Chinook Wind specializes in on-location recording of musical groups, such as choirs, wind bands and orchestras, that may be difficult or inconvenient to record in a traditional studio setting

From these on-location audio recordings, we make custom CDs, either as one-of-a-kind keepsakes for the musicians themselves, or for sale by the sponsoring organization to the general public.

We have 14 years of experience recording large-group choral, wind and string ensembles, ranging from junior high school bands to 100-voice adult choirs and a regional symphony orchestra.  But we also record small groups, chamber ensembles, and soloists.

Our “studio” is a van, and all of our equipment is especially chosen to be small, portable and highly mobile. We can set up for the typical job in about 90 minutes.

We record digitally, using either stereo DAT or multitrack DTRS tape. Our microphones are high-quality studio condensers, including a matched pair of Austrian-made AKG-414s.

Our primary recording tools are Tascam DA-30 digital audio tape recorders and Alesis HD24 24-track hard drive recorders. After recording, we edit our work on a Macintosh-based audio workstation running ProTools. (See a complete audio equipment list.)

When recording live on location, we usually also record to a backup CD-R recorder, so we can provide clients with an immediate record of the performance.

And if you prefer to record in session, rather than during a live performance, we can do that too.

Rates and fees

We charge a $275 fee for a two-hour concert and $45 for each additional hour.  We do not charge for setup or takedown time.  There are no per-microphone or per-channel fees.

If you are ordering CDs from us, there are no charges for editing/mastering. If you are not, editing/mastering is $45 an hour.   Master is delivered on DAT or CD-R, whichever is preferred.

We can make fully-packaged color compact discs of your performance, priced according to the following sliding scale:

Royalty issues
If your compact discs are issued for member musicians only, they are considered “archive or study” recordings and are covered under the “fair use” provision (Sec. 107) of the U.S. Copyright Act. In other words, no royalty fees need be paid.  However, if you wish to sell compact discs to the general public, you must pay royalties on any music not in the public domain. The cost is not onerous: 9.5 cents per song per CD.  We can supply information and forms for dealing with the licensing process, which can be done online. You can get more information on licensing from the Harry Fox Agency, www.harryfox.com

Esthetic issues

We will work with your director to minimize the visual impact of our equipment.  Our microphones are mounted on slim-profile telescoping poles to minimize obstruction of sightlines.  Where theatre rigging is available, we have harnesses that allow our microphones to be "flown," or suspended from ceilings or catwalks. Multiple-cable snakes are used whenever possible to minimize cable runs, and all cables and power cords are securely taped for safety.