Audio Booth

Record and edit music and podcasts in the Creative Studio’s Audio Booth, located on the third floor of the Main Library. The 8-foot-by-12-foot space is acoustically treated to provide a quiet space for audio recording and editing. Patrons ages 14+ can work on self-directed projects; children ages 13 and under require an adult caregiver.

A collage of two people recording music inside the audio booth and a view of the audio booth from the outside

Training & making your reservation

First time using the booth? Schedule a required training

One staff-led training session is required before you can reserve the booth independently. Request a Learning Lab appointment »

Completed your training session? Reserve:

More about reservations

  • Reserve once a week for up to 3 consecutive hours during Main Library open hours (please note: Creative Studio computers shut down 30 minutes before closing); extensions are not available.
  • Reservations must be made one week in advance and can be made up to four weeks in advance.
  • Reservations may be released for use by others if you are 15 or more minutes late.
  • To change or cancel a reservation, please tell us as soon as possible. Contact us now or call 708.383.8200 (press 2).

Using the station

Please note these guidelines

  • Only two people are allowed in the booth at a time.
  • One overhead light must be on in the booth at all times.

Equipment & software inside the booth

Microphones

  • Two Shure SM7B vocal microphones
  • One Audio-Technica AT2021
  • One Shure SM57

Instruments & audio equipment

  • Arturia KeyLab Essential 61 MIDI Controller Keyboard
  • Arturia DrumBrute Impact Analog Drum Machine
  • Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 USB Audio Interface
  • Hologram Electronics Chroma Console Multi-Effects Pedal
  • Squier Jaguar Electric Guitar
  • Strymon Iridium Amp Modeler Pedal

Webcams

  • j5create 360-degree webcam
  • Logitech webcam

Software

Do-it-yourself environment

Want additional guidance from staff at this station? Sign up for a one-on-one, 30-minute Learning Lab appointment to learn more about using this station. Please note: In-depth, day-of assistance is not available.

Noise level guidance

The booth is in a shared space with other workstations. While it is acoustically treated, it is not 100% soundproof. Please keep speaker volume levels low enough so as not to disturb other Creative Studio users. Amplifiers and drum kits are not permitted.

Planning ahead

  • BEFORE: Bring your own external hard drive to save and take edited files with you at the end of your session. Need to borrow a hard drive? Check out a hard drive—with 2 TB of space—with your Oak Park library card »
  • DURING: Media files are big! Plan to use 30 minutes at the end of your session to save files to your external hard drive.
  • AFTER: For everyone’s privacy, all files are removed from library computers at the end of each session.

Exploring more: Software guides & resources

Ableton Live 11

Audacity

Pro Tools

REAPER

Other resources