About

the

Studio

Owned and operated by Paul McNamara and Danny Bernini, the 3000-square-foot studio is a creative haven serving singer-songwriters and bands for more than 20 years.

The studio is a renovated carriage house on a picturesque estate in Western Massachusetts adjacent to the Gothic Revival main house that is “home” for residential clients.

Paul and Danny have worked with a number of artists in all aspects of their careers, from songwriting, arranging, producing, and recording, to management.

The studio

Spirithouse has a super vibey, acoustically-killer control room built around our 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos system, featuring all Focal speakers (tuned by Dolby-certified Joshua Estock!), along with soffit-mounted Augsburgers.

The studio also features a large live room with a range of isolation options for amplifiers and performers, and an extensive collection of gear, including high-end microphones from Telefunken, Neumann, RCA, AEA, Sony, and Royer, as well as vintage recording equipment from Neve, Telefunken, API, Avalon, Urie, MCI, and more.

Spirithouse has a long list of keyboards, including Hammond organs, a Yamaha C3 grand piano, Wurlitzer 200A, and a Fender Rhodes, as well as many vintage keyboards, including a 1973 Polymoog 203a! We also have a large collection of vintage drums, available for use by our clients.

Our goal is to provide an environment that is 100% conducive to creative flow. We spend a lot of energy on this… from creating a warm, inviting vibe in every room, to having many instruments around that are always ready to pick up and play. At the end of the day, we want our clients to have the best, easiest, and most productive recording experience they’ve ever had.

We are happy to talk to you about your next project, and are ready to collaborate with you on your recording, mixing, post-production, film scoring, hosting residential writing retreats, and most recently — Dolby Atmos mixing.

Meet the Team

The Team

Over the years, Danny and Paul have worked with hundreds of recording artists at Spirithouse Music, as well as running Spirithouse Records under the wing of Seymour Stein and distributed by Warner Brothers.

Spirithouse Records put out a number of great records, including The Q People, a tribute to NRBQ featuring Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos, Steve Earl, Yo La Tengo, and J Mascis, among others.

Danny Bernini

Recording & Mix Engineer / Producer / Owner


Throughout the ‘90s and early 2000’s, Danny’s home base for producing and engineering records was the famed Longview Farm Recording Studios in North Brookfield, MA and the world-renowned Hit Factory in NYC. Since then Danny has been head engineer/producer with Spirithouse Music which he co-founded in 2003 with Paul McNamara.

Some of Danny’s engineering/production credits include Martin Sexton, Ben Harper, NRBQ, Disco Biscuits, Stryper, Michael Sweet & George Lynch, Ryan Montbleau, Acoustic Junction, Tall Heights, Spookie Daly Pride, Blondie, Power Station, Chris Collingwood (Fountains of Wayne), John Eddy, Notorious B.I.G., Kara’s Flowers (Maroon Five), and many more.

Danny’s done a lot of post-production mixing for broadcast, including shows for Ben Harper, Stryper, NRBQ, James Blunt, The Fray, the Emmy Award-winning film “The Relics,” and feature film “Blood Barn,” as well as various home theater surround demos for the Bose Corporation.

Danny also serves as Production Director for Tree House Brewing Company’s Summer Stage Series, working with Band of Horses, Waxahatchee, Jeff Tweedy, Snail Mail, Drive by Truckers, Dinosaur Jr., Aimee Mann, Kurt Vile, and many others.

When away from Spirithouse, Danny tours the world mixing front-of-house sound for Ben Harper.

Paul McNamara

Producer / Studio Manager / Owner

Paul has extensive experience in the music business performing, touring, marketing, artist development, and artist and studio management.

Paul opened and operated Amherst MA’s legendary Slaughterhouse Recording in the early 90’s and recorded indie masterpieces Sebadoh’s Bubble and Scrape (Sub Pop’s 30 essential Albums list) and Smash Your Head on The Punk Rock as well as New Radiant Storm King, Supreme Dicks, Kim Gordon, Gobblehoof (SST), and J Mascis, to name a few. He produced and directed many successful Pay-Per-View music shows and was co-writer/producer for the Emmy Award-winning film “The Relics”.

Paul joined Danny in opening Spirithouse Music in 2003, and along with co-producing a number of Spirithouse artist projects, Paul manages the studio and all residential and hospitality functions of Spirithouse.

Testimonials

“Spirithouse — great vibe, exceptional new and vintage gear, excellent staff. I’ve recorded so many projects there over the years. Danny Bernini has always been quick to accommodate any technical needs, as well as provide thoughtful artistic ideas. Totally pro, and feels like home.”

— Martin Sexton