Welcome To Lena Sutter's Spoko Studios
Eau Claire sound engineer creates her own at-home mixing and mastering space
One look at local Lena Sutter’s portfolio and a slew of regional and national artist collaborations appear: Them Coulee Boys, Bon Iver, Quiet Takes, Lucy Goose, among others. Since Lena has called Eau Claire home, she has become an integral driving force in the local music community through sound engineering.
Her newest endeavor, Spoko Studios, brings this creative work right to her doorstep, literally.
Lena not only serves as the leading sound engineer at the Pablo Center at the Confluence (128 Graham Ave., Eau Claire) but also as a senior lecturer through the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s music and theatre arts department.
Her work in both spaces certainly overlaps and in turn elevates female representation in music production through the Chippewa Valley. The same, she hopes, will be true for Spoko Studios – her own sanctuary where Lena will help musicians realize their creative visions through the technical aspects of recording, mixing and producing sound.
“If you don’t have the right energy, people aren’t going to feel creative. They are not going to feel comfortable,” Lena said. “Making a record is vulnerable because you’re not just putting your music out there (for) a moment – you’re putting it out there forever.
“Making (music) in a comfortable space is top of my priorities,” she continued.
When a musician steps into Spoko Studios, pieces of Lena’s personality shine through. The studio itself is housed in an attic-like space at the home she shares with her husband Rob Piotrowski (Fawn Haus).
By design, Lena has brought a relaxed, gentle and cool vibe to the studio (inspired by the Polish slang word “spoko,” where its namesake comes from).
“It feels like so many people that I really care about have helped me build this space.”
lena sutter
sound engineer of spoko studios in eau claire
Spoko Studios has been acoustically treated to control frequency reverbs and decked out with enough tech and instruments to lead an open jam session at just about any time.
Beyond these musically-driven tools, one-of-one personalizations permeate every corner. Wallpaper with a vintage aesthetic that, upon closer look, depicts alien abductions; hand-embroidered curtains by Lena are draped throughout the room.
Guests in the space will be encouraged to gather fresh garden vegetables found nearby or spend time with Lena's pup during breaks between tracking sessions.
“I am working on trying to make sure that the space has a nice even frequency response and that it has a little bit of liveliness to it,” Lena said. “It feels like so many people that I really care about have helped me build this space.”
Much of the tech and acoustic treatments in Spoko Studios are thanks to a $5,000 grant awarded to Lena through the organization We Are Moving The Needle. The group supports diversity and women in music production or engineering industries around the country and globally.
This grant provided funds that allowed Lena to purchase new gear to better set up the studio space for recording, she said. As part of the grant, the awarding org will also further amplify Lena’s story and capture professional content once studio upgrades are complete.
“The typical statistic is that less than five percent of sound engineers are women,” Lena said. “It just feels weird that we all know (this) and we never talk about it.
“I get to now stand up on my soapbox a little bit more and hopefully make the next generation (of engineers) a little bit softer and kinder,” said.
Beyond the mixing console, it’s worth noting Lena plans to embrace her own creative roots as a musician herself. Up next, she anticipates releasing some of her own creative projects while welcoming her first wave of musical collaborators into Spoko Studios.
Keep up with Eau Claire's Spoko Studios, led by Lena Sutter, online through social media (@spokostudios). To inquire about using the at-home studio space for your next music project, visit lenasutter.com.
