Panda West live room with the Drumbrella at The Panda Studios recording studio in Fremont, California
recording studio, fremont ca

Make your record at Panda.

Tell Us What You’re Making → See the Rooms

“Covet” by Basement. RIAA Platinum. Made at Panda.

Hear “Covet” The story
the facility

Three studios.
One warehouse.

The Panda West live room and the DrumbrellaPanda West18′ × 20′ live room, 14′ ceiling The Panda West control roomWest control room15′ × 17′ The Panda East control roomPanda EastControl room, analog synths and drum machines A drum kit in the Panda East live room, seen from aboveEast live room13′ × 17′, 14′ ceiling Baby Panda, the writing and vocal roomBaby PandaWriting, vocals and overdubs The isolation room with guitars and cabinetsIsolation roomAmps as loud as they want
3control rooms
2live rooms
9beds on site
53microphones
15amp heads
4drum kits

Everything’s included. Just bring fresh strings and drum heads.

9 beds on site, with shower and kitchen · Warm Springs / South Fremont BART under a mile · Oakland, San Jose and SFO airports · Bands fly in from Ipswich, Albany, Boston and Seattle.

Sessions and visits are by appointment. Extended and overnight hours are available by arrangement.

See the Rooms → Stay on Site →
selected work

20+ years
of records through Panda.

Mom Jeans., Best Buds album cover

442M+Spotify streams

Mom Jeans.

Best Buds

Recorded at Panda.

DIY beginnings to stages with Jimmy Eat World.

Basement, Colourmeinkindness album cover

PlatinumRIAA single “Covet”

Basement

Colourmeinkindness

Produced, engineered and mixed at Panda.

335M+ streams. The band flew from Ipswich to Fremont to make it.

The Story So Far, What You Don’t See album cover

#46Billboard 200

The Story So Far

What You Don’t See

Produced, engineered and mixed at Panda.

214M+ streams, and the path to arenas with Blink-182.

State Champs, The Finer Things album cover

#2Billboard Heatseekers

State Champs

The Finer Things

Produced, engineered and mixed at Panda.

75M+ streams, and on to the Warped Tour main stage.

Scowl, How Flowers Grow album cover

Coachellaafter this debut

Scowl

How Flowers Grow

Produced, engineered, mixed and mastered at Panda.

Santa Cruz hardcore to Coachella.

Ryan Caraveo, Trouble in Paradise album cover

37M+Spotify streams

Ryan Caraveo

Trouble in Paradise

Mixed and mastered at Panda.

Genre-crossing, and far beyond rock.

See All the Records →
ways to work here

Three ways
to work here.

Rent a room

Run the session yourself, bring your own engineer, or work with one of ours. Tell us what you need and we’ll match you with the right room and setup.

Get a Quote →
the team

Who you’ll
work with.

Sam Pura, producer, engineer and mixer, founder of The Panda Studios
Sam Pura

Producer / Engineer / Mixer / Mastering Engineer

Best if you want a producer shaping the songs.
Theresa Brown, lead engineer and vocal producer at The Panda Studios
Theresa Brown

Lead Engineer / Vocal Producer

Best if the vocals are the center of the record.
RJ DeMarco, engineer and session musician at The Panda Studios
RJ DeMarco

Engineer / Producer / Session Musician

Best if you need parts written or played.
Charles Toshio, producer and engineer at The Panda Studios
Charles Toshio

Producer / Engineer

Best if it’s heavy, loud and guitar-forward.
Ryan Palma, engineer, producer and multi-instrumentalist at The Panda Studios
Ryan Palma

Engineer / Producer / Mixer

Best if you want clear guidance and a comfortable session.
Meet the Team →
reviews

Best Friend Energy.

“I had the ultimately deluxe experience of staying at Panda for a week and getting fully immersed in my project. I probably had the best week of my life.”
Garrett H. · Google review
4.9Google · 36 reviews 4.8Yelp · 46 reviews

Ratings as of Oct 7, 2026. Read them on Google and Yelp.

“The dictionary defines ‘Best Friend Energy’ as the personification of Sam Pura and the Panda Studios team.”
Alberto D. · Google
“Truly a remarkable and inspiring space to work on records with your best friends.”
Trevor B. · Google
“He will push to get the absolute best he can out of you and for good reason. He cares. Like, a lot.”
Nick B. · Google
“The team at Panda Studios is beyond committed to making things sound awesome and to you having a great time. 10/10 no notes.”
Dennis T. · Google
A band arriving at Panda with their suitcases, 2014
2014
Someone in the Panda costume posing with a band, 2011
2011
A drummer at the kit with the studio dog leaning on him, 2020
2020
About twenty friends cheering in the control room, 2011
2011
Sam Pura and Theresa Brown holding up microphones in the West control room, 2025
2025
A bassist playing in the panda head, 2016
2016
A house show, with the crowd sitting on the live room floor, 2011
2011
A bassist tracking with the studio dog lying at his feet, 2019
2019
Sam Pura and a friend laughing, 2014
2014
A guest with his arms spread wide in front of the Wall of Fame, 2021
2021
A band and friends behind the drum kit with the panda plush, 2015
2015
A singer belting into the mic and pointing at the sky, 2011
2011
Sam Pura and a friend laughing in front of the framed records, 2026
2026
A band hanging out outside the studio, one playing acoustic guitar, 2016
2016
Sam Pura, a friend and the studio dog at the Wall of Fame, 2023
2023
Three friends holding up new outboard gear, 2018
2018
how it works

What happens
next.

  1. Share your demos and goals.Unfinished is perfect. Tell us what you want the record to be.
  2. Talk through the direction and budget.A call about the music, the plan and what’s realistic.
  3. Review a clear proposal.What we’ll make and how, laid out before anything is booked.
  4. Reserve dates.At The Panda Studios, or remotely wherever you are.
  5. Make the record.From the first take to the final master.

Scope depends on the music, your goals, the budget and the time we have.

A Panda Clubhouse page on a phone: the record in the making, with a Listen button and the newest mix.
Every project has a home. Your demos, references, plan, dates, notes and finished files live together while the record is being made. Shown with a made-up band.
the waiting room

The Waiting Room.

27 bands filmed live at Panda, 2010 to 2017. 5.3 million views.

Watch The Waiting Room →
A band session in the Panda West control room
fremont, california

Bring the songs.
We’ll handle the rest.

Tell Us What You’re Making → Schedule a Studio Tour →

510.449.3687 · sam@thepandastudios.com