MUSICIAN
HIGH END SOUND is owned and operated by Paul Reed, a native New Yorker. Offering a full range of production services, his work reflects the benefits of 40 years of experience. As a percussionist, keyboard player and composer he began his formal music education in California at UCLA while in his teens. Returning to NYC in '68, he continued his schooling at Juilliard, and The Manhattan School of Music while studying privately with some of the most respected artists in the field. At 17, Reed became a member of the prestigious National Orchestral Association and made several appearances with them at Carnegie Hall. Convinced that the most important lessons he then needed could only be learned on the job, Paul jumped straight into the freelance music arena when he was 18. He spent the next few years playing in the orchestra pits of some of Broadway's most successful musicals and was a featured on-stage soloist in Bob Fosse's DANCIN'. In 1970, figuring that "you only live once... maybe", he seized the chance to see the world. For several years, he appeared throughout the US with the Monkees of '60s TV fame. When he wasn't on the road, Paul appeared at local jazz venues with respected artists including Gerry Mulligan and Peggy Lee. He also played with many rock bands including CBS recording artists The Laughing Dogs, The Leisure Units, Bulldog, and Japanese recording stars Earthling. In 1990, he returned to his orchestral percussion roots and presented a solo recital at Merkin Hall, in which he performed compositions by Frank Zappa, Max Lifshitz, and fronted his own ensemble "The Electric Chamber" in an arrangement of excerpts from Stravinski's Rite of Spring with original choreography by Mariko Tanabe of the Eric Hawkins Company. Today he plays in a jazz/surf fusion trio to keep his chops up.

He also spent many years working as a session drummer playing for recording artists and on many well known TV and radio jingles. While doing these recording gigs, he became familiar with the workings of sound studios.

COMPOSER
As a composer, he had his first published work at the age of 15. In the '90s he was commissioned by several NYC choreographers such as Mimi Garrard, Rell Dean, Jean Erdman and Mariko Tanabe to write and perform music for live performances. He is still active as a songwriter and composer/arranger.

ENGINEER
In '85 Reed attended classes in audio engineering at the Center for the Media Arts. After learning his way around, he opened and operated his first studio, Laila Sound on Manhattan's east side. Next he moved downtown and became manager and chief engineer of Pink Crayon, a digital 24 track studio located in the WestBeth Arts complex. Paul has been involved in recording studios in a variety of capacities ever since.

PRODUCER
Living within the recording element, he became increasingly involved in record production. Tapping the experience of his wide ranging musical career over the last 4 decades, Paul Reed has created HIGH END SOUND, a valuable resource where others can now benefit from all he has to offer as a musician, composer, engineer and producer.

TESTIMONIAL
In late May of 2010 with several nasty deadlines converging at once I found myself in a creative and professional bind. I was composing, performing, teaching and writing completely disparate material and in need of recording yet more - non related music to accompany a multi-media presentation project in the Arab Emirates...
On the suggestion of a good friend and musical colleague I rang Paul Reed to see if he might be able to accommodate me with a recording session of music....yet to be conceived. As I drove over to his studios in Chatham, NY I began playing over in my head what I thought might work realizing that I was going to need a miracle to accomplish what I needed to accomplish....
I got my miracle in the form of the sharp-minded, congenial and musically gifted Paul Reed in whose High End Sound Studios, situated just outside of downtown Chatham I spent the following 4 hours drumming-up ideas and hearing their realization to my astonishment and great satisfaction. I have no doubt that I owe much of the success to Paul's hands-off, brains-on approach as producer and sound engineer.  The man possesses an uncanny ability to make you feel completely at ease and fully confident in the task before you - as I, myself, was made to feel upon entering the studio.
Paul Reed offers Columbia County and its musicians an exceptional opportunity for studio work. I recommend High End Studios to all!
Timothy Dunne, Composer