Analog Recording

Creative Caffeine Studio still does the analog thing, but there’s a very good reason. 

You certainly don’t have to use our analog setup, and many our clients record all their tracks on digital to save a couple of minutes over a 3-hour session. But if you’re concerned about the best sound, starting your project on an analog 2″ magnetic tape machine, as our clients do, just makes any song sound better. Instruments like live drums, bass, and acoustic piano, for example, or any other instrument that has the capability of producing low tones, can’t breathe as well in the digital world. Magnetic tape allows the low end to extend another octave lower than a digital recorder can do by itself. That extra octave – you could call it an undertone – can make the difference between your producing a really good track, or something extraordinary. At Creative Caffeine, once you have those basic tracks down on 2″ tape they can be quickly transferred in one pass to Pro-Tools through our Lynx Aurora converters where unlimited tracks can be added, tweaked, mixed, and archived. Our engineers are so adept with this process that the minimal extra, well-spent time is negligible. We even supply the analog tape for free.

Our two amazing Rivera Silent Sister guitar amp isolation boxes are a great feature of the studio, as they cut the level of ambient room sound down by about 70% without sacrificing any of the characteristics of your amp. Any guitar amp, from your 15 amp mini to your Marshall stack can be recorded through these boxes’ 12″ speakers, which have two mic goose necks each, and can be situated in the same room as a drum kit without producing cross-talk.

At Creative Caffeine we recognize that your songs are your children, your creations. We won’t take you for granted and we don’t look at your creations as crank-it-out “product” like some studios do. We take great care in helping you make your project exactly what you envisioned.

Stress-Busting, Warm and Comfortable Atmosphere

We have gone to great lengths to ensure your comfort at Creative Caffeine.

The first thing many say when seeing (and smelling) our all-wood main tracking room is “whoa, I wanna live here”. It looks like it ought to be high in the mountains with its solid log walls, vaulted ceiling, and expansive areas of glass that let the sun shine in while you’re recording. Though compact, the room’s recording acoustics are as close to perfect as they come and many of the world’s top producers, engineers, and drummers have told us that it’s one of the best live rooms they’ve ever recorded in.

Some have described our beautiful kitchen as a “mini Starbucks”. It features cabinets and paneling built of highest-grade hand-finished maple, limestone floor, granite countertops, and a wall full of antique coffee collectibles. Meals can be chef-prepared in the kitchen if you desire, or we can arrange for catering or delivery.

Our castle stone lounge area wouldn’t look out of place in Tuscany and provides a calming, relaxing place for you to hang out between takes.

Let us know in advance your exact needs during the time you plan to be at Creative Caffeine and we’ll make every effort to have those needs accounted for when you show up.

Vintage Microphones

Simply put… mics matter! Creative Caffeine has a collection of vintage and contemporary mics to make your project stand out above the rest, including a very early (c. 1955) and sweet-sounding Telefunken U47 with its original factory tube, diaphragm, and capsule. You’ll find our collection of mics hard to beat among the value-priced Nashville studios. Combine those with one of the best main tracking rooms in town and you’re on your way to producing great projects.

The Only Nashville Recording Studio with a Treehouse On a Scenic Creek.

Actually, Creative Caffeine may be the only studio in the whole US that can boast the line above! Built as a retreat for our clients, the treehouse tops a large, partially-covered deck built around a giant tree with a “crows nest” for quiet contemplation that is waaaaaay up there, and overlooks scenic Brown’s Creek. Relax, write your songs in peace while watching the fish, the great blue herons, and our giant pet snapping turtle.

Creative Caffeine: Hot Coffee, Warm Sound

Our extra-large, vintage Creative Caffeine pin-up girl tins are available for $15, and our Creative Caffeine “Wired For Sound” coffee cups are $8.50. Or you can take your choice for free with your first studio booking.