4th Street Recording

4th Street Recording In 1989, Kathleen and her partner bought the studio and renamed it 4th Street Recording.

Three short city blocks from the Pacific Ocean and one block off of Santa Monica's world-famous Promenade, there is a special little place where folks have been making music for over thirty years. In it’s first incarnation, this place was a recording studio called Sound Solutions, with clients that included Little Richard, Stanley Clarke, George Clinton, and the Beach Boys, who recorded "Kokomo" h

ere. Designed by the same team that built A&M Studios, the studio features a wavy ceiling in the tracking room and walls soundproofed with sand hauled up from the beach. Nineteen years later, you will hear people say that they love 4th Street for many reasons—its sound design, its location, its people—but the most frequent compliment is, "I feel really good here." Since 1995, nineteen acts have been signed to record deals with a demo recorded at 4th Street, starting with Fiona Apple’s "Shadowboxer," a recording that was released as the first single on her Grammy-nominated album "Tidal". Next came Incubus, Alien Ant Farm, and Hoobastank, all to become platinum-selling artists.

4th Street Recording feels like a cozy home in a friendly little beach town, but offers all the big city benefits of Santa Monica's Bayside District, an extended pedestrian area complete with shops, theaters, and street musicians. Clients can order from dozens of restaurants and choose from a wide range of accommodations, from motels to hotels to monthly corporate rentals in local bungalows. Simply put, 4th Street Recording is a good place to stay for a long time. And, as the staff will advise, "If you don’t take a walk down to the ocean at sunset, you’re not using the full facility."

I am so happy to announce that ShopTalk, the annual event that I produce for Women In Music, is now in its 5th year and ...
04/22/2026

I am so happy to announce that ShopTalk, the annual event that I produce for Women In Music, is now in its 5th year and returning to the world famous Village Recording Studios on Saturday, May 2nd, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.

ShopTalk 105 is fun Q&A session where women can ask a panel of female engineers and producers all kinds of questions about music production. It’s designed for artists, creators, and anyone working alongside them who wants to get more comfortable with the technical side of music. The vibe is casual, welcoming, and a lot of fun. Plus, it’s an opportunity to spend some time in one of the most iconic studios in the world!

This isn’t a lecture – the program is decided by you. As attendees arrive, they drop their questions into a bowl, which are then drawn and answered by a panel of women producers and engineers. Questions have ranged from basics such as explanation of signal flow, the difference between mixing and mastering, and what stems are, all the way to questions about recording yourself at home and specific advice about DAWS, plug-ins and mic choices.

In this day and age, it’s hard to believe that 95 to 98 percent of music producers and engineers are men, and that sometimes women feel like they being talked down to and aren’t being heard.
Every year, women come up to me afterwards and say how much the event meant to them, many saying that they had experienced a recording session where they cried in the car on the way home.

Come join us! This is a joyous event and you will leave feeling empowered for your future sessions.

Producer will moderate and draw the questions for panelists Claudia Panel Ilatese, , , and .

Saturday, May 2, 2026
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
The Village Studios ()
Free for WIM members, $25 for non-members
Feel free to share this with any women in your world who might benefit!

Cheers,
Kathleen

Register here:
https://app.glueup.com/event/wim-la-shoptalk-105-175114

Address

1211 4th Street
Santa Monica, CA
90401

Telephone

+13103959114

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