LIVE ROOM

The live room is 20′ x 40′, with 11’6″ ceilings and natural light from three large West-facing windows.  Typically drums are set up in a corner, sounding balanced and spacious in far room mics.  Distant mic-ing techniques in the live room also add pleasing depth to voice, acoustic guitar and piano.

The room is exceptionally useful as an echo chamber during mixdown, unifying overdubbed and D.I.’d instruments into the same sonic space as the drums.

CONTROL ROOM

The control room is 11′x13′, and was designed with ergonomics in mind.  Most everything is within the engineer’s reach from mix position — though one does need to roll a few feet to operate the tape decks.

The room is minimally tuned, with velour curtains on the sides, high/mid absorption at the back, and bass traps in the corners.  Artists often choose to work in here, and the room can accommodate two or three bandmembers comfortably.

DEAD ROOM

The dead room is 11′x13′, and in truth is not totally dead, as a little bit of pushback keeps things sounding natural.  It can accommodate a small drumset, but is typically used as a vocal booth and for close-mic’ing of acoustic instruments.  Guitar and bass amps go in here for overdubs.

The dead room houses two large roadcases, configured as isolation cabinets.  The iso cabs have signal pass-throughs, and may be completely sealed for tracking — essential for recording loud bands live to tape.  Each cabinet can accommodate up to a 4×12 speaker.

RATES

Day Rate with Engineer:  $300

Day Rate without Engineer:  $200

Deposit:  $50/day

Due at time of booking

Tape Rental

Tracking:  $50/reel  (2″ 24-track)

Mixdown: $10/reel  (1/4″ 2-track)

Please arrive at the studio with payment for your entire session in cash, certified check or money order.  We also accept bank transfer in advance of the session.  We do not accept personal checks.

LOCATION

Shipwreck is located in a 1920s military armory just northwest of Downtown Oakland, in the Hoover/Foster district.  We are an eight-minute walk from the 19th Street BART station.

All the amenities of Oakland’s Uptown and Temescal districts are close at hand.  Funky low- and mid-priced eateries abound, bars are handy, and beautiful Lake Merritt is a short jog away.

ENGINEER

Jonah Strauss (b.1979) built and runs Shipwreck.  An Oakland resident since 2004, he is committed to the Bay Area music scene.  You will often find him at local indie rock, post rock, and experimental music shows.  He is a self-taught engineer and drummer.

When not recording albums, Jonah works locally and on tour throughout the world as a concert lighting and video designer.  Past design clients include Bon Iver, TV on the Radio, Blonde Redhead, and the Arcade Fire.