Modesto Sound studio shows off its new digs

The nonprofit Modesto Sound, which offers professional-quality recording, live sound services and job training for students ages 13 through 22, held an open house at its new digs off Yosemite Boulevard on Saturday.

The organization has two rooms and a shared room on the second story at 110 Santa Barbara Ave., just behind the Jack in the Box on Yosemite. It’s much less space than Modesto Sound had at its three-year home at Gregori High School in Salida, but “it’s pretty perfect for what we do,” said teacher and sound engineer Mark Oesau. “We can record a four-, five-, six-piece band.

“We did have an after-school program there, but not here. But we have an audio technician training program here instead. It’s the same thing, basically, but condensed into a six-week program.”

The program was free at Gregori, but since Modesto Sound now has rent to pay, there’s a $200 cost at the new location. Through a grant Modesto Sound received, it has scholarships available to qualifying low-income students, Oesau said. “We want to get that grant used and help the community,” he said. “We want to get students interested in audio and disinterested in other, more dangerous things they could be doing.”

The audio technician training for high school and college students starts Sept. 1 and meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 7 p.m. Modesto Sound also has a one-week recording arts camp for students ages 8 to 17 coming up July 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. It costs $175, but scholarships for low-income students are available for it, too, said founder and Executive Director Brenda Francis.

Since its inception in 2005, more than 500 artists have recorded at Modesto Sound. Others have trained on the technical side in the studio by staging live concerts and by learning about radio engineering. The nonprofit is funded through donations, grants and recording fees ranging from $20 to $40.

Saturday’s open house included food and refreshments, activities and tours by the board of directors. Musical entertainment was provided by performers including Julian Ortega, Anthony Thompson, Nick Amador, and the bands A Boy and His Purls and The Chameleons X2.

The new location has an advantage over the previous Gregori home, which was fairly remote for many Modesto-area residents. “We hope to branch out to working with large churches and private schools and public schools,” said business manager Janet Seay. “We’d like to reach out to Ceres, Hughson and Turlock.”

For more information, call Oesau at 209-573-0533 or go to www.modestosound.com.

This story was originally published June 27, 2015 at 2:18 PM with the headline "Modesto Sound studio shows off its new digs."