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."

Women In Music​ Los Angeles’ Shop Talk returns to The Village Studios​ on April 26th, 2025 from 10:00am to 1:00pm for th...
04/16/2025

Women In Music​ Los Angeles’ Shop Talk returns to The Village Studios​ on April 26th, 2025 from 10:00am to 1:00pm for the fourth edition of this popular annual workshop, diving even deeper into the heart of studio recording. Shop Talk 104 is designed specifically for women creators and those working alongside them, offering a welcoming and inclusive space to explore the fundamentals of audio production. Whether you’re an artist or on the support team, with questions about working in a commercial studio or recording tracks at home, Shop Talk 104 is your chance to learn directly from the women engineers and producers at The Village Studios, who will explain essential recording terminology and demystify the gear and workflow of the control room.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to visit this world-renowned studio where legendary artists like The Rolling Stones, Lady Gaga, Dr. Dre, Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, Bob Dylan, Shakira, Janet Jackson, and Gwen Stefani have recorded — and get your questions answered without fear or judgement. If you’ve ever felt like you should know more about the technical side of music but didn’t know where to start, this event is for YOU!

COME CURIOUS — LEAVE EMPOWERED!

RSVP today to reserve your space / 100 tix limit

Link in bio!

Can you help me out by signing this petition? No one should be killed for their music! Please sign and forward to everyo...
04/30/2024

Can you help me out by signing this petition? No one should be killed for their music! Please sign and forward to everyone you know.

86,914 signatures are needed, let’s get there by the end of the day?

04/20/2024

Do streaming platforms view famous artists as a threat to their brands?

This is a must-read for anyone with music on Spotify. Read the comments too.
04/20/2024

This is a must-read for anyone with music on Spotify. Read the comments too.

Do streaming platforms view famous artists as a threat to their brands?

We are excited to join the Master Tape Rescue project and have started to inventory the “lost tapes” in our attic.
04/14/2024

We are excited to join the Master Tape Rescue project and have started to inventory the “lost tapes” in our attic.

For decades, recordings left at studios have languished in storage rooms and basements. Master Tape Rescue, a company of two industry vets, is coming to save them.

This year marks the 35th Anniversary of my studio in Santa Monica, 4th Street Recording. I have always gotten a lot of c...
04/08/2024

This year marks the 35th Anniversary of my studio in Santa Monica, 4th Street Recording. I have always gotten a lot of calls from artists who are unclear about many basic technical terms and recording processes, so three years ago I created a program called Shoptalk with Women in Music, where female artists and those who work with artists can ask those simple questions, to be answered without judgement by female engineers and producers. I am proud to announce Shoptalk 103, which will be held this Saturday morning at The Village Recorders in West LA. here's a link so you can come join!

https://womeninmusic.wildapricot.org/event-5639071

Thanks to all of you who came out last month for our first 35th Anniversary Client Showcase Series with Vindigo, Station...
03/19/2024

Thanks to all of you who came out last month for our first 35th Anniversary Client Showcase Series with Vindigo, Station 26, and Last Animal, hosted just a few blocks down at Harvelle’s, a former speakeasy and the oldest live music venue on the Westside.

Our March 21st show is not to be missed!

Robbie Fitzsimmons, renowned for his collaboration with Lana Del Rey on the platinum album Ultraviolence, mentored by none other than Paul Simon, and who can count Jackson Browne as a fan, showcases his genre-bending debut album Blue Meets Orange, recorded and produced by Sejo Navajas at 4th Street Recording Studio. With a voice reminiscent of Jeff Buckley and piano chops akin to Elton John, Robbie elegantly transmutes his mental health journey as an inspiration to individuals riding their own rollercoaster. Robby toured with Insomnia Productions and wrote the music for Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Lalimberte’s Temple Show production at Burning Man, so he has deep roots in the EDM community — which is why after his set, you’re going to want to stick around for. . .

DJ Funk Monsta, a regular performer at Burning Man and for many years, a constant draw in LA underground party scene. Some of 4th Street Recording’s clients will remember him as Stefan Broadley, the engineer/producer who did numerous dance remixes for the studio’s major label releases. He’ll be spinning a set of Bass and Glitch Hop for your enjoyment.

Robbie is at 9;30 and DJ Funk Monsta at 10:30
Tickets $15

It’s 4th Street Recording’s 35th Anniversary and we are celebrating all year! A producer once told me that this studio i...
02/24/2024

It’s 4th Street Recording’s 35th Anniversary and we are celebrating all year!

A producer once told me that this studio is “a place where history is constantly in the making,” and it’s true that we have earned a number of gold and platinum records along the way, including The Beach Boys “Kokomo,” No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom, and The Neighbourhood’s I Love You, with the Diamond single “Sweater Weather.”


But there is so much more to our history than platinum records, and I’ll be sharing some of that with you this year. – great songs you never heard, stories behind the ones you have, random artifacts I’ve held on to. . .

Please join us as we kickoff our 35th Anniversary Client Showcase Series at Harvelles on Thursday, February 29th. Always with our ear to the ground to discover new talent, we are proud to present a night of fantastic music from three up-and-coming bands that have been recording with our producers here this past year.

Cheers,
Kathleen

02/08/2024

Hey friends!
Any recommendations for carpet and hardwood floor installers in LA?
Need someone to do a rush job.

Thanks!

We have “revisited” some albums with a few long-ago clients who had a major label album and got dropped. Two decades lat...
10/30/2023

We have “revisited” some albums with a few long-ago clients who had a major label album and got dropped. Two decades later, the labels refused to part with the masters, were just sitting on them.

In case this situation sounds familiar to you or someone you know, re-recording your old album is something you might want to consider. Nowadays there are more places to license your music than ever, even if you didn’t become world-famous.

Thanks to Protools and your familiarity with the tracks, you can track an album these days in maybe two weeks instead of two months.

If you want to talk about it, you know where to find us!

Major record labels are implementing new restrictions in order to deter artists from re-recording their music à la Taylor Swift.

08/12/2023

Hi friends!
Does anyone have a “Work For Hire” contract for session musicians?
I have an artist that needs one asap.
Thank you:)

In case you were wondering how many streams your song or album needs to achieve Gold, Platinum, or Diamond status. . .
08/11/2023

In case you were wondering how many streams your song or album needs to achieve Gold, Platinum, or Diamond status. . .

You may have heard of Gold and Platinum records, but how are tracks actually awarded such prestigious certifications? This guide goes explains. by Philip Kinsher of Disc Makers Blog Every. Continue reading

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1211 4th Street
Santa Monica, CA
90401

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