Engineered by a Master.
Produced to Perfection.
Led by Master Producer & Chief Audio Engineer David Mikeal. Bringing over 40 years of major-label production brilliance, vintage analog tape warmth, and pristine signal chains to transform your music into hit records.
Master Record Production
Don Henley Album Credit
Artist & Producer Heritage
Inline Vintage British Console
Master Producer & Chief Engineer David Mikeal
At Studio Live USA, every tracking session, analog mix, and master is personally directed by veteran producer and chief audio engineer David Mikeal.
Originating as a signed A&M Records recording artist, David brings four decades of hit-making arrangement and engineering experience. His credits include engineering work on Don Henley’s Billboard #1 album Cass County, alongside mentoring the next generation of audio engineers through the Recording Connection Audio Institute.
“Great record production isn't an accident. It is the result of four decades of refined listening, deep musicality, and knowing precisely how to capture analog magic on tape and digital medium alike.”— David Mikeal, Chief Engineer
Neve 1073, Teletronix LA-2A, SSL G-Master & Empirical Labs Distressors
AHB Sigma 24 In-Line Desk with Backlit Analog VU Meters
AHB Sigma 24 Console & Hybrid SSL/Neve Processing
David Mikeal’s control room centers around the legendary AHB (Allen & Heath / Brenell) Sigma 24 In-Line Analog Recording Console. Renowned for its musical inductor EQ curves and high headroom, the Sigma 24 delivers iconic British analog summing.
Coupled with an SSL G-Master Bus Compressor, Class-A Neve 1073 preamplifiers, and Studer A800 2-inch tape processing, the console gives your tracks rich harmonic saturation prior to pristine 64-channel Avid Pro Tools HD Ultimate digital recording.
Tactile Outboard & Mic Locker
Every microphone, tube compressor, preamp, and tape deck is hand-calibrated for peak performance.
Outboard Dynamics
Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A
Hand-Wired Electro-Optical Tube Compressor for Smooth Vocal RMS Leveling
Universal Audio 1176LN FET Limiter
Ultra-Fast FET Compression with All-Buttons-In Nuke Mode for Drums & Vocals
Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor Pair
Digitally-Controlled Analog Knee Compressor with 2nd & 3rd Harmonic Saturation
Consoles & Summing
AHB (Allen & Heath / Brenell) Sigma 24
24-Channel In-Line Vintage British Analog Recording Console with High Headroom Summing
SSL G-Master Bus Compressor
Solid State Logic Center Section Stereo Bus Compression & Saturation
Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ Racks
Class-A Discrete Transformer-Balanced Preamplifiers & Musical EQ
Tape & DAW System
Studer A800 2-Inch 24-Track
World-Standard Master Analog Reel-to-Reel Tape Machine for Organic Warmth
Avid Pro Tools HD Ultimate HDX
DSP Accelerator System with 64 Channels of Pristine Master I/O Converters
Custom Mastering Converters
High-Resolution Ultra-Low Jitter Mastering AD/DA Conversion Stage
Microphone Locker
Neumann U87 Ai
Large-Diaphragm Gold-Sputtered Vintage Condenser for Flagship Vocals
Neumann KM184 Matched Pair
Small Diaphragm Acoustic & Overhead Stereo Condensers
AKG C414 XLS Multi-Pattern
Reference Multi-Polar Pattern Vocal & Instrument Condensers
Royer R-121 Ribbon Mics
Figure-8 Dynamic Ribbon Microphones for Electric Guitar & Brass
Acoustic Environment Designed by Niels Kastor
To complement David Mikeal’s production standards, Studio Live USA was acoustically designed by renowned studio architect Niels Kastor.
Featuring non-parallel bass trap boundary walls, floating concrete floor slabs on neoprene isolation mounts, and custom quadratic wood diffusers, the tracking room provides an ultra-flat acoustic soundfield that allows David to mix with absolute surgical precision.
Floating Floor
Neoprene Mounted Slab
Quadratic Diffusers
Controlled Acoustic Reflection
Linear Response
Flat Control Room Field
Notable Discography
Over 40 years of major-label record production, engineering, mixing, and mastering.
Don Henley
Cass County
Engineering Contribution (David Mikeal)
Pete Hunt & Southern Branded Band
Alligator Alley / Do You Wanna Cowboy
Producer, Recording & Mixing Engineer, Lead Guitar
Simple Southern Boys
Eyes On The Prize
Producer, Recording Engineer, Mixing & Mastering
Work Directly with Master Engineer David Mikeal
Book tracking, analog mixing, stem mastering, or live stage performance sessions at Studio Live USA.