Gravity Studios

Gravity Studios is a recording, mixing and mastering studio at 2250 West North Avenue in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood, founded by producer and engineer Doug McBride. According to Gravity, Veruca Salt’s “Seether” was the first song ever recorded at the studio, and its past clients include Smashing Pumpkins, Buddy Guy, Mavis Staples, Rise Against, Fall Out Boy, Alabama Shakes, Bob Mould and Beach Bunny.

Studio A

Studio A pairs a live room with two adjacent isolation booths, so bands can play together while each source is captured cleanly. Its control room, tuned over more than 20 years, is built around an all-discrete 24-channel Neve 5315 console from about 1978 and a Burl Mothership converter, and mixes combine analog outboard with a large plug-in collection.

Studio B

Studio B was built as a mastering room and doubles as a production suite and small recording room, with a vocal isolation booth, outboard preamps and compressors, and Logic Pro, Pro Tools and Ableton.

Gear and instruments

• 24 Neve 33115 preamp/EQ modules, seven 1957 RCA BC-3C tube preamps, Tab-Funkenwerk V72s and Pultec EQs.
• Microphones including a Neumann U67, Telefunken U47, Neumann U47 FET, AEA R44CE and a pair of Royer 121s.
• A DW house drum kit, Yamaha U1 upright piano, Nord Electro 6D, guitars, basses and amplifiers available to clients.

Services and booking

Gravity’s producers and engineers offer recording, mixing, mastering, music production, session musicians, editing, arranging and songwriting development across indie, rock, hip-hop, alt-country, gospel and punk. The studio offers a complimentary introductory video call with a producer or engineer and a studio tour before booking; inquiries go through the contact form or by phone.