Knoxville, TN

Tel 512-779-8188
Email us

Top Hat Recording has moved! Yes, we’ve pulled up stakes, loaded the trucks, and headed East to Knoxville, TN! We've got 10 acres at the edge of town just 40 minutes from the Smoky Mountains! We’ve built a bigger and better studio, with the help of studio designer, Steve Durr, and we’re up and running! Check out our Facebook page for pictures of the build!

Top Hat Recording has provided professional recording services and a quality recording facility to musicians and producers in Austin, TX from 1997 - 2013. We continue to provide the quality service you’ve come to expect in our new facility in Knoxville, TN. Our relaxed atmosphere, professional service, and reasonable rates make Top Hat a great place to record.

Our Room

Our facility in South Knoxville features 20 foot ceilings with four isolation booths of various sizes. The control room is a comfortable and accurate monitoring environment designed by Steve Durr. The kitchen, lounge, espresso machine, and backyard putting green are available to clients at all times.

Our Gear

Our control room features a Trident 80B with Uptown 990 Automation and a vintage Neve Melbourne sidecar. Recording format options include Studer A827 2" 24 track and RADAR STUDIO with ProTools. Mixdown options include Otari MTR10 1/2", Ampex 300 1/4" with 351 electronics,and Steinberg Wavelab. Check out our great collection of new and vintage microphones and outboard gear.

Our People

Our staff consists of a studio manager, staff technician, and staff engineer. Together we can provide the services necessary to make outstanding recordings.

Our Clients

A partial client list...

Jimmie Vaughan
Warren Haynes
Calexico
Redd Volkaert
Jon Dee Graham
Gov't Mule
Seela
Bright Light Social Hour
Broken Teeth
James McMurtry
Southpaw Jones
Matt The Electrician
Adam Carroll
Ian Moore
The Hobart Brothers
Richard Buckner
The Sword
Tyrone Vaughan
Torch
The Resentments
Reckless Kelley
Averse Sefira
Brandon Jenkins
Bruce Hughes
The Adventures Of…
Sharee’ Allison
Mark Ambrose
Roddy Barnes
Eric Beverly
Blue Engine Radio
Major Lee Burkes
Aaron Calhoun
Kacy Crowley
Dialtone Records
Mark Duplass
Dynamite Hack
Fourteener
Freedom Records
Kinky Friedman & Little Jewford
The Gardeners
John Dee Graham
Gravelene
Groove Junkies
Bryan Thyme & The Groove Machine
Michael Hall & the Woodpeckers
Ted Hall & The Pleasure Cats
Happy Valley
Tony Harrison
The Hitzmen
Bonny Holmes
Honky
Horse + Donkey = Mule
The Infidels
Keefrider
George Kinney
Pati MacLean and Crash Bang Boom
George McLain
Mandy Mercier
Mojo Nixon & The ToadLiquors
Jeff Moore
Anais Mitchell
Roberto Moreno
Muleshoe
Darin Murphy
Trish Murphy
The Nash Hernandez Orchestra
Needletime Records
Beaver Nelson
Scrappy Jud Newcomb & The Southbound Monarchs
Willie Oteri's Mate-ma-toot
Gerald Patrick
Kip Powell
Pony Boy
Chris Prewitt
The Privateers
C.U. Pronto
The Qualms
The Recliners
Seaman's Quartet
Shades of Blue
Michelle Shocked
Tori Sikes
Michele Solberg
Franz Stahl
Adam Sultan
TV People
Undermine
Urban Pet Collective
Roger Wallace
Steve Wayne & Ghost Train
Zero Cool

Our Gear

Our control room features an Trident 80B with Uptown Automation and a vintage Neve Melbourne sidecar. Together they provide outstanding quality for the artist and producer. Recording format options include 2" 24trk analog Studer A827 and Pro Tools HD2 with 32 channels of Apogee Rosetta 800 conversion.

The following is our complete, but constantly growing gear list:

Recorders

Studer A827 2" 24 track
Pro Tools HD2 (32 channels Apogee Rosetta 800 conversion)
Otari MTR-10 1/2" 2 track
Panasonic SV-3800 DAT

Monitors

Genelec 1032A
Yamaha NS10 with Hafler P1000 amp
Hafler TRM8
Infinity home stereo
Furman headphone system gives each musician a 5 channel mixer

Consoles

Trident 80B
(Uptown 990 Automation, 32 mic/line/eq channels, 24 tape returns, 24 buses, 5 aux sends) Neve Melbourn
(12 33114 pre/eq modules with direct outs, 2 aux sends, 2 buses)

Outboard Preamps, Equalizers, and Dynamics

Universal Audio 2-610 2 channel pre/eq (1)
Amek 9098 pre/eq (2)
Ampex 350/351 preamps (6)
Demeter H 2 channel preamp (1)
Manley Massive Passive 2 channel eq (1)
Manley Enhanced Pultec eq (2)
Manley ELOP stereo compressor (2)
Urei 1176LN version F (2)
Empirical Labs EL-8 Distressor (2)
Crane Song STC-8 stereo comp/limiter (1)
Amek 9098 stereo comp/limiter (1)
dbx 160 VU compressor (2)
dbx 160x compressor (1)
Allen Smart C2 stereo compressor (1)
Demeter VTCL2A stereo compressor (1)
FMR Audio RNC 1773 stereo compressor (6)
SPL Transient Designer 4 channel dynamics processor (1)
SPL Stereo De-esser (1)
Drawmer DS-201 2 channel gate/expander (1)
Little Labs IBP phase alignment tool (1)

Outboard Effects

EMT 140 plate reverb (1)
EMT 240 plate reverb (1)
AKG BX10 spring reverb (1)
Fender spring reverb (1)
Ibanez UE-405 analog delay (1)
Echoplex tape delay (1)
Lexicon Prime Time delay (1)
TC Electronics D-2 delay (1)
Roland SDE 1000 delay (1)
Eventide H-3000 D/SE multi-effect (1)
Lexicon PCM-70 multi-effect (1)
Lexicon LXP-15 multi-effect (1)
TC Electronics M2000 multi-effect (1)
TC Electronics M-1 multi-effect (1)
Yamaha REX 50 multi-effect (1)
Antares ATR-1 (1)
REAMP (1)

Power Conditioning

The control room electrical circuits are isolated from the rest of the building by Equitech balanced power conditioners.

Tube Condenser Microphones

Neumann U-67 (pair matched by Tracey Korby)
Neumann CMV-563
M7 cardiod & Mk55 omni capsules (2)
Neumann M-582
small diaphram cardiod (2)
AKG C12VR (1)
Octava MKL 2500 (2)

Solid State Condenser Microphones

Neumann U-87 (1)
AKG C414/ULS (2)
AKG C414/ULS TLII (matched pair)
AKG C451EB (2)
AKG C3000 (1)
Audio Technica 4050 (3)
Earthworks TC30 (matched pair)
Shure SM-81 (2)
Shure KSM-27 (1)

Ribbon Microphones

Coles 4038 (matched pair)
Royer SF-12 stereo (1)

Dynamic Microphones

AKG D12E (1)
AKG D112 (1)
Sennheiser MD 421 (4)
Sennheiser MD 441 (2)
Shure SM-57 (7)
Shure SM-58 (1)
Shure Beta 57 (1)
Shure Beta 52 (1)
Shure SM-7A (1)
Electrovoice 308 (4)
Electrovoice 408 (1)
Electrovoice 664 (1)
Audix D6 (1)
Beyer M201 (2)
Beyer TGX 50 (1)

Crystal Microphones

Webster-Chicago (1)
Green Bullet (1)

Instruments & Amplifiers

Keyboards

Hammond B-3 with Leslie cabinet
Kawaii Studio piano
Wurlitzer Spinet piano
Wurlitzer electric piano
Yamaha CP-20 electronic piano

Stringed instruments

Martin D-28
Fender Precision Bass
Gibson Dove
Fender Jazz Bass

Gibson L-50
Fender Music Master Bass

Gibson Les Paul Deluxe
Rickenbacker 4001Bass

Gibson SG
Rickenbacker 4005 Bass
Fender Stratocaster
Gretsch Broadkaster Bass
Fender Telecaster
Gretsch 6071 Bass
Gretsch Chet Atkins Nashville
Washburn AB-20 acoustic fretless
Jerry Jones Neptune Baritone
Peavey Foundation Bass
Columbian Tiple
Columbian nylon string
Fender mandolin

Amplifiers

Fender Champ
Vox Pacemaker
Fender Vibrochamp
Hiwatt DR 504 head
Fender Pro Junior
Alamo 1x10 combo
Fender Deluxe Reverb (reissue)
Ampeg V4B head
Fender Pro Reverb
Ampeg Gemini I
Fender Bassman head
Ampeg B-15
Fender PA 135 head
SWR SM-400 head
C. B. Ware prototype head
SWR Goliath 4x10 cabinet
C. B. Ware prototype 1x12" cab
Marshal 1960 4x12 cabinet
Ampeg 2x15 cabinet