Welcome!
The Noise Floor is a retreat recording studio on Gabriola Island, also known as “The Isle of the Arts,” situated in the unceded territory of the Snunéymuxw First Nation.
Just a short trip from Vancouver, BC, our studio has maintained deep roots in Vancouver’s underground music scene while attracting artists from the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Since 2010, we’ve earned a respected reputation for offering warm, “Mom and Pop” style guidance and a collaborative, creative experience in our peaceful location and inspiring studio space.
With two decades of experience, engineer / producer Jordan Koop has worked not only with acclaimed acts like Orville Peck, Wolf Parade and Mecca Normal but also on numerous albums that have helped shape Vancouver’s independent music scene.
We love meeting new people and creating a supportive space where your project can come to life. Please feel free to reach out with any questions—we’d love to hear from you!
Current Projects
Our Instagram feed is the best place to see what we’ve been working on lately. If you don’t see our feed load below – check your mainframe! Or click here!
The Studio
Our recording studio was custom-built inside a former boat-making workshop. It includes two performance rooms (a live room and a dry room), a control room, a band lounge / kitchen, and a private bathroom. Our optional sleeping cabin is a short walk from the studio.
Live Room
The 20′ x 18′ cedar clad live room provides plenty of space for bands or solo artists. The room’s natural ambiance and 13’ ceilings enhance acoustic instruments like drums, strings, or vocals. It houses our microphone and pedal collection as well as our rebuilt 1930s Monington & Weston baby grand piano, and 50’s Hammond M3 organ.
Dry Room
The dry room, affectionately called “Freakout Island,” offers a dead, dry sound, making it perfect for tight drums and amp isolation. Built on its own concrete slab, it minimizes vibrations from the adjoining live room. With natural light and clear sight lines to the live room, it’s a great space for focused recording. The room features deep bass traps to keep the sound tight and controlled, and houses a Baldwin upright piano, drums, amps, and various percussion instruments.
Control Room
Our control room is warm and spacious, filled with natural light and equipped with a variety of outboard gear. At its heart is a vintage 1981 Neotek Series II analog console, complemented by our trusty RADAR 24 recorder, which functions as both a hard disc recorder and a throughput to our DAW.
There’s ample space to set up pedals, keyboards, or other instruments for tracking directly in the control room with Jordan.
Artist Amenities
In addition to the work spaces, the studio offers a cozy lounge, fully-equipped kitchen, and private bathroom for clients’ exclusive use. Just a short stroll away, you’ll find our charming sleeping cabin, the perfect spot for some peace, quiet, and a bit of forest magic.
Kitchen
The kitchen is equipped with everything you need, including an induction cooktop, toaster oven, sink, and a full-size fridge and freezer. You’ll find cookware, dishes, an electric kettle, a French press, and plenty of storage. Better-than-decent coffee and tea are always available, though true coffee connoisseurs might want to bring their own beans and barista skills.
Lounge
The lounge is a comfortable spot to relax, eat, or hang out between tracking. It features two comfortable leather sofas, an eating bar, a TV, and a collection of books and games. Our ever growing collection of novelty toys range from weird to wacky.
Bathroom
The private bathroom features a walk-in tiled shower, sink, and toilet. What more can we tell you about it? It’s clean and it all works!
Sleeping Cabin
Guests are welcome to stay in our cozy, heated sleeping cabin at no extra cost. It includes four single beds (one of which is a loft), complete with linens and extra throw blankets for the chillier months. While there’s no bathroom and the Wi-Fi signal is spotty, the surrounding forest offers tranquility, minimal light pollution, and all the fresh air you can handle. For night streamers (of either variety), we suggest handling your business in the studio, where the Wi-Fi is strong and the facilities are plentiful.
Testimonials
Rae Spoon
Coming to the Noise Floor to record my record was an amazing experience. I find communicating with Terry and Jordan very easy and it was a cozy space to be whether there were two of us or five of us. It’s worth the extra ferry rides to get away from the city and concentrate on recording. Being a non-binary person I felt that they made an extra effort to make a safe space for myself and my band. The resulting record bodiesofwater is my favorite one I’ve ever made. It’s a world class recording facility. Jordan is a great engineer and producer and the space would work for any band that wants to come and focus on their record.
Spencer Krug
In January of 2017 Wolf Parade had the pleasure of spending a week at The Noise Floor, where we recorded overdubs and vocals for our most recent LP, “Cry Cry Cry,” and we were very happy with the results. It is easily our best-sounding release so far. We’ve been in many recording studios and have found that one common problem within that world is sterile, white-walled environments, wherein the focus is more on gear and pristine sound quality than it is on artistry and creatively inspiring spaces. The Noise Floor does not suffer from this problem (though the sound quality is just as good!)
The space is easily large enough for a band to work in, yet has a cozy, welcoming feeling that makes one feel instantly at home, not worried about where you should throw your coat. The live room is warm-feeling, lit and decorated in such a way that makes it possible to spend hours at a time within if needed. (I personally had so much fun recording vocals in there that I didn’t want to stop and probably did more takes than was necessary.) These same “vibes” spill over into the the engineering room and adjacent communal room, making the entire space a comfortable, relaxed environment wherein ideas flow naturally. The Noise Floor’s location on Gabriola is also a positive. The fact that the studio is located on a somewhat remote island gives the feeling that the rest of the world is on hold while you work on your album, and any help in blocking out distractions when working is something all artists will benefit from. Feeling like nothing else exists is very easy to do in the tranquil surroundings. There is warm, beautiful little cottage in the back yard, where I personally slept, and it offered a chill and private space for me to finalize and practice my lyrics before putting them to tape. Not to mention deep, silent sleeps. Jordan Koop, co-owner and engineer, is very talented and great to work with. He was flexible with his hours, catering to the band’s schedule. He knows his gear well and how to use it to a band’s full advantage. He is full of knowledge and ideas but is also open to different ideas, suggestions, and alternative ways of working, should a band want to experiment. This is simply to say that, despite his skill and expertise, Jordan is not “stuck in his ways” the way that I’ve found other house engineers can be. He is very calm, kind, and funny, making it easy to feel at ease around him; to have him on the receiving end of a mic when you’re trying out a new (bad) idea, or ask him to play a keyboard part back for the hundredth time. Jordan and Terry Ondang, co-owner and studio manager, could not have made us feel more welcome. Really, it was all a very lovely and fun; a creative and productive experience that never really felt like “work.” I remember now the album covers and stickers decorating the bathroom – the many bands that came before us – which made me feel like we’d joined a special club – The Noise Floor alumni. Really I can’t recommend the studio enough and I hope I get to work there again some day.
Dead Soft
We have worked with the Noise Floor on every record we have ever created. Jordan and Terry have been a constant source of support for our band since day one and we wouldn’t be where we are without them. Stepping away from “real life” to record at their beautiful studio on Gabriola Island is the ideal experience for anyone interested in fully immersing yourself in the beauty of nature and the peace of mind required to comfortably focus on making a huge and sick record. We constantly receive compliments on the uniquely live and yet huge and polished-sounding quality of our recordings. Jordan’s patience and humor make working with him feel like working with an old friend and his technique is unbeatable. He is open, kind, and hardworking and it shows in the albums he helps to create. Terry has counselled us through too many emotional breakdowns to count. We love them both from the bottoms of our rotten hearts. If you aren’t recording at the Noise Floor you are fucking up!
You Say Party!
This studio is amazing! We found it a great benefit to escape Vancouver and immerse ourselves in the recording process. Away from any external pressures, we were able to focus on creating good work. Jordan is a fantastic engineer and producer, offering great input and ensuring we captured our best work. Would recommend this studio and this experience to any band looking for more out of the recording experience.
Dumb
We had a wonderful time recording and mixing with Jordan and Terry at the Noise Floor on Gabriola Island. Jordan was technically very impressive, always listening and receptive to any of our comments but also realistic about our options. Jordan was able to translate our ideas perfectly in his mixing and recording of our album “Seeing Green”. Both Jordan and Terry were consistently accommodating and the facilities were amazing, it was like a vacation in the woods. We highly recommend the Noise Floor to any band that is looking for a professional and relaxing place to record their music.
Hush Pup
I have so many positive feelings about my experiences recording at The Noise Floor on Gabriola. I feel strongly that having a positive and supportive vibe during the recording process is super key to coming out with something great. Terry and Jordan are deeply kind and wise people who care so much about artists and their music. They have created a comfortable and inspiring space and I feel so lucky to have found them!
Working with Jordan as an engineer and producer has definitely helped me grow as a musician and producer myself. He has always made me feel totally musically safe to try out ideas and find the best solutions for the songs. I think having someone guide you in the right direction for your art is so rare. I have felt pushed in past musical scenarios in directions I don’t want to go and I really value Jordan’s approach. The whole process is always super fun and being on the island away from distractions is inspiring and productive.
Hush pup loves Terry and Jordan and The Noise Floor! They are an integral part of our musical lives and have helped us so much to carve out our musical history as a band.
-Ida Maidstone – Hush Pup
JP Lancaster
The Noise Floor has provided the most unique recording experience that I have been a part of to date. Working with Jordan allowed for an incredibly creative and comfortable environment that brought the best out of the group. As an engineer, Jordan aims to capture an honest representation of the band while fostering new, creative ideas.
The studio itself is geared towards both comfort and creativity. The retreat experience allows the artist to fully immerse themselves in the recording experience without distraction. Both the cabin and lounge provide comfortable spaces to spend downtime and refocus. This lends itself to feeling like you’re recording in your own home or rehearsal space.
Ultimately, the Noise Floor is a vehicle to realize an album based upon how you want it to sound rather than it being dictated by the studio. It’s an opportunity for a band to focus on their art in a comfortable environment that fosters creativity.