On-Location Multitrack Recording

We can record 16 channels of 24-bit/96-kHz audio just about anywhere you'd like. Collectively, our engineers have recorded the entire spectrum of musical groups and styles, from a symphony orchestra with a full choir and soloists, to a lean, mean Southern rock band. We have multitracked live at clubs, churches, schools, outdoor festivals, and of course garages, basements, and living rooms.

Our lead engineer Gordon Pickering received his Pro Tools certification from Arizona's Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences but also understands things from the musicians' perspective from his many years playing cello, piano and electric bass.

Post engineer Lars Rehnberg is one of the founders and currently head instructor at The Sound Lab, a new educational recording studio located on the 2nd floor of the River Music Experience. They are currently offering a 24-week/96-hour program in audio engineering and music business. The evening and weekend classes are broken into three digestible 8-week blocks and are open to all ages and skill levels. Some students may qualify for tuition discounts or financial aid. Take a look here for more information. Lars also moonlights as an engineer in their nightclub The Redstone Room.

Recent happy customers include St. Ambrose University, Quad Cities rockers Jim the Mule, and the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Society.

Audio Mixing and Post-Production

This is probably our favorite service - taking raw, unedited audio and making it glow from within. We have a well-equipped project studio suitable for post-production and overdubs as well as tracking smaller projects like demos or voiceovers. We do not rent our space or equipment out, but we are always willing to collaborate if the project is a good fit.

We have also recently started to offer audio mastering services at very reasonable rates. Mastering typically involves equalization to balance the sound for the widest possible number of audio systems, dynamics processing to raise the average loudness, and various forms of audio sweetening. It is a crucial part of the album production process, and an extremely tricky thing to try to do yourself. Recent happy customers include Clinton singer/songwriter Dan Peart, jazz combo Skinner, Sconyers, and Rummans, and Kyle Ferguson of the band Blue and Brown Books whose recording with us won 2nd place in BMI's 2007 John Lennon Songwriting Competition.

Live Sound Reinforcement

We focus on mid-size productions with audiences in the range of 200 to 2500. With a number of engineers on our team, we are almost certain to be available for your event, and our rates are reasonable. Our clients rave, rave, rave about the sound quality of our live productions. We can also provide stage lighting and special effects if you require. If we are running sound for you, we can easily record a two-track board mix, or a full multi-track for mixing down at a later time. (Or, if you like, a two-track board mix and a multi-track simultaneously.)

We can also take video of your performance, or still photos, or both. We recently acquired two new video cameras, and can provide anything from a documentary-style record of the event to a complete DVD package with a two- or three-camera shoot, video post, audio sync, and packaging design.

Audio Transfer and Restoration

Got an album that needs CPR? We can transfer from vinyl to CD, cassette to CD, etc... If you have a more exotic audio project, we always want to hear about it. We can clean up many forms of damage like hum, white noise, clicks and pops, as well as equalizing to restore tone. Incidentally, River Drive has a collection of vintage equipment, including reel-to-reel tape machines, tube amps, and some more esoteric items like a vacuum tube tester. Many of the items are currently on display at the River Music Experience.

Web Design and Development

For an example of a database-driven, content-managed site, visit The Unitarian Church, Davenport.

Graphic Design

Logos, posters, t-shirts, magnets, buttons, CDs, album art, signage, the wrapper for your new brand of candy......