Peter Dyson – Owner
A native of England, Peter came to San Diego from the musical town of Austin, Texas in October of 2004. The third owner in Studio West’s thirty-five year history, Peter spearheaded the studio expansion and remodeling project in 2005, determined to bring to fruition his vision of a world-class, fully integrated San Diego-based recording studio, comparable to the top facilities in Los Angeles. His thirteen years of professional expertise in strategic business planning, leadership training and human resources for Motorola’s Semiconductor Group in Austin and his passion for music have uniquely equipped Peter to assemble a top notch team of engineers and producers at Studio West, and to identify and develop services to better meet the needs of clients. As a drummer, Peter has played and recorded with bands in both England and Austin, and has a musical taste that is as diverse as the artists who have recorded at Studio West over the years.
Mark Kirchner - Post Production Engineer / Producer / Instructor
With nearly two decades of experience working with audio and video production, Mark brings his encyclopedic knowledge of Digidesign technology and his vast expertise in post-production techniques into the studio. Mark is both a Pro Tools Expert and certified Avid editor. He has engineered, produced and mixed post-score, ADR and ISDN dialogue sessions for top film, TV and broadcast commercial clients. Prior to his work in post-production, Mark spent 14 years working with Digidesign, and in his role and Technical Marketing Manager, directed and produced all of the complany's product information DVDs and videos. Mark is the founder of a thriving, full-service audio production rental company, Edit System Rentals, providing Digidesign Pro Tools HD systems and Avid Meridien based Media Composers to recording studios and editorial facilities. His clients include the hit series "Veronica Mars" (UPN 13), "Prison Break", Digidesign and Grand Design Productions, an animation company which develops 3D animated television programming for children with positive moral messaging.
Jesse Maxon-Studio Manager
Jesse studied Audio Engineering and Audio for T.V. and Film at Mediatech Institute in Dallas. Originally working as an Engineer for the Dallas Sound Lab he became very involved with the Austin City Limits, and South by Southwest music festivals. He worked on various live and studio projects including REM, Steve Winwood, Cake, The Reverend Horton Heat, and Franz Ferdinand.
In 2005 Jesse moved to southern California to further pursue his love of music and surfing. Once again Jesse found himself immersed in the music industry working as a live sound engineer and a Pro Tools instructor at the LA Recording School. Finally deciding to firmly plant his roots in San Diego he has come to work as the Studio Manager at Studio West. His hobbies include surfing, music and sports.
“I have a real passion for audio production, and I love helping musicians and artists that share my passion. Working in the studio environment is great because I encounter so many different music projects, and I learn something from each one.”
Kellogg Boynton –Engineer
A versatile and talented engineer, Kellogg attended Berklee College of Music in Boston and received a BAS in Sound Engineering from Ex’pression College for Digital Arts in the San Francisco Bay Area. With extensive training in SSL and Pro Tools, and talents as a guitarist and sometimes drummer, he brings a wide variety of technical and musical knowledge to both tracking and mixing sessions at Studio West. Specializing in rock genres from alternative to the heaviest rock, he particularly enjoys tracking live drums and working with bands.
Recent music credits include sessions with internationally acclaimed bands Wolfmother and Simple Plan, Frankie J, Baby Bash and up and coming producer /guitarist Tommy Andrews. Local San Diego band projects Kellogg has worked on include recording and mixing music for Jeff Berkley and Citizen Band’s upcoming live Music Video (DVD), which was filmed and recorded at Studio West, and full album releases for Nate James, Erick Macek, Christopher, Cole and Campbell, and Mordium.
Kellogg’s knowledge of ISDN and ADR technology also make him a valuable asset to Studio West’s post-production and broadcast clients. His ADR and voiceover recording credits include Richard Dreyfus, EA Games (with Colts’ running-back Marshall Faulk), Southwest Airlines, Kashi Company and the hit TV series Veronica Mars.
A native San Diegan, Kellogg grew up in the North County coastal town of Encinitas.
Kellogg’s Philosophy: "I enjoy helping artists bring their creative vision to life on a format that can live forever. Because people will listen to the music we create time and time again, I strive for excellence in my work every time I walk into the studio!”
Darrell Harvey – Engineer
A San Diego native, Darrell’s 20+ years of experience as recording engineer at Studio West and his deep knowledge of music theory and perceptual acoustics (why and how we hear what we hear) make him a tremendous asset to any session, be it rock, orchestral, jazz, gospel, classical or alternative music. With feature film, local band and national artist credits under his belt, Darrell has a long list of repeat clients who know and trust him with their recording projects. Darrell’s film credits include "The Usual Suspects", his album credits include Blink-182’s Enema of the State and he has recorded artists including Midnight Oil, Natalie Merchant and Patti Smith. Darrell is a student of classic recordings of the 60’s and 70’s. His musicality, attention to detail and his ability to use vintage gear and recording techniques in unexpected or cutting edge applications make him a valuable commodity on the Studio West team.
Caleb Keiter – Engineer
Originally from the East Coast, Caleb joined the Studio West team in Sept. of 2007. An avid drummer, and occasional guitarist and keyboardist, Caleb brings his passion for music and audio engineering as well as his experience as a Digidesign Certified Pro Tools Expert to the studio’s in-house talent pool.
For the past 6 years he has owned and operated a mobile Pro Tools recording system and has worked regularly at Omega Recording Studios, Sound of Music Studios, and Dragonfly Recording Studios on the East Coast. He has lent his expertise to numerous tracking and mixing sessions in genres ranging from pop and rock, to classical, jazz, and even big band and orchestral recordings. Credits include: BFD "Percussion Expansion Pack" by FXPansion (www.fxpansion.com), a virtual instrument plug-in for which Caleb recorded all of the samples, and recording and broadcasting a live studio performance by Death Cab For Cutie.
Caleb’s especially enjoys recording rock and roll and acoustic jazz as well as drum editing. He has an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration and attended Omega Studios School for the Applied Recording Arts and Sciences.
His sense of humor and expertise insures a fun and productive environment in the studio. When he is not recording, you can usually find him behind his drums or his camera.
Caleb’s Philosophy: “If I am doing my job as an engineer in the studio it should be kind of invisible. If I can keep the artist relaxed and comfortable, they will give me a great performance to record.”
Dan Abernathy – Engineer
Dan is a vastly experienced engineer who is well known and respected in the San Diego musical community. In the 20+ years he has been associated with Studio West, he has recorded countless artists including Al Jarreau, Manhattan Transfer, Patti LaBelle, Randi Crawford and Fatburger. He also has many television and film credits including: "The Cable Guy" with Jim Carrey, Oscar winner "The Usual Suspects" and "Don Juan DeMarco" with Marlon Brando. He is a genius with mic techniques, and production music and also specializes in working with large ensembles and remote recordings. Whether you are recording a classical symphony or a big band, doing ADR/looping or mixing music for a National TV broadcast spot, Dan’s expertise can help you.
Gary Miranda - Engineer
A recent addition to the Studiowest team, Gary began working with Pro Tools in 2004 and in 2008 was certified as a Pro Tools Operator in both Music and Post Production and just recently completed Icon Mixer Certification. He has also received a Certificate in Music Theory Harmony, and Ear Training for Berklee College of Music's online program. Recent music projects include local bands Inner Fury, Draconis, Scrap Metal, Steel Foundation, to name a few. While his music focus is primarily the metal genre, Gary also has a passion for post-production projects as well. He recently completed the locally produced, short film "Well Done" in which his credits included ADR recording, foley, Sound Design, and sound mixer. Gary has also worked on several voiceover and dialog sessions for various commercials and programming.
Brandon Papsidero - Engineer
After graduating from The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences, Brandon moved to San Diego and joined the Studio West team. Since coming on board with us he's worked with many bands and musicians spanning the genres of rock, hip hop, jazz and pop. He's also done commercial production for Red Bull, Sony Games, Mercedes-Benz, EA Games, McDonalds, The Discovery Channel, Ralph Lauren, Nickelodeon, Bullrun on Spike TV with WWE wrestler Bill Goldberg, and Richard Dreyfuss. His experience in post-production sound includes work on local films and cinematic sequences for three blockbuster video games: Red Faction: Guerilla, Singularity and Iron Man 2. His work included original sound design, foley recording, sound editing, localization in 5 languages and mixing in surround and stereo. In addition, he has received certification via The Recording Arts Center at Studio West as a Pro Tools operator in Post and Pro Tools Expert in Music.
Marti Amado – Independent Composer, Arranger, Producer
Composer, arranger and producer Marti Amado specializes in original music for television, film, advertising and animation post-scoring as well as artist production for singer-songwriters. A Midwestern native, Marti has created music for clients in Los Angeles, Chicago, Nashville, San Diego and Europe, including: LEGOLAND’s Pirate Shores Attraction, The Odyssey TV Network - The Muppets V-Chip (winner of a
Pro-Max Gold Medallion Award), Warner Brothers Films (“Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang”), Universal Music Publishing, “Entertainment Tonight,” Chevrolet, Ford, Sears, Qualcomm, Big Sisters, Bumblebee Publishing and many others. She has worked with international artists including Jewel, Kenny Rogers, Rita Coolidge and Michael Bolton and local artists like Berkley Hart, Leonard Tucker, Eve Selis, Peter Sprague and Billy Thompson. “Wreck N’ Sow”, produced by Marti and Americana duo Berkley Hart, won top honors at the San Diego Music Awards. Marti’s stylistic strengths as a composer and producer include quirky and humorous music, poignant heartland music, choral music and acoustic genres including Classical Orchestral, Gypsy Swing, Jazz, Acoustic Rock, Bluegrass and Americana. A graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Music, Marti is jazz and classically trained as a pianist and singer. Marti is now on-site and available to Studio West clients.
Marti's Philosophy:
As an arranger, my mission is to create a setting for a song that shows off the composer's lyrics and melodies in the best possible light. I pay attention to both the words and the spirit of the music and let them guide me to the right instruments and song structure. As a producer, my mission is to help clients / artists realize THEIR musical vision, to listen to their ideas for their music, and be the facilitator to help translate that into the final recorded product. I try to strike a balance between being cost efficient -- always respecting the client's budget -- while still getting the best possible creative results with all the resources available. As a composer, my mission is to create a piece of original music that uniquely meets the needs of a client's project and helps to create the mood or emotion that's required. I try to understand first what feeling needs to come across, and then let that be the driving force that the melody, sounds or lyrics spring from. Once I identify the feeling, the music usually comes fairly quickly -- I just have to get it all down and arrange it with the respect and care it deserves.
Office: 858.451.9582 / Cell: 760.877.0619 / Email: marti@amadomusic.net / Internet: www.amadomusic.net
Larry Czoka – Mastering/Digital Editing
Larry is a classically trained musician with degrees from CSU Long Beach and UCSD, where he began his recording training. He worked with a major label as editing and mastering engineer for over 15 years before coming to Studio West in 1997. Larry also is a transcriptionist, music copyist and score preparation guru. He was copyist and worked closely with orchestrators to prepare the musical score for the film "The Usual Suspects", as well as working on many other film scores recorded at Studio West. Larry is the studio’s primary mastering engineer and has worked with Blues Traveler, Natalie Merchant, Joan Osbourne, Frankie Laine, Dishwalla, Buck-O-Nine, Unwritten Law and a slew of other loacal and national artists in genres ranging from hip hop, to rock, to pop, to classical.