Starita

Produce/Mix/Remix/Write

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34 Reviews
Starita on SoundBetter

Starita is a 2x GRAMMY®/Latin Grammy recognized Bay Area music producer, mix engineer and artist whose work spans a multitude of genres. Clients include Childish Gambino, A Tribe Called Quest, Phife Dawg, Third Eye Blind, Rebelution, Los Amigos Invisibles, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Michael Franti and Spearhead and many others.

Starita offers production, mixing and remixing services and with it brings 20+ years of experience. He is a 2 time GRAMMY®/Latin Grammy recognized engineer who’s work spans a multitude of genres. Clients include Childish Gambino, A Tribe Called Quest, Third Eye Blind, Rebelution, Los Amigos Invisibles, Michael Franti and Spearhead and many others.
Notably, Starita was an engineer on the recent A Tribe Called Quest album ‘We got it from here….thank you 4 your service’ which reached #1 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart and earned RIAA Gold certification. He also engineered Laura Sullivan’s ‘Loves River ‘ which won the GRAMMY® for Best New Age and Los Amigos Invisibles’ ‘Repeat After Me’ which was GRAMMY® nominated for Best Latin Urban/Alternative and Song Of The Year in the Latin Grammy Awards.

Starita recently released his own project in collaboration with artists Jarobi White of ATCQ, Trevor Hall, Trent Park, Madame Gandhi, Terra Lopez of Rituals Of Mine and, Mamel of Los Amigos Invisibles. He also served as President of The Recording Academy’s SF Chapter in addition to serving on The Recording Academy’s National Committees.

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34 Reviews

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  1. Review by Todd Tate
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    Michael is great to work with! Michael did a great job on the Sayla Dobro tunes "The Way You Move" and "J Train". Check out the mixes at youtube.com/sayladobro.

    We mixed at Different Fur, San Francisco, in Studio B.

  2. Review by Michael Moya
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    by Michael Moya

    I have worked with Michael on several projects and his professionalism and talent is a tribute to his success and inspiration was an artist. His unique style is original and refreshing!

  3. Review by Michael Moya
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    by Michael Moya

    I have worded with Michael on several projects and his professionalism and talent is a tribute to his success and inspiration was an artist. His unique style is original and refreshing!

  4. Review by Jenna Lavoie
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    by Jenna Lavoie

    Starita mixed D. Edward’s record “Love Is” and I happened to co-write a song on that album. Starita made the song and the entire record sound amazing. He is very talented, professional and passionate. He has a great sense of humor as well and makes the experience fun in the studio, and it’s wonderful to watch him work his magic. The outcome of his work is beautiful.

  5. Review by Robin Applewood
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    by Robin Applewood

    Starita is an experienced, focused, talented, caring and hilarious mix engineer/producer. Ive had the pleasure of working on a few projects with him and not only has it been an immense pleasure, but the results have been fantastic. He knows what he wants and he knows how to get there. I highly recommend Starita for his high-level of skill and also the solid mentorship and laughs that come with the package.

  6. Review by Steve Rosenfield
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    by Steve Rosenfield

    I've worked around Starita many many times stopping in with several artists. He's always been super knowledgeable and truly loves what he does. I mean he's always smiling and when you're in the damn studio for 18 hours that constant smile is much needed. He takes the time and delivers such high quality product that we all hope for. Highly recommend him to anyone.

  7. Review by Jesse Andrew Clark
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    by Jesse Andrew Clark

    As a musician himself, Starita understands the real artistic process from the inside out. A joy to collaborate with, he always listens closely and makes creative alchemy happen! Can't wait to work with him again soon.

  8. Review by Christopher Tin
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    by Christopher Tin

    Starita gets great results and is a pleasure to work with!

  9. Review by Katie Garibaldi
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    by Katie Garibaldi

    Versatile and creatively inspiring - love Starita's work!

  10. Review by Skip The Needle
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    by Skip The Needle

    Skip The Needle has the pleasure of working with Starita for the UnderCover presents Tribe Called Quest tribute and we would recommend his ears, attitude, expertise and general joy to anyone for any project. This project required that he range from hard rock to hip hop, from folk to brass bands from jazz to orchestral to EDM and somehow brought this project together in a coherent and cohesive way in all its complexity with different artists and personalities. He’s the real deal and we are proud and honored to have had the opportunity to work with him.

  11. Review by Justin Houchin
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    by Justin Houchin

    Starita did some engineering for my debut album last year. Was amazed how quickly he was able to get the sound that I was going for. Total pro! Also, he’s just the chillest dude to hang with.

  12. Review by Will Jenkins
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    by Will Jenkins

    Starita is the MAN! I had the opportunity to work with him for Undercover Presents a few months ago. It was truly impressive to watch him oversee such a large production with a massive amount of musicians to redo ATCQ Midnight Marauders. His creativity and professionalism is inspiring, but most of all he's just a really great guy. I can't wait to work with him again in the future and can't speak of him highly enough!

  13. Review by Nahuel Bronzini
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    I had the chance to work with Starita engineering a session he was producing for a very cool project by UnderCover presents, in which they were re-interpreting A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders, with more than 10 different Bay Area bands.

    Starita had a really clear vision about what the goal for the session was and he helped the artists achieve the goals set while allowing them to bring their unique personality to the music. Starita was fun to work with but also wasn't hesitant to set the pace of the session take command of the situation. That's what a producer does!

  14. Review by Roseanna Brown
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    by Roseanna Brown

    I have worked with Starita over the past three years. Every single time we work together, write incredible songs - he is so encouraging of an idea and following through the development of it. He is lovely to work with and I love how he interacts with me when tracking vocals to get the best take from me. I trust his musicality and ear in production to hear what I am thinking when it comes to a song and every time its exactly as I would imagine.

  15. Review by Tim Pryde
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    by Tim Pryde

    I had the pleasure of working with Starita in producing and mixing some original music. He brought a chill, attentive and encouraging vibe to the studio/creative environment...which for those who have experience with sitting in a studio for hours on end, know how valuable that can be. Starita provided great feedback and input crafting a song and capturing the spirit of it on tape. He is also great for a few laughs during the entire process...which I am always a big fan of! If you are looking for someone very professional, but with a laidback vibe to work with, Starita is your guy!

  16. Review by J Sider
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    by J Sider

    I worked with Starita on a few tracks we wanted to release. He helped us through the entire process which really made all the difference. Not only is he great at what he does but also a fantastic guy to hang out with which is always good when you’re working long hours in the studio. If you want a professional sound and to work with a great person along the way then Starita is your guy!

  17. Review by Kevin Amann
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    by Kevin Amann

    Starita did an amazing job tracking our last record. I would work with him again in a heartbeat.

  18. Review by Simonne Gabrielle
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    by Simonne Gabrielle

    Starita was the first to trust me professionally in the studio as a singer, doing vocals on one of his tracks in 2011. He is hands down one of the most supportive, patient, inspired and inspiring producers/engineers to work with. He has a crazy clear ear and a sharp attention to details. No mistakes fly under his watch, though he addresses them in the kindest of ways.

    All around phenomenal artist...and he’s just a great human being!

  19. Review by Randall T.
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    Michael is not only a great producer and engineer but an accomplished writer, musician and a pleasure to work with. 6 stars.

  20. Review by Jason Slota
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    BALLER.
    I've worked with Starita on a number of projects. Good ears and professional. His creativity behind (and in front of) the board is inspiring. I'm ALWAYS pumped when I find out he's on the project!!

Interview with Starita

  1. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  2. A: Are we really still having this conversation?!! There is no either/or....the question is 'what's the application?'

  3. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  4. A: Well, my work crosses many genres from a GRAMMY win for Laura Sullivan's Best New Age Album, GRAMMY/Latin Grammy nominated work with Los Amigos Invisibles to A Tribe Called Quest's #1 Billboard album. I produce quite a bit of pop, dance and hip hop but love to work on country and rock. I'm a sonic chameleon, I guess.

  5. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  6. A: I mostly live in the producer and mix engineer seat but, I do quite a bit of songwriting with other artists and writers. I also dedicate time to recording meditations for platforms focused on benefitting underserved communities and cancer patients.

  7. Q: How would you describe your style?

  8. A: Slick, fun and modern but moody with a touch of darkness

  9. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  10. A: Treat everyone as people first and everything else will happen as it should.

  11. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  12. A: Listening and connecting with people to bring that to life sonically.

  13. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  14. A: As I've mentioned, I like to dig deep to understand and know who the artist is so that their sound is aligned with them as a person and artist. It can be that an artist has songs that may not quite be in alignment with who they are. So, I spend time with the songs to not only make them the best they can be but to also ensure that they are in alignment with the final sound that represents the artist.

  15. Q: What's your typical work process?

  16. A: When producing it's important to get to know the artist and get inside of their head. So, it initially starts with getting to know the client and then going through songs to make sure everything is aligned. We spend alot of time in pre-production making sure the songs are as good as they can be. Then we go into tracking making sure we are getting the sound that aligns with the artist and who they are. Many times I take the tracks and add electronic production before the vocals sessions. This doesn't mean club dance music. That can mean adding layers of sounds under acoustic instruments that give a feeling we are going for. Then we spend time working on vocal delivery and vocal tracking. The whole time I am keeping in mind the mix and everything goes smoothly from there all the way to mastering.

  17. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  18. A: I'm known for genre-blending as well as mixing electronic production with live instrumentation taking the same approach sonically with an analog/digital hybrid. Depending on the project I tend to cascade tracks onto the SSL using the EQs and some dynamics, in-the-box plugins on some channels in addition to analog outboard gear.

  19. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  20. A: There's so many but a few producers have always stood out to me. Butch Vig, Trevor Horn, Jay Kay & Toby Smith, Dave Cobb, Orbital, Q-Tip and J Dilla to name a few.

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A Tribe Called Quest 'Dis Generation'

I was the Engineer in this production

Terms Of Service

I allow a reasonable amount of revisions as my goal is to create the best sound possible. Turn around time is very fast and I can accommodate deadlines. Additional costs can be discussed.

GenresSounds Like
  • A Tribe Called Quest
  • Chris Stapleton
  • Disclosure
Gear Highlights
  • Neve
  • SSL consoles and outboard gear depending on the project
More Photos
SoundBetter Deal

20% off first song. Applies to producing and mixing only.

  • HipHop DX Feature: ATCQ Producer Starita On Recording "Dis Generation" & Phife Dawg's Last SongSep 13, 2019

    https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.51702/title.atcq-producer-starita-on-recording-dis-generation-phife-dawgs-last-song

  • Billboard Premiere: Starita Debuts 'Rules' Feat. A Tribe Called Quest's Jarobi White & Trent ParkSep 13, 2019

    Billboard Premiere's Starita single 'Rules' 

    https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7701833/starita-rules-a-tribe-called-quest-jarobi-white-trent-park-interview