Josh Pettinger
Owner & Operator
This is Josh Pettinger - producer, studio owner and artist development freak. His mission is twofold.
To use his deep understanding of live recording and band leadership to help bands sculpt tighter records that retain the pulse and raw energy of a live performance and to use his passion for music business to help inform working bands on tactical growth strategies.
Hailing from rural Springwater, NY, Josh has built his career as a studio cult leader and live recording guru, focusing his insatiable drive on music that gets weird, hits hard, and swings for the fences.
Working with artists like Acid Mothers Temple, Oneida, and Ovlov Josh has become exceptionally adept at producing live rock records with serious grit.
Blending polished engineering with a live performance edge, he offers his direct, at times brutally honest perspective, encouraging his clients to pour everything they’ve got into their records. He blends his heavy focus on nailing the energy of live performance with experimental overdubbing to create expansive, no holds barred productions that retain a sense of boldness and candor.
Josh’s hardworking, unbridled drive has led him to not only record hundreds of live performances over his 20 plus years as an audio engineer and producer but has fueled the creation and development of his Rochester, NY recording studio, Wicked Squid Studios. In addition to his work as a producer and studio owner, Josh has consistently mentored students and young artists through numerous music production workshops and college lectures. He has worked with educational partners including The Rochester Public Library, TEDx Rochester, Finger Lakes Community College, Ithaca College, Recording Radio & Film Connection, Rochester Institute of Technology, Nazareth University and Lifetime Assistance. Josh has also held countless internships with students studying at SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Fredonia, University of Rochester and University of New Haven along with countless other post secondary institutions.
Aside from his work in music production, Josh is deeply interested in artist development and coaching. He is currently working with a select group of artists in the Rochester, NY area on brand development , social media, and release strategy.
Recently, Josh finalized the purchase of the commercial building his studio is housed in, making him one of only two commercial studio owners in the city of Rochester, NY to do so.
So if you’re a band looking for a producer who is relentlessly committed to making records that convey the urgency and excitement of your live performance… you found him. With his experimental approach, brutal honesty, and dedication to finding the weird, he’s the ideal partner to help you make your next record rip!