How do I get there?
We are located in the Sellwood neighborhood of Portland. Check out the map on the right. You can visit Mapquest's site for driving directions from wherever you are. It's not a bad idea to have the phone number with you just in case. 503.235.9693.

Can we get a deal on recording time?
We offer block and weekend rates. Look at our Services page for rate details. Basically, the more time your rent, the less you pay. We have a 1 hr minimum on the weekdays and a 3 hour minimum on weekends.

What happens to our master files or tapes after we're done with our project?
If you've recorded to analog tape you must take these for your own storage at the end of your project. As far as your digital files go - our greatest wish and desire is that you buy one of our Client Fire Wire Drives to record your tracks on and back up to when you are finished. New technology offers drives that are capable of recording digital tracks directly to the drive as opposed to having to drag the sessions back and forth from a slower storage drive to the recording drive. It saves time (and money when the clock ticks in the studio) and is the safest method to avoid file loss or corruption. If you do not want to do this we highly recommend, OK, we insist, that you back-up your project onto DVD-r or CD-r at the end of your sessions so that you will have a copy of your final masters. There is a one time archival fee. If you do not do this we keep your whole project on one of our storage drives as a courtesy for up to 90 days while you think over the many options. If you have not made arrangements at the end of this 90 days we are not responsible for your masters and you are SO on your own.

What is a "lockout"?
Lockout is when you have the studio for 24 hrs at a time. This means you won't have to tear your gear down when you are busy recording basic tracks. Lockout time is based on a 10 hr. recording schedule. You can go longer than that if you can take it - just as long as your engineer says it's cool. This is an hourly engineering rate incurred in addition to the lockout rate.

How many "iso" rooms do you have?
We have one isolation room of about 130 sq. ft. and one isolation area of about 60 sq. ft. We can comfortably do full bands recorded live. The main recording room is 300 sq. ft. Each of the rooms is separated with glass walls or doors, or windows so everyone can be seen during recording.

Where do I send the $ for deposits?
To confirm your days in our overworked calendar we need a deposit (payable to Dead Aunt Thelma's or DAT) equivalent to 50% of the total cost of time booked. Your sessions are NOT confirmed (especially first time clients) until we have this deposit unless prior arrangements have been made. If you cancel within 7 days of your session portions of this deposit are non-refundable.

Please send to:
Dead Aunt Thelma's Studio
PO Box 82222
Portland, OR 97282-0222

What's the cancellation policy?
After you confirm your sessions with a deposit, we need ONE CALENDAR WEEK notice to release the time without penalty. If you cancel with less notice than this you will lose part of your deposit unless we can schedule another client on those days. Sorry, but tough love is the way to go.

Does the studio rate include materials costs?
No. You can either buy materials from us or bring in your own. Talk to your engineer if you have any questions about what kind of supplies you'll need, and by all means call ahead to make sure that we have enough of it here before your session starts.

What else should I know?
* Questions about start times, pre-production needs, etc. should be asked directly of your engineer. Please communicate with them as much as you need to before your session starts so that there are fewer surprises.
* Billable time includes set-up and tear-down of your session. Additional engineering fees will be charged during lockout sessions if the recording time exceeds 10 hrs.
* We have a good assortment of teas, coffee, filtered water, a fridge, microwave, and toaster oven. The lounge is your friend!