I recently chatted with CRC manager Hank Neuberger, who noted that, in addition to the recent Grammy nominees, CRC has also worked for such artists as R. Kelly, Pearl Jam, Veruca Salt, Michael Jackson, and locals Koko Taylor, Liz Phair, The Jesus Lizard, Wilco and Hum. With acts of such notoriety and diversity filling their client book and 21 years of business in Chicago, CRC is more than a studio ... it is a local institution.

There is no doubt that CRC’s size and position in the industry could be a bit overwhelming to any new act looking for a recording situation. The assumption or misconception that CRC is a titan that works exclusively for equally titanic acts is completely false. In fact, the studio’s size gives them more room to accommodate even the smallest clients as manager Hank Neuberger explains.

I’ve seen CRC’s name on the liner notes of many big recordings. Do you work with local and regional stuff, as well?

Tons! We do a lot with Steve Albini and Bob Westin. A local act called Shiner was just in. We also do a lot of local bands in every genre including jazz and gospel. We feel there is no one kind of music that’s better than all the rest; it’s just about doing good music.

I know recording projects can be expensive. Do you work with bands on a budget, and how?

Well, first of all, we have some rates in some of our studios that are very affordable. All of our equipment is well maintained and very reliable. Since our engineers are more talented and experienced, if a group is well prepared, they can work more efficiently in our facility than just about anywhere else.

What advice could you give a young band about choosing a studio for their project?

In choosing a studio, I would say the two issues are ... are you getting a good engineer who has some chemistry with the band in order to achieve good results? Second, the physical space has tremendous impact on the sound so choose it carefully. Also, a third thing is, I’ve yet to hear an ADAT project that sounded world class, especially in the rock genre.

On that note, what could a young band do to get the most from their studio experience?

It really helps to work out your arrangements in rehearsal, even on a cassette, so you really know the parts you want to record when you get to the studio. Also, really make sure the gear is in great shape [eg, new drum heads, tubes, strings, etc]; it really makes a big difference!

Given the recent state of the music business, with its slowest growth year since the disco era, I asked Neuberger about his spin on labels. “I don’t have a clue,” he repied. “It’s hard to understand A&R anymore. I’d like to think that good playing and good songs could do it, but I really don’t know anymore.” What Neuberger and CRC do know is that even in a year of tepid record sales, public apathy, and general industry malaise, the studio still managed to thrive. This could possibly be attributed not only to CRC’s size, but their reputation and diversity, as well.

There is a reason why the Chicago Recording Company has survived 21 years in the industry. They have built their reputation and acquired their impressive clientele by producing quality. The product is further enhanced by the excellence of the facility and equipment. CRC houses 12 studios for audio post production and recording. Each room is completely different, making the studio more flexible for a range of client needs and budgets. For larger productions, CRC has three music rooms equipped with either Neve, MCI or SSL consoles, along with Studer 2-inch analog tape decks. The rooms all offer a variety of great outboard gear, but for those of you who want a better idea of exactly what CRC has to offer, Neuberger suggests checking out their extensive website at www.chgo-rec.com/studios.