The key to a brilliant album often lies in the hands of engineers that produce it. However, Chicago’s rich background as a well-established musical mecca can make it difficult to navigate the plethora of recording studios. Theresa Brooks, manager at Apocalypse Cow Studio, advises finding a “place where [you] can feel comfortable and be creative.” Communication senior and musician Doug Kaplan recommends finding engineers that “you’ll get along well with […] because recording an album could take multiple days of work and you need to be able to work well with the engineers to have a good experience.” Start your research here to find some good fits for you.
Electrical Audio
2621 W. Belmont Ave.
$450-650/day
World-renowned for high-quality recording, Electrical Audio’s owner Medill alumna Steve Albini has worked with more than a thousand artists from the Pixies to Nirvana. Famous — or infamous — for his loyalty to analog recording, which offers a warmer, softer sound, Albini says Electrical specializes in live music recording: “All of our performing spaces and all of our equipment is designed to accommodate any number of players for playing together live.”
Soma Electronic Music Studios
2001 W. Division St.
$350/day
Owned by Tortoise drummer John McEntire, highly sought after producer of Bright Eyes, Broken Social Scene, Wilco and Spoon, Soma specializes in electronic and rock music. “One thing that separates us is our synthesizer collection,” says engineer Andrew Hernandez. “We have a lot of vintage synthesizers that are pretty rare.” Soma also has a legendary Trident A Range console, one of 13 in the world, which marries analog gear with digital technology.
Studiomedia
1030 Davis St., Evanston
$500/day
Located in downtown Evanston, Studiomedia offers music recording, postproduction and an extensive voiceover service, with clients such as Pixar and Paramount. Communication junior Kara Goldsmith, a former intern, says Studiomedia has the facilities of a midsize studio that’s not quite as expensive as other big-name studios. “Studiomedia has the capability to do a lot in their studio,” she says, listing the video suite that freelance videoeditors often peruse.
B-Side Audio
1551 W. Chestnut St.
$450/day
According to B-Side’s website, the studio is inspired by “a comfortable work environment that is both intimate and informal.” Communication junior Kelsey Wild, who has two releases, recorded an EP at B-Side. “I went in because the price was good and because they had some good-sounding acoustic pianos,” Wild says. “Since my music was piano-based, that was pretty important.” Wild also states that producer Neal Ostrovsky was “very easy to work with.”
AudioGenix
7215 N. Oakley Ave.
$400/day
Managed by Weinberg alum Ben Lieberman, AudioGenix specializes in vocal recording, being the go-to studio for many Northwestern a cappella groups. “What I do is try to be more of a producer,” Lieberman says. “I’ll come into their rehearsal ahead of time and help coach better dynamics, better phrasing.” He also does on-site recording, including student recitals. “It doesn’t really matter where you are, or the material you have. It matters what you know to do with it.”