Meet Caine Lee | Recording Engineer – Record Producer – Studio Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Caine Lee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Caine, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think that risk is necessary for success. Anything worth achieving will come with a certain amount of risk. Most people will not start a business because of the risk so if you accept that there will be a certain amount of risk, you are half way there. When I started my first Studio over 15 years ago I was a kid with a computer and a mic in a warehouse. I lived in my studio for the first year to cut cost. The music industry was changing and people told me that recording studios would be obsolete in a few years. In Addition, right after opening the recession hit and it was hard but we were able to accept the risk, adapt and move on. Mitigating risk is important but I have found it is impossible to eliminate completely. Having confidence and an unwavering belief in yourself along with a little grit can get you through the obstacles and help you concur the fear of taking risks.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My work has evolved over the years. As with most things, experience proves to be the best way to improve your skills in producing music. When I started I worked with anyone who would let me record them sometimes working for little to no money to get the experience and learn. I spent many days in book stores reading for hrs and throwing back the coffee. If I needed to learn about sound isolation or accounting, I’d read a book on it and put it to use right away. Along the way, I made lots of mistakes and produced songs that sounded like crap but I kept learning from each project until I started too , “get it”.

I now have my niche and bands will come from all over for me to work on their music. We are known by bands for our drums and guitar sound that we are able to capture. This has taken years of practice to get this right. Before I ever work with an artist I try to see them live to really understand the energy they want to convey in their art. My goal is to translate the energy of a live performance into a record. Whether I’m recording or mixing a band I always try to think of the energy we are putting out with the music. The best compliment is when a band returns to me album after album to work with them. Still to this day every new mix me and my partner put out we say, “this is my best mix yet” with means we must still be getting better. I don’t think that will ever change.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We have a few great areas for music in Central Florida. My favorites are Downtown Orlando, Mills, and Downtown Sanford.

Downtown Orlando has Lake Eola with is a great place to take in nice weather let the kids run around in the park and go to a farmers market. In the evening Downtown Orland turns into a party scene with Venuses, nightclubs, and some great restaurants. Live music on the weekends outside on Wall Street plaza is awesome!

Mills area and Downtown Sanford has some of the best music venues to catch local acts like the West End and Wills Pub. Great bars and restuarants and this is where the locals go to drink and see shows.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My grandmother Libby was my biggest supporter. When I was 18 years old I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and my career path of joining the US Marine Corp. was ended. The only think I could think to do was something in Music which was always a passion of mine. While everyone else told me I was crazy, she told me I should go for it and gave me my start with a $10k loan to start my first Recording Studio. That gear still sits in my studio today and we are one of the top studios in Central FL. Without her support and constant encouragement I may not have made it where I am today. She jumped in a took the risk with me and I know she would be proud of where I am today.

Website: https://redlionrecordingstudio.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cainelee1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redlionaudio

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjiKeMRx229zQr6j8tGP5tw/videos

Image Credits
Johnathan Leamy