New Room: ReAmp Recording Studios, Studio G – Orange County, CA

Dreamin’ California? If so, Orange County is coming on strong.

Some interesting action is unfolding there, with a fresh wave of studios coming online in a market they see as overtalented and underserved. The latest is ReAmp Recording Studios, which is making a big statement about the region with their second facility, Studio G in Tustin, CA.

Run by partners Daniel Martin and Stefani Rose, ReAmp has succeeded Krayzie Bone of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, turning his exclusive crib into a commercial room. The creative vibes remain, as well as a rare Amek APC 1000, designed by Rupert Neve.

A hybrid of engineer and entrepreneur, Martin is happy to tell you what makes this New Room special, and why the OC is blowing up right now.

Crank it in Orange County: Rampin’ up those amps at Reamp’s new Studio G.

Facility Name: ReAmp Recording Studios

Website:   http://www.reampstudios.com

Location: Tustin, CA

Before I Started This Studio I first started learning about engineering at Fullerton College and after getting some of the basic fundamentals down I armed myself with an Mbox 2 and a copy of Pro Tools 7 LE. I recorded anything anybody would let me, sometimes earning a few dollars, but mostly free.

I then opened a studio in Costa Mesa, CA that I shared with several producers and musicians. Once that place got too crowded and my business started to grow, I opened ReAmp Studios X in Anaheim. Three years later ReAmp Studios G was born in Tustin.

What I’ve Done: Some of my favorite records I’ve worked on were for local artists like, Fly Radio, Brandon Moreno, The Fiix, Stefani Rose and The Morgan Leigh Band. I’ve done songs with Jorgen Eloffsen (Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion, Brittney Spears), and recently just finished a score for a feature film called “The Blackout Experiment”.

Location Location Location: Orange County is a very unique place to own a recording studio. It’s so eclectic. The diverse sounds from one part of town to the other vary so much, and I’m happy to be right in the middle of North and South county where I get a great blend of each side. We have everything from bands to singer/songwriters to hip hop artists and everything in between.

Date of Birth: ReAmp Studios X in Anaheim was founded January 1^st, 2012. ReAmp Studios G in Tustin has a grand opening date of October 18^th, 2014.

Past Life: The studio was built by a guy named Steve, we never met him but he documented the whole build out on Gearslutz.com. We took over this studio from Krayzie Bone of Bones Thugs and Harmony. Krayzie Bone produced several songs here. It was pretty awesome to see those platinum records and awards lying around the place. The studio has a lot of history and vintage gear so we didn’t want to change too much.

The live room look.

The gear provided wasn’t in the best working condition, but with the help of our studio manager Joshua Brooks and amazing technician Charlie Watts, everything has been re-wired, re-capped…re-everything – I guess we really ReAmped it! We are in full working order now and I wouldn’t change a thing.

What We’re All About: I love mixing and post audio more than anything, but we do it all. Tracking in our incredible live room, or vocal booth, editing on our Pro Tools HD set up, songwriting, production, beat making, etc… There’s no aspect of recording and audio that myself or our amazing team can’t handle.

I Engineer, Therefore I Am: Ha! If you’re not at least a little crazy you don’t belong in the recording industry! It’s a leap of faith, you trust yourself and your ability to create. You also trust in your process. Making radio ready recordings doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg anymore.

I knew that every other studio in Orange County was doing it wrong. The majority of the studios out here are overpriced, and little or no concern for the outcome of the project. Pushing buttons is a job, what we do at ReAmp starts with us being artists first, button-pushers second – that’s the key to our success.

The team (l-r): ReAmp’s Daniel Martin, Stefani Rose, and Joshua Brooks.

Key Personnel: None of this is possible without my equally crazy business partner Stefani Rose. We both make up for what the other lacks and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Joshua Brooks is our studio manager at X. His support for this business is like no other, and his talent for producing and engineering will exceed everyone’s standard. Truly a professional. Also, our two interns Dominique Stewart and DJ DeNeve. These two are the workhorses of ReAmp Studios. Constantly taking care of so much on the day to day that make mine and Stefani’s life so much easier.

The Equipment List: Our main gear consists our AMEK APC 1000 and several key pieces of outboard gear.

The AMEK console is one of only seven in the world. The parts used in this board are of great quality and craftsmanship, therefore, way more expensive to build.

Everything about this console is incredible.  The sound is so warm and the EQ’s make you feel like you’re working on a high-end NEVE desk.  We’re still working on getting the GML automation to work, but that’s the last thing we need to be 100%. We are happy to host this incredible inline console.

Get a fresh sonic perspective via the AMEK APC 1000.

We also boast several quality mics from Neumann, AKG, Earthworks, Pearlman and more! In addition to that, we love out Purple Audio MC77 compressor, and other outboard gear from DBX, Eventide and SSL.

We’re Different Because: We are different because we pay attention to each project as if it’s our own. We craft original sounds and never settle for anything “cookie cutter”. Our live room is stunning in photos, but even more stunning when you hear the sound and vibe it creates on our records.

If I weren’t in audio, I’d be doing…: This is hard because I don’t do a lot of non-musical things. I spend a lot of time in studio and love it, but if I had to choose another profession it would probably be a magician. I don’t do magic on my spare time, but I love it…..so I’d have to go that route.

Sonic Inspiration: I’ve always been a lover of records and how they sound. From The Beatles’ Abbey Road to Linkin Park’s Meteora. I’m fascinated with the shapes that instruments can take on. I had the pleasure of helping set up for the Foo Fighters Wasting Light record. I was at Dave Grohl’s house and actually made it on the “Back and Forth” documentary for a second!

So listening to that record really inspired me to make more music and not worry so much about the perfection in my recordings, but the feel and passion.

Blatant Shout-out: Hmm, this is tough. I’m going to go with all living artists, because otherwise this list might exist of some oldies but goodies.

1. Paul McCartney. Just come by one day and play “Blackbird” into our console with our mics, with me recording it. 20 min tops and my life is complete.
2. Dave Grohl. He’s super cool, and nobody can deny that. I’d love to write a song with him and record it.
3. Green Day.   Don’t ask me why, I don’t really have an answer. I just think it would be really fun and cool.

— Daniel Martin, Partner, ReAmp Recording Studios

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