A Sacramento institution, built one honest layer at a time.
We're a live music recording and production company. Our goal is simple: capture performances exactly as they happen, no overdubs, no shortcuts, and build something that lasts in the process.
Every session we make holds to the same four commitments.
Karst forms where water moves slowly through stone, for centuries, without forcing the shape.
That is the institution we are building. A home for live music recorded honestly, one take at a time, with no shortcuts and no rush. Karst Media Group is Sacramento based and built for the long run.
Karst Sessions
Our flagship studio format. A single artist, a room built for the session, and a recording captured in one continuous take.
Karst Sessions Live
The theatrical counterpart to Karst Sessions, recorded in front of a witnessing audience.
Karst in the Park
A free outdoor series bringing live recorded music to public spaces around Sacramento.
Karst at [Venue]
A prestige format staged at a distinct Sacramento venue, recorded on location.
Chosen for the moment. Recorded as it happens.
Two things shape every Karst Session before a single note is played: who we invite into the room, and how we build the room around them.
Finding the Right Artist
We're not chasing a sound or a genre. We're listening for the moment right before someone starts playing, when the room goes quiet and something real is about to happen. If that's you, we want to hear it.
We find artists two ways: through submissions, and by going out and listening ourselves. Sacramento's independent scene comes first, always.
Submit your music →Building the Room Around You
There's no fixed setup waiting when you walk in. The walls, the lighting, the whole feel of the space changes from session to session, shaped around what your music actually needs.
And once we hit record, we don't touch it after. No overdubs, no backing tracks, no fixing it later. Just the take that happened, kept exactly as it was.
The goal was never polish. It was always the truth of the room.
Every layer of Karst Sessions, tracked in the open.
We're building a recording studio the way sediment becomes stone: one deliberate layer at a time. Below is exactly what's needed, what it costs, and how far along each piece is.
This project is self-funded by its founder, alongside community support through our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas, which makes any gift tax deductible.
What's underway
Each milestone below is a real, itemized layer of the studio: the instruments it will capture, the infrastructure that keeps a session honest, and the space it will happen in.
Vocal & Instrument Capture
A matched microphone selection for lead and background vocals, acoustic guitar, and keys, chosen for warmth and accuracy rather than studio trickery.
Full Drum Kit Coverage
Complete kit miking from kick to overheads, plus a natural room pair that captures the space a drummer is actually playing in.
Signal Chain & Monitoring
The infrastructure no one hears: clean preamps, a full-session console, and individual monitor mixes so every musician can hear themselves clearly while tracking.
Multi-Camera Video Kit
Three camera angles and matched cinema lenses, built to capture a session the way it actually happened rather than how it could be edited to look.
Physical Studio Space
A dedicated home for Karst Sessions in Sacramento, currently in active lease negotiation.
Choose your layer
If you'd like to add to what's already been invested, here's what each gift includes.
Every gift is tax deductible through our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas, and adds to what's already been personally invested in this project.
Give to Karst Sessions →- Recognition as one of the first backers of Karst Sessions
- A personal thank-you note from our founder
- Behind-the-scenes updates on the studio build, before it's public
- Everything in Spring
- Early access to unreleased sessions before they're made public
- A "Supported by" credit in that session's closing credits and caption
- A standing invite to attend a future taping in person
- Everything in Aquifer
- A "Presented by" credit in the session's opening and across all social posts
- A personal update from our founder on studio progress
- Priority access to future Karst formats as they launch
First to Know. First to Hear.
Karst Media Group is self-funded and fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas.