Purpose
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 who utilize audio for educational and outreach programs and exhibition design.
Studio A
An 800-square-foot multi-track live recording studio, with isolation room
Studio B
A soundtrack and mastering suite, with overdub booth
Gear List
Recorders & Programs Pro-Tools LE (16 tracks input), Tascam TSR-8 (8-track 1/2″), Max/MSP and Jitter, Tascam DA-30 (DAT), Otari MTR 15 (2-track 1/4″), CD & cassette
Preamps Mackie 24-8 board, M-Audio Octane, Presonus Blue Tube, Presonus Firepod
Outboard gear Ibanez Multi-Effects UE405, Furman Quad Noise Gate QN44, Yamaha Comp/Limiter GC 2020BII, Alesis Quadraverb, Aphex Systems Aural Exciter
Microphones AKG 414, Rode NT1A, Oktava MK-012 (2), Shure KSM 32 (2), Shure SM 88 (2), Audio Technica AT822, Shure 55S (2), Shure SM 57 (3), Shure SM 58, Shure SM96, AKG D112 (2), Nady DM80 (2), various contact microphones
Musical Equipment Sojin baby grand piano, 5-piece Tama drum kit, vintage Crate bass amp, Yamaha SY85 synthesizer, Boss Dr. Beat DB-66, 3 Passive DI boxes, bells & whistles
Access and Rates
The recording facility is available to ESS members at a sliding scale of hourly rates. Expert engineers are available and the facility is also designed for individual equipment tutorials and self-engineering. ESS is open by appointment and we recommend that you book your time at least a week in advance.
| Studio Rates | w/ engineer | w/o engineer |
| Students | $35.00/hr | $25.00/hr |
| Individuals | $45.00/hr | $35.00/hr |
| Non-profit organizations | $55.00/hr | n/a |
| Business | $75.00/hr | n/a |
Clients
The live room in our new space provides a sonically rich recording environment for musicians and performance pieces. Ken Vandermark, Michael Zerang, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Mats Gustafsson, John Corbett, Michael Reed, mung, and Mittens on Strings have all recorded at our facilities. We have also worked with artists such asLow Skies, Gastr Del Sol, Ribbon Effect, Jim O’Rourke, and Hal Rammel over the history of the studio.
Our second room is geared toward film work and is setup for mixing, editing, voice overdubs, and mastering. Recent film work at the studio includes In Order Not to Be Here (Deborah Stratman), Nice Bombs (Usama Alshaibi), Jean Genet in Chicago (Frederic Moffet), and Orchard Vale (Tim Kinsella).
