RECORDING, MIXING, MASTERING

Experimental Sound Studio is a full-service recording facility with two studios - one suite (Studio A) geared toward live tracking and overdubs, and one Pro Tools HD studio (Studio B) perfect for mixing and mastering, film and video post-production, and audio preservation or transfer.
 
ESS provides production facilities and support services for projects involving music in its many forms, audio art, radio art, performance art, theater, dance, film, video, poetry, and installation art, as well as cultural institutions that utilize audio for educational and outreach programs and exhibition design.

Rates

Hourly:
$30/hr - Studio Rental +
$20+/hr - Engineer Fee*

6-hour Sessions:
$150 - Studio Rental
$100+ - Engineer Fee*

*Most sessions will incur $20/hr for the engineering fee; some contracted engineers may charge a higher hourly fee. You will be notified will in advance if your session is an exception to the rule. Sessions that are especially complex or that require a high level of artistic input on the part of the engineer may incur higher fees. Project-based flat-fees may be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

Facilities

Studio A

Studio A is an 800-square-foot multi-track live recording studio with isolation room and a separate control room. It is ideal for tracking live bands, acoustic instruments, or chamber ensembles, and comes complete with an arsenal of electric pianos and a 5'8" Young Chang baby grand. The live room has movable sound absorption and deflection panels in order to reshape its acoustic qualities to accommodate a wide range of musical and production approaches. The adjoining isolation booth is perfect for voice, drum kit, or instrument separation. 

Studio A is the setting for many live performances at ESS. The room's versatility and pristine acoustics combine to deliver the warm and natural sounds characteristic of ESS recordings. Simply put: it is a gorgeous sounding room!

Studio B

STUDIO B - A mixing, mastering, and soundtrack suite with overdub booth.

Studio B features a clean, naturally nonreverberant sound that is ideal for mixing and mastering, especially with the range of software tools from Izotope, Digidesign, Focusrite, and others available in the suite. Equipped with a large projection screen and surround sound capabilities, it is also an excellent setting for cinema sound design and soundtrack mixing -- in fact, it's designed to accommodate every facet of audio post-production, including ADR, foley, sound effects editing, etc.  Studio B's uncolored acoustic transparency and accurate monitoring means you hear exactly what your audience will hear.

Gear

Mics

SHURE:
KSM 44 x2
KSM 32 x2
KSM 141 stereo pair
KSM 137 stereo pair
SM7b
SM57 x5
SM58 x2
SM 81 x2
BETA 58A
BETA 52A
BETA 91A
BG 4.0 stereo pair
MX 391/C
PE 50SP
Unidyne 55S

AKG:
D112
C414B ULS

Electro-Voice RE10 x2, PL88L

Audio Technica AT803A

Nady DM70, DM80

Hohner classic harmonica mic

Various dynamic mics

Studio A

SOFTWARE:
Pro Tools 12, Logic Pro X, Ableton Live, Waves Plugins

OUTBOARD GEAR:
MOTU 8M
M-audio Octane
Presonus Digimax
Millennia stereo pre amp
Presonus blue tube
Joe Meek ThreeQ
Allen & Heath Mix Wizard
Various hardware FX and Processors.

INSTRUMENTS & AMPS:
Young-Chang 5'9" G-175 baby grand
Wurlitzer 200A Electric Piano
Fender Rhodes Mark I Stage Piano (Model #7054), 73-key with amp cabinet
Various synths, digital keyboards, and organs
Drum Kit
Fender Bassman
Fender Super Reverb
Roland JC-120
Ear Candy 2x12 cab
Frenzel tube amp
Ashdown combo bass amp
Bells and Whistles (literally)

Studio B

SOFTWARE:
Pro Tools 12 HDX
Izotope Ozone 5 Mastering
Izotope RX Noise Reduction

OUTBOARD GEAR:
Avid HD Omni I/O
Avid C|24 Control Surface

5.1 Surround Capability

Ready to get the ball rolling on working on your project at ESS? Fill out the form below, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

Clients

ESS provides a sonically rich recording environment for musicians practicing in every genre—from indie rock to improvised music to electronic noise. Some clients who have recorded at our facilities include:
 
How to Dress Well
Weatherman
Hasco Duo (Amanda DeBoer Bartlett & Jesse Langen)
Fonema Consort
Jacques Demierre & Vincent Barras
James Falzone
Tim Kinsella/Joan of Arc
Spires That in the Sunset Rise
CAVE
Califone
Jeff Parker
Jaap Blonk
Rob Mazurek
Frank Rosaly
Birthmark
John Herndon
Damon Locks
Tomeka Reid (Hear in Now)
Dhalgren
Reds and Blue
Singer
Rabid Rabbit
Olivia Block
Hans-Peter Pfammatter
Relaxation Record
Tim Daisy
J.R Robinson
Third Coast Percussion
Paul Giallorenzo
Michael Reed’s People Places Things
Guillermo Gregorio
Joe McPhee & Mats Gustafsson
Michael Zerang
Jason Roebke
John Corbett
Mittens on Strings
Isa Wiss
Brian Labycz
I Ching Quartet
Ken Vandermark
Low Skies
Brian Harnetty
Gastr Del Sol
Jim O'Rourke
Terri Kapsalis
Hal Rammel
 
Studio B is geared toward film work and is setup for mixing, editing, voice overdubs, and mastering. Films that have been produced at ESS include:

All My Friends Are Funeral Singers (Tim Rutili/Califone)
Scrappers (Ben Kolak)
Elanore and the Time Keeper (Daniele Wilmouth)
Riot Acts (Madsen Minax)
Our School (Oren Goldenberg & Yoni Goldstein)
O’er The Land (Deborah Stratman)
Dream Havana (Gary Marks)
The First Breath of Tengan Rei (Ed M. Koziarski & Junko Kajino)
Orchard Vale (Tim Kinsella)
Nice Bombs (Usama Alshaibi)
Jean Genet in Chicago (Frederic Moffett)
In Order Not to Be Here (Deborah Stratman)
Some Girls Never Learn (Jerzy Rose)
Crimes Against Humanity (Jerzy Rose)
Neighborhood Food Drive (Jerzy Rose)
Hairy Who and the Chicago Imagists (Pentimenti Productions)
 
ESS has also done mastering for clients such as:
 
Okka Disk
Atavistic
FMP Records
John Corbett’s Unheard Music Series
Peter Brotzmann (Fragments w/ Sonny Sharrock)
Peter Brotzmann & Fred Lonberg-Holm (Improvised Duos)
Sun Ra (Night of the Purple Moon, Secrets of the Sun, Strange Strings)
The Whistler