Our Story

Stella Tapes is a recording company founded in 2000 by Marco Stella and Ryan O'Connor of Reel To Reel Haven, with the mission of bringing the best possible recorded source material in everyone's house. Best is of course subjective, but for us, the ingredients you need to aspire to be the Best are not. The first ingredient is being 100% analog, from microphone to recording medium. No computers, no digital. We record straight to tape, with no noise reduction, on a beautiful Studer 827 24 track, 2 inch tape machine, perfectly restored. We use some of the best microphones one can buy (Neumann, Shure, Sennheiser) and best in class preamps (Neve, UA, SSL). We use top quality cables, in short runs. We track and mix using an SSL analog console. We sparingly use API, Manley, SSL, Neve outboard gear. We edit the final product using razors and splicing tape, like in the old days.

The second ingredient is to use Tape not only as the medium for recording, but also as the medium to distribute music. Big, bold, beautiful 10.5 inch tapes, elegantly packaged, that you can listen to in your house if you own a tape deck (if you don't, our friends at Reel to Reel Haven can help you get one).

The Third ingredient is to record live performances, not in a stadium or in a public venue, but in our purposefully and painstakingly prepared space - with a small public to ensure artists connect with a live audience. Why? Because when performers play together, not in isolation, and they play songs end to end, with no starts and stops (well maybe some occasional, but not by design), no auto - tuning, minimal compression and almost zero effect, then magic happens.

Running a tape-only recording company is a bit like having your own specialty Balsamic Vinegar brand. You won't likely get rich by doing it. We obviously don't mind making money, but that's not the point. Stella Tapes is part of a broader project that stems from the loss of a friend, a personal struggle, and the dogged persistance to do something lasting, and much bigger than us. For Ryan and I, that's helping cure cancer, using all the means at our disposal - with AI being one of the latest and most promising- and, particularly, breaking conventional barriers that have so far slowed down progress. Music and live events are a great way to raise awareness, and awareness plus emotional involvement drive philanthropic action - which has helped raise millions so far. You can read more about our broader plan below.