Today we’d like to introduce you to David Mikeal.
Hi David, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in my early ages in St. Cloud Fl. Classical and Jazz piano lessons from 6 – 13 years old. Staring playing guitar when I was 12. Was a big fan of British music (Beatles etc), Motown. Moved to Orlando Fl. when I was 15. Started playing in bands handling the lead guitar role and lead vocals, Continued playing the club circuit in Florida into my early 20’s. Landed a job playing lead guitar and vocals at age 24-25 with a group from Atlanta that had major management with several record labels wanting to sign them. The group was called The Miles Brothers. I moved to Atlanta when I had just turned 26. Played in a very well known club called the Bistro where there were stars frequenting on a nightly basis. The group ended up getting signed to A&M Records when I was 26 . We were managed by a well known manager in the southeast named Hugh Rogers. The band was encouraged to change their name to MPG. (Miles Per Gallon) We were a rock band with some strong R&B roots. We signed our recording contract with A&M Records when I was 27 and started playing large concerts around the Southeast opening for groups like Aerosmith, Mothers Finest, Bob Marley and Marty Balin just to name a few. At that time I was also hired to play guitar on some other groups records. One was The Teddy Baker Group on Mercury Records and a group called Cycle that was on Lowery Records. That 3-4 year time period was very exciting. Everything fell apart after that time period and I moved back to Orlando to play music in some night clubs. A couple years went by and I hooked up with a childhood friend of mine Deryle Hughes that had interest from a CBS affiliated record label called PARC Records. I was commissioned to play guitar, keyboards and sing. I ended up writing the majority of the songs we recorded for PARC Records. The group was called BIGSHOT and we played some concerts opening for well known groups like Foreigner and Blackfoot. We even had some major interest from Sony Records, but we never got signed for reasons unknown. At that time I decided to stay in the music business but switch in to working in recording studios. First as a session musician around the Orlando area and later to become a studio owner. My first professional studio I owned was Difference Studios in Winter Park Fl. which I ran for 20 plus years. We worked with mainly local Central Fl. artists, but did work with some national artists. Some of them were Flock Of Seagulls, Badfinger, Pat Travers Band and Foghat. I moved from there to become the General Manager of one of the largest well known studios in the Southeast. It was named KDS Studios which was originally Trans Continental Studios which recorded groups and individuals like N Sync, The Backstreet Boys, The Voice, MTV Viacom, Eminem and R Kelly. During my 4 years tenure there I continued to be a session musician, producer and engineer in addition to being the studio manager.. After those 4 years I decided that I didn’t necessarily want to work for somebody else, but to be a study owner again. So I moved and built out the studio where I currently still work for the last 12 years and I am the owner of Studio Live USA. One of our more prestigious accomplishments is ,we earned a gold record by working on a song by Don Henley on his last solo record (Cass County). We continue to service mainly the Florida musical community but have many notable credits for the studio. Toni Tenille, Audible Books, Philip Michael Thomas, Silento, Kataklysm, Pat Travers Band and Bertie Higgins. We offer high quality audio and video recording, mastering and rehearsals. We also were just named The Best Recording Studio in the Orlando for 2025 by Orlando Weekly Magazine. Some of my personal credits include winning an achievement award in the annual Billboard songwriting contest, scoring, and mixing the music for a full feature film (The Legend Of Kate Kensington). and Composing the opening music for A TV show which ran on the NBC Outdoor Sports Network for several years (Bass To Billfish). I am creative content director for The Florida Songwriting Association. I also have continued to release full record albums of the many musical groups that I lead. My current musical projects are CREATION V , THE DAVID PROJECT and AS IS. I enjoy playing golf (Whenever I can) , walking and attending concerts occasionally.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve had it pretty good, but the money was lean in the early years. A lot of traveling early on wears you out and the only reason to be in the music business is because you truly love music.
What does success mean to you?
Being happy!
Pricing:
- Recording rates variable but average $75 per hour
- Rehearsal rates average $50 per hour with a minimum
- Producer usually points on project
- Session musician per track or instrument
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.studioliveusa.com
- Instagram: studioliveusa1371
- Facebook: Dave Mikeal, Studio Live USA, Creation V
- LinkedIn: David Mikeal
- Soundcloud: david@studioliveusa.com
