Casbah Recording Studio
The Casbah Recording Studio or simply Casbah is a recording studio in the Orange County suburb of Fullerton, California that helped to spawn several highly successful acts, including Berlin, Stacey Q, and Social Distortion.
Purchase by St. James
When the Orange County-based producer Jon St. James purchased the studio in the late 1970s, it boasted only a TEAC 8-track tape machine, a mixing console and a few effects. St. James purchased additional electronic devices and rack mount equipment using money he earned doing sound-alike recordings of popular songs for television and radio. St. James' business partner was Chaz Ramirez, also a talented musician and engineer.
Use of 16-track
In the early 1980s, St. James replaced the 8-track TEAC with a 16 track, which was considered the standard in many studios at the time. It was on that reel-to-reel tape machine that Berlin's blockbuster Pleasure Victim EP and Stacey Q's Better Than Heaven album were recorded. The Casbah attracted talent in a variety of genres.
The new Casbah
St. James recently opened a new Casbah recording studio in downtown Fullerton—a Pro Tools equipped digital studio offering recording, mixing, and mastering services.