The Silver Moon Sound Story
Nestled in the Redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Silver Moon Sound is a destination recording studio that specializes in creating authentic recordings that capture the heart and soul of a performance. With top-tier recording gear from manufacturers such as Neumann, AKG, and AEA, and a professionally acoustically treated space that looks as good as it sounds, Silver Moon Sound is the place to be for the artist looking for an inspiring recording environment with the highest level of fidelity.
But Silver Moon Sound isn't just any professional-caliber studio. Woman-owned, wheelchair-accessible, and welcoming to artists at all stages of careers: Santa Cruz recording studio Silver Moon Sound is an interruption in an industry where gatekeeping is the norm and only 5% of audio engineers are female.
Says owner and engineer Shelby Lock: "I spent the earliest days of my career being told what a studio could and couldn't be. It had to be dark, cavelike, and masculine in order to be taken seriously. People also warned that I'd never 'make it' if it was known I was a woman with a disability. Well, ten years later, I'm working with clients from across the globe––both because of the quality of my work and because I'm not afraid to do things a little differently."
Meet the Engineer
Shelby Lock is an audio engineer, pianist, and conservatory-trained composer who enjoys combining both technical and musical expertise to bring artists' projects to life.
Shelby has been working and learning in recording studios since she was thirteen years old. She holds both a BS in Audio Engineering Technology and a BM in Music Composition from Nashville's Belmont University, with graduate studies in Music Composition from the Chicago College of Performing Arts. As a classically trained pianist and composer, Shelby has extensive knowledge of a variety of instruments and knows how real instruments are supposed to sound. With years of engineering experience, Shelby can make sure that sound comes across in artists' recordings.
Before founding Santa Cruz's Silver Moon Sound in 2024, Shelby owned her studio River Rock Records in Charlottesville, VA, and served as Lead Engineer for Chicago-based classical recording company Atlas Arts Media from 2019-2021. Since 2019, she has racked up nearly 200 recording credits as an engineer.
In 2022, Shelby became a member of the Recording Academy / GRAMMYs® Producers & Engineers Wing. She currently serves as a Governor on the Recording Academy Chicago Chapter Boad and is Founding Chair of the Audio Engineering Society's Accessibility Subcommittee.