Photo via Facebook / Hi-Five Studios
Nestled in the cozy but vibrant Riverwest neighborhood is an anonymous, 100-year-old building containing a hive of musical activity, a studio poised for another recording session. Hi-Five Studio has grown steadily since opening in 2017 in a perhaps-unlikely locale. Nevertheless, industry magazine Mix highlighted the 5,000 square-foot facility as one of a “baker’s dozen of the hottest new studios worldwide.”
Why Riverwest? “It’s close enough to Downtown but a little quieter and Riverwest is what we’re about,” says studio owner Ryan Rosmann. “We’re part of the cultural revitalizing that’s happening, and it’s such a cool, diverse, unique neighborhood. Bliffert’s supplied all the lumber for this project (including 600 sheets of plywood for sound insulation) and we met our piano tuner walking his dog outside.”
The operation appears highly professional, starting with a huge engineering console, with 32 channels is among the largest unit in the Midwest. It was designed by the late Rupert Neve, who pioneered the transition from tube to solid-state production consoles. It’s an all-analogue, versus digital, system to abide those who value the vinyl LP’s warmer sound.
Distinctive Acoustics
Hi-Five includes a vocals isolation booth, and a spacious “live band” recording studio designed by Gavin Haverstick, with highly nuanced acoustical properties, fully equipped with expertly miked drums, a Conn organ, baby grand piano and Rosmann’s personal collection of guitars. There’s even a vintage Fender amp, “with just enough cigarette smoke from the ‘70s to sound good,” Rosmann jokes.
Another isolation booth boasts a distinctive “Flex 48 Adaptive Treatment” allowing optimum sonics for virtually any instrument. Readiness and efficiency is the studio’s calling card, given that studio rates are $70 an hour. “We can be up and running within five minutes,” says production assistant Eli Stamstad. Especially after COVID, “live music doesn’t pay a lot of money.”
For all its technical assets, Hi-Five, as its name implies, is about connecting with people. “Live music is great, but I wanted to help make recorded music come to life,” Rosmann says. “I love people developing personal relationships here and building networks. Plus, there’s a lot of trust involved. Recording vocals is very vulnerable.”
Among the studio’s proudest recordings is a video by multi-lingual hip-hop artist BBN Booda, which garnered 4 million views. “Honestly, it’s so much about what we can create for people, creating something they’re proud of, bringing their vision to life.”
