+ Top notch gear

The studio has put a colossal amount of effort into researching and acquiring a collection of the best possible gear for the entire audio signal flow, from the microphones to the consoles to the outboard gear to the converters that pass audio between analog and digital realms to the studio monitors (and of course the room treatments).

The difference in sound quality becomes apparent when the entire workflow is done through high quality gear – it’s cumulative. If you’d like to come in for a tour, we’d be happy to demonstrate this in person so you can hear for yourself! Meanwhile, check out our Gear page!

+ Variety of unique purpose built acoustic environments

Choose from our seven unique purpose-built acoustic environments, designed with attention to detail for flexibility of use. Whether you’re recording intimate acoustic guitar and vocals, explosive heavy metal drums, dreamy reverby guitar, or whatever else – there’s a room to capture the uniqueness of your sound.

Read more about each of our acoustic environments by visiting our Studios page, or get in touch and we’ll play Cupid and find you a match made in heaven/valhalla, tailored to your sound.

+ Tape/hybrid workflow

This is actually where a lot of the value lies. When recording to tape, the workflow forces you to make decisions as you go, so you move forward more quickly, especially when guided by a skilled engineer. This results in more efficient sessions with less listening fatigue and player fatigue, keeping the creative energy fresh so you get it right more quickly and end up with a better product.

The caveat is that you need to be musically prepared. Before booking a session, make sure you’re practiced and have a decent plan of attack. We’re happy to work with you on this!

And all that being said; if a tape workflow isn’t what you’re after, we’re flexible and always happy to apply whatever workflow best suits your project. We’re set up to accommodate digital, analog and hybrid sessions with efficiency and skill, and will gladly work with you to figure out the best approach.

+ Good engineering and production

Good engineering ties in with the workflow point above, as a good engineer/producer will guide the recording process, navigate the time-space continuum throughout the session and keep the momentum and flow of a session moving forward while you focus on your performance and creativity as much as you need.

Our in-house engineers are efficient, capable and experienced. Our main engineer, Riley, also has an excellent ear for arrangement and enjoys working with clients to make decisions to add (or take out, or edit) production elements.

We also aim to make the studio easy to navigate and welcoming for outside engineers. Check out our Rates page.

+ Commitment to articulating the vision of your project

Our goal is to make you sound amazing. We want you to be happy with your experience and excited about your recordings. To this end, the studio has been designed with utmost attention to detail, keeping in mind any possible anticipated needs (except filling the void of existence) so that you can do your best work.

When you hire our in-house engineers to mix your music, it’s our M.O. to continue working on your mixes until you’re fully satisfied with the way they sound!

+ Vibe

Never underestimate 'vibe' in creative endeavours. We feel the physical studio space inspires creativity and elicits a response.

It’s our experience that it’s sometimes difficult to feel comfortable and inspired in underwhelming and sterile environments. To that end, the studio was purposely designed to feel both warm and welcoming, but also moody and dynamic. We hope that these qualities contribute to more inspired and confident performances. Check out our Studios page.

In order to create a space where creativity can be nurtured and fun can be had, it’s also pivotal to envision and bring forth a respectful, inviting safer space. To this end, we have devoted time and energy toward developing and internalizing an anti-oppressive safer space policy, with the guidance of consultants. We invite you to read our Safer Spaces Policy and to reach out with any thoughts or questions you may have.

+ How do I book a session?

Please fill out our intake form Booking or send us an email so we can get an idea of your project and budget. Bookings are confirmed after a 50% deposit is paid. Full amount due before the session begins.

+ How long is a session / half-session booking?

We define a work day as 10 hours, with sessions ending at a reasonable time, in advocacy for a healthy work/life balance. A half-day session is 4–5 hours. The studio can also be booked hourly.

+ How many songs can I expect to record in a full day session?

In our experience, the process of recording, producing and mixing a song often works out to be around 2–3 total days of work per song. This amount of time allows everyone to be careful, creative, collaborative and thorough in each stage of the process. Cutting corners in one stage can have adverse effects on the other stages.

We understand not every artist will have the budget to spend multiple days in a studio per song. Therefore it’s common to try and do some of the process at home, or record all of a project’s drums in one or two studio days.

We always recommend getting in touch so we can obtain detailed information on your project and budget, discuss options and provide a recommendation and/or estimate of studio time needed.

+ Are there advantages of recording to analog tape vs digital recording?

Tape offers sonic advantages (subtle tape compression, smoother EQ curve, wider and deeper soundstage) as well as an invaluable workflow. With tape you are limited to 24 tracks, meaning it’s always a forward-moving process…if an idea doesn’t help the composition, then it doesn’t get committed to a track. Recording to tape forces you to make decisions faster on performances, and fewer choices lead to a faster session with less fatigue on the performers and less fatigue listening. In our experience, what’s captured on tape is frequently more authentic and focused.

It’s also interesting to note that we’ve noticed that the point when a client is happy with the sound of a mix/effect used/etc seems to come a lot quicker with analog gear than with digital. Maybe it’s a workflow thing (knobs/limitations), maybe it’s that analog audio equipment actually does sound nicer…but either way, it’s something we’ve noticed, having engineered both ways.

And although we do champion the use of tape when it makes sense to do so, we’re not luddites! Whatever best serves the vibe and requirements of the project is ultimately what is wanted. To that end, we have (excessively) powerful computers with Logic, Pro Tools HDX and Reaper in each studio. Want to record 140 tracks at 192kHz? Go for it! Want to dump your tape to DAW then bounce it back to tape? Easy peasy.

What we're saying is: regardless of your needs, whether they be analog, digital or a hybrid, we’ve got you covered.

+ Can freelance or outside engineers run sessions at NFC?

Yes! We love hosting engineers at the space. We strive to provide resources and set up the studio in such a way that outside engineers can have an easy enough time figuring out our consoles, etc. Please send us an email if you have a project you’d like to bring in.

+ I/we have a project that was recorded ourselves/elsewhere; can you provide mixing, mastering, editing and/or provide production services for it?

Yes! We’d love to help your music sound the best it can. Please fill out our Booking form or send us an email to let us know how we can help.

+ Can I record my album at NFC and get it mixed elsewhere?

Yes! We are happy to collaborate with other studios and engineers.

+ Do you offer remote mixing?

Indeed! Once Covid hit, wanted to offer a no compromise remote mixing option for clients. If for whatever reason you cannot make it to the studio (whether because of the pandemic, mobility issues or location), you can still participate in a mixing session from wherever you are, using a simple computer program called AudioMovers.

+ I need drums, bass, cello, classical triangle, gentle sobbing, etc on my project...can you help?

You bet! Between everyone at the studio and our large network of musician contacts, we’re confident we can set you up with the right player for your project.

+ Can I bring my kids, pets or service animal to a session?

Clients are absolutely free to bring their children along. We do however have some firm studio guidelines that we expect everyone in the space, including kiddos, to respect. But if you need/want to bring them along and it's okay with everyone on your project team, feel free! You're also welcome to bring a caregiver (family, friend, or professional) to help out so you know they're safe while you're recording. Please shoot us an email to discuss the details if this might apply to your time with us.

We recommend that freelance engineers refrain from bringing children to the studio during tracking sessions as there is enough to juggle already. Engineers are however welcome to bring their children to unattended mixing or mastering sessions as long as they follow studio house rules.

Service animals are always welcome but please do not bring pets to sessions out of respect for allergy concerns and the gear.

+ Can we drink or smoke in the studio?

Having drinks in the kitchens or live rooms is cool, but please, keep beverages and food away from the gear. No smoking anywhere inside the building.

+ Do you provide client accommodations?

We have two dorms that can each accommodate 5 people (up to 8 each if you don’t mind sharing a bed), both with a private shower/bath and kitchen as well as a washer and dryer for laundry. For visiting musicians, engineers, producers and dignitaries, on site accommodation is always gratis!

+ Can the studio be rented for non musical uses?

Absolutely! Studio rental for film, television and other video is always welcome. We’ve provided the studios for livestreams, television, ADR, voiceover and major film productions and are happy to rent the space for any of these uses (and can provide audio engineering). Any other needs we are happy to discuss, we don’t bite!

+ How accessible is the studio?

No Fun Club is committed to offering a comfortable and accessible experience to people of all abilities. All spaces and entryways in the studio are accessible by wheelchair; they are either level with the main space or accessible by means of a wheelchair ramp. We are also dedicated to offering accessible and inclusive artistic and educational opportunities. We offer aa limited number of engineering mentorships, in which we prioritize creating space for burgeoning engineers from diverse and/or marginalized groups, including Black People, Indigenous Peoples, People of Colour (BIPOC) and gender minorities.

Please visit our Accessibility page for more information.

+ Can we come in and set up early?

If there are staff working in the studio and you just want to drop off some gear before your session that’s fine. Otherwise please arrive at your scheduled booking time. Set up time is part of the session and can take up to a few hours, depending on instrumentation.

+ Is No Fun Club an accredited studio?

Yep! We are a Manitoba Film and Music accredited studio and a member of Manitoba Music. Additionally we may be able to show you available grants to reduce the financial investment of your project.

+ What is your cancellation policy?

In the event of cancellation of a rental period or other scheduled service by Client they will forfeit the deposit if within three weeks of the booking date. Sessions canceled with up to one month's notice can be rescheduled with no fee. If the client chooses not to reschedule the 50% deposit will be forfeited. Fully paid sessions that are cancelled due to illness can be rescheduled at no extra cost to the client.

Please do not come to the studio if you are sick or have Covid symptoms.

+ Any thoughts on recording to analog tape vs digital recording?

Both studios at No Fun Club house Studer A827 Gold 2” 24-track and ATR102 ½” 2-track tape machines. On the right material tape can offer certain sonic advantages (subtle tape compression, smoother EQ curve, wider and deeper soundstage). Honestly the gap between digital and analog is so close these days the real advantage of tape is the workflow it enforces.

With tape you are limited to 24 tracks. This limitation encourages a decisive, forward-moving process. With the right project, it’s certainly worth considering.

We can offer an analog, digital or hybrid workflow at No Fun Club. To that end, we have (excessively) powerful computers with Logic, Pro Tools HDX and Reaper in each studio. Want to record 140 tracks at 192kHz? Go for it! Want to dump your tape to DAW then bounce it back to tape later? Easy peasy.

Additionally, please note that the use of studio tape is free at No Fun Club. We provide you with the 24-track digital multitrack and stems converted from tape to digital through our unparalleled Burl converters. Your project’s tape masters will be put aside for at least 3 weeks and then reused on a different session. Or if you’d like to keep your 2” 24-track tape multitracks or 1/2” tape stereo mixdown, they can be purchased at cost for $470 and $170 respectively.