I have a recording studio dream that captures the vintage sound of ‘50s music in timeless recordings today. My dream is to re-create a similar sound of Sun Studio and its legendary creator, Sam Phillips, as he did back in the ‘50s with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and more. I will use vintage recording gear of that era, like the Altec 1567A mixer, a 1959 Shure 55S Unidyne microphone, and some modern Shure Super 55 Deluxe microphones to capture the vintage sound just like it was back in Sun Studio! These new recordings will not just be a nod to Sun Studio and the legends of that time, but create new music with that vintage vibe.
Night Owl Studio is what I will name my dream recording studio. Night Owl for several reasons. First, I am a night owl by nature. Even when I was a little boy, I did not want to go to bed at the end of the day. I would repeat as fast as my little mouth could speak: “No bed, no bed, no bed, no bed!” Secondly, I attended and graduated from Temple University, the first night school in the country. Third, many musicians and recording producers find magic in late night recording sessions. Letting the tape roll into the wee hours has produced countless memorable records throughout music recording history.
Night Owl Studio will be able to re-create the vintage sound of the ‘50s in mono. Mono was used by the legends at Sun Studio and also be the Beatles when they recorded their early albums. Night Owl Studio will also be equipped to record in stereo for artists wishing to record in this format. The idea behind Night Owl Studio is to create a vintage vibe and sound that artists can resonate with and get excited about. Making meaningful and timeless music is the underlying goal of Night Owl Studio.
In May of 2026, I had the opportunity to tour Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. As the tour guide spoke about Sam Phillips, his dream, and the early recording sessions, I was captivated. I took pictures of all the vintage gear in the museum, knowing that it was the exact gear Sam used to capture those classic sounds that changed music forever! Then, we went downstairs into the recording studio. The tour guide told us about some of the old recording sessions and some details about them and the room where it all came to life. I was mesmerized. As I walked around, touched the Elvis microphone, and looked at everything in that recording studio, my mind went haywire—some might say crazy! I dreamed of somehow recreating a similar recording studio where I could record new music with a vintage sound in a classic, old-school way that would make new music come alive and have listeners pay attention.
Night Owl Studio is my crazy dream!
I’ve already acquired some vintage recording gear like a 1959 Shure 55S Unidyne microphone—the exact same kind I saw at Sun Studio that Elvis used. I also bought a modern Shure Super 55 Deluxe microphone, which is a new, modern microphone that captures sound in a very similar way the classic Unidyne did. I have a TASCAM Model 24 mixing board, a Lexicon MX 400 effects process to get the classic slapback and echo effect on vocals, and a TASCAM SS-CDR250N to record the session takes.
I will be adding vintage recording gear to get close to that vintage Sun Studio sound like the Altec 1567A mixer.
My dream is slowly coming true!
