Why choose DBAR Productions?

Choosing a producer/engineer and studio is the most important decision you will make for your recording project!  Above all else, you need to feel comfortable with the people you will be working with in order for you to deliver your best possible performance.  You also need to be confident that the people you work with have the ability to capture your performance in the best way possible and to make everything sound as good as it possibly can!

Choosing a studio and engineer based solely on price or equipment is NOT the way to make a decision in this business!  The best studio in the world with the most expensive gear won't make you sound great if you don't feel comfortable with the people or if the engineer working your session isn't any good.  Remember that George Martin produced the Beatles with only 4-track tape machines and very limited gear compared to what you would find in the average studio today.  A great producer/engineer can do wonders with even limited gear, while a poor one wont be able to deliver even satisfactory results with the most expensive equipment in the world.  In an effort to save money, many people turn to cheap basement studios run by other musicians who aren't really engineers and who don't do this full time for a living.  In the long run, going to cheap basement studios usually ends up costing much more money after you figure out everything is going to have to be re-recorded properly at another studio, or simply because it takes much longer to figure out how to get an acceptable sound from bad sounding rooms and cheap equipment.

DBAR Productions is run by Stephen Sherrard, a full time, highly skilled, professional producer and engineer with an extensive musical background.  Steve is a very mellow and laid back person who can comfortably blend in with just about any crowd, and quickly adapts to the personality and working style of his clients.  Steve has an extensive list of repeat clients who keep coming back because he is very easy to work with and extremely good at what he does. 

The studio at DBAR Productions is located in Steve's private home, but it is NOT your typical basement studio!  Owner Stephen Sherrard has worked on staff at one of the biggest and best high-end professional studios in Seattle, and he won't accept anything less for his own studio than the professional quality he is accustomed to.  He has carefully chosen the best, high-end, professional project studio equipment to get the level of sound quality you would expect from any professional facility.  The microphones and equipment he uses in his project studio are the same that you'll find in many much more expensive studios.  There is a large enclosed recording booth located in its own room for isolation, and the main room is spacious, comfortable and has been carefully laid out for both sound and that elusive "creative vibe".  Check out the studio page for more details.

Not in the Seattle area?

Even if you are not in the Seattle area, DBAR Productions may still be able to help you out.  We do a lot of work with out of state songwriters and artists, as well as multimedia companies and other corporations.  From doing high quality demos for songwriters using the top area session musicians and vocalists, to high quality mixing for artists who record at home or other studios, to complete background music production for artists and multimedia companies, there are many ways we can work with you!  Check out the services page for more!

Save Money with the Best of Both Worlds!

Although DBAR Productions has its own professional project studio, you aren't limited to just that facility.  Producer/Engineer Stephen Sherrard worked on staff for several years at one of the largest and best equipped high-end studio facilities in Seattle, Triad Studios.  He has also done projects with clients at other studios around the Seattle area.  Steve is a highly skilled and technically proficient engineer who can quickly and easily adapt to any studio environment and all types of equipment.

Steve's philosophy when setting up his own studio at DBAR Productions was to create a professional project studio where he could do pretty much everything except tracking of drums and large groups.  By not having to invest in constructing and sound proofing a large tracking room, and by not having to pay extra rent or mortgage for a very large space, Steve is able to pass those savings onto his clients.  The studio at DBAR Productions is ideal for rap/hip-hop, RnB, and other mostly electronic based projects that don't need to track live drums or a full band at once.  Those types of projects can be done completely from start to finish at the DBAR Productions studio.  However, Steve still does quite a bit of work with traditional bands, as well as large groups such as the Seattle Youth Jazz Ensembles.  For these groups, Steve will take them to Triad Studios, or other area studios, to do the basic tracking, and then bring them back to his own studio for overdubs, mixing, and mastering.  This way the group can save money by only paying for the big studios when they really need to, and doing everything else is the more cost effective studio at DBAR Productions.

For more on how you can save money on your recording project, check out our save money page, as well as Steve's extensive article "Maximizing Your Recording Budget".

How to find the right people to work with.

The best way to choose a studio and a producer/engineer is to sit down and talk with them, and listen to some of their past work.  By talking with them, you can get a feel for their personality and how comfortable you will be if you decide to work with them.  Through listening to some of their past projects you can get a good idea of how good they are at what they do.

Stephen Sherrard and DBAR Productions highly encourage you to shop around and check out several studios and producers/engineers before you make any decision at all.  Be sure to listen to work that they have produced, and ask for client references that you can talk to as well.  Treat this like a job interview, because these people will be working for you and helping you to create your product.  Make sure you talk to and get information about the actual producer and/or engineer that will be working with you (as opposed to simply talking to the studio receptionist).  Everybody has different tastes and different working styles.  Good engineers, like Steve Sherrard, are able to work with a very wide variety of people, personalities, and musical styles.  However, there are times where Steve Sherrard and DBAR Productions may not be the appropriate choice for a particular person or project.  In these cases, Steve is more than happy to recommend other producers, engineers and/or studios. 

Steve is available via stephen@dbar-productions.com.  Feel free to write with any questions or to schedule a phone call or personal meeting.

To hear some of the work that Steve Sherrard and DBAR Productions have produced, check out the audio samples page.