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Stepbridge Studios is undoubtedly the busiest and best-known recording facility in northern New Mexico, but musicians have many other choices and often make use of more than one.

Pianist Kevin Zoernig spreads his praise among several studios: "Besides Stepbridge, I'm doing recording work at Santa Fe Soundworks and Kludgit Sound. Baird Banner [at Kludgit] is a world-class engineer and technician. His studio is totally automated digital, and it's a beautiful building, the old masonic building in Cerrillos. The 4th World is a nice studio. It's small but very effective. Jon Gagan and I have recorded there a lot. Jon also has his own studio that has a killer piano, which is something the other studios around here are missing."

Zoernig also has worked at Frogville, MacBeat the Room, and Rancho Digital. There are more than 20 recording studios in northern New Mexico, and the majority are available to musicians who want to create a CD.

Scott Cadenasso (formerly known as Joots Group Studio), Santa Fe, 984-2301, scottboy7@earthlink.net. Cadenasso works with local musicians, "pretty much anyone who calls," and offers Cubase and Adobe Audition equipment. He won the 2004 New Mexico Music Industry (MIC) Awards (NMMIA) for "Best Musical Production/Punk" for Milo de Venus' "Little Big Hair."

Chavez Recording Studio (Steve Chavez), Arroyo Seco, 505-753-5408, http://www.stevechavez.com. The Alcalde native has been writing, arranging, performing, and recording music for more than 20 years. The studio offers 34 digital tracks, automated mixing, and digital mastering.

D7 Productions (Danny and Sandy Duran), Pojoaque, 455-0802, http://www.d7productions.com. Pro Tools system (24 tracks) and/or up to 16-track ADAT.

Dead Horse Studio (Jon Gold), Taos, 505-737-5828. The studio offers four recording rooms and analog and digital formats. "We have the only full-blown Neve console in the state," Gold said, plus Gibson, Fender, and Martin guitars, and a baby grand. Their 2004 MIC award was "Best Musical Production/Blues" for Adrienne Braswell's "Scrawny Little White Girl."

EaglesNest Studio (Taylor O'Connor), Cerrillos, 473-4777, eaglesnest777@earthlink.net. The studio specializes in acoustic music and is equipped with a Yamaha C-7 grand piano, and a variety of vintage keyboards and professional studio microphones, and a Trident console.

The Electric Company (Jon Gagan), Santa Fe, 983-1996. The Pro Tools studio of Gagan, a professional bassist and pianist, is available to record a variety of music genres.

4th World Recording Studios (Bill Boaz), Santa Fe, 984-1624, cell 670-9335. Boaz enjoys working with singer-songwriters and a variety of acoustic music. Their 2004 MIC awards were "Best Instrumental Performance" for Duke Weddington & Higher Ground's Alamance; "Best Vocal Performance" for Pam Jackson's "Younger Than Springtime"; and "Best Musical Production/Jazz" for Michael Anthony and Arlen Asher's "Spring Samba."

Frogville Records (John Treadwell), Santa Fe, 982-4001, http://www.frogvilleplanet.com. The analog studio with tube gear, a pair of dependable tape decks, a piano, and Hammond B3 is open to musicians in the rock, folk, gospel, and Americana veins. Their 2004 MIC award was "Best Musical Production/Mainstream Rock" for Joe West's "South Dakota Hairdo."

Impak Records Recording Studio (Eric Roybal), Santa Fe, 577-6169, http://www.impakrecords.com. This Pro Tools-equipped studio is devoted to hip-hop and R & B and has a nomination with artist FAZE in the NMMIA this year for "Best Musical Production/Hip-Hop."

Indian House Records (Tony Isaacs), Taos, 505-776-2953, http://www.indianhouse.com. Founded in 1966, the label is committed to high-quality recordings of traditional American-Indian music, mostly made on location, outdoors, where the singing is performed.

Kludgit Sound Recording Studio (Busy McCarroll, Baird Banner), Cerrillos, 471-0051. The 30-year-old studio's clients have included Airto and Flora Purim, Bow Wow Wow, and Roger Miller.

Maricam Studios (Cruz Trevino), Santa Fe, 982-2363, maricamstudio@aol.com, http://www.maricamstudio.com. The specialty here is classical music, both solo and ensemble. The equipment includes ITT Cannon connectors to capture the purity of high-definition 192 kHz sampling-rate recordings in Pro Tools HD3.

Larry Mitchell, Santa Fe, 473-1582, http://www.larrymitchell.com. The 2004 MIC awards were "Best Musical Production/Adult Contemporary" for Alana Banner and Larry Mitchell's "Game" and "Best Musical Production/R & B" for Madi Sato and Larry Mitchell's "Lady Pearl."

Jim Oliver Music, Eldorado, 466-9991, cell 231-4665, http://www.jimolivermusic.com. Oliver has recorded about 30 CDs of his own music and about 200 projects, in categories ranging from guided meditation to rock bands, for others. He won an Emmy Award for his music for the ABC television show Life in the Stress Lane. The studio features a digital hard-disk recording system.

Rancho Digital Recording Studios (Edgard Rivera), Santa Fe, 992-0356. The Pro Tools-equipped studio specializes in Latino and other music types. Their 2004 MIC award was Album of the Year, Best Producer, and Best Musical Production/Traditional Hispanic for Nosotros.

Santa Fe Soundworks (David Cragin), Santa Fe, 473-7335. The specialty at this studio is simply "recording bands," Cragin said. It offers both analog and digital technology and "probably the nicest room in town besides Stepbridge."

Sound Choice Productions (Craig Neil), Santa Fe, 984-8310, http://www.soundcp.com. "I love music and so I do all sorts: jazz, rock, country, and folk," Neil said, adding "My main focus is not just renting the studio out, but producing, putting people together." The equipment includes Pro Tools and Tascam GigaStudio.

Michael Stearns, Santa Fe, 983-2190, http://www.michaelstearns.com. The composer/producer opened his first studio in Tucson, Ariz., in 1972 and, after many years in Los Angeles, moved to Santa Fe in 1992. His studio, the Guesthouse, is primarily a postproduction facility for Stearns' projects.

Tone Palace (Omar Rane), Taos, 505-776-4225, omar@taosrecording.com, http://www.tonepalace.com. The equipment list includes Pro Tools, Digidesign 888s, and a refurbished 1947 Baldwin grand piano. Rane's client list includes Eric McFadden, Andy Bird, and Mary and Mars.

The Vault Recording Studio (David Henis), Santa Fe, 577-4354, http://www.thevaultrecordingstudio.com. Henis maintains a mixture of cutting-edge recording technology and vintage analog gear. His clients (including Suckasaurus, 4twenty, and the Cowboy Thrillseekers) work in hip-hop, psychedelic jam band, jazz, and blues.

Warehouse 21 (Brian Lorelle), Santa Fe, 989-4423. W21 is in the process of revitalizing its recording facility with a Pro Tools setup, and looks forward to equipping a larger studio in its new building, perhaps as early as next summer.