Justin Gariano/ Dusty Schaller on SoundBetter

TreeHaus Recording is a full service recording studio, from tracking to production to mixing and more. We provide our clients with an inspiring space full of "big-name studio" gear without breaking the budget. The studio also accommodates freelance engineers, producers, and mixers. Our clients include acts such as Toto, Evanescence, Meghan Trainor

WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT? Cost. Efficiency. Vibe.
1) Studio owners Justin Gariano and Dusty Schaller are on hand to Produce, engineer or assist all sessions at no extra cost.
2) A drum kit is always set up and mic'd - saving you valuable time.
3) Spectacular views outside, and a playful environment inside, keep you in the creative vibe from the moment you arrive.

Control Room
17'x22′, acoustically tuned. Splay your sessions across our SSL AWS 900+ analog console, and patch in to outboard gear by Neve, Chandler, Daking, Avedis, CAPI and more! We are equipped with the latest versions of Pro Tools, Logic, and Ableton Suite. An Antelope Orion 32+ provides spectacular D/A conversion, and speakers by Barefoot and JBL provide pristine, accurate monitoring.

Our Mac Pro is loaded with all the essential plug-ins and soft synths, such as Waves 9 Mercury, McDSP All Access, Autotune 8, SoundToys 5, Kush, Slate, Roland, Arturia, Komplete 10, and the full suite of Antelope Audio's stellar Realtime FX.

Tracking Room
22'x23′, acoustically tuned, and includes full access to our large collection of drums, guitars, amps, synths, and mics. From loud rock to delicate orchestral sessions, our live room captures every note beautifully.   The podcast and voice-over industry has discovered our pristine sound quality as well, with clients ranging from Kim Kardashian to Audible Inc.

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Credits

11 Reviews

Endorse Justin Gariano/ Dusty Schaller

by Erica Lauren
I chose Justin and Dusty to produce the debut album of a band I co-owned. They were true collaborators from beginning to end. The music they produced is still some of my favorite music to this day. Their knowledge and professionalism is superb and the studio is state-of-the-art with great sound and equipment. They were truly the perfect duo to produce this project and I would have kept them on indefinitely had their been a second album! I feel grateful to have worked with them and even luckier to have formed a solid, trusting friendship with them. Any artist would be fortunate to work them.
by Evan Henzi
Justin and Dusty's work on my vocals resulted in various tracks signed to major EDM labels, like Armin van Buuren's Armada Records, Paul Oakenfold's Perfecto Records, and Black Hole Recordings. I'm a singer in the EDM scene, and I've had most of my vocals produced here. Up in Woodland Hills, south of the boulevard above the valley views peeking through some gorgeous orange and oak trees = creativity bound to happen! Love these guys. They are Grammy winning pros with years of experience working with all kinds of genres, and will deliver quality better than top quality! Go here!
by Jake Magness
One of the best experience recording drums I've ever had! Justin is awesome. Definitely going to be coming back soon.
by Nik F.
Great producer, writer, musician and human. I highly recommend Justin for all of your production needs and his studio is top notch!
by Anthony J Jauregui
We recently wrapped our EP at Treehaus and I must profess it was an awesome experience having Justin at the helm. I was last in line for this project as vocal tracks needed to be laid down. It was my first time working with him and from what my bandmates told me I needed to be prepared as this dude was going to push me to my limits and bring out the best in me. He did exactly that. It was challenging, fulfilling, and rewarding. There is nothing like going into the creative process and being able to collaborate with someone with such ease. Cheers Justin! Our next project awaits!
by Mark V.
Justin and Dusty are the best! Hands down, best studio experience I’ve ever had in my life. Such a vibe and besides the amazing gear in the studio, their knowledge of producing and writing is next level! Beyond proud to call these guys my friends!
by Ethan Nickles
I have recorded with so many engineers at different studios over the years and the only regret I have is not meeting Justin and Dusty at TreeHaus sooner in my career. The Vibe these two create at their studio could make anyone feel comfortable, nothing can make or break a session like an engineer and their attitude. It’s always a little stressful working in a new studio with a new engineer but these two guys will make you feel right at home, offering constructive criticism and leave you walking out the door with a product that not only you but they themselves believe in!
by Dave Bethell
I’ve worked both in-person in his Woodland Hills studio and remotely and can tell you Justin, (and his studio and his impressive black book of contacts), is true value. Whether you’re looking for a second pair of ears over a project, a mix engineer, a full on producer / project manager, you will get passion, knowledge, skill and speed! He’s very generous with his ideas and knowledge and all the projects I’ve worked with him on, have sounded better for his input!

Worth every cent!

Dave Bethell
TV and Radio advertising music producer / former VP at BMG / co-owner of TM Studios
by Jason Young
Justin and Dusty are the best production duo I’ve ever worked with in my 25 years of making records. Tracking, producing, mixing and collaborating, you really have it all in house with this team. They also happen to be great guys.
by Beck Black
Justin Gariano SAVED my album that was recorded/mixed by another engineer. When I sent the files to Justin, he knew EXACTLY what to do to make the album of songs an absolute MASTERPIECE! He can FIX the tracks recorded to have a balance of sound like no other! If you want someone that can BRING IT TO the proverbial TABLE, I HIGHLY Recommend Mr. Gariano for all things. And to top it off, he’s super fun to work with.
by Robb Laffoon
Justin and Dusty are the best engineers and producers I’ve ever worked with. They make you feel comfortable, they highlight your strengths, and they know how to properly hide your weaknesses. 5 stars for the treehaus

Interview with Justin Gariano/ Dusty Schaller

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I absolutely loved working with our friends in SOZ.... They're the funniest most down to earth guys on the planet and they made each day an absolute joy to show up to the studio. The always showed up with such a great attitude!I was producer/engineer/mixer on the project.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Currently, aside from tons of drum tracking which is always going on here, Im remixing a 20 year old record from scratch and replaying anything that needs touching up in the process.... Its been super fun and challenging diving into mixes that old!
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Yes! My friend Hayden Maringer is a killer session guitarist and can shred anything ya need!
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: BOTH! I mix in both analog (SSL console with outboard gear) and digital... Theres things that analogue gear does that plugins just haven't caught up to yet. Digital is great for speed, workflow and everything in between.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I promise that the song isn't don't until you say its done and you're 100% happy!
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I love working on so many different things all the time. It never gets boring!
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Q: Can I get stems for live playback? A: Yes, however, understand I'm here to produce your song not your live show so if its a big job exporting stems then I do charge for that as a function of time needed to do so.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: Im pretty sure most people think recording involves hanging a mic in a studio and hitting record and that its somehow finished after that.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What is your goal with this project? Are you playing these live? (We are live playback architects as well for several major artists and tours). Do you have reference tracks that we can hear to get an idea of where you want this to go?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Be ready for me to push you to your limits and be ready to WORK! Also be ready to have a lot of fun and please communicate!
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: My PMC 6-2 monitors...HCL T8 mic pres, Lauten LS-208 mic, laptop with pro tools of course, Daking FET compressor.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started off as an electrical engineer with a degree from UCLA working in aerospace but had always been involved in music. A couple of my bands did fairly well and I fell in love with the production process and loved being in the studio. I always felt I was a bit too creatively restless to be in the aerospace world so I focused on music.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: A firm steady hand that's in service of the art.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I would love to work with Rufus Du Sol or Deftones... They're so unique and the production of those records would be undoubtedly fun!
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: We work on everything from electronic to pop to metal to rock... we love everything! Working on the same thing all the time would be boring and a big part of our sound and production techniques are that we work on so many things. The all bleed into each other.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I bring 20+ years of experience as a producer along with the incredible mentors I had during my upbringing. IWe used to be (and still are) touring and live musicians so we have our feet in both worlds so that we can really understand what our artists want.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: We like to start at the basic song level and expand from there. Discuss influences and other records the artist likes both production wide and sonically and go from there. We think playfulness and experimentation are crucial to developing a great song.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: The studio is nestled in the trees above the Woodland Hills Country Club overlooking the San Fernando Valley. Our studio is private and vibey with a large control room and an even larger tracking room. We have every instrument you could ever need here including 20+ snare drums, multiple drum kits, guitars, basses, synths and keyboards and just about every plugin known to man.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I was brought up by Ross Hogarth, Adrew Schepps, Ted Greenberg, and Mikal Blue... I have always been a huge fan of Serban Ghenea mixing and absolutely love how Trent Reznor uses the studio as an instrument.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: We deliver what our client has in their head....sometimes what they didn't realize what was in their head to begin with.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: We play. We record. We produce. We mix. We capture raw, primal emotion, and give it life. We tell jokes that won’t leave the room. We are emotional paramedics. We are fearless audio assassins. Sonic Magellans. The straw that stirs the drink. You are the artist. We deliver the music you hear in your head. We do a whole range of musical styles...from production to tracking to mixing and everything in between.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Gain staging....learn GAIN STAGING!