Equipment

Services

Engineers

Clients

8 Ball
15-60-75 (The Numbers Band)
ABC
Allman Brothers Band
American Greetings
American Zoetrope
Apple Music
Atlantic Records
Authentic Films
Brian Bacon
Colette Baron-Reid
Baskerville Hounds
Alex Bevan
Big Hoke
The Bizarros
Black Island Condors
The Black Keys
Bloodrock
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Bokanté
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
Breathless
Brownsville Station
Betty Buckley
Buddy Thunderstruck
Colbie Caillat
Canned Heat
Capri Records LTD
Care Bears
Eric Carmen
The Carter Family
CBS
Chipotle
The Choir
Cityneon
City of Cleveland
Cleveland International Film Festival
Cleveland International Records
The Cleveland Orchestra
Cobra Verde
Keyshia Cole
Ry Cooder
Francis Ford Coppola
Damnation of Adam Blessing
Dazz Band
Death of Samantha
Destructor
Discovery Channel
Colin Dussault
El Marko Records
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Epic Records
Euclid Beach Band
Dominick Farinacci
Fayrewether
Fazoli’s
Ray Flanagan
Fleetwood Mac
Food Network

Fountains Of Wayne
FOX
Geffen Records
Gentlemen Hall
Sonny Geraci
Gotta Groove Records
Grand Funk Railroad
Guided By Voices
Jamey Haddad
Hazard Adams
Human Beinz
Interscope Records
Island/Def Jam Records
I-Tal
The James Gang
Elton John
JZ Productions
The Katy
B.B. King
Terry Knight
Jonah Koslen
Lenny Kravitz
Ernie Krivda
Lemon Pipers
Gerald Levert
Lifehouse
Lincoln Electric
Little Richard
Robert Lockwood Jr.
Los Nombres
Lucky Pierre
J. Mascis
Nicholas Megalis
Microsoft
Molkie Cole
Mom’s Apple Pie
The Moody Blues
Chuck Mosley (Faith No More)
Jason Mraz
Mr. Gnome
MTV
Netflix
The OC
Ohio Sky
The O’Jays
Oregon Space Trail of Doom
Oscar Mike
Osmond Brothers
Our Lady Peace
The Outsiders
PBS
Pepsi
Pere Ubu
Carl Perkins
Pimp C (UGK)
Playstation
Reebok
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Romeo is Bleeding

Ruthless Records
Sad Planets
Samsung
Scat Records
Glenn Schwartz
Bob Seger
Scott Sharrard
Bobby Sherman
Russell Simmons
Paul Simon
The Singing Angels
Skywalker Sound
Sony Records
Regina Spektor
Michael Spiro
Sports Illustrated
Spotify
St. Valentine Records
St. Vincent Charity Medical Center
Michael Stanley
The Statler Brothers
Steppenwolf
Steve Miller Band
Stoopid Buddy Stoodios
The Sublets
The Super Bowl
Sweet Apple
SXSW Film Festival
Target
Tee Pee Records
Third Eye Blind
David Thomas
Rob Thomas
Tin Huey
Tiny Alice
Too Short
Tori Amos
TVT Records
UGK Records
Universal Records
University Hospitals
VH1
Virgin Records
Joe Vitale
Fabio Viviani (Top Chef)
Kate Voegele
The Waitresses
Joe Walsh
Warner Bros Records
Charlie Weiner
Wild Cherry
Brian Wilson
Edgar Winter
Johnny Winter
Frankie Yankovic
Yes
Xbox
Neil Zaza
Zoetrope Aubry Productions

Legacy clients under management of the Hamann family are designated by color.

History

Suma Recording’s rich history stretches back to 1934 with the formation of Cleveland Recording Company, Cleveland’s first professional recording facility. Originally founded by Frederick C. Wolf, Cleveland Recording grew to become a renowned world-class facility under the guidance of chief engineer and technician Ken Hamann. The studio was responsible for numerous hit records including The Outsiders’ “Time Won’t Let Me,” The Lemon Pipers’ “Green Tambourine,” “Nobody But Me” by The Human Beinz, Wild Cherry’s “Play that Funky Music” and records by Grand Funk Railroad, The James Gang, Polka King Frankie Yankovic, The O’Jays, and many more.

In 1970, Wolf sold Cleveland Recording to Ken Hamann and John Hansen, who moved the studio to a new location in 1972. In 1977, Cleveland Recording was forced to relocate again after the building the studio occupied was sold to Cleveland State University. At this time, Hamann and Hansen parted ways and Hamann founded Suma Recording, bringing most of the equipment from Cleveland Recording with him to the new picturesque location. This included an extensive microphone collection, custom recording consoles that Hamann designed and built himself with the assistance of his sons Paul and David as well as fellow Cleveland Recording engineer Michael Bishop, an army of analog tape machines, and a vintage Neumann cutting lathe. Cleveland Recording’s massive library of analog tapes and acetate records were also moved to the new location, where they still reside today.

Suma continued under the ownership of Ken Hamann until his passing in 2003 at which time his son Paul (who had worked with his father from an early age) took the reins, operating the studio until his untimely passing in 2017. Throughout this time, the Hamanns continued to make waves working with bands and artists such as Pere Ubu, Brian Wilson, Lenny Kravitz, Wild Cherry, Michael Stanley, Robert Lockwood Jr., Guided by Voices, and The Black Keys to name just a few.

In 2018, Suma was purchased by current owner/operator Michael Seifert and an extensive rehabilitation and renovation project, involving the building as well as the equipment, commenced. In January of 2021, Suma began booking clients again on a limited basis with the studio officially reopening to the public in early 2022. We are honored to carry the Hamann’s legacy forward with the hope that music and creative energy will continue to fill Suma’s hallowed halls for generations to come.

Contact

SUMA Recording is located 30 minutes east of Downtown Cleveland.

Address:
5706 Vrooman Rd, Painesville, OH 44077

Phone:
(440) 352-9802

Email:
info@sumarecording.com

Booking Inquiries