Cavetone Studios Services

Recording: We specialize in recordings for vinyl and cassette, but we're told we do a pretty good job with CDs too.

We are one of the last full analog studios remaining (especially in the Midwest) where we track and mix to tape through all kinds of nice tube equipment so if you wanted to, your songs would never touch a computer. We highly recommend that you try it at least once. We take pride in approaching recording like it was done in 1966. The feel and sound of the song is the most important thing, and this is achieved by using a variety of interesting gear that fits the song and having musicians play their songs in their entirety on actual instruments in the same room. The quality of the recording does not matter if the song does not have the feeling that made you initially write it.

Every session is tracked to tape by resident caveman Scott Walus, who acts asCavetone Records founder and head engineer Scott Walusengineer, but also producer and session musician if you need (other studio musicians are available upon request). Walus has worked in nearly every area of media (reporting, PR, video production) and holds a Master's degree from Illinois State University (May 2007) where he wrote his thesis on the Nuggets box set and a Doctorate in Communication from the University of Missouri where he wrote his dissertation on the mediated myth of rock and roll (August 2011). With your recording, you get access to vintage instruments and amplifiers in a comfortable and swanky environment. We work quickly and have fun while doing it. We genuinely enjoy working with musicians and it shows in our recordings.

Rates:

For 1/4” 4 track recording $20/hour or block an 8 hour day for just $125.

For 1/2” 8-track $30/hour.

(Rates do not include the price of tape, which can be purchased through us or wherever you would like, but we will only use virgin tape and you keep your master reels. We suggest RMGI and ordering through splicit.com. They're nice people. Tape generally runs about $30 a reel for 1/4” [which holds about 22 minutes] and about $100 a reel for 1/2”)

Mastering: There are two reasons why you would want us to do your mastering.

  1. Vinyl. You have decided to put your songs on wax. While we would obviously recommend keeping it all analog, we realize that this is not always a possibility. Consider coming to with your cassette/CD/digital file/open reel and we will master it to 1/4” tape at 15IPS, running it through tube mixers, beautiful passive EQs, and tube limiting. In our opinion, transferring to tape best prepares your songs for the lacquering process.

  2. You crave analog goodness, but you are doing a CD/digital file. Many digital recordings omit a certain energy and warmth, but sometimes, it's what you have access to or can afford. Tape and tubes to the rescue! We can take your digital file and run it to tape in a similar process to our vinyl mastering through all of our crazy tube outboard gear. We use this equipment to meticulously add life and warmth to your digital recordings turning your 1s and 0s into magnetic waves run through tube electrons. We listen with our ears to get you the best-sounding songs as opposed to relying on waveforms. We take this tape and then re-digitize it for you in any files of your choosing.

Rates: Mastering is $20/hour plus any tape.

Instrument set ups and repair.

We always have a solder station, specialty tools, and the knowledge and experience to be able to troubleshoot finicky instruments. Having instruments properly functioning and intonated is absolutely key to playing and sounding your best. This service is available during sessions or any other time you choose by appointment. It's key to have an engineer who can fix problems at the source (such as recognizing when pickups are too far away from strings instead of attempting to just “fix it in the mix” and still coming up short). The knowledge of the inner-workings of instruments and electronic devices also allows us to get the most out of any instrument. Rates vary upon service.

Merchandise (buttons, key chain bottle openers, magnets)

We make buttons, key chain bottle openers, and magnets in house with all U.S. made materials. Our turnaround time is quick and our work is quality. We have made merchandise for The CoMO Derby Dames, Megan Boyer Band, The Passion, Carta Marina, Animal Party, Diablo Blanco, The Turn Offs, Monte Carlos, Pat Boone's Farm, The Hanukkah Jones Band, and many others.

Rates

100 1 1/4” buttons $25 b/w ($30 for color)

50 2 1/4” buttons $22 b/w ($28 for color)

50 2 1/4” magnets $32 b/w ($38 for color)

50 2 1/4” key chain bottle openers $34 b/w ($40 for color) (these sell like mad)

Remember, these are all U.S.-made, high quality parts.

300 DPI + TIFF files are preferred. For color, remember to use CMYK. We accept Paypal, checks, or cash. Email us and we will send you an invoice. Please request turnaround time. We can even accommodate rush orders of 24 hours.

Please write with any any all questions. Cavetone at hotmail dot com.