About Us

Cabin Studios is a full-service audio production and recording facility nestled in the mountain woods near Leesburg, Virginia. Owner, designer and chief engineer Les Thompson has spent nearly five decades involved with performing and recording roots and Americana music, including seven years as one of the founding members of the legendary Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Cabin Studios has become a focal point for the regional music scene in northern Virginia, eastern West Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. Specializing in acoustic music in general and oldtime Appalachian in particular, the sound quality is superb but minimally enhanced thanks to a fabulous collection of microphones and a rich open ambience.

Our philosophy is good mic placement and good sounds lend themselves to great performances and minimal "fixing it in the mix". (From the liner notes of Danny Knicely's Roots & Branches) "Thankfully avoiding Protools slickness, these grooves are intimate and alive, and the sound is big and round" - Tim O'Brien.

We hope that you will enjoy the music of some of our clients here and support their music at shows and festivals.

From string bands to singer/songwriters, unaccompanied singers to jazz combos - if you seek a relaxed recording environment with great natural sound, we hope you'll consider Cabin Studios for your next project.

Recent clients include mandolin wizard Danny Knicely, popular string band Furnace Mountain, award-winning singer and songwriter Andrew McKnight, gypsy jazz string band The Woodshedders, oldtime band Bad Dog, The Speakeasy Boys, West Virginia State Fiddle Champ Chance McCoy and American roots club faves David Via and Corn Tornado. For songwriter projects and demos, we have access to many superlative session players in the area as well as quite a few expert practitioners of less common and unusual instruments.

Les and his wife Stephanie are regulars at many of the regions's festivals and open jams, and are good friends with a great many of our area's musical talents, professional and hobbyist.