Casbah Recording Studio

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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.

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.^{[citation needed]} St. James' business partner was Chaz Ramirez, also a talented musician and engineer.

In the early 80s, 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. ^[1]

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.