Hyde Street Studios

Recently recorded an EP here in Studio A and was blown away by the professionalism of the staff and quality of the recording. Huge thanks to the engineers for their focus and attention to detail through long sessions, as well as for helping shepherd our project through to mastering. We had a blast and wouldn’t hesitate to record here again. All the gear is top notch as well!

We had the most amazing experience recording here. Everyone who works here is incredibly talented, professional, and kind. We recorded in studio A and were extremely happy with the outcome of our EP. The room sounds amazing, and they use the highest quality gear.
It’s also a very fun space, and SO many legends have recorded here! It’s Pretty cool to get to say you recorded the same place as:
The Grateful dead
Herbie Hancock
Frank Sinatra
James Brown
Earth wind and fire
TuPac
Cake
Sun Kil Moon
Chris Isaac
The Melvins
Sound Tribe
Dead Kennedy’s
Joe Satriani
Peter Frampton
The Cheiftans…
Just to name a few :)
Will definitely be coming back to record more in the future.

We held an ADR session here. Nathan helped us out a lot, got us an extra mic and cord, troubleshot a few things, etc. I highly recommend this place.

This place is awesome! Nigel was great to work with and the gear is phenomenal. The neighborhood is a bit sketchy, but that’s just outside.

I just spent my first day at Hyde Street Studios today, as part of an audiobook recording. It was a great experience! By comparison to many recording studios I’ve visited before, Hyde Street is clean and friendly. Our producer Nathan was knowledgeable, curious, and has great energy. And the studio manager even dropped by to say hi to us in the kitchen as we ate lunch. We’ve got two more days at the studio and I have no doubt it will continue to be a great experience.

This is the recording experience you’ve dreamt about. Once we got inside and set up, I knew that this place was special. My band quickly realized that our engineer Nate Winter was exceptionally talented, patient, creative, and flat out cool! It was so easy to communicate ideas and get the results you picture in your head. I will never go anywhere else again for my recording needs. It doesn’t get any better than this. The floating equipment, mics, console, etc were all world class and added another dimension to our sound. I recommend Hyde Street Studios with the highest degree of sincerity and know that you will not be disappointed to choose it for you recording needs. Trust me…

Staff is cool and the studios are nice with that cool 70’s vintage vibe. Keane and Gerald covered everything, along with many statements of «Festizio rules.»
It’s in the tenderloin, but they made so loading and unloading is in a secure area. You still get yelled at, but at least it’s from behind a fence.
Some random crackhead: «You guys got a girlfriend?»
Us: Just ignore.
Some random crackhead: «Want one?»
No, she wasn’t hot. No, she wasn’t a she.
There’s Satriani memorabilia everywhere, not sure if that’s cool or not.
I’m sure Tupac’s scuff marks are still on that hardwood floor. Especially since many think he’s still recording. Hell, we all know those scuff marks are fresh. Dave Chapelle made it a point for a reason.
Festizio rules.

i’m pretty sure keane covered everything already (keyword festizio). for me, i’m just stoked by the fact that i got to record in a real recording studio. that simple fact blew my mind completely — the rest is all frills. also, we recorded in studio A, the same room that creedence clearwater recorded in. later, we did some recording in studio C, which is where tupac once walked as a member of digital underground. honestly, i’m still having some trouble getting over that. that’s too much awesome for me to handle.
i will say this: recording here has been an educational experience for me, from the perspective of being a tenderloin virgin. having never actually spent any appreciable amount of time in the TL before, i was thrust very suddenly into what can only be described as the yeasty vagina of san francisco — a crusty, foul-​smelling cavern stuffed with more drugs in plain sight that i’ve seen since the co-​ops near my college. i saw someone shooting up heroin for the first time in my life. i saw a drug deal go down not more than ten feet away from me. i saw shit in a upturned milk crate outside a vietnamese sandwich shop. that pretty much ruined my sheltered suburban sensitivities, and i felt a great need to be back in the calm and sterile warmth of the south bay. but that’s the TL for you i guess. it’s charming, in a way.
anyway, i had a lot of fun recording here. i like this place. the staff are really cool and professional. jaime durr is one of the hardest working guys i’ve ever met, and he truly knows his stuff. i recommend him in a heartbeat.
festizio rules.

My band, Festizio, is currently finishing its first studio album in historic Hyde Street Studio C with engineer, Jaimeson Durr. While the long studio days were excruciatingly tough, it’s been a fantastic experience. Also, recording on a grand piano in Studio A, where artists like PJ Harvey, Prince, Green Day, Tupac, Shaq (I don’t know…) and more have recorded, was a momentous occasion in and of itself. Most importantly, the atmosphere is friendly and professional, and the crackwhores outside pretty much keep to themselves.
Highlights
— Getting asked by a hobo if I had a girlfriend.
— Realizing the hobo was actually asking all of us.
— Being upset and not speaking to hobo for days until hobo learned to appreciate my company.
— A culinary tour of TL eateries during lunch breaks.
— Seeing shit in a crate and pondering what it really meant to me spiritually.
— Successfully backing out of the thin driveway without scratching my car (yes, I have a car… how many times are you going to act surprised?).
— Accepting hobo forgiveness over a select sampling of crack rocks and diet cola.
— Recording an album.

great professional service, the gear list is filled with amazing stuff and its a bay area legendary recording studio!

Hyde St. Studios is another of SF’s storied recording facilities, with a long rich history and a who’s who of artists and clients that have laid down tracks here – ranging from Digital Underground to Green Day, and from the Grateful Dead to George Clinton. Heck, they’ve even had guys like Shaquille O’Neil, Tupac and metal mavens Heathen record here, not to mention Joe Satriani has practically lived here since moving from my neck of the woods in NY.
Of course, the facility has top-​tier gear (their Neve recording consoles date back to the late 1960’s, with the lovely warmth they bring to tracks), that combines vintage stuff with the very latest in technology to capture/​enhance the sounds that artists are creating.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with a couple bands here, particularly with local producer Bill Cutler. Cutler has worked with a slew of local acts over his long career, many of which were using his skills as a producer who gets great recordings for bands with little or no budget to move up to label deals and big budgets. He never really had the big breakout hit act that catapulted him into the ranks of more well-​known über-​producers, but trust me when I say that his recordings are immaculate.
Bill also has been in a few bands himself, and been signed to a couple major labels, also as a solo artist. Again, he’s never had a big monster hit record, so he’s one of SF’s best kept secrets. However, he’s had some tracks in the archives (plus a few newer ones) that he did with none other than Jerry Garcia, of the aforementioned Dead, as well Jorma Kaukonen (Hot Tuna), Jerry Miller (Moby Grape), and another Dead alumni, Bob Weir. After a long, protracted negotiation with the Garcia Estate, Bill’s new full-​length disc is due out by years’s end.
Since Bill has had a long association with Hyde St., including doing some of this record here, Reality Check TV has been tapped by him to shoot a Q&A session at the facility for inclusion on the disc as a CD-​Rom type deal for listeners to get some background and history after hearing the tracks themselves.
Once again, a long-​standing relationship and our expertise comes to the fore, and we add another credit to our ever-​expanding resume’. Plus, we get to shoot in what is becoming an SF landmark!
Gotta love that!

Are you kidding me? I can’t believe no one has reviewed this legendary studio. Its the place to record your musical dream.