4th Street Recording

4th Street Recording In 1989, Kathleen and her partner bought the studio and renamed it 4th Street Recording.

Three short city blocks from the Pacific Ocean and one block off of Santa Monica's world-famous Promenade, there is a special little place where folks have been making music for over thirty years. In it’s first incarnation, this place was a recording studio called Sound Solutions, with clients that included Little Richard, Stanley Clarke, George Clinton, and the Beach Boys, who recorded "Kokomo" h

ere. Designed by the same team that built A&M Studios, the studio features a wavy ceiling in the tracking room and walls soundproofed with sand hauled up from the beach. Nineteen years later, you will hear people say that they love 4th Street for many reasons—its sound design, its location, its people—but the most frequent compliment is, "I feel really good here." Since 1995, nineteen acts have been signed to record deals with a demo recorded at 4th Street, starting with Fiona Apple’s "Shadowboxer," a recording that was released as the first single on her Grammy-nominated album "Tidal". Next came Incubus, Alien Ant Farm, and Hoobastank, all to become platinum-selling artists.

4th Street Recording feels like a cozy home in a friendly little beach town, but offers all the big city benefits of Santa Monica's Bayside District, an extended pedestrian area complete with shops, theaters, and street musicians. Clients can order from dozens of restaurants and choose from a wide range of accommodations, from motels to hotels to monthly corporate rentals in local bungalows. Simply put, 4th Street Recording is a good place to stay for a long time. And, as the staff will advise, "If you don’t take a walk down to the ocean at sunset, you’re not using the full facility."

I am so happy to announce that ShopTalk, the annual event that I produce for Women In Music, is now in its 5th year and ...
04/22/2026

I am so happy to announce that ShopTalk, the annual event that I produce for Women In Music, is now in its 5th year and returning to the world famous Village Recording Studios on Saturday, May 2nd, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.

ShopTalk 105 is fun Q&A session where women can ask a panel of female engineers and producers all kinds of questions about music production. It’s designed for artists, creators, and anyone working alongside them who wants to get more comfortable with the technical side of music. The vibe is casual, welcoming, and a lot of fun. Plus, it’s an opportunity to spend some time in one of the most iconic studios in the world!

This isn’t a lecture – the program is decided by you. As attendees arrive, they drop their questions into a bowl, which are then drawn and answered by a panel of women producers and engineers. Questions have ranged from basics such as explanation of signal flow, the difference between mixing and mastering, and what stems are, all the way to questions about recording yourself at home and specific advice about DAWS, plug-ins and mic choices.

In this day and age, it’s hard to believe that 95 to 98 percent of music producers and engineers are men, and that sometimes women feel like they being talked down to and aren’t being heard.
Every year, women come up to me afterwards and say how much the event meant to them, many saying that they had experienced a recording session where they cried in the car on the way home.

Come join us! This is a joyous event and you will leave feeling empowered for your future sessions.

Producer will moderate and draw the questions for panelists Claudia Panel Ilatese, , , and .

Saturday, May 2, 2026
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
The Village Studios ()
Free for WIM members, $25 for non-members
Feel free to share this with any women in your world who might benefit!

Cheers,
Kathleen

Register here:
https://app.glueup.com/event/wim-la-shoptalk-105-175114

03/10/2026

Sound isn’t as simple as it may seem — it can elicit deep emotion and even physical pain in some circumstances. These six amazing facts will make you rethink what you know about sound and the role it plays in your everyday life.

Will your squad be next to record a hit at 4th st?
11/11/2025

Will your squad be next to record a hit at 4th st?

What a wonderfully joyous session with Brynn and her hummingbirds!
09/19/2025

What a wonderfully joyous session with Brynn and her hummingbirds!

That’s a wrap on code switch! So in no particular order here at some pictures of 4th st as a movie set.
09/09/2025

That’s a wrap on code switch! So in no particular order here at some pictures of 4th st as a movie set.

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Ayana Webb for the podcast she produces and hosts for The Musical We...
09/07/2025

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Ayana Webb for the podcast she produces and hosts for The Musical Webb. Ayana created The Musical Webb initially as an online music training site, where she continues to offer piano courses, and which is growing into a hub of resources for musicians, with a blog, newsletter, and a cool podcast. A diverse community of artists is growing.

We shared our insights on the current state and future of the music business, and the interview became a conversation, as we discussed our shared vision in getting our businesses off the ground, and the purpose we both have found in our journeys.

“Business is not linear,”Ayana noted, “it’s turbulent and you have to be okay with the sacrifices you make when you are building it ” She talked about the “10-year path to overnight success,” saying that a good way to know if you are on the right track is if you are okay with spending the first ten years doing a lot of things you don’t like to do because you know these will get you to where you want to be.

A strategy we both followed in order to survive the turbulence in the music business was by keeping our overheard and underpricing the competition. Operating with kindness and without judgement has been key for both of us, and we have both found ourselves purposefully building very human communities.

“Machines help us, but at the end of the day, creators like to create - and there’s a joy in creating together.”

Ayana is an exceptional piano teacher, and she told me how she thinks it is so important to listen, to hear her students, especially those starting out. “I want them to feel confident making mistakes and to feel the freedom to grow.”

You can check out The Musical Webb here:
www.the musicalwebb.com

Ayana is offering a special discount on her one-on-one zoom lessons (only $47 for 30 minutes; $97 for 60 minutes!) but you need to jump on that because the deadline is midnight September 7th!

https://www.themusicalwebb.com/interview-with-4th-street-recording

Re-amp BTS footage and some strike.
08/31/2025

Re-amp BTS footage and some strike.

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Ayana Webb for the podcast she produces and hosts for The Musical We...
08/13/2025

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Ayana Webb for the podcast she produces and hosts for The Musical Webb. As we shared our insights on the current state and future of the music business, it felt more like a conversation

She created Musical Webb in the beginning as an online music training site with piano courses and a hub of resources for musicians. There’s a blog, newsletter, and super cool podcast, and a diverse community of artists is growing.

Got to rock out in the studio with last week 🤘🏻 There’s nothing like a good ole live band tracking session!Engineered b...
08/11/2025

Got to rock out in the studio with last week 🤘🏻 There’s nothing like a good ole live band tracking session!

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Women In Music​ Los Angeles’ Shop Talk returns to The Village Studios​ on April 26th, 2025 from 10:00am to 1:00pm for th...
04/16/2025

Women In Music​ Los Angeles’ Shop Talk returns to The Village Studios​ on April 26th, 2025 from 10:00am to 1:00pm for the fourth edition of this popular annual workshop, diving even deeper into the heart of studio recording. Shop Talk 104 is designed specifically for women creators and those working alongside them, offering a welcoming and inclusive space to explore the fundamentals of audio production. Whether you’re an artist or on the support team, with questions about working in a commercial studio or recording tracks at home, Shop Talk 104 is your chance to learn directly from the women engineers and producers at The Village Studios, who will explain essential recording terminology and demystify the gear and workflow of the control room.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to visit this world-renowned studio where legendary artists like The Rolling Stones, Lady Gaga, Dr. Dre, Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, Bob Dylan, Shakira, Janet Jackson, and Gwen Stefani have recorded — and get your questions answered without fear or judgement. If you’ve ever felt like you should know more about the technical side of music but didn’t know where to start, this event is for YOU!

COME CURIOUS — LEAVE EMPOWERED!

RSVP today to reserve your space / 100 tix limit

Link in bio!

Address

1211 4th Street
Santa Monica, CA
90401

Telephone

+13103959114

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