| Mad Oak Studios | |
| Foundation: | 2000 as Mad Oak Recording Studio |
| Location City: | Allston, Massachusetts |
| Location Country: | U.S. |
| Key People: | Craig Riggs, studio owner Benny Grotto, head engineer, studio owner |
| Area Served: | U.S. |
| Industry: | Music |
| Products: | Recording Studios |
Mad Oak Studios is a recording studio located in Allston, Massachusetts neighborhood of Boston, United States.[1] It was established in the year 2000 by Craig Riggs and Frank Pagliughi, who were later joined by PK Pandey and long-time head engineer Benny Grotto as co-owners.[2]
Mad Oak Studios’ original location was formerly home to a wood-working shop called Mad Oak Wood Working. Craig Riggs, then-frontman of the rock band Roadsaw, realized that much of his band's revenue was being spent on studio time, and became determined to open a recording studio catering to musicians with limited income who did not want to be forced to compromise the recording quality of their music for financial reasons.
He partnered with Frank Pagliughi, and together they took over the wood shop’s space. After adopting the woodshop's name, Mad Oak Studios was born in the year 2000.
In 2013, due to the booming residential market in Allston, Massachusetts, the studio was forced to change locations. That same year, the studio parted ways with co-owner Frank Pagliughi, and Benny Grotto was made co-owner. Construction on a new studio began in early 2015, and was completed later that year.
Benny Grotto (2010 Boston Music Awards' Producer Of The Year[3]) - head engineer
Mad Oak has a Walters-Storyk Design Group-designed control room, a variety of live room acoustic options, and multiple isolation booths.
Live at Mad Oak was a monthly concert series, featuring local talent performing in front of an invite-only audience. They were multi-tracked and captured by a professional filming crew. The shows were mixed live-to-stereo and made available online the next morning.[4] This was supported entirely by the studio with the sole purpose of promoting local artists.