Sear Sound Studio

Engineer & Mixer in the USA

One of the oldest Studios in NYC

Chris Allen is originally from the small city of Oneida, located in the center of New York State.

Music being an important part of his family history, his relationship with the art form began at the age of nine when he started lessons on the trombone. Taking quickly to the instrument, his passion for music was instantly solidified. As a teenager, a family friend introduced Chris to Ron Keck, now the owner of Subcat Studios in Syracuse, NY. Ron offered him a job as a part-time studio assistant. Working for Ron, Chris was immediately fascinated with the craft of recording. With high-school coming to an end, his original goal of becoming a classical trombonist shifted, as he was inspired to pursue audio engineering as his major study, with trombone performance as a secondary study. He enrolled in the Sound Recording Technology program at The State University of New York at Fredonia. Under the tutelage of Dave Fridmann, Bernd Gottinger, John Caruso, and Arman Petri, Chris's quest for knowledge of the science of sound was cultivated and instilled.

After completing his degree in the fall of 2003, Chris moved to New York City eager to work. A few months (and a few studios) later, Chris jumped at the opportunity to join the staff at Walter Sear's legendary studio, Sear Sound. Chris was fortunate enough to work under Walter for six years before his untimely passing. Believing that a student is only as good as his teachers, Walter felt obligated to take on the role of mentor, and share his vast knowledge of all things audio with his staff. A few years into Walter's mentorship, Chris was promoted to the coveted chief engineer position at Sear Sound. In this position he has had the rare opportunity to work with the best musicians in the industry.

Sear Sound continues to be one of the oldest and most respected recording studios in New York City. Musicians travel from all over the globe to experience making music in one of these famous rooms. The huge collection of vintage and modern outboard gear, 280+ microphones, tape machines, and the famous Sony/Avalon custom console, are only tools to support the reason Walter Sear built a studio to begin with — to provide a space where musicians can feel comfortable and inspired to make music.

Chris Allen
"The low mids and below are untouchable by any other 6.5" driver I have heard. The tweeters are extremely smooth, and I haven't been feeling fatigued at all, even after a full week of 12 hour days."

Continuing the legacy

Chris is proud to bring EVE Audio SC207 monitors to the studio, where he works to continue the legacy of Walter Sear's premiere recording facility.

Chris' review of the SC207's:
"Looking at the small size of the monitor, I wasn't expecting the amount clarity and fullness in the low end that comes out of a pair of monitors of this size. The low mids and below are untouchable by any other 6.5" driver I have heard. The tweeters are extremely smooth, and I haven't been feeling fatigued at all, even after a full week of 12 hour days.
For me, their strongest quality would be that the balance doesn't change dramatically at different volume levels. I have been able to work at a lower volume without feeling like I'm missing out on low end.
I work mostly in jazz, where the details of every instrument are absolutely critical. The SC207's have greatly exceeded my expectations in reproducing this level of detail. In the first week, I have already had a few clients comment on them, which never happens with the monitors I have been using for at least 12 years."

In the "EVE on air" interview he talks about the upgrade to his new EVE Audio SC307 monitors.

Experience sound like the pros

These monitors are used by Sear Sound Studio

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