Who we are

Who we are

A music studio with various instruments and equipment including a computer, keyboard, speakers, guitar amps, and a microphone. There's a small wooden table with candles and a stool beside it.
A music studio with various instruments and equipment including a computer, keyboard, speakers, guitar amps, and a microphone. There's a small wooden table with candles and a stool beside it.

puppy garden studios is the production and recording studio of DIOGO SARABANDO - a musician and producer from the region of Aveiro (Portugal), best known for the indie-folk project “himalion”

the story of the studio is also the story of Diogo’s development as a musician and producer. everything started with composing and arranging entire songs on Guitar Pro 5, from a few guitar riffs. in high-school, Diogo, alongside with a cousin and another friend, bought a Tascam DP-02 8 track portastudio pack that came with an XLR, a mic stand and a cheap imitation of a 67 condenser mic. high-school years were spent writing songs and learning how to mic drums in a soundproof attic, recording bass and guitar amps in hallways, stacking vocals and bouncing them to save space on the 8 track, and putting songs together… since then Diogo has written, recorded and produced records for his projects as well as other artists, and also composed and mixed music for a few films and some multidisciplinary productions. he has been on all sides of the music making process, including setting up visuals and artwork for releases as well as putting shows together with his kind-of-a-label “hortensia”

the studio went through several changes and setups throughout the years - the home-base being Diogo’s childhood, now bed-less, bedroom - and is currently in the process of moving to a new space - a 35m2 sunlight packed building which will incorporate a live multitrack recording and mixing room + an iso booth + two extra high ceiling garages for larger sounds

puppy garden studios is a retreat studio” located in a small town outside the city of Aveiro (20 mins), and is 15 minutes away from the beachside, where a surf community can be found (so if that’s your thing we might be able to arrange discounts for few lessons and/or surf gear)

puppy garden studios is not just a single place, a single person, a single dog, and our network offers the possibility to record different types of instruments, voices and ensembles on different rooms with some of the best musicians from Aveiro through various partnerships with our music community

puppy garden studios is the production and recording studio of DIOGO SARABANDO - a musician and producer from the region of Aveiro (Portugal), best known for the indie-folk project “himalion”

the story of the studio is also the story of Diogo’s development as a musician and producer. everything started with composing and arranging entire songs on Guitar Pro 5, from a few guitar riffs. in high-school, Diogo, alongside with a cousin and another friend, bought a Tascam DP-02 8 track portastudio pack that came with an XLR, a mic stand and a cheap imitation of a 67 condenser mic. high-school years were spent writing songs and learning how to mic drums in a soundproof attic, recording bass and guitar amps in hallways, stacking vocals and bouncing them to save space on the 8 track, and putting songs together… since then Diogo has written, recorded and produced records for his projects as well as other artists, and also composed and mixed music for a few films and some multidisciplinary productions. he has been on all sides of the music making process, including setting up visuals and artwork for releases as well as putting shows together with his kind-of-a-label “hortensia”

the studio went through several changes and setups throughout the years - the home-base being Diogo’s childhood, now bed-less, bedroom - and is currently in the process of moving to a new space - a 35m2 sunlight packed building which will incorporate a live multitrack recording and mixing room + an iso booth + two extra high ceiling garages for larger sounds

puppy garden studios is a retreat studio located in a small town outside the city of Aveiro (20 mins), and is 15 minutes away from the beachside, where a surf community can be found (so if that’s your thing we might be able to arrange discounts for few lessons and/or surf gear)

puppy garden studios is not just a single place, a single person, a single dog, and our network offers the possibility to record different types of instruments, voices and ensembles on different rooms with some of the best musicians from Aveiro through various partnerships with our music community

A Polaroid photo of a man sitting on a chair with his arms crossed, wearing a dark shirt, against a plain light background.
A Polaroid photo of a man sitting on a chair with his arms crossed, wearing a dark shirt, against a plain light background.
A photograph of a framed picture on a wooden surface. The picture depicts a golden retriever dog sitting indoors in front of a window, looking out at a snowy landscape with trees.
A photograph of a framed picture on a wooden surface. The picture depicts a golden retriever dog sitting indoors in front of a window, looking out at a snowy landscape with trees.
A printed Polaroid photo of a man with a mustache, sitting on a chair with his arms crossed, wearing a dark shirt, against a plain white background.

the premise of our services is pretty simple: at what stage of development is your song and how can we assist in setting up the ideal enviornment for it to come about? is your song non existent? head over to “production” or “writing room”, if you want us to write one. there’s an arrangement and you only need to record it, or need some extra layer? head over to “recording”. has it been recorded and you only need help editing or mixing? head over to “control room”

Timba, the studio mascot and the studio’s logo, was Diogo’s first dog. for 16 years, an always present partner who was there on every writing and recording session Diogo ever had. Your dog is also welcome, just reach out for logistics!

A modern house with large windows, a tree in front, and a small dog house to the right, set against a gradient sky background.

the premise of our services is pretty simple: at what stage of development is your song and how can we assist in setting up the ideal enviornment for it to come about? is your song non existent? head over to “production” or “writing room”, if you want us to write one. there’s an arrangement and you only need to record it, or need some extra layer? head over to “recording”. has it been recorded and you only need help editing or mixing? head over to “control room”

Timba, the studio mascot and the studio’s logo, was Diogo’s first dog. for 16 years, an always present partner who was there on every writing and recording session Diogo ever had. Your dog is also welcome, just reach out for logistics!

A photograph of a framed picture of a dog sitting on a red sofa, with a landscape picture of trees and water in the background. The framed picture is placed on a wooden surface.
A modern, minimalist house with a flat roof, large windows, a tree, a dog, a small doghouse, and landscaped plants, against a gradient sky background.

puppy garden studios is home to a collection of instruments and tools that is fruit of anxiety of separation and hereditary stubborn accumulation of over 20 years

with a strong focus on vibe-y instruments and mid-fi/lo-fi tools - including old casio keyboards, various types of guitars, tube pre-amps, old microphones, a 1967 zwicki pianette and a rare Yamaha LD2'0 harmonium - we are passionate about recording sounds with “grain” and character

it’s a room full of gear but we rather think of it as a room where loads of interactions can happen, with tons of opportunities for creativity to spark

while the new place is undergoing construction, and due to our effort in maintaining a collaborative network with other spaces and musicians from region of Aveiro, we have access to more tools, including the possibility to record in another room equipped with orchestral instruments such as timpani, glockenspiel, bells, xylophone, gong, and other types of percussion where live multi-tracking and band/ensemble recording is also possible

Tools

Tools

puppy garden studios is home to a collection of instruments and tools that is fruit of anxiety of separation and hereditary stubborn accumulation of over 20 years

with a strong focus on vibe-y instruments and mid-fi/lo-fi tools - including old casio keyboards, various types of guitars, tube pre-amps, old microphones, a 1967 zwicki pianette and a rare Yamaha LD2'0 harmonium - we are passionate about recording sounds with “grain” and character

it’s a room full of gear but we rather think of it as a room where loads of interactions can happen, with tons of opportunities for creativity to spark

while the new place is undergoing construction, and due to our effort in maintaining a collaborative network with other spaces and musicians from region of Aveiro, we have access to more tools, including the possibility to record in another room equipped with orchestral instruments such as timpani, glockenspiel, bells, xylophone, gong, and other types of percussion where live multi-tracking and band/ensemble recording is also possible

A brown and white dog sitting in front of a piano with its head turned to the left. The piano has a music stand with a paper on it. Behind the dog, there are shelves on a blue wall with various objects, including framed photos, a snow globe, and small decorative items.

some of the things we did…

himalion - halcyon days (LP) [PRODUCTION + MULTI-TRACK RECORDING + EDITING + MIXING]

himalion - WYISATI (LP) [PRODUCTION + SONGWRITING + RECORDING + ARRANGEMENT + EDITING]

himalion - BLOOMING (LP) [PRODUCTION + SONGWRITING + RECORDING + ARRANGEMENT + EDITING]

himalion - EGRESS (EP) [PRODUCTION + SONGWRITING + RECORDING + ARRANGEMENT + EDITING]

A line drawing of a hand with labeled parts, along with a small decorative sketch of a square with swirling patterns in the top right corner.

Ahana - Soma (LP) [PRODUCTION + RECORDING + ARRANGEMENT + EDITING + MIXING]

A line drawing of a hand with labeled parts, along with a small decorative sketch of a square with swirling patterns in the top right corner.
A line drawing of a hand with labeled parts, along with a small decorative sketch of a square with swirling patterns in the top right corner.
A simple, hand-drawn sketch of a circular object with some scribbled text and a small cloud-like shape inside, along with a line pointing to a smaller circle on the right side.
A simple, hand-drawn sketch of a circular object with some scribbled text and a small cloud-like shape inside, along with a line pointing to a smaller circle on the right side.
A simple, hand-drawn sketch of a circular object with some scribbled text and a small cloud-like shape inside, along with a line pointing to a smaller circle on the right side.

Ahana - Language (Single) [PRODUCTION + RECORDING + ARRANGEMENT + EDITING + MIXING]

Ahana - Singing Bowl (Single) [PRODUCTION + RECORDING + ARRANGEMENT + EDITING + MIXING]

A sketch of a large abstract shape with a small detailed geometric cube structure nearby.
A sketch of a large abstract shape with a small detailed geometric cube structure nearby.
A simple line drawing of a butterfly on a plain background.
A simple line drawing of a butterfly on a plain background.

Ahana - ILMBIAS (Single) [PRODUCTION + RECORDING + ARRANGEMENT + EDITING + MIXING]

Ahana - In the Air (Single) [PRODUCTION + RECORDING + ARRANGEMENT + EDITING + MIXING]

Equinōcio - Solstício [LP] [PRODUCTION + ARRANGEMENT + RECORDING + EDITING + MIXING on tracks 10 and 11]

Argonaut - Rêveries (EP) [MIXING on songs 1, 3 and 4]

Argonaut - A Last Date With Destiny (SINGLE) [EDITING + MIXING]

Argonaut - Front Door Porches (SINLGE) [EDITING + MIXING]

Drew.a.will - 12/12 (EP) [PRODUCTION + RECORDING + ARRANGEMENT + EDITING + MIXING]

A sketch of a large abstract shape with a small detailed geometric cube structure nearby.

AAAAHHHH!!!! - Exercícios para a desobdiência (LIVE SHOW) [SOUND DESIGN + COMPOSING + LIVE MIXING]

A simple line drawing of a butterfly on a plain background.