Studio San Francisco
Built for creators | Powered by the Bay
A recording studio in San Francisco where solo artists, bands, and projects get an engineer, full backline, and a focused space built to create. Optional media production and publish-ready content when it fits the project.
Bring a finished song, or just the beginning of one — a lyric, a melody, or a voice memo is enough to start.
Recording sessions from $60/hr · Engineer always included.
Have a project in mind? Tell me the idea. I’ll tell you what it costs →
It All Begins Here Quick-Start
Choose your starting point.
During launch, everything starts here.
Start with a Session
Start with a Plan
$50 deposit confirms your time for sessions (applied to total).
What Can We Make Here?
Wherever you’re starting from, there’s a way in.
You bring the idea - a song, a band demo, a podcast, a video. I’ll tell you exactly what it takes and what it costs. Here’s the whole pricing model:
Projects people bring here
You already have the beat or instrumental. Tracked with an engineer at your side, finished with a mix you can release.
No instrumental, maybe just a voice memo or a lyric. We build the song by playing it - drums, bass, guitar, keys - work out the arrangement, then record your vocals.
Your band, live in the room - everyone playing together, captured as multitrack across up to 8 inputs.
Recorded and edited episodes, publish-ready - in-studio or on-location.
Audiobook, voiceover, and narration - a quiet, treated room and an engineer who keeps long sessions on track. Authors welcome to narrate their own.
A filmed, podcast-style interview built around you and your music, plus a highlight clip for socials.
Studio-quality customer and founder videos for web and ads, delivered in 7–10 days.
Tiny Desk-style performance capture - full sound, controlled room, publish-ready visuals.
Something else entirely? If it involves sound or a camera, it’s worth asking.
Get your estimate
Describe the idea in a sentence or two. I’ll personally reply with a clear estimate within 24 hours - no obligation.
Gallery
Purpose-built over five years of real sessions. Designed space, custom RGB lighting, coffee bar between takes (or before getting started), modular curtains for isolation - an immersive creative space.
What's in the Room
Full backline. Everything you need to make a song is in the room. Bring your own gear or use ours. See photos.
Instruments
- Drum kit
- Guitars + bass
- Keys / MIDI
- Percussion
Workflow
- Multi-headphone monitoring
- Pro mics + preamps
- Fast setup
Amenities
- Coffee bar
- RGB lighting
- Mini fridge + microwave
- Comfortable seating
See full equipment list
Instruments
- Ludwig 5-piece drum kit
- Upright grand piano
- Fender Precision & Jazz Bass
- Fender Stratocaster
- Taylor & Breedlove acoustics
- Nylon classical guitar
- Yamaha digital piano
- MIDI + Ableton
Recording & Monitoring
- 8-input interface
- Vocal microphones
- Drum mic kit
- Studio monitors
- Multi-headphone (up to 6)
- Vox & bass amps
- Mixing console
Comfort & Vibe
Coffee bar on-site - pour-overs between takes to reset and listen back. Mini fridge, microwave, customizable RGB lighting.
Everything’s set up and ready, but always bring along your own personal gear and setup as needed.
Get StartedWhat Artists Are Saying
Tracks from the Studio
Hear some samples of what’s been created here.
Keyboard: ←→ reviews · Space play/pause · N next track
The Studio Promise
- Presence over pressure - Sessions are designed to feel focused, not rushed.
- Human before technical - The gear serves the song, not the other way around.
- Guided, not directed - I'm here to support your vision, not overwrite it.
- Take something home - Every session ends with something you can listen to, build on, or share.
Meet Your Engineer
- 5+ years recording in San Francisco
- Engineer, drummer & multi-instrumentalist
- Coffee roaster & photographer - the details matter
Hi, I'm Stephen - songwriter, musician, drummer at heart, and engineer. I've spent the last five years working with Bay Area artists and bands in this room. What started from nothing has been built into something I'm beyond excited to share with you.
Long before recording, I was deep in craft - shooting photo and video, working in specialty coffee for over a decade. That background shaped how I work: details matter, vibe matters, and the environment you create affects everything that comes out of it.
This isn't just a space you rent by the hour. It's a studio with an engineer already in the room - to handle setup, keep momentum, and make sure the time actually counts.
The Room
Built over five years of real sessions - real bands, real songs, real problems solved in real time. If you've ever felt the pressure of watching the clock in a studio, this is the opposite of that.
The Craft
My background is as much behind a camera as behind a console, and in photography, you don’t fix the moment later. You frame it, light it, and capture it right the first time. I work the same way with audio.
Every session is built on clean stems: direct, uncolored recordings of each instrument and voice before anything is shaped by effects or room character. Texture comes later. The foundation comes first. That means what gets captured is solid at the core: takes that can be shaped, remixed, and returned to without losing what made the moment real.
The room runs on a Focusrite Scarlett 18i20. Eight inputs captured simultaneously, with up to six individual headphone mixes. Bands play together, stay comfortable, and everything lands as clean, separated tracks.
There’s also a coffee bar in the studio. If you want to step back between takes, pull a pour-over, and just listen, that option is always there. Sometimes the reset matters as much as the recording.
FAQ
Quick answers before you book.
I have a project idea - how do I find out what it costs?
Describe it in the Get an Estimate form - a sentence or two is enough. I’ll personally reply with a clear, itemized estimate within 24 hours. Free, no obligation.
How does pricing work at Studio San Francisco?
Two rates cover almost everything: $60/hr when you’re in the room with me ($75/hr for bands of 3+), and $45/hr when I work solo on your project - editing, mixing, session prep, sourcing backing tracks, added instrumentation. Solo work is always quoted and approved before I start it. On-location shoots and special builds are scoped per project with an itemized estimate.
How do I book a session?
Start with one of the two options in Quick-Start: a free plan or an $89 two-hour intro session. After you submit the intake form, you’ll pick a time on Calendly.
Why can't I book other services directly?
During launch, I start everyone with the same process to ensure quality and consistency. Once we've connected through Quick-Start, I can tailor everything from there - recurring session blocks, mobile recording, custom projects, all of it.
What's the difference between a Recording Session and Band Capture?
Recording session prioritizes precision, isolation, and performance detail. Band rehearsal capture prioritizes comfort + speed so you can review arrangements and share demos.
What happens to my recordings after the session?
You leave with the raw session export — every take exactly as recorded, unedited and unlabeled. That’s yours, included in the session rate.
Anything past that is separate work. Labeling, editing, and mixing have no fixed size, so they’re booked at my $45/hr solo rate. I’ll listen to your song, tell you roughly how many hours it needs, and get your OK before I start. Organized final stems — named, consolidated, and ready to hand to any mixer — are a flat $75/song.
What's required to confirm a time?
A $50 deposit is required to confirm your session time and is applied to the final total. Full details are in the Deposit & Cancellation Policy.
How long should I book?
There's a 2-hour minimum on hourly sessions. For band rehearsal capture, booking a longer block is recommended so setup doesn't eat your creative time.
What should I bring?
Bring your session files (stems, instrumentals, or project sessions), references, and anything unique to your sound. If you're tracking vocals, bring water and any preferred headphones.
When should I book off-peak vs standard?
Off-peak is best when you want a quieter building (especially for delicate vocals). Review the Noise policy so I can recommend the best window.
What if I’ve never recorded before?
Most clients haven’t. That’s exactly what the Launch Intro is for - I’ll guide every step, from setup to playback. No experience needed.
Can I reschedule my session?
Yes. With 72+ hours notice, your deposit is fully refundable or transferable. Between 24-72 hours, it converts to studio credit valid for 60 days. Full details in the cancellation policy.
What if I’m not happy with the recordings?
We’ll listen back together before you leave. You’ll know exactly what you’re taking home - and if something needs another pass, we’ll talk through the best next step.
Is there parking?
Yes. Studio San Francisco is located inside Secret Studios, which has parking available on-site.
Can Studio San Francisco help me turn an idea into a finished song?
Studio San Francisco is a recording studio, and Stephen is a recording engineer and multi-instrumentalist rather than a beat producer. If you already have a beat, instrumental, or finished song, it gets recorded and mixed in a standard Recording Session at $60/hr. If you only have a lyric, melody, voice memo, or idea, the song can be built with you from scratch as a Full Build - a scoped project that starts with a free planning conversation and an estimate before anything is booked, with build time billed at $85/hr. A Full Build is made mostly by playing it, with real drums, bass, guitar, and keys, plus simple programmed parts where a song calls for one, along with arrangement and structure. What the studio does not do is produce fully programmed instrumentals in a specific style; artists who need that are better served bringing their own producer or a beat they already like, which the studio will then record and mix properly. Editing and mixing are added on separately, billed at the $45/hr solo rate. See what a build looks like →
Can you make a beat for me?
Honestly: partly. I’m a recording engineer and multi-instrumentalist, not a beat producer. Songs here get built mostly by playing them — real drums, bass, guitar, keys — plus simple programmed parts where a song calls for one. If you want a fully programmed instrumental in a specific production style, you’ll get a better result bringing a producer or a beat you already like, and I’ll record and mix it properly. What this is, and what it isn’t →
Can I record vocals over a beat I already have?
Yes. Bring the instrumental as a file or a link and we track vocals over it. That’s a standard Recording Session at $60/hr, engineer always included.
Can you help me finish an unfinished song?
Yes, and it’s one of the best fits for the room. We can add played instrumentation, rebuild or replace parts of the arrangement, re-record vocals, or fix what isn’t working. Bring whatever exists — including stems or a session from another studio. Describe it and get an estimate →
Studio Policies
Studio San Francisco is located inside Secret Studios, a creative warehouse in San Francisco. Parking available on-site.
About the space
- Location: Inside Secret Studios - a shared creative warehouse with multiple rehearsal rooms and studios.
- Parking: On-site parking available at Secret Studios.
Noise policy
- What you might hear: Occasional hallway or rehearsal activity during peak hours - it’s a working creative building.
- Off-peak advantage: Weekday mornings and early afternoons are quieter - ideal for delicate vocals and acoustic work.
- 5 years of experience in this room: Smart mic choice, gain staging, and isolation techniques. I know how to get the best results here at any time of day.
Deposit & Cancellation Policy
Deposit requirement
- Amount: $50 deposit required to confirm any session
- Application: Deposit applied to your final total
- Purpose: Confirms commitment and allows me to prep the room
Cancellation windows
- 72+ hours notice: Full deposit refund or credit toward rescheduling
- 24-72 hours notice: Deposit becomes studio credit (valid 60 days)
- <24 hours / no-show: Deposit forfeited