recording studio

THE

BUDDY PROJECT

who we are

The Buddy Project is a New York City-based recording studio, producing original music, since 2002.

Music recorded here has sold more than 2 million physical copies and streamed more than 2 billion times across the internet.

Our projects have received awards, critic’s choice, and “best of’s” across the globe in countries including Australia,  England, France, Peru, South Africa, and the United States.

We invite you to continue this journey with us.

OUR team

JEANNE MONTALVO

Producer

Jeanne Montalvo is a Grammy-nominated audio engineer and radio producer. She was selected amongst thousands of applicants as the 2018 EQL resident at Spotify Studios and Electric Lady Studios in New York City, assisting in the recording process for artists like Michael Bublé, John Legend, Babasónicos, Alessia Cara, Anitta and many more. She also recorded sessions with Ivy Queen, Making Movies and Ruben Blades, Flor de Toloache, and Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra. In 2017, she was nominated for a Grammy Award as Mastering Engineer for Vladimir Horowitz: The Unreleased Live Recordings, and her recording of Multiverse by Bobby Sanabria's Latin Jazz Big Band was nominated for Best Latin Jazz Album at the 2012 Grammy Awards. She’s worked at the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Tanglewood Music Festival, and has also worked on live recordings with Spike Lee and Al Kooper.  She broke into radio after receiving her Masters in Music Technology from New York University, working as an audio engineer and producer for National Public Radio and Bloomberg Radio and is now the sound designer and engineer for the Duolingo podcast. She is also creator of "Live from Latino USA"  a live and (mostly) unplugged video series that features Latinx talent from Jessie Reyez to Jose Feliciano. 

Production reel available upon request.

AJ PILLETTE

Producer

AJ has worked with singers, and musicians for almost 15 years. After moving to the UK in 2010 he started working in studios in London as an engineer, producing vocals for artists like Olivia Nelson at Hear this as well as Kimberly Hale and Ruben de Ronde for Statement Records.

While most producers today focus on making beats and rarely sit in the same room as the singer, AJ works directly with the artist as a recording engineer specializing in vocal production and executive production. This allows him to give the project a strong creative direction and prepare the artist and product for market.

Production reel available upon request.

LOWELL THOMPSON

Producer/Engineer/Mixer

As a 17-year veteran of music production and content creation, Lowell delivers projects that respect an artist’s intentions without sacrificing wide-scale appeal. “Music is a time capsule, a portal between the past and the future. It is important to create something lasting. A persistent memory; snapshots of who we are and how we think or dream. Songs are generational imprints deserving of our most beautiful flourishes.”
Vocal production and editing are among his most sought-after skills, with a knack for helping singers translate their emotions and intentions in ways that allow an audience to hear without borders. Alongside “dog ear” attention to detail, he helps elevate songs to their highest possible level of impact through careful selection, arrangement, capture, production, editing, mixing, and mastering, providing a “one-stop-shop” for completed visions rather than finished jobs.
Motion picture, film, TV, podcast, vlog, and social media clients work with Lowell to edit and enhance their audio, capture dialogue, create original scores, or curate professional, unique, and highly engaging content. “Great sound is not an ancillary; it is a necessity.”
Since 2005, Kieran and Lowell forged a friendship as their working relationship grew. By partnering in mid-2021 to remotely link his hybrid (analog/digital) production space in North Carolina with The Buddy Project in Astoria (NY), the two have quickly modernized and expanded TBP’s capacity and capabilities across a variety of “new world” scenarios.
Lowell’s resume includes working in some of the world’s great studios (Sonic Ranch, ClearTrack Recording, Germano Studios/NuMedia NY) and with entities and artists such as Herbie Hancock, “Bassy” Bob Brockman, Cedric “Ced Solo” Solomon, Angus and Julia Stone, Julian Velard, Pete Pidgeon, For the Foxes, Universal Music Group, Sony Records, ABC, CBS, NBC, MTV, and more. His work is featured across all broadcast and streaming platforms.

Production reel available upon request.

ARIEL LOH

Producer/Engineer/Mixer

Ariel Loh is a music producer and composer based in Astoria, New York City. He attended SUNY Purchase for his undergraduate in studio production while spending time working at Electrical Audio, Stratosphere Sound, and Studio G. A passion for vintage analog synthesizers manifests in both his indie-rock productions and film scoring alike. His work has made appearances on Vice, Variety, MTV, Yahoo, AOL, Huffington Post, at Sundance Film Festival, and more. Ariel also works as a staff engineer at Smash Studios in Manhattan.

http://lohmusic.com/

Production reel available upon request.

KIERAN KELLY

Studio Owner/ Producer/ Engineer/ Mixer

Kieran was born in the French Quarter in New Orleans, and raised in Flint, Michigan. He was deeply influenced by his music-loving parents throughout his childhood. Kieran’s mother owned an independent record store specializing in Punk and New Wave music, his musician father had six-year old Kieran filling in the drummer position in his impromptu jam sessions on a regular basis. Through this he was exposed to an eclectic range of music from Cole Porter, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, to the Rolling Stones, which would leave a lasting impression. Kieran in addition to owning The Buddy Project is a staff producer at Rabadash Studios in New Orleans. Some of the albums created at The Buddy Project include Sufjan Steven’s “Illinoise”Julia Stone’s “The Memory Machine”, Farryl Purkiss’s “Home” and Angus & Julia Stone’s “Down The Way” Kieran has earned Multi Platinum records in Australia , France (Angus & Julia Stone’s “Down The Way”) and New Zealand (Midnight Youth’s “The Brave Don’t Run”) and a Gold Record in the U.S. (Better Than Ezra’s “Friction Baby”). He produced, mixed and engineered original recordings that have appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, FX, MTV, Showtime, The Sundance Channel and NPR. In 2007 Kieran was invited to speak in front of Congress representing independent labels in the congressional hearing for web radio royalties. He has designed sound for The Museum of Art and Design in Manhattan. Kieran’s production and mixing for Angus and Julia Stone’s “Down The Way” in 2010 won 8 Australian ARIA awards. In 2014 he produced Farryl Purkiss’ album “Home” which was nominated for a South African SAMA award. 2015 had Kieran working on both sides of the globe producing Dutch duo Vonder And Bloom’s ” Follow You Back Home” as well as Melbourne Australia’s Hollow Drums forthcoming debut. 2016 Saw “Cosmos” For Peruvian Rocker Pipe Villran named Rock Album of the Year by Peru’s La Republica. Kieran Proudly Endorses Eisen Audio Pre Amps Tul Microphones As a Producer Kieran is exclusively represented by Steven Scharf for Steven Scharf Entertainment Contact Here.

Production reel available upon request.

OOUR WORK

SElected recordings

ARTISTS

Angus & Julia Stone – “Down the Way”

Julia Stone – “The Memory Machine”

Matt Johnson – Jeff Buckley,  St. Vincent “Cage Fighter”

Sufjan Stevens– “Illinoise”, “Avalanche

Marc Stepro – Panic At The Disco – Drummer

Matt Safer-  The Rapture

Cameron Deyell-  SIA

Cat Popper – Ryan Adam’s Cardinals

Ari Hest “Guilty Heart” EP,

Michael Lerner – The Antlers

Darren Jesse – Ben Folds Five

Virginia Luque – (Andres Segovia’s last student)

Justin Tranter – Writer of Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” and Gwen Stefan’s “Used To Love You”

The Gregory Brothers

Andrew Rose Gregory – “The color red and other songs about the power of love”,

The Open Sea – Ari Hest & Rosi Golan) “Little Apple”

Kim Thompson – BeyonceJay ZMike Stern

Nate Campany – Tove Lo ,Carly Rae Jepsen

Joe Kennedy – Pete YornMacy Gray

Rhett Miller – Old 97’s

Greta Brinkman – Moby ,L7  “Tribute to PIL

Sons of the West – Debut Record,

The Dash – The Dash”

Midnight Youth

Park Ranger – “Safe Without Sound”,

Countess of Persia – “Super Birthday Battle Cake”,

Paul Stivitts – Lauren Hill, Maynard FergusonBrave ComboToby Lightman

Sim Cain – Ween, Rollin’s Band, Marc Ribot – Drummer

Jeremy Kay – Sharon Jones And The Dap Kings

Osso String Quartet – My Brightest DiamondKanye West 

Tony Garnier – Bob Dylan – Bass/Bandleader

Bayside: Pre-Production for “The Walking Wounded”

The Affair – “Yes Yes to You”

The Waylon’s – “The Waylons”

Tommy Price (Billy Idol )- ”Tribute to PIL”

The Break Mission – “The Break Mission”

Jay Sherman-Godfrey – “Two Score”

Kathy Zimmer – “Spare Key”

Salazar – “Cinematocracy”

Protocol: – “Protocol”

Rajesh Haldar – “Hello Young World, Vol2”

Susan Enan

Johanna Schubert – Self Titled

Soundpool

gear

RECORDING

Pro Tools HD2 8.1
Aurora 16 w PT HD card
Central Station w/ Remote
Folcrom summing box
KRK 6000 Speakers
Genelec 1029a speaker
Mac Pro 2.66 GHZ 5Gigs of RAM

AMPS

Marshall Plexi 1972 w 1960TV Cab (Celestion Vintage 30s)
Vox AC15
Fender 1965 Twin Reissue
Orange AD15
Magnatone 432
Fender 1965 Vibrolux
Fender Vibroverb

Additional amps are available for a small additional fee and usually available the same day

Marshall JCM800
Fender Deluxe
Mesa Dual Rectifier
Bruno “Baby Bruno” (50’s deluxe design)

MICROPHONES

Soundelux e47
A/T 4033
A/T 4041(2)
AKG 451 (2)
Beyer m160 (2)
Studio Projects B1 (2)
Shure sm7
AKG d112
AKG d160
Bing Carbon Microphone
Beyer m201
Blue Baby Bottle
EV 635
EV RE20
Heil PR 40
Microtech Geffel um70 (W/ Audio Upgrades Mod)
MXL V69 (Tube)
Oktava Ml 52 (Ribbon)
Sennheiser 421
Sennheiser E609 silver(2)
Shure SM57 (2)

 

PRE AMPS/EQ’s (16 Channels)

API “lunch Box” containing
AwTac ACA (2)
Eisen Audio “agressive”(2)
Eisen Audio “Big and Classic”(2)
Eisen Audio “Hi- Fi” (2)
Eisen “Aggressive mids”(2)
Warm Audio WA12 (2)
Focusrite 428 (4 channel)
Altec 1592b
EQ
Purple LilPEQr (2)

COMPRESSORS (10 Channels)

Manley Vari-Mu
SSL E series Buss compressor clone (the Best SSL, just Ask Tony Visconti)
Custom 1176 LN (transformer in and out Rev F)
Distressor
Manley ELOP
dbx 119 (Oasis/ the Chemical Brother’s fav.)

Warm Audio WA76 (2)

OverStayer
Fender Strat
Epiphone Casino
Taylor 410

DRUMS

Gretsch (1976 rock kit – drums proudly optimized by Nodar Rode)
14″ tom
16″ Floor
18″ Floor
18″ kick
24″ kick

Slingerland (1972 Jazz kit – drums proudly optimized by Nodar Rode)
12″ tom
14″ floor
20″ kick

Pearl Prestige Session Select (Contemporary)
10″ tom
12″ tom
14′”tom
22″Kick

SNARES

Black hawg 14x 6.5 Brass
Tama Stewart Copeland 14×5.5 Brass
Leedy 1950’s Mahogany 14×5
Gretsch 1960’s Birch 14×5
Custom ” Keller” maple 14 x 7
Ludwig “Supraphonic” 14×5
Slingerland Marching drum
Pacifica maple 14×5 ( refined by Nodar Rode)

KEYBOARDS

Yamaha M1 upright Piano (tuned regularly)
Wurlitzer 200a
Yamaha DGX-505
Prophet 12

GUITARS

Gibson Les Paul 1972
Fender 60s Tele
Fender Strat
Epiphone Casino
Taylor 410

BASS

Fender Precision

LCONNECT

Contact for Bookings

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