12|21 Recording Studio

Had a great time recording here, Drew is easy to work with, and laid back, as is the atmosphere.
Dec 15th, 2021

Drew Lundberg (of Often the Thinker) is a legend. I was lucky to recently start recording my new album at 1221 with Drew Ive made 3 albums and have mostly recorded and produced them on my own, but Ive gone a different direction with my writing and wanted to work with Drew for this new batch of songs. The experience so far has been truly inspiring. Drew has a gift for communicating when it comes to music he understands the intangible and it didnt take him much effort to see my vision and know what I was going for. We were able to accomplish things together that I never could without him, and the experience of working together was joyful. Drew is easy-going and fun; he has a really disarming quality that is an invaluable trait for a producer and collaborator generally. When I asked for Drews help in playing a part on electric guitar (his playing is beautiful), he was more than happy to see what he could come up with, and within minutes he was playing exactly what I hoped might be added to my song. Drew is very open to any ideas and prioritizes staying true to an artists vision. He is encouraging and creatively nurturing. But above all else Drew is an amazing person. Hes kind, fun to be around and the atmosphere at his studio is really lighthearted and beautiful. Drews setup is amazing, literally a dream come true. The space is really fun to work in and the tools at Drews and his clients disposal are state of the art and very carefully, expertly chosen and arranged. Im a piano player and I love the upright at 1221! I found myself feeling really creative with it. Theres a really special organ there, a Juno-106 (and other synths), and some amazing guitars. All recorded through the best outboard (including amps in a booth if your music has guitars) and some lovely microphones. Its magical. I greatly admire Drews work he is a brilliant engineer and producer. He pays very meticulous attention to every detail of a mix and has a wonderful sense for subtlety, always finding what will complement each sound. The sounds are so clean and beautiful; Drews recordings are elegant and graceful. He EQs and compresses tracks perfectly and has a very tasteful ear for panning and using effects exactly how they ought to be used. Hes also great at mastering! If you are a producer looking for someone with a trustworthy second pair of ears to tastefully master your music with some really nice outboard gear, Drew and 1221 are a really excellent option. Speaking to the efficiency of Drews work and keeping costs effective, my expectations were exceeded. Drew and I have finished the better part of entire songs in one session. My experience at 1221 was glorious and I can honestly say that I found something in my music there that I had never found before. Drew is very talented at bringing that out of people and he provides an environment and atmosphere where its not only possible, but likely. Thank you so much Drew and the crew at 1221. Im looking forward to coming back as soon as possible. Much love.
Nov 20th, 2021