Sonal D'Silva

Spread over 2500 square feet, with pristinely designed acoustics, lots of natural light, and an enviable collection of vintage and modern gear, Brooklyn’s Hyperballad Music has become the kind of space that producer/songwriter Jonathan “JB” Benedict always envisioned setting up—a classic New York studio from which great music emanates. Continue reading →

Artist development, music education, and embracing technology—these are the three pillars upon which Trilogy Sound Studio is built. Co-founder and CTO Erin Wallace tells us that the studio, based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, wants to do more than just record music for the artists that come through—it aims to empower them with the tools required to build a career in the music industry.  In this edition of 30 Years / 30 Studios, Erin tells us about the studio’s goals, their favorite gear purchases from Vintage King, and their approach to embracing the innovations in technology that are changing the landscape of the music business. Continue reading →

Musician/producer Aaron Dessner’s serene upstate New York studio Long Pond had already been home to GRAMMY-winning records like The National’s "Sleep Well Beast" when it was thrust into the spotlight during the pandemic, thanks to "folklore" and "evermore,"—two history-making lockdown albums by Taylor Swift that were co-written and produced by Aaron amidst the highest levels of secrecy. His vision for the studio was an open space designed to feed the creative spirit, as well as a pristine listening environment. With upgrades like the ATC SCM45A Pro studio monitors, he achieved just that. In fact, he has enjoyed working with the monitors so much, that he just bought another pair for a studio he’s designing in the south of France.  Aaron sat down with us recently, to talk about his new monitors, go-to microphones, his incredible vintage console, and what it’s been like working with Vintage King through his extraordinary career. Continue reading →

Producer/engineer/mixer/studio owner Dan Cardinal had been splitting his time as a live sound engineer on tour and working on albums in studios when he, and two of his engineer friends, heard about an abandoned studio in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston. When they visited the space, which had been built in the early ‘70s, they found that it was in need of some TLC, but the sonic foundation was solid.  Dimension Sound Studios version 2.0 opened in 2011 and has since hosted a steady stream of artists from the local music community, particularly those who like to get in a studio and record while performing together. For our 30th Anniversary interview series, Dan sat down with us recently to talk about restoring the old studio, working with Vintage King to meet his gear needs over the years, and how the changes in the industry have impacted his workflow. Continue reading →

Over the past two decades, multi-platinum selling, multiple GRAMMY Award-winning producer/songwriter Khari Cain aka Needlz has carved a niche for himself working with new artists poised on the brink of stardom. Early records by future superstars like Drake, Cardi B, and Bruno Mars all feature Needlz on production and songwriting duties, and with his new Atlanta-based studio, Needlz hopes to continue helping a new generation of artists rise to the top. As part of our 30th Anniversary celebrations, we sat down with the producer to talk about his impressive discography, his favorite gear, and his decade-long relationship with Vintage King. Continue reading →

Canadian composer/producer Ian Nieman has brought two special things to our 30th Anniversary interview—a 1960s Neumann U 67 (the very first piece of gear he bought from Vintage King), and a cool vintage VK tee that he’s wearing because he absolutely loves it.   Ian has been a dedicated and longtime friend of Vintage King and he talks to us from his studio in Toronto about his early Vintage King experiences, his favorite gear purchases, and what he thinks makes VK stand out from the crowd. Continue reading →

Producer/engineer/mixer/studio owner Matt Linesch has spent the last seven years building out Infinitespin Studio, a space that reflects his years dedicated to practicing the craft of analog recording combined with a contemporary hi-fi digital approach for a modern, hybrid workflow. The Los Angeles studio has a rich legacy—it was built in the ‘80s by South African producer Bobby Summerfield, and hosted legendary artists like Whitney Houston, Toto, Alan Parsons, Prince, Joe Satriani, Limp Bizkit and LeAnn Rimes, to name a few. In 2023, the team won a GRAMMY for the Edgar Winter album Brother Johnny that was recorded at Infinitespin. We sat down with Matt to talk about his relationship with Vintage King (which goes back to the start of his career), what he thinks of the changing music industry, and what his plans are for the future of Infinitespin.   Continue reading →

Our interview with Mark “Mooka” Rennick, owner of Prairie Sun Recording, is scheduled for 9 am and when we connect via Zoom he’s already full of energy and enthusiasm, having just returned from walking his dogs on the beach and catching some early morning California sunshine.  Over the course of our conversation, that infectious energy shows no sign of abating as he takes us through his 40-plus year career and shares stories about how Tom Waits made Prairie Sun his recording studio home for 10 years, or the radical idea Gregg Allman had at 3 am during a jam session, and how Mooka instantly connected with Vintage King co-founders Mike and Andrew Nehra when he realized they all were afflicted with the same “condition”.  Continue reading →

Los Angeles-based Alan Audio Works, set up in 1990 by composer/sound designer/mixer Jeffery Alan Jones, is a leading full-service audio post-production company that has created soundtracks for over 250 projects, including feature films, commercials, and video games. The boutique studio is one of few post houses that can craft the entire soundscape of a project—music, sound design, and mix—from start to finish. We sat down with Jeffery recently to learn more about his studio’s history, how Vintage King helped outfit the space for his versatile needs, and how he has adapted to the rapid changes in the industry over the years. Continue reading →

Seven-time GRAMMY Award-winning mixer/engineer Michael Brauer has worked his magic for over four decades on records by music’s best and brightest: The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, Bob Dylan, John Mayer, Aerosmith, Coldplay, Ben Folds, Bon Jovi, Angelique Kidjo, Melissa Etheridge, James Bay, Grizzly Bear, James Brown, and we’re not even scratching the surface yet! After working at some of NYC’s best studios over the years, Michael set up his own studio at his home in the Catskills, where he continues to mix for artists at various stages in their careers, while also following his passion for bike racing. He sat down with us recently to talk about his relationship with Vintage King, how he built an eclectic discography in an industry notorious for typecasting people, and the one skill he developed as a mixer/engineer that also helps him be good at bike racing.  Continue reading →