The Sta-Level Story
Passion & Professionalism
Engineer, musician, and producer Jeff Koval established Sta-Level Recording Studio in Akron, Ohio in 2013 after spending 25 years working on high profile projects in Cleveland, Dayton, and Nashville.
Jeff graduated from The Recording Workshop in Chillicothe, Ohio in 1993, and has worked as a full time engineer ever since for multi-million dollar studios, and major producers and record labels. He has clients all over the world.
From 1994 until 1998, while playing guitar in his band The Fifth Wheel, Jeff worked at Midtown Recording Studio in Cleveland, Ohio. From there, Jeff spent the next two years in Dayton, Ohio at Refraze Recording Studios, who’s clients include, among others, The Breeders, The Goo Goo Dolls, George Clinton, and The Ohio Players.
In 2000, Jeff assumed the position of Chief Engineer at Island Bound Music Publishing in Nashville, Tennessee. Jeff owned Cylo Recording Studio on Nashville’s Music Row from 2004-2006. From there he free-lanced at Emerald/Masterfonics Recording Studios until 2010 before moving on to serve as Chief Engineer at Castle Recording Studio (it really is in a Castle, and everyone from Johnny Cash to Culture Club has worked there!) until 2012.
In addition to those already mentioned, Jeff has worked at these studios along the way:
16th Avenue Sound
Quad Recording Studio
The Tracking Room
17 Grand
The Sound Kitchen
Lava Room Recording
Dark Horse Recording
Sputnik Sound
Ocean Way Recording
Blackbird Studio
In 2013, Jeff returned home to build Sta-Level Recording Studio in Akron, Ohio (the city which has given the world DEVO, Chrissie Hynde, Tin Huey, The Waitresses, and The Black Keys to name a few) to be closer to family and friends, and to take the opportunity to slow down. Now, Jeff focuses exclusively on artists he wants to work with and on projects he feels passionate about and genuinely enjoys.
In addition to operating Sta-Level Recording Studio, Jeff travels throughout the year as needed to accommodate artists who are unable to make it to Akron, or those who wish to make use of a larger facility or specific studio.
When he’s not engineering sessions, artists from around the world hire Jeff for his highly regarded mixing services.
Sta-Level Recording Studio is the culmination of Jeff’s experience and years of hard work in the recording industry. As a result, Sta-Level Recording Studio offers an unparalleled level of engineering, mixing, and production quality not only in Akron, but in the Northeastern Ohio region.