Electrical Audio

Studio A in 2011, with adobe brick walls and vintage keyboards

Electrical Audio is a recording facility founded in Chicago, Illinois by musician and recording engineer Steve Albini in 1997.[1] Hundreds of independent music projects have been recorded there. Unlike most producers, Albini refused to take any royalties from musicians who record at the studio.[2]

Founded during an era of increasing popularity for digital recording, Electrical Audio was unusual for using only analog recording technology, including mixing consoles, tape recorders and many outboard sound effects.[citation needed] The rooms are also designed to offer natural reverberation rather than adding the quality in post-production.[citation needed]

In a 2007 post on the studio's message board,[3] the studio's technician Greg Norman revealed that the studio had acquired a Pro Tools rig for computer-aided recording and editing, saying it had become "as important to have as a piano". Norman also went on to write that Albini, who disliked digital recording, "won't be recording with [Pro Tools]. So don't ask him about it."[4]

  1. ^ Tingen, Paul (September 2005). "Steve Albini: Sound Engineer Extraordinaire". Sound On Sound. SOS Publications Group. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  2. ^ "From 1994: Steve Albini and the Life of the Iconoclast".
  3. ^ EA Forums: Pro Tools and Digital Performer at Electrical
  4. ^ Electrical Audio – Equipment