Shock City Studios Grand Opening Party

Shock City Studios: 2200 Gravois Av, St Louis, MO | 314.771.3099

Shock City Studios held their Grand Opening Party Thursday in their studio in the Benton Park neighborhood of south Saint Louis. The studio occupies nearly 7000 square feet in a 1920s era ice warehouse. Mix Magazine highlighted Shock City as one of the "coolest new studios" of 2009. While the building no longer delivers the ice to cool the city's many local brews, it will be delivering hot new music including a forthcoming single from Jibbs.

Doug Firley of Gravity Kills outside His New Office

Doug Firley and Chris Loesch are the ones that have made Shock City Studios happen, but there are many others behind the scenes. That includes Head Engineer Tony Esterly, a few independent engineers, and several interns. On the video side I met Andy (Aunt Max Entertainment), David (Sight & Sound), and Michelle—she's a video producer; however, I'm not sure if she's with Aunt Max or Shock City. I should've asked about the relationship between the two companies.

SSL 6000 Series G/G+ Console

The studio promises 5-star amenities including runners for each control room. Their spacious main control room is anchored by an SSL 6000 series console with flying faders. This room features the best new and vintage outboard gear and has a direct view into the huge live room and a 95 sq ft isolation booth. They're equipped with a Pro Tools|HD 4 Accel system.

Huge Live Room

Shock City Studios main attraction is their 1,100 sq ft live room. With 24 ft ceilings and 14,000 cu ft of total air space, there's plenty of room for the sound to develop. Four adjacent, distinctly tuned isolation booths are available to capture the live vibe. Make sure you check-out Shock City Studios website!

Video of the Live Room and Control Room

I'll be adding video from the interviews I conducted with Doug, Chris, and Andy, but it will probably be Monday before I get that done. Please check back!

Dana (L) at Shock City Studios Grand Opening

Dana Loesch of 97.1 Talk, BlogHer, Mamalogues, and Saint Louis Tea Party fame was also there. When I asked her about upcoming Tea Party events, she said that plans are not yet finalized for the 4th, but should be soon. She also indicated another, smaller event might be brewing for the weekend of the 27th.