Tonioli Recording Studio
Our Goal is to OVER-Deliver
Every song and project is different. Our goal is to first understand what you want to accomplish when you come to record at our studio and then pair you with the right team that OVER-DELIVERS on your expectations and help you sound and your song(s) sound better than you thought was possible.
When you have the right team to provide feedback and collaborate with you on your project, they can take your music and audio to another level.
We provide an incredible live room and isolation room recording space along with world class microphones to capture your audio. We’ve invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to make one of the most unique, world class spaces to record audio and video in Utah.
Most important of all we have a very SPECIAL Yamaha C7 Grand Piano.
Made in 2001, our C7 Disklavier Pro was originally handpicked from a large group of pianos by John O’Brien, one of the top piano technicians in the United States. O’Brien maintained all the pianos for Paul Allen, the Microsoft billionaire, including all of Allen’s superyachts and mansions. O’Brien also maintains the pianos for Daniel Lanois (producer of U2 and Bob Dylan), Roberta Flack, the New Orleans Jazz Festival and many others.
Our piano started its life at a top jazz recording studio in New Orleans where Herbie Hancock, Dr. John, Ellis Marsalis and Allen Toussaint recorded on it. Toussaint wouldn’t use any other piano for recording.
In 2013, it moved to Water Music in Hoboken, New Jersey (the greater New York City area) where Patrice Rushen, Lenny White, Esperanza Spalding, Wallace Roney and Pulitzer Prize winners Henry Threadgill and Julia Wolfe recorded with it.
Patrice Rushen – who was Quincy Jones‘s session pianist – told a label executive that it was the best studio piano she had ever played. For its first 20 years of life, it was maintained solely by O’Brien. It is an astonishing instrument.
In 2021 after the Water Music Recording studio was moved following a real estate sale, it found its new home at Tonioli Music Studio in Utah. It is now used for recording some of the most intimate and relaxing piano music, instrumental duets and vocalists and continues its tradition as being a favorite instrument of the great piano artists of today.
The piano has a multi page list of artists who have recorded on it that include Dave Matthews Band, Bonnie Raitt, R. Kelly, Ben Folds Five, Idina Menzel, Jimmy Eat World, Jason Mraz, Cyndi Lauper, Steuart Smith (The Eagles), Nancy Sinatra, Beyoncé, U2, Shakira, and more. (Click Here to see the full list)
Our goal is to help your project sound great
“Each concert will be unique and different. I intend to invite my musical friends to come and share their talents with others.”
If you have questions about upcoming events, please email [email protected]
FAQ's
What are your rates for recording at your studio?
We’ve listed the rates above. An hourly rate is fine to quote, but the more important thing to ask is how fast and efficient can you be? Depending on hor prepared a person is when they come to a studio determines how long it takes to reach your goal. If you are a piano player, one advantage we have is that our piano can record the music you play on it, we can edit and modify any mistakes on the piano whether it be timing, bad notes, sustain pedal issues and more. We then have the “real” piano play back the perfected version of the song. This can cut hours and hours of editing time from a project. In the best case scenario, if you want a super professional song with the piano and you are prepared to play it great, you will likely spend between 2-6 hours per song in the studio. We will do our best to coach the musicians so that they can find the right speed + the best outcome.
Our prices are quoted above, but before we book time for anyone, we like to do a meeting over zoom or in person to make sure we understand your goals and can provide some input and coaching regarding what to expect as well as agree on milestones for your project to achieve success.
What equipment do you provide when I come to the studio?
We have a fantastic C7 Disklavier grand piano that we keep tuned and regulated often. Our LIVE room has amazing natural reverb and can be used for piano, instruments, soloists and even choirs. We can fit 50 people comfortably in chairs around tables for a concert in this space. We have a long list of mics for just about every scenario and need.
How can I turn pages on my ipad with a foot pedal?
I’ve been using the AirTurn footpedals since they first came out and love them. They are simple and work great. You can learn more about them at: http://www.airturn.com/bluetooth-pedals
What program do you use to write your music?
I started writing piano music with pencil and paper. I now use Finale, which is a bit pricy. There are some good intro options with Finale though. The other program out there is Sibelius. I’ve tried both. Neither one is very easy for a beginning but I think that Finale is the easiest of the two. Sibelius is a bit hard to figure out if you have used Finale. There are fans of both music notation softwares though. There are also some pretty cool apps for the iPad now that you can write music on, but if you do want to get serious about writing music you’ll likely need to eventually buy a license of Finale or Sibelius.
What program do you use to record your songs?
I record my songs in a studio but we use a software program called ProTools.
What do you charge to do concerts for small groups?
One of the things I love doing is playing for small groups of people. If you are planning a Holiday party and would like to have piano music entertainment or a concert for a small group of people, send me an email. These in-home shows can go as long as you’d like. I typically charge $475 for this type of event plus travel costs. If you are in Northern Utah and I can get to your home in 30 minutes, I don’t charge any extra. If more travel time is involved, we can talk and figure out a price that we both feel is fair.
Do you teach piano lessons, composing, or mentor aspiring musicians?
I’ve never taught piano lessons but I have worked with a few people over the years who were wanting to learn more about composing. I love helping mentor young composers or aspiring musicians. To do this, we actually stared Aingeal Music Worldwide to help organize many of my musician friends and allow us to provide a more structured type of mentoring. If you’d like to get into the music business or learn more about whether music may be a career path for you, please reach out to me via email, share a bit of your story and tell me how you think I might be able to help. I have many connections that can help with recording at the studio, getting your music to iTunes, learning about music notation, orchestration, film and Video game music, mixing, etc, and I’m happy to make introductions to the right people to help someone. Again, just send me an email to [email protected] and tell me what you might be looking for help with.
What are your policies on shipping and what should I do if I have questions?
If you are ordering from our website (tonioli.com) the order for digital products will allow you to download your files immediately after purchase. For paper/spiral bound books we normally are able to package and ship the books within 1-3 business days (M-F). We ship with USPS and typically use First Class or Media Mail. Most packages include a tracking number through the USPS. Thanks to Covid and problems with the post office, we are finding that many of the East Coast addresses have been taking as much as 12-20+ days, even when we send via First Class. Unfortunately it seems that the days of 3-5 days for First Class packages to arrive aren’t happening anymore. We continue to work with our postmaster to try to find ways to ensure that the packages are arriving as quickly as possible. If a package has taken at least 3 weeks and has not arrived, we are happy to ship another order out for you but we find that about 99% of the time that both packages arrive.
Most of the time packages arrive in great condition but we have had times where the book or CD arrives damaged. We’ve seen everything from Tire Marks on the envelope to books being bent completely in half by machines. While that isn’t the norm, we want you to be able to enjoy the book and feel it should arrive in good condition. If you receive an order and it is significantly damaged to the point that you feel a replacement is needed, please email our support team at [email protected] and we’d be happy to make things right, within reason. We want you to be able to enjoy the music for years to come and for the few times that a post office worker ends up having something happen that causes damage to the package, we feel like we can do our part to help make sure you feel good about your purchase.