OUR MISSION To provide a cost effective recording resource to serve Chicago musicians and artists
Here's the deal: This place is not trying to be fancy, (not unlike this web site... I know, I know). This place serves a function, and it works. You will not find a black leather couch in my control room. Actually there is no separate control room. Honestly, I find isolated control rooms really make communication a pain in the ass. The negatives and "fish bowl effect" out way the positives. Also, I don't have any ten thousand dollar mics. Hey man, I've heard these high-end Neumann's, C12's, and expensive 'boutique' mics and they sound really good. Well, they fucking better for that kind of money! If I ever spend more than a grand or so on a mic, it better give me a you-know-what. I'm decidedly not a "gear-slut". I use tools that help me do my job. (Ask your plumber if he's a wrench-slut and enjoy getting your teeth kicked in.) Being a musician first, I don't get my creative kicks from tweaking knobs, wasting your time, stepping all over your stuff, and I'm not going to try to "produce" you. (I've heard some real horror stories about some other places in town, which I will not name here...Dudes strutting around like they're central to the creative process.) Don't get me wrong, I know all the when's why's and how's of knob turning/ audio processing, I just don't make a big production out of it. Like Miles Davis said: "Shut up and hit record motherfucker." Of coarse, there are much fancier, and so-called "world class" facilities in town, and if you want that 'black leather couch' studio experience, I can even recommend some. Personally, as a musician, I never cared for that kind of sterile, analytic environment. This place is a reflection of my experience as a musician AND an engineer. It's a continuously evolving project. I invest in the most crucial, bang-for-the-buck areas as I go, making smart cost-effective improvements, while trying not to go too deep in to debt. This means you get to benefit from my ridiculously low rates. We're all about getting folks comfortable here, staying out of the way, allowing them to get their best performance. Musicians with experience recording at fancier and "black leather couch" studios tell me they appreciate that I can provide everything they need, at a fraction of the cost, with a much more relaxed and creative atmosphere. People are always telling me how easy and painless it is to work here. I guess my presumption is that making music should be fun. also, If you like dogs, let me know. Henry and Junior love hanging out.
Here's the info: * Located in the city on North ave. *Steps to Puerto Rican sandwich/desert/pastry/coffee shop, Dominican restaurant, Chinese take-out, Little Caesars, Dunkin, Donuts, McDonalds, Subway, Mexican food, Liquor store, Groceries, Supplies. Pretty much anything you'd need to get through a sesh is literally within 2 blocks of here. * Climate controlled comfort * Secure parking, easy load-in * All styles/genres welcome, pretty much done it all. * Smoke, drink, do whatcha gotta do. * Weber grill w/ accessories. * Coffee, tea, fridge, microwave.
Rates Rates are a flat $25/hr. The rate includes space, equipment, and engineer Dave Whitcomb. More about Dave. The clock starts at the time that you scheduled to arrive, minus load-in time. Mic set-up/ sound and line check time is on the clock. (Setting up / checking the instruments and mics is really the most important part.) Set-up time varies, but I work efficiently. I offer recording, mixing, and mastering services. I provide cd-r masters / reference copies. I will keep one copy of your project on my hard drive through its completion. We do not provide back-up or archiving. It is highly recommended that you bring an external hard drive to back your data up regularly. YOUR DATA = YOUR PROPERTY = YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.
My Rig Dual 2 gig processor MAC G5 PPC, 8 gigs ram APOGEE AD16X converter. 24 bit, support for up to192 kHz sampling frequency w/ super-accurate C777 clocking APOGEE SYMPHONY I/O card, Maestro control for zero-latency monitoring APOGEE Mini DAC converter I run DIGITAL PERFORMER. (Why not Pro Tools? Because fuck Pro Tools. You can't run their mediocre software without buying their overpriced, inferior hardware....and we're not talking about Digi00's or M-boxes here) Processors by WAVES, PSP, and AUDIOEASE, and other random stuff TEAC A-2300-SX stereo reel to reel tape deck (for real-time electromagnetic, non linear, dynamics squashing, saturation, distortion, hiss and noise processing). TOAST PRO
Mics AKG C414's, AKG C1000's, AKG C4000, AKG D112, BEYER M88, AUDIO TECHNICA 4040, AUDIO TECHNICA 4033, Hot-rodded Lundall tranny OCTAVA ML-52-02 Ribbon, Hot-rodded Lundall tranny 205 Ribbons, lots of SHURE SM57's
Mic Pre's/ Outboard 10 channels FMR AUDIO RNP 8380 REALLY NICE PREAMPS. (That's what they're called, and they are. They also feature outstanding DI's.), Hot-rodded PRESONUS TUBE PRE's (w/ audiophile grade ELNA SILMIC II caps, Burr-Brown op-amps, EH tubes), modded PRESONUS S/S "class A" (from DIGIMAX LT), ART TUBE PRE/COMPRESSOR (w/ old, funky tube--distortion generator),
Monitors Yamaha HS80Ms, Realistic Minimus 7s.
Various guitars, amps, keyboards, toys, 'cept don't touch my bass.
|