Steve is probably the only producer/engineer on the planet qualified to run a nuclear reactor! After graduating from the University of Illinois with a degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering, Steve spent five years in the Navy as a Nuclear Engineering Officer. From the money the Navy paid him (from your taxes) during college and the five years after, Steve put together his ever expanding home studio and taught himself the art of recording. However, this was not his first adventure into the world of recording. Steve has always been involved in music and electronics since he was in grade school. He would often gather up all the stereo equipment from members of the family and wire it together to make "mix" tapes for him and his friends. He was also heavily involved in creating music -- playing trumpet, piano, keyboards, and eventually guitars in bands from early grade school up to the present day. On the electronics side, Steve was heavily into arcade and computer games. He saved up money from his summer jobs in grade school to buy himself a computer, and then taught himself how to program arcade games and also to modify the computer's hardware.
His interest in computers and electronics is what lead him to study Electrical & Computer Engineering in college. Half-way through college, when money was tight, Steve was heavily recruited to join the Navy's Nuclear Power Program (a highly selective program that draws strictly from the top college engineering students after they have completed their second year of college). He wasn't sure about the Navy, but he wasn't sure that he was really into what he was studying at college either. The Navy's offer turned out to be too good to turn down, and Steve decided to go for it. He was accepted into the program after passing rigorous technical interviews in Washington D.C. with the top Navy Nuclear Officials. With the advance bonus and the monthly pay checks, Steve bought some keyboard equipment and joined a college alternative rock band. As the Navy continued to pay him well, he started putting together a home recording studio and doing demos for his band, as well as composing and recording his own original music. It then finally all made sense! This is what he wanted to do for a living!! Unfortunately, he still owed the Navy five years of his life after college, but it worked out for the best. Steve got to travel around the country (never having to go out to sea) and brought his ever expanding studio with him wherever he went. No matter where he landed, he was always able to find singer/songwriters or bands to work with and hone his producing and engineering skills out of his home studio. Some of his work even made it to the radio! Finally, Steve landed in the shipyards in Bremerton, WA, and was exposed to the Seattle music scene which was just starting to make a name for itself. This is where he decided to make a go at the music business.
A short while after getting out of the Navy, Steve landed a Staff Engineering position at one of the largest professional studio facilities in Seattle, Triad Studios, without having to go through the usual internship process. He worked on staff at Triad from February, 1994 until early 1997. At the same time, he expanded his home studio into a full-blown business of its own, MusicTECH. Owning a home studio and working at one of the area's largest studios had its advantages. The two businesses complimented each other well. Steve used
MusicTECH for pre- and post-production work
for bands, digital editing/mastering,
multimedia, and singer/songwriter or small
band demos.
In 2005, Steve and his family moved into
a much larger home in Issaquah, with a large
lower level ideal for setting up a more
traditional two room studio (separate
control room and tracking room). Steve
hired an acoustic consultant and remodelled
and acoustically treated the spaces to spec
for the best sound possible.
Steve Sherrard is one of those rare, genuinely nice guys, who is able to get along with all types of people, and who loves to work with a wide variety of artists. His laid back, mellow attitude immediately puts the artist at ease. His easy going personality, along with his combination of a strong musical background and outstanding technical abilities, allows his clients to relax and focus on delivering their best performance possible!
DBAR Productions is Steve's Production Company. It was never intended to be a commercial studio (although it has certainly grown into one). When you work with Steve at DBAR Productions, you are not paying for the facilities, but for Steve's expertise at getting the job done right the first time! He will work with you and your budget to get you the best possible product for the money. It's the proven combination of both a strong musical background and his vast technical knowledge that guarantees you will not be disappointed with the results! Whether it's engineering, producing, composing or arranging music, mixing, digital editing/mastering, or multimedia work, Steve has the knowledge and experience to get the work done right the first time!
