Client Stories

Based out of Miami, Florida, Ricardo Sangiao is one of the hottest names in mastering at the moment. Known for his work in the Latin, hip-hop, and dance genres, Ricardo has had a hand in many platinum releases in the past few years and shows no signs of slowing down. He's mastered records for Rick Ross, Danny Ocean, and Diljit Dosanjh, just to name a few. Working under legendary engineer Bob Katz, Ricardo has learned from the best and is now applying his knowledge at his own studio, World Class Mastering. Ricardo recently sat down with Vintage King for a Five Sounds With interview to talk about a number of records he has worked on, his process and the gear he uses. Continue reading →

Serge Espitia is a mastering engineer out of Maplewood, New Jersey. With over a decade of experience in the music industry, he has spent time working in some of the most recognizable studios in the world, including Blue Jay Recording in Boston, and East Side Sound, Stratosphere Sound and Masterdisk in New York. In 2011, Serge began putting together his own Brooklyn-based studio space under the banner of Tiny Thunder Audio. Eventually, he headed to New Jersey and shifted focus from tracking and mixing to predominantly mastering. Recently, we sat down to talk with Serge about the history of Tiny Thunder, his philosophy on mixing vs. mastering, and some of the gear choices that he’s made for his studio. Continue reading →

For IDLES' followup to 2018's Joy As An Act Of Resistance, the British rock band went to France to work with producers Adam "Atom" Greenspan and Nick Launay. The resulting record, Ultra Mono, quickly became a huge success, hitting #1 on the UK charts and making appearances on many 2020 year-end lists. This isn't the first time Atom and Nick have worked together on a record. Their partnership dates back to a chance meeting which led to Nick becoming a mentor to Atom. While both have done incredible work on their own, together they've made albums with the likes of  Arcade Fire, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Refused.   We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Atom about his experience working on Ultra Mono. Read on to learn about recording drums in a stone wine cellar, his go-to vocal chain for vocalist Joe Talbot and what it's like making a record with his friend Nick. Continue reading →

Mad Muse Studios is a brand new world-class recording studio in Los Angeles. Owned by In Flight Music Group, Mad Muse combines a welcoming open floor plan with an incredible acoustic response, several racks full of vintage outboard gear, and a custom SSL G+ Series console purchased through Vintage King. Formerly known as In Flight Music Studios, Mad Muse recently moved to a new location and rebranded during the COVID-19 crisis to help bring focus to their recording services and create separation between its ownership group, which offers a wide range of entertainment services. We recently had the chance to chat with Matt Salazar (CEO), Zulma Tercero (COO), and Lucas Flood (CMO) of In Flight Music Group about what it was like building a new studio from the ground up. Read on to learn about their impressive collection of vintage gear and what it’s like working in a non-traditional studio with an open floor plan. Continue reading →

Being one of the most prestigious studios in the world, the bar is set incredibly high for the quality of gear utilized at EastWest Studios, especially for audio converters. When deciding what gear to bring into the studio, EastWest's manager Candace Stewart often looks to her clients as a source of inspiration. "We find out what our clients want and we get it," says Candace. "I can't remember who introduced me to the BURL Audio converters, it might have been Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton / Sturgill Simpson), but they said they needed new converters. The people wanted a better converter." Continue reading →

Wargirl is a six-person garage rock band co-founded by Matt Wignall in 2016. The band combines an eclectic range of influences including current events, world music grooves, dub-centered rhythms, and lyrics of substance. Wargirl makes music that matters, but also makes you want to get down — the soundtrack of our times. The band recently recorded their new record, Dancing Gold, at Matt’s garage-based Tackyland Studio in Long Beach, California. In addition to producing and recording Wargirl’s albums, Matt has also worked with indie-rock icons like Cold War Kids and Mando Diao. Continue reading →

In our Vintage King Workflow series, we enter the studios of audio creators to learn about the gear that is essential to their process. For Santa Monica-based producer and mix engineer Jim Kaufman (Anti-Flag / Beware of Darkness), the world-class conversion and summing power of Burl Audio have had the biggest impact on his output. "I was never happy with the conversion that I had before. Navon [Weisberg] at Vintage King told me about the Burl stuff," says Jim. "I knew Dave Cobb was using it, Dave and I have the same manager, and I love Dave's records. So I went in and I got the Mothership and it was amazing." Continue reading →

Joey Raia is a Grammy-nominated recording and mix engineer based in New York. He’s engineered award-winning hits for everyone from Run The Jewels and Danger Mouse to songs for Disney’s Frozen soundtrack. For the last few years, Joey has been working out of a commercial space in Brooklyn dubbed Night Hunter Studios. But when he recently purchased a new house in Dobbs Ferry, New York, he decided to create a brand new private mix room in his guest house. We recently caught up with Joey to see how his new set-up at Hudson Electric Co. has been treating him. Read on to learn how he worked with renowned studio designer Francis Manzella and teamed with Ryan McGuire at Vintage King to fill the room with a stunning Rupert Neve Designs 5088 console, custom patch bay, and tons of great outboard gear. Continue reading →

Many post-production facilities have just started preparing for the move to immersive sound, but Zach Seivers at SNAPSOUND has already finished his room's new Dolby Atmos set-up. That makes SNAPSOUND one of only 13 facilities in the United States to be outfitted for Dolby Atmos and receive official Home Entertainment Studio Certification from the audio company. The journey to SNAPSOUND's Dolby Atmos set-up took place over several months near the end of 2019. Zach teamed up with Vintage King's Chris Bolitho to select the gear for his room, including an Avid S6 control surface and monitors from Meyer Sound. For installation, Zach worked with Vintage King Technician Frank Verschuuren to complete the build of the control surface and implement the monitors. We recently caught up with Zach to chat about all things Dolby Atmos and his decision to go the immersive audio route. Continue below to read our full interview and take a 3D walkthrough tour of SNAPSOUND's new room set-up. Continue reading →

When Grant Thomas began plotting out SŌL Studios in Fort Smith, Arkansas, he imagined a creative hub that specialized in both audio and video production. After years of renovating the building formerly known as Omega Sound, Grant's vision has been realized with the opening of his new studio. "We believe your environment directly affects your ability to create, so we designed an eclectic space that provides a unique experience," Grant says. "The studio is outfitted with a vast mix of the latest digital technology and classic analog staples; equipped to serve artists and businesses across the map." For gear selection at SŌL Studios, Grant and Head Engineer Anton Rasmussen worked with Vintage King Audio Consultant Jeff Leibovich to outfit the space. Continue on below to read an interview with Grant and learn more about the studio's new API 1608 console, Avid HDX System, and so much more. Continue reading →