Clients come to this Manhattan recording studio, for the great vibe, gear and Mike Caffrey's production and engineering. Known for great drum sounds, this is one of the few recording studios that still regularly uses analog tape as well as Pro Tools HD (8.0) and Radar for recording. If you've heard Avril Lavigne's song Keep Holding On from the movie Eragon, or her next single Girlfriend, you've heard these drum sounds.

Monster Island's control room has been tuned by Bob Hodas. Mixing is done an automated analog console using racks of the best vintage and modern outboard gear (some of which no other studios in the world have). In addition, sessions can be video taped with multiple Sony HD video cameras upon request. Follow the links to our Equipment page for a full list or to the Studio Tour page for a video tour.

Check out our Session News page for details and photos of sessions with Boys Like Girls, The 2am Club, Katy Perry, The Takeover UK, Ryan Adams, Gym Class Heroes, Avril Lavigne, Coheed and Cambria, Cobra Starship, George Clinton, Jesse Malin, Chaka Khan, Soul Live, Sarah Paxton, Hiram Bullock, Omar Hakim, Will Lee, Anthony Jackson, and Charley Drayton, as well as the double platinum awards given to Mike Caffrey as Producer/Engineer of Richard Muller's Monogamny Vztah (Universal 2004), double platinum awards and 5 Grammy nominations for Richard Muller's "44" (Sony/BMG 2005).

George Clinton says.....

Most tracking sessions are done with bands playing live and recording to two inch analog tape (which we supply). The keeper takes are transferred instantly through Radar Nyquist A to D converters in to ProTools which becomes the playback, editing and storage format. Follow the Recording link for more details or our approach.

New gear arrivals: Chandler Zener compressor and two Chandler Germainum compressors. Follow the Equipment link for the full list and a link to our Neve 1073/1272 story.

New video gear arrivals: 2 Sony Z1U High Definition video cameras, with lights, tripod and Glidecam 4000 steadycam mount. At the moment, there is no charge to have your session filmed. You'll need to supply Sony MiniDV tapes and a hard drive to transfer the video on to for editing. Editing on Final Cut Pro in not included as part of the serice, but can be provided on and hourly basis.

Producer/engineer Mike Caffrey has written articles on using Analog Tape as a Signal Processor and Multi-Buss Compression Techniques for Tape Op magazine as well as numerous equipment reviews. He has moderated the compression panels at every Tape Op conference, and will be conducting sessions in the 2007 Tape Op Conference Pot Luck Studio (Tucson AZ, June 7-11)

Monster Island provides expert CD Mastering using an all analog signal path. We can achieve the industry standard loudness without using harsh sounding digital limiters like the L1 or L2, but we are also happy to master your CD without any concern for volume and only for the best sound if that's what you prefer. Mike Caffrey has created a mastering matrix that can change the balance of your mixes if you'd like - such as raise or lower vocals or guitar or bass. We are happy to do a quick version of one of your songs if you'd like a sample of what you will get if you use Monster Island as your mastering studio.

We strive to be the best, most creative and competitively priced recording studio in New York City. We have years of experience producing and engineering albums and can help you plan your recording so that you can be recording with the best people, in the best room, with the best gear, while staying within your budget. Follow the link for Rates/Contact Us today and find out why we are one of the busiest recording studios in NYC. Follow the Studio Tour link for photos and a video of a tracking session.