Ken Friesen—Got Studio and Live If You Want It!

The picturesque former mill town of Almonte, Ontario is the hometown of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. It’s also the home of award-winning, jack-of-all-audio trades Ken Friesen.

Ken has worked in or owned a studio in or around Almonte since the early 90s. Ken has an excellent reputation in the blues, rock, and roots music worlds for his engineering, mixing, producing and mastering skills. A Ken Friesen recording is distinguished by being powerful and authentic, polished but not slick. He’s also an in-demand live FOH mixer.

Ken's studio credits include: The Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, Carly Ray Jepsen, The Jayhawks, Monkey Junk, Ronnie Hawkins and Levon Helm. His live credits include John Hyatt, Sarah McLaughlin, Bachman Turner Overdrive, The Tragically Hip, and Bruce Cockburn (www.kenfriesen.com/credits).

Ken’s current studio is tucked in behind a nondescript building a couple of blocks from Almonte’s main street. I met him there recently. We spent a good part of an afternoon sitting around the big kitchen table in the middle of his tracking room. There, surrounded by dozens of vintage instruments, we chatted about his path into the music production world, his philosophy of recording, and his amazing collection of gear and how he uses it.