Close/Far Recording Studio

About

Close/Far Studio started as a home basement recording idea for a small league of internally associated bands. Over time it moved out of the house and into a commercial basement in downtown Springfield, MO. At first it was a friends-only type of deal where anyone who paid part of the rent could use any of the equipment at any time, provided the gear didn't leave the premises. Of course, this led to friends wanting their friend's band to come in to record, and as such the professional aspect of the studio came to be.

The initial "members" of the studio have, for the most part, moved on with what little gear they brought into the space; mostly instruments. The shop is now run professionally by Jonathan James and Ryan Spilken, though Kyle Jeffries comes and goes as he pleases to step in for a little guitar work, pass on an illicit story, or provide general mischief and hilarity. The Close/Far Studio can supply quality recordings (tracking), mixing, and light mastering with a host of microphones, outboard gear, instruments, amps, and computer recording equipment.

Feel free to e-mail us with any questions or comments. All of our prices are negotiable, though you can find a general outline below in the rates section.

Staff

Jonathan James

I was an original member of the close/far collective starting with the early mrPunch recordings, though my career as a recordist started with my first band - never named - on a Teac stereo 1/4" reel-to-reel in the early '90s. From there I graduated to the inevitable cassette-type Portastudios, then to various standalone hard-disk recorders, and finally the inevitable leap into computer recording with the Creative Sound Blaster. I spent a few years with this system making hordes of sample libraries of my own manipulated sounds, loops, guitar and bass samples, and short demos for song ideas. After joining the close/far group I became acquainted with MOTU products and dealt almost exclusively with the 828, Digital Performer, and the nostalgic Cool Edit Pro. In the early 2000s we upgraded to a Digidesign LE system, and the majority of my engineering and editing education was within the Pro Tools environment recording bands that I played with: Yawn, The Current Group, Vagabond Clowns of the Sea, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. When Ryan Spilken joined the studio group, he brought a substantial amount of gear including the recent Mackie Onyx series, forcing me into finally learning to use Logic Pro - thanks, Ryan!

Ryan Spilken

I found a Yamaha four track in a pile of toys, borrowed it "for the weekend to lay down some ideas," and never looked back. The mic I had was primitive, and the songs I wrote were worse, but I knew then that sound on sound recordings were going to be a lifelong obsession. After a long (and often tumultuous) affair with a Tascam 424mkII, I moved to Cool Edit Pro on a computer my brother built with spare parts and shortly thereafter was loaned a Mac with Digital Performer. After amassing quite a history with MOTU's 828mkII and Audio Desk (the midi free bastard step child of Digital Performer), I switched to Apple's Logic and a Mackie Onyx while making ilijah's Climate EP. After the Climate EP I joined the close/far studio, and am currently attempting to learn how to make things sound good.