For you recording engineers out there here is a website dedicated to nothing but kick drum microphones. We know that most of you may overlook this important part of your recordings...stop that. Everyone loves an in-your-face great sounding kick sound. I know we do.
The next generation recording engineer website RecordingQuestions.com has added a brand new user-driven gear section. We must say that this is a ton of fun once you get started. Head over and check out the Ape Trax studio profile!
We at Ape Trax has been using a great new digital audio informatoin resource called RecordingQuestions.com. We highly recommend that you visit the site if you have any interest in audio recording and engineering. You can even setup a profile to promote your own recording studio.
See you there!
July is approaching full boiling point at Ape Trax. We've got a full calendar for the back half of the month and the dates are starting to brim into August, so get your music together and reserve some time soon! This IS the season to get out and play, so here are some things to get out there and check out before Labor Day rolls back around. Check out the boys in BBU tonight at Darkroom. They're doing a set as part of the post-Pitchfork party; Dickfork. I dare you not to shake your ass at one of their shows. if you haven't seen, go now. seriously. Recent clients Virulence Factor and The Bending Spoon will be playing with a host of other bands this Saturday at Brisku's Bistro. Tight grooves, epic shredding and crispy vocal work. Always a good time. To cap the month off, Kites and the (glorious) teaparty will be playing Subterranean on the 30th. Grab some pre-show Sultans and come by. John Airo, local Chicago visual artist will be doing some live art and have tons more on display. As always: follow the studio on Twitter for updates on the latest studio goings-on, and the ubiquitous moment-to-moment musings of the city's most introspective engineers.
As you may have noticed by now, we've made some serious changes to the Ape Trax Recording site as of late. We have gone ahead and added the following exciting features:
Not only are we aiming to be the best bang for your buck in Chicago, we're also trying to be the best studio on the web. Bands are connected on the web, and so are we. If you have any other ideas for the studio website, be sure to email us at: website @apetraxstudios.com We hope to hear from all of you in some form or another soon.
- Ape Trax
...even though it's the middle of brutal Chicago winter. Weekend spots in February are filling up fast folks! (though I'm still happy to record you during the workweek) So secure some time now to have your project done before the ice breaks! Remember you can always pay for your session in advance to ensure your spot via paypal too! ...and it's always toasty warm up here in the studio, especially after the drummer's sweated through a few takes. In other news, Power Metal outfit Virulence Factor put in an all-nighter recently to record two songs for a local Chicago Compilation. Links and info to follow!
local head rockers man|DROID are putting the finishing touches on their latest recordings: an acoustic album with some buttery new tunes and sweeter versions of old favorites. Head over to their myspace and show some love. Also: Did you know that you can pay for your studio session via paypal? Why mess around with all that cash when you've already lugging a bunch of your expensive equipment around? Safe and secure, you can pay for your session up front from the comfort of your own computer and your time will be waiting for you. Call J for details.
It's getting brisk out there in a hurry, what better way to spend the chilly autumn days than in a nice warm studio? For the next few weeks, Apetrax is offering a discount to anyone that books time up until Thanksgiving weekend. Call J for more info to make arrangements. Stay sharp.
In the interim between the Studio's official launch, we've been working on a couple projects: The Darling Arms came in and recorded a live demo and old punk rock regulars Heyday have tracked a new blistering full-length album.
Local Hip Hop artist and Poet Lamon Manuel has been recording some tracks lately. Good introspective lyricism and angular beat production. Show some love at his Myspace: Lamon Manuel. stay peeled folks.
After a lengthy hiatus, Apetrax is back up and running! The past months have been spent securing a new space and fitting out a new room. The studio is now located near Halsted and 18th in Pilsen, just south of the UIC campus. Come check it out this Friday as theres a small art show going on in the loft space below. New projects are already in the works, so book some time now before it gets snatched up!
A big Thanks to The Next Big Thing who just finished laying the last vocal track this weekend for their upcoming EP. Be sure to check them out online for the latest on a release date.
We'd like to say thanks to Harms Way and Dakota and his crew for coming into the studio.
Ape Trax will have several 5.1 mixes on the upcoming Deicide live DVD filmed here in Chicago. This is the first DVD featuring ex-Cannibal Corpse guitarist Jack Owen...be sure to check it out!
Oh yeah...and be sure to have a great Thanksgiving...
For the most part it's studio business as usual around here for us. We will be working with Scrambled Visual Productions providing live sound recording for an upcoming live music video to be shot at the Logan Square Auditorium.
Ape Trax is also offering special rates right now. From now until the end of October mention this and get a full 8 hour day of recording for only $150. (This block may not be split over several days but you may buy multiple blocks if you wish) Just call us at 847-414-1272.
See you in the studio!
Thanks again to One Light Out, After The Fight, and White Claudia who all recently released new albums. All three groups recording here at Ape Trax and we'd like to wish them the best.
We're currently working with ex Spitalfield bassist TJ Minich and his new band Machine Elves to record their upcoming EP set to come out some time later this summer. Things are coming along quickly now, be on the lookout.
I've updated the audio section with some of the newer projects that have come though the studio. Head over to see what we've been up to with all our time. Be sure to leave us some comments to read as well!
- Justin
As some of you may or may not know...the Ape Trax computer took a dive last week and was promptly declared dead at the scene. While this wasn't good news at the time, this has allowed us to upgrade our studio machine. This means more stability, more plug-ins, and better performance.
For all those technical dorks out there, here's the new machine specs.
Athlon 64 X2 4600+
2GB Corsair dual channel RAM
XFX Revolution 5 Port RAID controller
3 x 300GB Maxtor HD's running in RAID 3
Well, we're finally starting to settle in at our new Chicago location. Everything is up and running minus some aesthetic details, and we'll be getting to those soon.
We're currently trying hard to finish up with about a half dozen projects as of this update. That means lots of mixing, and editing. We've got a handful of new projects starting up in March so if you need studio time in the near future, be sure to contact us soon...March is filling fast!
Are you interested in recording?
Ape Trax is going to be looking for another member in the near future. If you have any sound engineering skills and you think you might like working with us...send an email with your info and a brief description of you experience. We're looking forward to hearing from you!
See ya in the studio...
Yeah, that's right...we're moving again. This time we're on our way to Chicago. We'll be moving this Saturday, Feb. 4th.
If you would like to help, then great! Just let us know so we can gage the amount of people we'll need.
This should be our last move for some time to come.
We should be up and running again by Feb. 5th.
It looks like our move back to Schaumburg is almost here! We'll be packing up most of this week and then heading over this Saturday the 24th.
Our current plan is to have everything back together and ready to go around the new year. This is only an estimate of couse, but we'll be sure to keep all of you up to date with the latest studio madness!
Thanks in advance to everyone willing to donate some of their time to help us out with the move!
We'll see everyone Saturday...
- Ape Trax
Just because we're getting ready to move doesn't mean we've been idle...trust us!
We're now nearing the finish line with One Light Out's upcoming full-length. We've finished the drums and guitars for almost every track thus far, and vocals are currently well underway.
We'd like to thank HighBall and The Clean Break who recently finished tracking their respective projects with us and are mearly awaiting finals mixes.
On the ever-looming studio horizon we'll be welcoming back Schaumburg's own Action Dallas and DeKalb's Blood To Moon. Check back with us for all the latest...
Ape Trax will have to move its operation by the upcoming 2006 new year.
We have to be out of our current location by January 1st, and we're currently looking for a new one. Anyone with any leads to suitable studio space should feel free to contact me...we'll be sure to hook you up!
How is this going to affect booking?
We'll, we're pretty close to being booked-up until the move, but feel free to call--you never know when someone will cancel.
We'll be keeping everyone up-to-date with the studio search as it unfolds. How Exciting!
You know how much junk we have, so any help moving when the time comes would we awesome.
Wish us luck, and we'll be seeing you all in the studio soon...
Another quick update for everyone out there.
Thanks to our new friends in Fallacy for stopping in this weekend to finish some new material. They're hoping to get that on the streets ASAP...so keep your eye out.
We'd also like to welcome One Light Out into the studio. These guys are looking to reintroduce some serious harmonies into the Chicago area soon. Check back for the latest.
Remember to keep the music playing!
Yeah, I'm back to finally update the news again. But, we've been busy--this is good.
Alright, September is at an end and we're gearing up for October. We've already booked most of the premium weekend slots, so if you want the last few be sure to concact us ASAP!
We'd like to welcome Lullaby Records to the studio. We should soon be working with the new local label and it's growing list of bands producing the music that we all love. First up is Fallacy, due to hit the studio by mid October.
We would also like to welcome back Ex Minkis members now in Travel by Cannon along with new commers Who Will Survive, both of which will be gracing our studio floors.
- Justin
Well, I've gone and put up a brand new site! I hope that this one will be a bit easier to navigate and find what you need.
Feel free to send me feedback about the new site design, and let me know if you have any sudgestions or questions. Send them to justin@apetraxstudios.com
See you in the studio...
- Justin
We're getting dangerously close to finishing up in the studio with Schaumburg's own Forsworn. If you're into hardcore--you're into these guys. Expect to hear this band on the streets in the next couple weeks.
White Claudia has landed back at Ape Trax, and this time under our production wing. Justin and J are currently producing their upcoming EP, which began this past weekend with the completion of drum tracking. You can be sure that these guys will be creating some of the more original sounding material in the area...so be on the lookout for the latest from White Claudia.
Thanks to Heavy Chevy who came back in after two years to record a few weeks back as well as newcomers We All Live to Die.
Since you haven't heard from us in while we must have been busy, right? Well, correct you are, and here's what we've been up to.
We've been working with The Phoenix Rising to put the finishing touches on Marquis in Spades the smashing Pumpkins cover that's going to be on the upcoming Shot Full of Diamonds tribute disc.
We finally have the new Action Dallas song up in the Audio section. If you're a fan of vocal harmonies, you'll be a fan of this one.
We've also added a new song from our friends in Maledicted titled Malignant Antipathy--a straight ahead rocker.
In other news, we're still waiting for our damn digital card to arrive from Focusrite audio. If any of you know anyone there...tell them I'm pissed! See you in the studio!
Thanks to everyone who voted for the web poll so far. The kit in question would probably be a signature DW or something along those lines...a very nice kit. We would obviously keep new heads on it and always have it in tune. Please continue to vote!
Work is progressing with many of our groups. Expect to hear from Brolin, Grey Ghost, and Insomniac Dreams in the near future. All three have been in working on their latest releases.
Also, be sure you're listening to the WGCI 107.5 airwaves for the latest from Ape Trax regulars Maestro and Don Profit. Several fresh tracks should be gracing the airwaves soon.
It's time to bring you up to speed once again...so here we go!
It was jumpin' at Ape Trax this weekend thanks to both Arial and Fall Out Effect for coming through the studio and laying down their latest creations. We'll be finishing with both of them in the near future, so expect to hear some fresh sounds in the near future.
We have updates on the latest gear scene here in the studio as well.
We'd like to welcome a Focusrite ISA 428 quad preamp, an Empirical Labs Distressor compressor, and an Audix D6 microphone to the Ape Trax team. We're really looking forward to using the new gear--we hope you are too!
It's come to our attention that the Contact Us section of the web site was not working. This has now been fixed. Sorry for the inconvenience.
oh boy.
new developments abound down here at Apetrax Central Command:
-a new Furman headphone monitoring system means you can set your own playback levels in your headphones. it helps you help yourself.
-a shiny new Behringer V-Amp makes laying scratch guitar tracks a little more palatable, in addition to providing a few more tonal possibilities.
-our current Avalon Preamp now has a twin. and they're both sexy as hell.
in other news, lately the studio floor has been littered with quite a number of different people: Maledicted stopped back in to record some new material. Todd and John are sounding as tough as ever in three new tracks. Chicago area hip-hoppers Maestro and Don Profit share their view on clubbing in the modern world. Check the FM airwaves on 92.3 and maybe you'll get to hear "F**k the Club" While you're at it, call in to the station and request to hear the finest party banger to ever emerge from the bowels of Apetrax. Fresh new faces Bitter Sanctuary screamed through a short demo in one day. Rockford new bloods Brolin began work on six songs that are developing nicely. and of course, Manic Sewing Circle reminded me that people somewhere are still listening to ska and stopped by to polish up their tracks in between stealing cookies and fast food binges. Incidentally, MSC wins the Apetrax award for best studio outtakes, which are funny enough to warrant a bonus EP.
that's all for now. keep making the music and we'll keep immortalizing it.
-Justin & J
There has been a slight change to our studio rates. This will not affect most of our customers unless you plan on booking a session for less than 3 hours. Please see the services section for more details.
Another quick update for all you guys out there. I finished mixing the latest from local band White Claudia this week. Everything turned out great, so look for the tracks to hit the streets soon. We'll keep ya posted.
We also picked-up some nice new giant boom stands for drum overheads....Oh yeah!
Ok everyone...the first music of 2005 is here. The song "Drink Up, The World's About To End" from The Coast Affair is up in the audio section. Head over and check it out.
Happy new year to everybody out there!
We're starting off the year right here at Ape Trax...by recording some more great music.
Look for all new material from Addison's own Coast Affair who were in and out of the studio all week recording their new song.
Also thanks to Guce, from Naperville, for hanging with us Thursday and adding to our musical diversity.
Thanks to Laconia who stopped-in to record a few tracks this week. All recording is done and expect mixing to be completed within the next week.
You may have noticed a lack of updates on the site recently, we have. J and I have taken some time off to recharge and refresh our musical ears, but rest assured...we're back.
Starting today, all studio time booked during the month of December is 15% off! Just call us up and book your groups next session today, while it's cheap. Rates will return to normal on Jan 1st. Any dates rescheduled after Dec 31 will be booked at the normal studio rates. Any dates booked in December but scheduled for Jan. 1st or later require a 25% down-payment.
Happy holidays everyone...
Thanks again to Maledicted for coming through the studio. We've added the finishing touches to their debute recording here at Ape Trax, and we hope to have some audio up soon.
It was a busy week at the boards: Maledicted finished their tracking sessions and will have their mix soon. Keep an ear out if you like your vocals tough and guitars blazing. Also, conglomerate super-band The Coast Affair, which features members from First Impression and Fall Broke Memphis, near completion on their five new songs, a double ended bitchslap of melodic hardcore and guitar harmonies.
Thanks again to our friends in After The Fight for stopping through to record their debut album with us. We finished the mixing and editing so expect to see songs popping up online soon. You can get all the latest info at: AfterTheFight.com.
More good news for those of you looking for better ways to pay for your studio time. We now have a way to pay with a credit card from the site using PayPal. All you need is a PayPal account...which is free...and you can record all you want and pay the credit company later. Awes Yeah!
Go here to check it out!
Schiller Park area boys Minkis have completed tracking for their second Apetrax release, tentatively titled: "The Summer's End EP". After a couple long candlelight sessions, the music is sounding great as it's readied for final mixing.
...in other news, anyone interested in purchasing Driven To Stereo's "Way of the Clock" disc should contact Pierce on AIM: Driven II Stereo.
Minkis finished their summer's end EP, and will be promoting it at a show this Friday at the Elk Grove Teen Center. Check their webpage for more details. Come check out some Apetrax handiwork at its best.
The boys from After the Fight have polished off their vocal tracks and are ready to begin mixing. Keep your ears out for their upcoming full length. Also, tomorrow is my birthday and I'll be 23. -J
This weekend was spent in studio with After The Fight laying down drums and guitar for their upcoming release. We'll be back at it this weekend to start tracking vocals and begin mixing.
OK, I'm finally putting up one of the finished Driven to Stereo songs. Check out Little Miss Innocent under the audio section. While maybe not even one of their better songs off the EP, it's still a worth the download.
Guess who was bored the other day...Me! OK, I've added a new little feature to the website, a Calendar Section. You can now check and see what days are open to record. This should make it a ton easier to schedule sessions with bands.
I was able to jump on a spectacular deal this week and acquire a pair of Event Audio's superb new Studio Precision 8 monitors. We've been looking to upgrade our monitors for some time now and finally got it done. These monitors are super clear and provide us with some much needed low-end clarity and reproduction...translating into even better mixes.
We wrapped up quite a few things this weekend here at Ape Trax. First-off, congratulations to Driven To Stereo for completing their new 6 song EP. They've been spending quite a bit of time here with us and the results are great. We should have a new sample up in the audio section soon for all those interested.
Third Estate also finished up with us this weekend, and are hitting the streets with their new material as I type this. The track Soil is already up in the audio section so check it out.
Fun fun times once again in the land of Ape Trax. The brand new Schaumburg based group White Claudia headed into the studio this weekend to test out their new material. Recording went well, and mixdown should be completed by week's-end, so stay tuned for all the latest.
Third Estate will around in the beginning of the week to help put the finishing touches on their recently recorded material.
Third Estate made their first appearence at Ape Trax this weekend to work on their upcoming EP release. The finishing touches to the mix should be completed by weeks end.
Manic Sewing Circle also starts work on their first full length release Tuesday morning.
Another long week comes to an end. The sophomore release by Fallen Angels (TWillow Records) is now complete. It took most of the week to finish the mixing, but expect to see it hit the streets by the middle of July.
Friel is officialy finished and preparing their release for the public as well. The final touches we in at about midnight Monday morning.
It was a busy weekend within the bowels of Ape Trax. First Impression was back in the studio to lay some fresh new tunes Friday. We finished up the mixing on Saturday so the tunes should be on the streets this week. We hosted speed-metal rockers Friel on Sunday as they laid down some of the fastest and shortest songs in the city. We'll be finishing up their debut this week.
Well, I've made a couple changes to the website this week. Most notably is the new and improvedaudio section that now includes a new comments feature. You can now post comments under each song letting us and the band know what you think about the song and the actual recording. I hope to see some comments up there soon, let us know how you like the music.
Ever Fixed Mark was roaming the Ape Trax studio this weekend and finishing their 3 song EP. If ya like slammin' guitar, you'll dig this.
You can check out "Me, Myself, and Cyanide" in the audio section.
Ska is not dead, not quite yet at least. Local ska outfit "Manic Sewing Circle" came through to record a 4 song demo this weekend. Thanks Guys!
In other news, our new mixing desk is here and we're just waiting for the rack rails to come in. We can't wait to get this baby in place, it really should help with the ergonomics of the studio. A big thanks to Dan from "Taylormade" for the custom work!
We managed to secure another stellar piece of gear for the studio. We'd like to anounce that we now have an Avalon Design 737 Mic channel. This is another beautifull sounding microphone preamp that's sure to sparkle-up our recordings. I'll be adding a link to the "Featured Gear" section so you can read more about this new beauty.
Just because we haven't updated in a while doesn't mean we haven't been busy. We've been in the studio with Driven to Stereo, Minkis, and To Leave Last over the past 3 weeks. So you can expect some brand new recordings to hit the streets in the near future.
Oh and I'm going to have a new mixing desk built soon. So for those of you who care, I'll be sure to put pics up of that.
Well, in case you didn't notice, we've got an all-new design up for the site. I decided to go with an improved web look to go along with the new sound quality we're producing. I've reorganized things a bit, and added a couple new sections. Look for more in the near future and feel free to email me any sudgestions.
We're currently working with Driven to Stereo from the North side on an extended EP project. We're hoping to finish up the first two tracks in the next week or so...keep checking back for audio samples.
We had a chance to try out our new dynamic duo--the focusrite and the Rode K2 last night. We tracked some hip-hop vocals with local artist LunchBox. I'm very impressed with the results so far. The vocals are extremely warm and have that in-your-face presence every vocal artist has to have.
Check out"The Understanding" in the audio section.
Some more big news from the world of Ape Trax Studios. We're happy to announce a couple of new pieces of killer gear.
- Focusrite ISA 420 Microphone Preamp, This is a reissue of an original Rupert Neve preamp design. This is as good as preamps get, and we're glad to say this is our best piece of gear yet.
- Rode K2 Tube Microphone, A great variable pattern tube microphone and the perfect combo with our ISA 430 preamp. This is a beautiful vocal mic that can be used on tons of sound sources, I know you'll be pleased with the way this one sounds.
Our new prices are in affect as of Feb. 1st, and will affect anyone scheduling after that date. For more information, please see our rates section.
J has been busy the last couple weekends helping out the bands 'Everyday Hero' and 'Nothing New' record demos in within the bowels of Apetrax. We've just finished mixing the songs down and hope to have them up in theaudio section soon. - J & J
Check the Ape Traxaudio section for the lastest music from Minkis. They tracked a pair of brand-new tracks just this weekend with J at the helm. And for everyone that's been waiting...the brand new 7th Grade Underdog songs are also in the audio section...check em out!! - J & J
OK...Don't freak out, Ape Trax is changing their rates. Starting Feb. 1st, any bands that book time will be charged $20 and hour for recording and mixing. This is only a $5 an hour price increase and it's sorly needed to help support all the new equipment we have up in here. All bands that book time before Feb. 1st will only be charged $15 an hour. See you guys in the studio. - J & J