Studio B in Sausalito at 2200 Studios, vintage recording studio with colorful psychedelic decor, featuring a drum set, keyboard, amplifiers, and microphones.

2200 STUDIOS

ENERGY MEETS ARTISTRY

Formerly “The Plant” — These rooms breathe music. Not just because legends once walked here, but because something in these walls—something alive and electric—continues to amplify creativity today. The magic isn't trapped in the past; it's happening right now, with today's Bay Area artists crafting their own sounds in a space that feels both sacred and accessible.

What makes these studios special isn't the list of gold records (though there are many) but the inexplicable alchemy that happens when musicians play together in these acoustically perfect spaces. It's about what happens when you can see your bandmates, feel the vibrations in the floor, and capture that lightning-in-a-bottle moment that no bedroom studio can replicate.

The community that gathers here is diverse and vibrant—from hip-hop producers to indie rock bands, jazz ensembles to electronic artists. All are welcome to tap into the energy that makes 2200 Studios more than equipment and isolation booths—it's a creative partner that brings out your best performance.

These studios aren't a museum of past glories but a living workshop where tomorrow's classics are being born today. The legacy continues not through nostalgia but through the ongoing creation of authentic music that matters—yours.

Person in a recording studio singing into a microphone, with soundproofing panels and audio equipment visible. Room has a decorative tapestry.

MATT MCDAVID X

2200 STUDIOS

Chief Engineer at 2200 Studios, Matt carries forward the studio’s legacy as both guardian and innovator—leading 2200’s live recording sessions with the precision of an engineer and the intuition of a musician. Where other studios might treat live tracking as technical exercise, Matt and his team cultivate it as a performance: preserving the crackle of spontaneity while layering in the nuance of a studio record.

It’s a balancing act he’s honed since his Sanctuary Sound days—knowing when to fade into the background as artists chase a vibe, and when to step in with the surgical focus 2200’s history demands. The result? Sessions where the energy of a live show meets the polish of a timeless album, all within walls that have witnessed music history’s rawest magic.

Studio A with a grand piano, acoustic panels on walls, leather sofa, and wooden flooring.

STUDIO A

Crowned by its soaring 32-foot ceiling—expanded in the '90s to give Metallica’s drums room to breathe—Studio A is a cathedral of possibility. The live room’s natural decay wraps around drums, strings, and horns with warm clarity, while the Yamaha C7 (the same piano Bill Evans handpicked and Journey immortalized on "Don’t Stop Believin’") anchors the space in history.

Matt and his team treat these elements as collaborators: mic’ing the room’s bright energy for explosive drum takes, using the sightline-rich iso booths to capture intimate vocals, or leveraging the amp lockers to sculpt guitar tones that feel alive. It’s engineering that honors both the studio’s storied past and what your music demands now.

CONTROL ROOM

The rebuilt control room is an acoustic sanctuary—where every bass frequency lands with punch and every high-end detail stays crystalline. Anchored by a 48-channel SSL Origin console, the space balances vintage warmth with modern clarity: custom 15" soffit-mounted mains deliver gut-level impact, while ATC 45s and NS10Ms offer trusted references for translation.

But it’s the curated outboard gear—the preamps that add silk, the reverbs that build cathedrals—that lets Matt and artists shape sounds with tactile intention. This is where technical upgrades serve musical instinct.

ARTISTS WHO RECORDED IN STUDIO A

Aretha Franklin, Bob Marley, Carrie Underwood, Cher, Chris Isaak, D’Angelo & The Vanguard, Dave Matthews, Deftones, Huey Lewis and the News, Jefferson Starship, Joe Walsh, Journey, Larry Graham, Los Lobos, Luther Vandross, Mariah Carey, Metallica, Primus, Rick James, Sammy Hagar, Santana, Susan Tedeschi, Too Short, Tower of Power, Tracy Chapman, Van Morrison, Whitney Houston, Widespread Panic

    • SSL Orgin 32 Ch. Inline fully loaded Mic Pres + EQ’s

    • 4 Ch. API 3124

    • 8 Ch. BAE 1084

    • 12 Ch. BAE 1073 w. HPF

    • 2 Ch. Manley

    • 2 Distressors

    • 1 DBX 160vu

    • 2 Valley People Dynamite

    • 2 Urei LA3A Vintage

    • 1 Urei LA2a Vintage

    • 2 Urei 1176 Blackface Vintage

    • 2 Ch. Neve 33609 Vintage

    • 2 Ch. Dolby SR/A

    • 2 Manley Pultecs

    • 6 API 550A Vintage

    • Bricasti M7

    • Eventide H3000

    • Lexicon PCM70

    • Lexicon PCM 42

    • 48 Ch. Avid HD I/O

    • Avid HDX

    • Apple M2 Mini

    • 16ch Aviom Multi Cue

    • Yamaha NS10M

    • ATC SCM45’s w. Sub

    • Custom Manny LaCarrubba 15” Mains w. Subs

Interior of a Studio B music recording studio with a large glass window, stone accents, colorful lighting, and a decorative carpet on wooden flooring.

STUDIO B

Step into Studio B and you’re greeted by its signature kaleidoscope of fabric swirls and mirrors—a trippy time capsule frozen in 1972. This is where legends like Fleetwood Mac carved Rumours and Stevie Wonder unlocked Songs in the Key of Life, all within its famously dry, intimate acoustics.

The magic lives in the details: the corner "drumbrella" that shapes that iconic thuddy kick drum, the vintage Hammond B3 humming with history, and the upright piano that’s absorbed decades of groove. Designed by acoustics visionaries Gary Kellgren and Tom Hidley, the space compresses energy without suffocating it—perfect for live ensembles or tracking vocals in the iso booth.

But most artists can’t resist the live room’s alchemy: where every instrument sounds more like itself, only better.

CONTROL ROOM

At the heart of Studio B sits a workstation brimming with legendary outboard gear—Neve’s warm silk, API’s punchy clarity, and Teletronix’s velvet compression—all wired for creative experimentation. The monitoring system delivers surgical accuracy: 15” TAD/JBL mains reveal every texture, while the 18” sub ensures you feel the low end. For critical decisions, the ATC 45s and NS-10Ms offer trusted translation, just as they have on decades of hit records.

ARTISTS WHO RECORDED IN STUDIO A

America, Alice Coltrane, Carlos Santana, Fleetwood Mac, Greensky Bluegrass, Huey Lewis and the News, Jerry Garcia, John Lee Hooker, Luther Vandross, New Riders Of The Purple Sage, Peter Frampton, Prince, Rick James, Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Stephen Stills, Steve Miller, The Doobie Brothers, The Grateful Dead, The Neville Brothers

    • 4 Ch. API 3124

    • 4 Ch. Focusrite Red

    • 8 Ch. BAE 1084

    • 4 Ch. BAE 1073 w. HPF

    • 12 Ch. Neve Vintage 31102 Pre’s

    • 2 Ch. Harrison 500 Series

    • 2 Ch. API 312 Vintage

    • 1 Ampex 601 Tube Vintage

    • 2 DBX 160x

    • 2 Valley People Dynamite

    • 2 Urei LA4 Vintage Modded

    • 1 Urei LA2a Vintage

    • 2 Urei 1176 Blue Stripe Vintage

    • 2 Pultec EQP1a3 Vintage

    • 2 API 550A Vintage

    • 2 APSI 559 Vintage

    • 2 Harrison 500 Series

    • 32 Ch. Avid HD I/O

    • Avid HDX

    • Apple M2 Mini

    • 16ch Aviom Multi Cue

    • Yamaha NS10M’s w. Sub

    • ATC SCM45’s w. Sub

    • Dual 15” JBL/TAD Main’s w. Sub

INSTRUMENTS

KEYS

  • Hammond B3 w. Leslie, Trek Instrument Interface, Bass Pedals,

  • Yamaha C7 Grand Piano (hand-selected by Bill Evans) 

  • Baldwin Upright Piano 

  • Wurlitzer Electric Piano 

  • Fender Rhodes w. Speaker Cabinet 

  • Roland Jupiter-6 

  • Dave Smith Prophet 10 

  • Yamaha DX7

AMPS

  • Fender Princeton Silverface 

  • Fender Princeton Blackface 

  • Fender Twin 

  • Fender Bassman 

  • Ampeg B-15 

  • Marshall JCM-800 

  • Various other small amps and cabinets 

DRUMS

  • 1970’s Vintage Ludwig Orange Mod 4 Piece  

  • We have a wide selection of vintage drums available for rent

LARGE DIAPHRAGM CONDENSERS

(2) Neumann U 47
(1) Neumann U 67
(2) Neumann KM-54
(1) Neumann Stereo SM-23
(2) Neumann M-49
(1) Neumann M-269
(4) Neumann U 87 (70’s)
(2) Neumann TLM 103
(1) AKG C-24
(3) AKG C414
(2) Brauner VM1 Lite
(2) Sony C-500
(1) Bock/UA 187

SMALL DIAPHRAGM CONDENSERS

(1) Neumann KM-86
(3) Sony ECM-22’s
(2) Sony C-55
(4) Neumann KM-84
(2) Shoeps CMC 5/U
(3) B&K 4011
(3) PML-41
(2) PML-DC63
(4) AKG 452
(2) Shure KSM-141
(3) Fantasy Custom PZM

MICS

DYNAMICS

(1) Lauten Snare Mic
(1) AKG D-12
(2) AKG D112
(1) AKG D202
(2) Shure SM-7b
(1) Shure SM-5b
(2) Shure Beta 91’s
(1) Shure Sub Kick
(5) Shure SM53
(8) Shure SM57
(3) Shure Unidyne 57
(3) Shure Beta 57
(7) Shure SM58
(9) Sennheiser 421’s
(4) EV RE-20
(5) EV RE-15
(1) EV RE-16
(1) EV RE-55
(5) EV 635-A
(2) Beyer Dynamic M201-C

RIBBONS

(2) Coles 4038
(2) Royer R-121

Interior of Control Room B, cozy room with orange couch, red papasan chair, recessed lighting, triangular wall art, and sound equipment.

FAQs

  • Yes, I have local musicians that will come to the studio and play whatever instrument your record calls for. The average price of session musicians is $50 an hour. Alternatively, I have session musicians around the world who can play remotely, and charge $100 per song/per instrument. 

  • The more prepared you are to record the better. Practicing as much as you can so when you are here you can make the most of the session. As well, making sure all of your parts are written and arranged. I will give plenty of feedback and we may adjust some things, but for the most part, you should have a blueprint of where you think the song should go.  If you are a singer it is helpful to warm up prior to the session. Guitar players should set up the intonation on their instruments and break in strings. Drummers should tune their drums and replace heads if need be.

  • Matt’s rates start at $75/hour, and he’s spent over a decade helping artists—from bedroom demos to full-band productions —find creative solutions for every budget and timeline.

    The best place to start? A quick chat. Matt loves connecting with artists, and he’ll happily discuss your project’s needs—no strings attached.

  • .wav files format - we can recommend someone to master your final mix or you can choose your own masterer. They can provide you with the final listening formats you need like .wav, .mp3, and .flac

  • Yes, I have an apprentice program which is an in-person learning session where I will show you how to record music. We will cover everything including music production. I do recommend that if you want to learn how to mix, to use my online mix coaching platform. 

CONNECT

The best way to start a project is simply reaching out—I welcome musicians at any career stage and across all genres for creative collaboration.

Recording studio hallway with wood paneling, carpeted floor, and ornate ceiling light. Doors labeled 'A' and 'B' with gold records on walls. Red seating visible.