Native New Yorker Dom Camardella’s Santa Barbara Sound Design is a dynasty…of sorts. Founded in the early 1970s, it was purchased by Dom in 1981, and so started down a 45 year path that has serviced such luminary artists as Yes, Live, Rascal Flatts, Depeche Mode (5 albums), Kenny Loggins (many projects), Michael McDonald, Blues Traveler, David Crosby, Joe Cocker and many many others.

A fine musician in his own right, Camardella earned his Grammy nom in the mid-80s as part of “Nouveau Flamenco” pioneer Ottmar Liebert’s team. His musicianship, as well as his formidable production and engineering skills, helped Liebert launch the genre and resulted in a multi-album deal with Sony’s Epic imprint. But soon Dom was back to his studio!

Dom shows off his shiny new V24 on his gorgeous grand piano.

Dom recently purchased a gorgeous Estonia grand piano that has become a cornerstone of sorts for the studio. Being a pianist himself, Camardella is pretty picky about the instrument, and the mics he uses to capture it’s tone. Until recently, it was often mic’d with his coveted C24, a favorite. Dom loves it’s silky highs and buttery mid-range. But he’d been thinking for a while that it might be time for change before the beautiful vintage mic became a maintenance issue.

When the V24 was released, Dom reached out to us and, after spending a day demoing it, purchased it, mostly for use on his Estonia.

Says Dom:

“I’ve been a fan of the AKG C24 for a long time. Obviously the (C24) is getting pretty long in the tooth. And, as with anything vintage, at a certain point it becomes…troublesome. For such a critical use as mic’ing the grand piano, you don’t want to be surprised on a great take that it decided to cut out – or spit or pop or…something. So I had been on the hunt for a replacement for a long time. Not a replacement, exactly, I’m going to keep my C24, but something that I could put in its place for critical application.

So I’m a very happy chappie. I found my replacement. It’s extremely dependable. 

And, the Vanguard V24 is my go to.”

We love Dom because he’s the complete package: Musician, Producer, Engineer, Mentor, Educator, Businessperson, Bon Vivant! Eminently curious, he’s constantly pushing his own knowledge base, learning new, learning more.

Camardella inspires!

Thanks, Dom, for letting us share the ride!