Skyline Studios

Skyline Studios has been one of the bay area’s best kept secrets for 20+ years. It’s an incredibly flexible space to record featuring 2 gorgeous tracking rooms (one of them large enough to mic an orchestra), over 20 pairs of classic Neve modules and a mic collection that would make even the biggest name studios jealous. They have not one but 2 Brauner mics in addition to a ton of the standard high end fare you’d expect to see in a top facility, need I say more? The larger of the two tracking rooms is also one of the best sounding large drum rooms in the bay area and with out a doubt the best in the east bay. If you need a place to track or mix professionally with the aid of very experienced and friendly staff at prices are competitive Skyline is your best bet in the east bay. I’ve been working there on and off as a producer /​engineer for over a decade, I’m a voting member of the Grammy academy and my work has hit the Billboard charts 14 times.

Just completed a great recording session with my children and some of their friends. We recorded 23 tracks over two days and had a blast. Kids loved every minute of it.
Bryan worked with us to record a wide variety of songs: piano solos, piano enriched with brass, percussion or other accompaniment, piano accompaniment to singing (where one of the moms first recorded the piano, then we recorded the kids singing), a capella singing, harp solo, and synthesized glockenspiel, harpsichord, trumpet and electric guitar pieces. There was a keyboard, sound proof room with a window to control room, and lots of sound equipment. It was very exciting for the kids to put on headphones in the sound proof room, sing into a huge microphone and be able to hear each other as well as the piano accompaniment.
They also got an eye-​opening look at the music manufacturing process to complement their previous experiences with live music. Bryan is a wizard at post-​production — he was able to clean up a few notes, pauses and volume without robbing the track of the child’s voice and personality. If you’ve never seen music go through some post-​production work it’s really cool. Think photoshop for music.
At the end of the session, you walk out with a finished CD! Instant Christmas presents this year for family and friends.
I must admit that originally I was only planning on spending an hour there to record a few piano solos, but once we all got into the creative process — picking out accompaniments, trying out different instruments, doing multiple takes to get «just right» — and set a high bar for the final output, it ended up going six hours (three hours each day). How much time you spend will depend on number of pieces, how prepared your child is (1 take vs. 10 takes), how much pre-​recording planning you do and how much post-​production clean-​up and enhancement you want.
Bryan has a pure love for music and his enthusiasm is infectious with the children.
There is also a vegan-​friendly, gluten-​free bakery next door, Mariposa Café. Excellent place to grab a quick bite and keep the energy flowing.
I plan to go back to Bryan in a few months to capture the next set of pieces the kids learn. When I do, there are probably a few tweaks … 1) rent a weighted keyboard (Bryan can get one next door at Leo’s Pro Audio), 2) wait until kids are really ready (will complete a «keeper» take in 1 – 2 tries), 3) have a POV about what kind of accompaniment we want, if any, for specific songs. Now that the kids have been through it, I expect they will be more efficient as well.
Overall, highly recommend Bryan and Skyline Studios.

We were In and out, everyone was friendly, did not cost an arm and leg.
Engineers were on top of Pro Tools 9.
Very convenient location.

I’ve had great experiences at Skyline, and I’ve been in that studio in a number of different situations: as a band manger with a band client being recorded by an outside producer and Skyline staff engineers, as a producer with my own independent engineer, and as a producer with owner Bryan Matheson and his staff as engineers.
It’s a well-​outfitted, comfortable studio, low key and not intimidating, and economical.
Matheson has a notable skill set as a vocal arranger and vocals producer. He has deep experience working with a wide range of music styles (along with voice-​overs, soundtracks and advertising music) and is quick and knowledgeable on the technical side. The studio is clean and organized if a little funky (with some warehouse-​vibe in the walkway to the door), and a high end studio will have a more impressive selection of gear and technology (but their rates reflect that).
Matheson is good at helping you figure out what you need to complete your project, handling the producer or engineer role himself as a talented pro or directing you to staff or freelancers who know the studio if he thinks someone will be a better match for you. And the talent of the recording team and the rapport with the performer is always primary in determining how good the audio sounds, more than any technology or equipment. Matheson knows a lot about the mental process of musicians and performers in the studio, so he develops easy and productive communication with his recording clients

I have had the good fortune of doing two fairly large projects, very different from each other, at Skyline Studios.
The first was a complete CD with my a cappella band, The EDLOS. A cappella recording is rife with challenges — technological, musical, and vocal. Bryan approached and overcame all of these potential pitfalls masterfully. An accomplished a cappella singer, composer, and arranger himself, he was able to apply his expertise (and his rock-​steady hand and killer ear) to every aspect of the project, resulting in what I believe to be far and away the best CD The EDLOS have ever recorded. Throughout the process, Bryan provided invaluable input and creative assistance while remaining sensitive to the artistic and musical concept of the band.
The second was a video shoot for a jewelry art instructional DVD my wife co-​produced. Although my wife is an artist and not professionally experienced as a video presenter, Bryan patiently and professionally coached her and succeeded in capturing her at her best.
I wholeheartedly recommend Bryan and Skyline Studios to anyone with a project of any size in the audio or video realm.
Avi Jacobson
The EDLOS

This studio is awesome. I’ve recorded here several times, and have had a fabulous experience each time. The owner, Bryan, is super knowledgeable and efficient, but also a chill, laid back musician-​type guy, so it creates for a nice, creative environment for recording. He actually knows about both equipment and music, which is rad.
This studio has all the gadgets you would want when recording. Bryan (and his intern guy) were very accommodating to my requests and «issues». (Singers tend to have lots of «issues» when recording, ya know?)
Skyline has plenty of parking and grub spots nearby if you get hungry during a long session. If you live in the Bay, go here first – it’s a grade A studio with a great owner and very decent prices. Woot!