Sonic Vista: sanctuary and inspiration in equal measure

Situated in a 400 year-old villa on the green hills of Ibiza, boasting breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea, there are few places quite like Sonic Vista Studios for artists looking for quiet sanctuary and creative inspiration in equal measure.

When L. Henry Sarmiento II opened Sonic Vista in 2004, he did so with the idea of creating a getaway where creatives could zone in on their artform with laser focus. As well as stunning surroundings, the studio offers a high end equipment range that blends old and new, while Sarmiento himself is highly experienced when it comes to recording, mixing, mastering, studio production and live sound. He prides himself on catering exactly to artists’ needs.

That combination of environment, equipment and expertise has brought some of the world’s biggest names to Sonic Vista over the past 20 years, including Lady Gaga, 50 Cent, David Guetta, Akon, Ne-Yo, Satori, Ms.Dynamite, James Blunt, Johnny Depp, Carl Cox, Swedish House Mafia, and many more.

We caught up with Sarmiento to get a feel for what makes Sonic Vista so special…

Tell us about yourself and Sonic Vista…
I started as a roadie at 16, and was professionally mixing at 19. I moved from New York to California with $200 in my pocket when I was 17. I’m 52 years old now, so I’ve been in music for a long time and it’s been full power, 24/7. 

I’ve been lucky enough to work with musos, A-game artists and super talents. I ran Herbie Herbert’s studio in San Francisco for many years. He’s a very famous manager responsible for hundreds of millions of records sold by the likes of Journey, Mr Big, Steve Miller and so on.

In 2004, 20 years ago this year, I moved to Ibiza because I wanted to start a new studio, which became Sonic Vista. My whole intention was to create a sanctuary where artists could come and be super focused on their artform. Sonic Vista Studios is located in a 400-year old villa on a hilltop overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Once you pass through the gate, this is a place of creativity and inspiration. If you want to hang out and party, go anywhere else in Ibiza – this is where A-game artists come to make music for the people of the world.

I have multiple studios here, even though I only show one on the website, for privacy reasons. It’s not your traditional studio. Each studio has a different purpose. I can do writing camps, I do a lot of recording, mixing and producing myself out of Studio A; Studio B, C, D, E  are production and writing rooms.

There’s a lot of culture and heritage here, and super inspiring vibes. There aren’t any 400 year old buildings in New York City or California! This place is very inspiring and the only distraction is yourself. People instantly get into the zone here to create music from the heart and soul.

What stands out from a technical point of view?
I have a lot of equipment – the best of digital meets the best of analogue – and a range of 23 guitars and basses. There’s a live room with drums and piano, and even a 400 year old well that has lines direct to Studio A, so you can send snare drums or vocals to it, or you can record at the well itself. It’s so inspiring: you open a door and you have this echo chamber. That really gets artists out of their comfort zone. I like to get creative and record differently: I’ve done vocals on the roof of the villa with the view because an artist wanted to sing to the Mediterranean Sea. 

It’s all about thinking outside the box to capture the magic. That’s the important part. There have been so many songs written by the pool! I put a keyboard, some speakers and a microphone there and people are like, ‘Wait, we can do it outside?’ Yes! You can be anywhere on the premises. Wherever makes you feel good. I’m also a big fan of lighting. I ask artists, ‘What colour are you feeling today?’ and I can change the lighting to match the vibe they want. It’s all about vibe, great equipment and getting to work. I have many pairs of studio speakers, over 20 pairs of studio monitors. So I can set up a creation station anywhere.  It’s all about infrastructure and facilitating whatever hallucination an artist has.

You’ve hosted so many big names over the years. What have been some of the highlights for you?
In 2009, Lady Gaga came with RedOne to finish up on Alejandro. She’s great. She’s so talented and in the zone. She had a gig that night and she left 30 minutes before it started. You wouldn’t believe how many phone calls she got panicking that she missed sound check. But she was in the zone! 50 Cent was amazing also. Super full powered, and he has a great team. David Guetta is a great guy with great vibes; Becky Hill was here last year with a writing camp, amazing talent and people; I did some of vocal recording for James Blunt’s album last year. He’s super talented, and lives on the island when he’s not on tour. He loves Sonic Vista and working with me because we both work fast.

I believe in two styles of music: great music and the rest. I’ve worked in every genre. It’s all about talent and getting the vibe to create magic. These are moments in time that are going to influence pop culture and people’s lives. I commit 200%, and am grounded, supportive and honest with artists. There’s no ego here. I just know how to get the artist to where they want to be.

You’ve worked with artists for a long time. Have their needs changed over the years when it comes to studios, generally?
I feel like we’re in much more of a global situation now. People want something exciting. They understand that life is short. They want to get outside the box. I get requests from people on the other side of the world. They have no idea about Ibiza but they see the studio and think, ‘This looks different’. So often, artists land at the airport, drive straight to the studio, and stay working  for the whole time. They aren’t interested in the pop culture of Ibiza, they just want to come here and get in the zone. As I said, the house is 400 years old – we have an olive tree at the front that is 1,000 years old! It has a cave underneath it! You can’t make this up! So, when people get here, they instantly connect with the vibe. When you go to a modern place, it might have everything in terms of features but lacks soul. It takes time for character to grow.

What’s coming up for you that you’re able to talk about?
I work closely with an artist called Satori. He’s a global artist, he spends more time on a plane than he does on the ground. I am his mixer and producer, so that keeps me busy. I also just started a new album with an amazing band called “My Baby”, they are super epic and mega talented; and I’m in the middle of some writing camps that have been going on throughout the spring and the summer… Some artists like to come in the winter rather than the summer so I’m always busy!

For more info on Sonic Vista, click here. 

For enquiries, email bookings@miloco.co.uk