Tim O’Sullivan has built a career on making great music sound even better. Now, the five-time GRAMMY-nominated engineer, producer, and studio integrator has opened his own creative space, O’Sullivan Audio, in the Frogtown neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The new studio carries a legacy. Once home to Beastie Boys collaborator Money Mark, the renovated facility now features vaulted ceilings, a motorized Drumbrella, and an iso booth situated next to a spacious control room.
A statement from Money Mark discloses that, “I love these rooms where I recorded some of my favorite tracks. Tim is like a mad scientist who can create new signal paths, unusual gear combos, and record nice distinctive sounds.”
Inside, O’Sullivan Audio is equipped with a carefully chosen collection of tools, reflecting decades of experience in both record-making and studio design. Highlights include a 32-channel SoundCraft Ghost console, UTA mic-pres and EQs, an Aviom cue system, vintage synths, and a wide array of effects pedals, drums, microphones, and over 30 guitars and basses.
Peers in the recording industry have taken notice. A statement from producer/engineer Niko Bolas reveals, “Tim is an all-around studio rat like me and proved himself many times under fire. He knows how to operate everything in a studio and how to engineer really great music.”
O’Sullivan’s career includes work at Capitol Studios, where he served as second engineer and tech support, and later as the first full-time employee at Undertone Audio. In 2018, he reopened Eric Valentine’s Barefoot Recording Studio as a fully commercial space, where he worked as Studio Manager and Chief Engineer while continuing his independent work.
His technical expertise has made him a trusted collaborator for clients including Greg Wells, Chris Lord-Alge, Robby Krieger, Nick Zinner, Dylan “3D” Dresdow, and Chris Fogel, among many others. As an engineer and producer, he has worked with artists such as Leonard Cohen, Grace Potter, The Head and The Heart, Chicano Batman, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Rayland Baxter.
A statement from O’Sullivan himself emphasizes what this new space represents: “After years of building studios and collaborating with talented artists, producers and engineers, it’s incredibly rewarding to have a space built to my specs and where myself and other engineers and producers can apply all I’ve learned to help artists capture the sounds they imagine.”
