Today we’d like to introduce you to Alan Sanderson and Taylin Rae.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I had been a freelance engineer for 15 years, working at various facilities around the world. I always found myself coming back to San Diego as I grew up here. I was in the Bay Area working at a studio when I received a call from a landlord asking me if I’d be interested in renting a studio on their property as they couldn’t find anybody else to rent it. It was going to be knocked down and turned into one of those beach house rental businesses if they couldn’t find anyone like the following week. I immediately called my wife, Taylin and she went over to meet with them, it was pretty much a no brainer when she saw it. The studio itself has been in the location since 1974 and the previous owners had taken a lot of pride in the place so it was in tip top shape. There’s definitely a lot of history here and being 2 blocks from the beach in a beautiful area like North Pacific Beach makes it the ideal location for artists/musicians to come and be creative. Just driving down Turquoise Street with the palm trees and the amazing view of the Pacific is inspiring enough for anybody looking to be creative. We’re going into our fifth year now and we’ve had quite a lot of exciting things happen. There’s definitely been some amazing talent through these doors.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We’ve been very lucky so far. Taylin and I had been freelancing for many years so we had a pretty good client list already. Having this incredible space made it pretty easy to attract clients. As with any business, we took a big risk. The recording studio business isn’t what it used to be as everyone can record at home now, but we thought if we take this space and give it its own personality and make it like you were recording at home, but with a great vibe and atmosphere, folks would gravitate toward that. We wanted to get away from the old recording studio model of having tons of equipment, where the studio is all about the gear instead of the people in it. We wanted to make it more of a loungey atmosphere where it’s all about catering to the artist and the music.
Our slogan is “It’s all about the vibe”. We filled the place with furniture lava lamps. And various paraphernalia that you’d find in the ’70s, since it was built during that era, we tried to keep a lot of that in place. For whatever reason, most folks like the recordings that came out of the ’60’s and ’70’s, back when recording was much
simpler; we wanted to give that feeling the moment you walk in; the feeling of like “yeah, I can make a record here.” It’s almost like being in a time capsule, an escape if you like.
Pacific Beat Recording – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’ve been a recording engineer for almost 30 years now, starting out in Hollywood at the famous Ocean Way studios. I was there for about 12 years, working with everyone from Fleetwood Mac, the Rolling Stones, to Elton John to name a few. In 2003, I came to San Diego for a break from the LA scene and ended up staying, moving around from time to time, but was always on the lookout for my own studio but couldn’t find the right place. This studio here is everything and more than I could have ever imagined. Taylin and I operate the studio together. I record and produce a lot of the artists that come into the studio, Taylin does a lot of artist development. She has been a performer since a young age, so show business has been her entire life. She does everything from vocal coaching, songwriting/arranging to session work/production. We have a good partnership, we both share the responsibilities of running the business.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Finding this studio and having a great place for this community to come a record is a very proud moment. There’s been many sessions we’ve worked on that we are really proud of, in fact the list goes on and on. Having a studio in San Diego, by the beach, in a great part of town that everyone can be part of is something to be very proud of. Everyone that’s come in usually leaves something behind, so it’s sort of transformed into the great music community here.
Contact Info:
- Address: 926 Turquoise Street Suite G
San Diego , CA. 92109 - Website: www.pacificbeatrecording.com
- Phone: 818 642 1114
- Email: alan@pacificbeatrecording.com
Image Credit:
Pamela Haan
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