Skyhouse is a place for artists to make the best record of their musical vision.
At Skyhouse, we believe that the secret to your sound is you.
Is the best vocal recording the one with the highest possible fidelity, recorded with the best mic, in the best room, and the best outboard gear? Or is it the performance that makes people cry?
The answer is yes.
If you have had experiences making recordings that sound clean and “professional”, but that somehow still fail to transport your audience to the psychic or emotional place you want them to be, or that capture the right vibe but sound cheap and sonically underwhelming… Skyhouse is a place to overcome those limitations, and remove the veils and obstacles that get in the way of the direct soul-to-soul communication that happens with a great record.
At Skyhouse, we look for the best ways to help each artist create a record that is sonically ready for a Hollywood movie soundtrack. We want your record to be able to hang with the top 40 on current radio, and with the top 40 classic albums of all time, without embarrassment or compromise.
Producers needing a place to track drums, vocals, or some of our world-class instruments can even bring in their own computer, and take over the whole studio with a single USB cable through our Antelope Audio converters, connected to our 40x16 British-made console and racks of superb outboard.
We have outstanding vintage and modern instruments for all styles and genres, including drums and cymbals, killer amps, guitars, and basses, a full complement of real pianos and classic keyboard instruments, synthesizers, and much more. Everything is ready to go, so that we can work fast and keep the inspiration flowing, without a hint of sonic compromise.
We also mix, master and edit, either with you in the room or unattended. Unattended projects are quoted per project: email or call for a quote.
If you think Skyhouse sounds like the kind of place you would like to make music, let’s set up your free initial consultation, and talk about how we can help you make your best record ever.
A few records made here. Give them a listen.
Skyhouse is designed from the ground up to be friendly and easy-to-use for outside engineers, including home recordists and DIY artists and producers.
Bring your laptop and take over the whole studio with a single USB cable. 32 channels of world-class converters, dozens of channels of high-end preamps, EQ, outboard, with 16 busses of sends for headphone mixes, outboard sends, across multiple rooms and acoustical environments, all snaked and routed and ready to plug in and record. That single USB port even allows total MIDI connectivity with a collection of classic synthesizers and hardware reverb and delays.
Whether you are looking for a world-class control room to give your mixes a final check, or somewhere to track vocals with a best-of-the-best signal chain in an acoustically-treated space, or to record an actual Steinway grand piano, or a vintage Gretsch drum kit in a great room with the best mics, or to run your MIDI tracks through a real Prophet or Juno and slammed into a classic compressor… Skyhouse is designed to be an accessible, affordable extension to your home studio.
Patchbays and connections are all sane and sensible, color-coded and clearly-labeled, and all studio gear is tested and maintained rigorously. This makes it quick and easy for outside engineers to get acclimated and working fast. Plus, you always have an assistant who knows the patching, routing, and setup inside and out.
If you always wished you could just have access to the real-deal gear, great acoustics, isolation rooms, and all the instruments and amps, without having to trust your sound and your project to a stranger, give us a call!
We welcome hybrid workflows, and are happy for you to bring your own DAW, and to use Skyhouse as an extension of your home studio, or for projects that move between studios on their journey.
Call or email to talk about your project and goals. It’s free.
A 50% deposit holds your sessions, with an agreed start time, end time and rate.
3-hour sessions with a house engineer, separated by 1-hour breaks.
Punch-ins and file transfers at the end. Mixing, mastering and editing are available attended or unattended.
All information below is for general informational purposes. Your rate and access are not guaranteed until a deposit is accepted.
Sessions are booked in blocks with an agreed-upon start time, end time, and block rate. Multi-day lockouts with 24/7 access are arranged in advance.
In general, studio days are booked in 3-hour sessions, separated by 1-hour buffers. Typical studio days are booked as:
| Morning session | 10am–1pm |
|---|---|
| Afternoon session | 2pm–5pm |
| Evening session | 6pm–9pm |
| First 3-hour session | $300 |
|---|---|
| Each additional consecutive 3-hour session | $200 |
| Full-day lockoutThree sessions | $700 |
| Each successive full-day lockout | $600 |
These are typical rates. A house engineer is included for ordinary-hours sessions. Overnight or extended sessions need to be negotiated separately.
50% deposit to book time, 50% due at the session. We accept cash, card, or Venmo.
Cancellations require 48 hours’ notice.
Unattended mixing, mastering, and editing rates are quoted per project. Attended rates are the same as above. Email or call 617-903-0844 for a quote.
Almost nobody is, unless you have made a lot of records. In our experience, booking a fixed block works better than open-ended “by the hour” time. When you have almost got the perfect take and need a couple more passes, a block means you can keep your focus on the music instead of the clock.
We typically recommend 3-hour sessions, separated by one-hour breaks. We have found that, for most performers, 3 hours is a comfortable amount of time to get settled in, have a cuppa and discuss the goals, take a bio-break, dial in levels and a headphone mix, and then perform for about 90 minutes or so, and still leave time for wrap-up, punch-ins, and file transfers. That’s also about the time that we have found that burnout starts to set in, for any individual performer. Even world-class singers or musicians have a hard time maintaining peak energy for hours on end.
An hour break between sessions allows some flexibility in start, end, setup, and breakdown times. That way, even if someone gets stuck in traffic, has trouble finding parking, or needs time to warm up or acclimate to the studio, or needs a bio-break… we still have a comfortable block of uninterrupted time, where 100% of the focus is on your talent and your project. The breaks also give everyone a chance to decompress and take a breath.
It is always faster and cheaper to do it right than to cut corners. Working fast is ideal, to keep the inspiration flowing and to prevent boredom and burnout, and that means putting in the prep to get everything ready to go. If you have preferred ways of working or need unconventional hours, let’s talk!
Dan McCormick is the owner/producer/engineer at Skyhouse. Dan has been working professionally in audio since he was in high school, and has had the opportunity to work with artists as diverse as Fugazi, John Lee Hooker, the New Pornographers, and countless others. In 2017, after the dissolution of a studio co-op that he was a part of, Dan struck out on his own, to create the kind of artist-focused studio he always wanted to work out of.
Frankleford Doggington (Frankie, to his friends) is a dog. It is very likely that he will be unimpressed by your music and may even leave the room. But he is always very happy to have pats and scritches, and he would like nothing better than for you to throw a tennis ball. Frankie is available to assist on studio sessions upon request.
Yes. Email or call 617-903-0844 and we’ll talk about your project and how we can help you make your best record ever.
Typical rates are $300 for the first 3-hour session and $200 for each additional consecutive 3-hour session. A full-day lockout is typically $700, and $600 for each successive full day. A house engineer is included for ordinary-hours sessions.
Sessions are booked in 3-hour blocks with an agreed-upon start time, end time and block rate, separated by one-hour breaks.
A 50% deposit books your time, and the other 50% is due at the session. We accept cash, card or Venmo. Your rate and access are not guaranteed until a deposit is accepted.
We ask for at least 48 hours’ notice to cancel.
Yes. Skyhouse is designed for outside engineers and DIY producers. Bring your laptop and take over the whole studio with a single USB cable, and bring your own DAW if you like. You always have an assistant who knows the patching, routing and setup.
Yes. Unattended rates are quoted per project, and attended rates are the same as for tracking sessions. Email or call for a quote.
Our inventory changes often, so the gear list is a snapshot. If there is a specific piece you want for your session, whether it’s listed or not, let us know.
The building has wheel-in ADA-compliant elevator access and ADA-compliant restrooms.
Skyhouse is at 1458 Hancock St, Quincy, MA 02169. MBTA bus routes 215, 225, 230, 236 and 238 stop out front, or it’s a 7-minute walk from the Quincy Center Red Line station. Parking is easy: the Kilroy Square Garage is $1/hour, and on-street parking is free.
Our inventory changes faster than we update our website, and we have a constant rotation of tuners, tuneups, and technicians servicing things. The following list is a snapshot, and is subject to change. If there is a specific piece of gear that you are interested in for your session (whether it’s listed or not), please let us know!
Highlights: Classic mics by Neumann/AKG/Sennheiser/Shure, preamps by Neve/API/Midas, Steinway grand, Hammond with Leslie, classic guitars and amps by Gibson/Fender/Marshall/Vox/Jackson/Ernie Ball, and much much more.
Tons of quality guitar pedals, cables, stands, accessory headphone mixers, DI boxes, tuners, picks, strings, drum heads and sticks, adapters, batteries, plus a fully equipped tech room to take care of setup and repair needs on the spot.
MBTA bus routes 215, 225, 230, 236 and 238 all stop out front. Or it’s a 7-minute walk from the Quincy Center Red Line station.
Easy parking at the Kilroy Square Garage for $1/hour, or free on-street parking.
Tell us about your project and we’ll talk about how to make your best record. We usually reply within a day.
