In 1974, with the help from a dear friend, Angel Lopez, he purchased some property in a remote location on the edge of town and constructed his first recording studio, complete with in-wall patch panels, a vocal booth, soundproof walls, and a self-designed, custom-built 8-speaker surround stereo monitoring system (which he still uses today in his personal mixing and mastering production room!) This marked the official beginning of his journey as a recording engineer.