rest of Southwest Florida. We’re only minutes from US 41 and I-75 and are close to shopping, restaurants and lodging. Coming in from out of town? It’s hard to beat the weather here in sunny Southwest Florida.

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Background

Soft sell, hard sell. He’s the guy next door – only more versatile.

Dennis Gould – Upright Bass, Electric Bass & Guitar Having spent the later part of the 60’s through the 80’s as a full-time bassist / singer in Baltimore, MD, Dennis changed careers in 1984 and entered the world of Radio. He worked at WIZD, Wizard-104 in Mobile from 1986 through the middle of 1988 when he began working as a producer & voice-over at Soundworks recording studio. His voice has been heard on thousands of Radio & TV commercials and jingles. Still at Soundworks, Dennis occasionally performs a solo show accompanying himself on guitar and featuring tunes from the 30’s, 40’s & 50’s.

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Background

Sound of Birmingham was originally owned by Neil Hemphill and was located in Midfield, just south of Birmingham. In 1973 the studio was purchased by radio personality Don Mosley, who was using the studio to produce jingles, and in 1976 Don relocated the studio to it’s current location on Fifth Avenue South.

Over the years Don has engineered or produced records that were released on Atlantic Records, Arista, MGM, Stax Records, Rounder Records, Shelby Singleton labels (Nashville), as well as his own label. Fredrick Knight’s gold record “I’ve Been Lonely For So Long” was recorded at Sound of Birmingham Studios.

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Background

Learn from Recording Connection mentor Rick Carson or one of our mentors in the greater Lincoln area.

Recording Connection mentor engineer/producer Rick Carson has a passion for teaching today’s rising talents in the world of audio. Designed by famous recording studio designer, Rod Gervais, his studio features three control rooms, world-class equipment, and has the distinction of having Nebraska’s only large format SSL mixing console.

Articles

A Day in the Life of Our Students
A Day in the Life of Our Students

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Background

Learn from Recording Connection mentors Parker Ament and Danny Howard or one of our mentors in the greater LA area.

Recording Connection mentors Parker Ament and Danny Howard are up to the minute music producers, audio engineers, and entrepreneurs who know how to navigate the music industry in the 21st Century. Besides working with artists like Omarion, Todrick Hall, and Lauren Chase, they create great sound design tutorials on their popular YouTube channel.

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Background

Recording Connection mentor Jason Phelps is an audio engineer, producer, and musician who’s been involved in music all his life. He’s downright passionate about recording, producing, and teaching the next generation of music industry professionals. He expects the externs he trains to bring their A-game, and to listen and learn in a proactive manner.

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Background

Learn from Recording Connection mentor Ross Vanderslice or one of our mentors in the St. Louis area.

An engineer since 2001, Ross Vanderslice has worked with some of the biggest names in the recording industry. The experience he’s gained works perfectly with what we do at Recording Connection: pairing externs with seasoned professionals for invaluable one-on-one time with a mentor.

With multiple studios and state-of-the-art equipment, Vanderslice has worked with several Recording Connection externs. Doing it right is about so much more than having the right gear, software, or equipment. Because of his experience working with internationally-known acts, Vanderslice knows how to work with artists, how to make them feel comfortable and safe within the studio environment.

Here are some of the clients with whom Vanderslice and/or the professional audio engineers at his studio have worked:

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Background

Shane Anderson is a seasoned music industry veteran. With over 20+ years in the music industry Shane has vast experience in production, recording, mixing and mastering as well as the ins and outs of the music business. Shane began his musical career in his early teens as a demo vocalist for labels and also as a sound engineer for the MUZAK corporation. At age 18 he opened his first studio location in Honolulu, HI called “Unique Studios” and oversaw the daily operations of the recording studio as well as landing several indie label deals and distribution agreements while in Hawaii working with local talent. In 2009 Shane released a solo album titled “Dangerous”. This album took off online primarily on MYSPACE and gained much success with over 2.5 Million plays worldwide landing him on BILLBOARD NEWSWIRE and ultimately landing him several placements on TV shows to include “The Kardashians” “MTV” “E- Networks” and Oxygen to name a few.

Shane moved down to Los Angeles 2010 where he formed with his long-time high school friend a production company called “The Go Gettas” where he continued to build on his credits and catalog working with artist who have been on American Idol, X Factor, Dancing with The Stars and Disney to name a few. After landing multiple placements in Film/TV Shane relocated to the Sacramento area in 2016 to build on Unique Recording Studios and help bridge the gap between artist and the industry.

Shane runs Unique Recording Studios as a production label, distribution company and recording studio for artist to create and focus on their art. Unique Recording Studios has also newly launched an exciting new venture at URS called “The Collective” which will allow producers, engineers, songwriters and artist to collaborate in house at Unique Recording Studios to work together to create music and promote building a large collaborative catalog of music to submit to labels, publishers, music supervisors and overall decision makers in the music industry. This will provide a great opportunity for students who complete their coursework at the recording connection.

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Unique Recording Studios

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Background

Learn from Recording Connection mentor Zack Phillips or one of our mentors in the Bay Area.

Discovering his love of music while growing up in New York City in the ‘80s, Zack Phillips’ approach to music is “part science, part mysticism.” Gaining experience as a DJ and live sound engineer, Phillips received a formal education in audio engineering.

From there, Phillips honed his craft working at several studios before finally establishing his own studio: FreqLab Recording. In addition to recording, editing, mixing, and production, Phillips also works on developing the artists he works with, exploring innovative and inventive ways of engineering audio. Phillips has worked with a wide range of artists, including Talib Kweli, The Kooks, and Blue Hawaii.

You’ll be working in a state-of-the-art facility renovated by Phillips himself. While he made sure to design the studio to get the most out of the space, he also wanted to make it as comfortable as possible for engineers and artists alike.

If you study at the San Francisco Recording Connection, you’ll be working with people as passionate about music as you are. Up and comers, established stars, and other entertainment entities such as Comedy Central or Electronic Arts. But you won’t be watching TV or playing video games – you’ll be coming to work hard every day.

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Background

Learn from Recording Connection mentor Donny Baker or one of our mentors in the greater LA area.

Donny Baker, Studio Manager and Lead Tech at ES Studios in Burbank, is able to summarize his job as the Recording Connection Burbank, CA, mentor in a single sentence:

“We help with the weaknesses and push towards the strengths.”

It’s a simple concept, but takes a lot of work to see through to the end. Baker has spent most of his adult life in the music business, touring as an engineer for nearly 13 years before finding a home in the studio.

Baker has been with ES Studios since 2003, and brings a wealth of knowledge to the Recording Connection program. He believes in the proven time-tested approach of learning hands-on within the studio environment. Sure there are books (an eBook, actually), quizzes, exercises, and tests. Oftentimes though, Baker likes to start with the student, see where their curiosity is leading them.

Sometimes Baker just wants to see what the student has to offer.

“It’s a guideline,” Baker said of the Burbank audio engineering Recording Connection course. “It’s used as a way to get from point A to Point Z. We can take a student who knows nothing about recording or doesn’t know much about computers and we can make that person an engineer.”

The one-on-one mentoring, the hanging out and talking, and the personal attention Baker gives to his students are why he has been such a successful mentor for us. He finds out where the student wants to go and he guides the program in that direction.

Articles

Video: What to expect with Donny Baker
Helping students find their place
NUGGETS OF TRUTH: Recording Connection mentor Donny Baker on what it takes to make it in recording
JoAnn Bush, owner of ES Audio in Los Angeles

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Background

Learn from Recording Connection mentor Steve Catizone or one of our mentors in the greater Boston area.

Steve Catizone at Infinite Music in Charlestown has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry across several genres. U2 and Justin Bieber, Billy Crystal and Bob Saget, and Disney and M-Audio. And while he knows his way around a studio, knowing your way around a client is just as important.

Every recording professional had their first gig at some point. The adrenaline gets pumping, you could be working with a star, and you might start overcompensating.

Chill.

“Don’t be too opinionated when you’re talking to the clients,” Catizone said. “Just sort of listen and absorb. See what the climate in the room is, and make sure that if you do say something, it’s tactful.”

And relax. You could be a master of your craft, but if you don’t have a good repertoire with your clients, no one will want to work with you. Learn how to read the room, develop solid relationships, and remember it’s a collaborative effort. The “hang-ability” will follow.

“If people enjoy having you in the room, it’s a big thing,” Catizone said. “A lot of that comes down to personality and basically just being a positive force in the room, and being creative, and knowing when to offer up ideas and how to tactfully do so, and knowing when to not be the guy ‘doing your job’ but just being cool to hang around with.”

This is the advantage of the Charlestown Recording Connection programs. Yes, you’ll learn the technical side of the recording industry, but you’ll also learn how to handle yourself while in the studio. We believe the one-on-one time with a professional mentor gives you a complete picture of the business.

That’s what sets us apart from the traditional method of learning. The sights, smells, and sounds of a real studio can’t be matched in a classroom.

Articles

Recording Connection mentor Steve Catizone on creating opportunities for his students
Recording Connection mentor Steve Catizone talks studio etiquette

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