Free studio help at the library opens the mic to everyone

On Wednesday afternoons, down the stairs in the basement level of Sunset Park Library, a heavy soundproof door leads into a compact recording studio loaded with an iMac, an audio interface, studio monitors and a pair of microphones waiting on their stands.

From 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. every Wednesday, audio engineer, producer and Sunset Park resident Anthony Mitchell offers one-on-one help in that room on a first-come, first-served basis. Sessions last at least 30 minutes, depending on how many people show up, and are open to anyone with a library card who wants to work on music, podcasting, storytelling, or ideas that are still just a few notes on their phone.

Equipment like a Rode NT1-A studio condenser microphone, an Apollo Twin interface, Yamaha HS8 studio monitors and an iMac complete with software such as Logic Pro and GarageBand await the intrepid audio explorer. The room also features a greenscreen. It is meant as an introduction to quality gear and the production process and gives neighborhood residents access to tools they might not otherwise be able to afford.

Mitchell’s own path into audio ran through the 1990s music industry. Before learning sound engineering, he worked on the business side, which included managing the career of his then-wife, Manuela “Ya Kid K” Kamosi, a singer-songwriter who fronted Technotronic, the group known for hits like “Pump Up the Jam.”

Mitchell says he began teaching himself how to record and produce around 2016, while working on a multi-media memoir project, when his long-time producer friend stopped working due to health issues.

“It forced me to learn how to produce, because I didn't want to be like a lame duck out of water, you know,” says Mitchell. That gradual shift from management to production, he says, is where he discovered how much he loved the technical side of music, clocking thousands of hours of studio time.

“Once I learned how to produce records, and once I learned how to mix records, it grew on me, and it became a love, like a second love,” says Mitchell.

While he spends a lot of time in his home studio or training at longstanding New Bed-Stuy Boxing Center, on Wednesdays at the library the focus is on helping neighbors get their own projects off the ground. Many people arrive thinking they need expensive equipment before they can begin. Mitchell spends a lot of time breaking that assumption down.

When we asked what it might take to launch a Sunset Post podcast, he pulled out his cellphone. “People carry these devices, but they just don't know the power that they have in their pocket,” explains Mitchell. “You know, a lot could be done right off the phone.”

Most beginners, he says, can learn the basics of recording, mic technique and levels by practicing with a smartphone and a simple app. From there, they can add relatively inexpensive equipment like a small tripod so video is steady, a clip-on mic that connects to a phone, or a USB microphone that plugs directly into a laptop.

Once people are comfortable, he uses the studio session to demystify the more advanced gear. Sitting at the iMac, he shows how the Apollo Twin interface connects the microphones to the computer, how the sound travels into a digital audio workstation and how to listen back on the studio monitors. Visitors who want to go further can get a gentle introduction to software like Logic Pro, learning basic concepts like input gain, recording a clean vocal and exporting a file they can take home on a drive.

When visitors show a deeper interest in learning the technical side, Mitchell tries to meet them where they are. One recent visitor, an Egyptian immigrant, told him she wanted to understand audio engineering well enough to set up her own home recording setup. Mitchell noticed how many questions she asked and how closely she listened. “She’s really serious,” he said.

They arranged to keep meeting in the library’s recording studio for one-on-one lessons, still within the same public space and still free of charge. For Mitchell, that kind of long-term help is just another way to share his knowledge with his neighbors.

“Why not spread love the Brooklyn way?” he says with a smile.

He also sees the studio as one answer to a larger question about who gets access to tools that can amplify their voices. Professional studios are expensive, and even a modest home setup can be out of reach once microphones, interfaces and software are added up. A neighborhood room with a heavy soundproof door and a sign-up sheet works differently.

Mitchell talks about the library studio as a community resource first and a mini-lab for future producers second. The goal is not to turn every visitor into a full-time engineer. It is to show that the process is not mysterious, that good sound is within reach and that learning the basics is possible without a big budget.

Every Wednesday, that process starts the same way: someone steps off Fourth Avenue, walks down to the basement, and pulls hard on the heavy door. On the other side is a small room, a patient teacher and a chance to turn an idea into something you can share with the world.