Pachyderm Studios: A Record Made on Woods Time

You find Pachyderm Studios the way you find most good things in the Cannon River country: by missing the turn once. County 17 bends through the woods south of Cannon Falls, the trees close in, and then there’s a long driveway and a building that looks like a mid-century lodge somebody decided to fill with microphones.

I’m not a musician, so I came at this the way most readers will: as someone who has heard records made here without knowing it. The live room is the thing people talk about, a big wooden space designed to sound good before anyone touches a fader. Standing in it with nobody playing, it still sounds like something.

Living where you work

The idea is simple and a little old-fashioned. You don’t commute to the session. You sleep down the hall, you eat at the long table, you walk the creek between takes, and the record gets made on woods time instead of city time. The lodging is part of the deal, which is rare this close to the Twin Cities.

It still sounds like something, even when nobody is playing.

Who it’s for

Bands that want to disappear for a week. Songwriters who need the phone to stop ringing. Anyone who’s tired of hauling gear up a freight elevator in Northeast. If you want a quick two-hour vocal punch-in, this isn’t your place; it’s built for people who want to stay.

Booking is by inquiry, and the studio sets rates directly. Ask about engineering, gear and how many people can stay on the property.