The Map Room is newly renovated!

It took over two months, but now The Map Room is new and improved. We built a lounge in the front of the studio for extra sound isolation and for hanging out when you're not busy in the studio. It's equipped with a sink and cabinets, mini-fridge, toaster oven, and tea and coffee to make you comfy. We also put studio tie lines into the lounge, so that it can be used as another iso room as well. The studio now has quiet and effective heating, cooling and ventilation using some of the most energy-efficient technology available. The live room is more live with a longer reverb time, and very quiet with improved sound isolation. We built new room treatment for our existing iso room, absorbing low frequencies as well as high.

Here's an updated gear list:
We have a Soundcraft Ghost 32 channel console with mute automation which we use with both analog and digital recording gear. We have 2 RME Fireface 800 units fronting our Pro Tools and Nuendo systems. We also have an MCI JH-16 1" 8-track and an Otari MTR-10 1/4" 2-track for those of you who love analog. A lot of the equipment below has been made by the engineers who work in the studio.

Mic Preamps

2 channels Hamptone HVTP2
4 channels Hamptone HJFP2
2 channels Hamptone LCMP
2 channels of JLM Dual 99V
4 channels of JLM Baby Animals
Avalon 737sp

Compressors
Empirical Labs EL8-X Distressor
(2) Purple Audio MC77
LA-2A
FMR RNC
FMR RNLA

Mics
Royer R121
Josephson e22s
Josephson c42 (matched pair)
AKG D112
AKG D12E
Oktava MC 012 (matched pair)
Shure SM57 (4)
Neumann TLM103
Audio Technica AT4050
Audio Technica AT4033CL
Audix DP4ADrum mic kit
Rode NT1A
Custom LDC FET with Sony C37 cardioid capsule
Custom LDC FET mic with discrete front and back M7 capsule outputs for pattern-selection during mixdown
Shure SM7B
Shure SM7
Shure SM58
Gyraf G7 multi-pattern tube mics with M7 capsules (pair)
Sennheiser e609

Effects
Alesis QuadraVerb
Lexicon MPX-500
Massey plugins: limiter, compressor, tape delay, deesser, EQ, tape head
SIR2 Convolution Reverb

Monitoring
Custom Monitor Controller with talkback section and plasma peak/rms meters
JBL LSR4328 monitors
ADAM A7 monitors
Yamaha NS-10 Monitors
Furman HDS-6 Headphone Distribution System
(4) Furman HR-6 Headphone Remote Mixing Station
(1) AKG K240 Studio
(1) AKG K141 Studio
(1) Fostex T50RP
(2) Fostex T40RP
(1) Direct Sound Extreme Isolation Headphones
(1) Wharfedale powered stage monitor

Pedals
Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver
Soundtank Tubescreamer
Boss DS-1 Distortion
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Boss PS-3 Pitch Shifter/Delay
Line 6 DL-4 Delay
Ross Phaser
Reamp
Custom Passive DI

Instruments, Amps, and Cabs
Hammond M-3 organ with a 44W Leslie (modded for two speeds)
Pedal for patching instrument and line level signals into Leslie
Fender Rhodes
’77 Fender Super Reverb
Acoustic 406 cab
Tweed Deluxe head
Custom Sumo 2x10 guitar cab with Weber speakers
Hamilton baby grand piano
Marimba
Serge Modular Synth

the map womb

I am co-owner of The Map Room, a cooperative recording studio in SE Portland, Oregon.


This 1000 square foot open control room studio is the result of many hours spent building, wiring, and experimenting with acoustic treatment. We designed and built a silent 60 square foot Iso room.

Our room is designed to have enough "liveness" to create a sense of space around the music recorded there; or we can turn our diffusers around to create a "dead space" when needed. When you throw the gobos into the mix, you can easily set the room up to accommodate a band playing live, or drums with a big live feel, while simultaneously recording quiet instruments or vocals in the Iso room.

I built some huge bass traps for the control room. These, combined with the accurate monitoring and largeness of the whole space has caused my mixes to translate very well and sound like they are supposed to on music systems outside the studio.

I built most of the mic preamps and compressors and eqs that we use at the studio. It's a mix of older classic designs and newer, more modern sounds.

Here's the gear list:
We have a Soundcraft Ghost 32 channel console with mute automation which we use with both analog and digital recording gear. We have a Pro Tools LE Digital recording system with an RME FireFace 800 for a total of 16 digital inputs and outputs. We also have an MCI 1" 8-track and an Otari MTR-10 1/2" 2-track for those of you who love analog. A lot of the equipment below has been made by the engineers who work in this studio.

Mic Preamps
2 channels Hamptone HVTP2
2 channels Hamptone HJFP2
2 channels Hamptone LCMP
2 channels of JLM 99V
4 channels of JLM Baby Animals

Compressors
Empirical Labs EL8-X Distressor
(2) channels of Passive Tube EQ (Pultec type)
(2) Purple Audio MC77
Bloo Technologies LA-2A
FMR RNC

Mics
Soundelux e47
Royer R121
Josephson e22s
Josephson c42 (matched pair)
Beyer M88
AKG D112
AKG D12E
Oktava MC 012 (matched pair)
(4) Shure SM57
Shure SM7
Shure SM58
Pair of custom large diaphragm multi-pattern tube mics
Sennheiser e609

Effects
Alesis QuadraVerb
MPX-500
Massey plugins: limiter, compressor, tape delay, tape head
Convolution Reverb

Monitoring
PreSonus Central Station
JBL LSR4328 monitors
ADAM A7 monitors
Yamaha NS-10 Monitors
Furman HDS-6 Headphone Distribution System
(4) Furman HR-6 Headphone Remote Mixing Station
(2) AKG K240 Studio
(1) AKG K141 Studio
(1) Fostex T50RP
(2) Fostex T40RP
(1) Direct Sound Extreme Isolation Headphones
(1) Wharfedale powered monitor

Pedals
Tech 21 SansAmp
Soundtank Tubescreamer
Boss DS-1 Distortion
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Boss PS-3 Pitch Shifter/Delay
Line 6 DL-4 Delay
Ross Phaser
reamp

Instruments, Amps, and Cabs
Upright Piano
Hammond M-3 organ with a 52W Leslie (modded for two speeds)
Fender Rhodes
Fender Super Reverb
Carvin Pro Bass 500 head
Acoustic 406 cab
Tweed Deluxe amp
custom 2x10 guitar cab
Hamilton baby grand piano
Marimba
Wurlitzer accordion circa 1920