Portalis is a recording environment inspired by land, sound, and the people drawn to the energy exchange received and reciprocated through engagement with the simple tranquility of California's Central Coast wilderness or its multifaceted ecosystem of microclimates, wildlife, and topography. The studio sits atop a hill with a 360 degree view of Rancho Arroyo Grande and Los Padres National Forest. Artists arrive to a fully equipped high fidelity recording studio and quickly discover they have entered something much more-- a holistic interaction with art and ecology, rarely available to creatives.The name Portalis comes from the diamond. A threshold. A space that opens. A quiet signal that you are crossing from one sonic register into another. That shape appears throughout the landscape around Portalis and in the way sound travels and resonates on the property. Inside, the live room is fully outfitted: Hammond organ, Rhodes, Steinway grand piano, Wurlitzer, Farfisa, and a range of instruments and equipment calibrated to the architecture. Outside, the land functions as a second studio, holding its own tone and pace. Field recordings, natural resonance, and environmental sound can be utilized as part of the palette.
Portalis was founded by two collaborators who share a belief that sound is inseparable from place: Kathleen Kim, whose practice is informed by sustainability, reclamation, social progress, and experimental performance; and Guillermo Brown, a drummer, composer, producer, and interdisciplinary artist whose work spans music, art, and technology, and its relationship to land, dispossession, and reparation. Together, they built Portalis to offer artists a space that is both grounded and inclusive. A place where musicians can work without distraction, tap into the acoustics of the land, and follow their creative intuition into unexpected territory. Sessions here have the freedom to be intentional, with the potential for inspiration by the environment itself. Portalis is neither a retreat center, nor a conventional studio, in any traditional sense. It is a portal into music and sound creation and generation.
- AKG C414 B
- AKG D12E
- AKG D112
- AKG D200E
- Audix i5
- Beyerdynamic M160
- Beyerdynamic M88
- Cascade Stereo Ribbon Mic
- Coles 4038 (x2)
- EV RE20
- Microtech Gefell UMT 70s FET
- Monheim Omnis (matched stereo pair)
- Monheim Tube Crème
- OHMA Ribbons (2)
- Pearl (Made In Sweden) Dynamics (x3)
- RCA 44
- Rode M5 (matched stereo pair)
- SE 2200
- Sennheiser MD 441 (x2)
- Shure Beta 52 (x1)
- Shure Beta 91A (x1)
- Shure SM57 (4)
- Shure SM58 (x3)
- Shure SM61 (x1)
- Shure SM7B (x2)
- Soyuz SU-013M FET (matched pair)
- Studio Projects C1 (x2)
- Warm Audio WA-47jr
- Doctor Alien 8
- Avantone CR15
- API The BOX
- API 512C (x4)
- API 560 Graphic EQ
- 500-Series (6 Space) Rack PSU
- Elysia xfilter 500 (stereo)
- Elysia xpressor 500 (stereo)
- Gates Vintage Mic Pre
- Highland Dynamics Dual Delta 4-7 (2 mic pre)
- Neve 10730PX (8 channel pre)
- Neve Prism 5 (5 mic pres + 5 gate/compressor/EQs)
- RND 542 Tape Emulator (x2)
- Radial 500 Series Reamp EXTC
- Crane Song Tube Compressor (1)
- CAPI VP28 Pre (2)
- Inward Connection EQs (2)
- Ampex 4-track reel-to-reel
- Alesis MultiMix 12R mixer
- Mackie 1402VLZ mixer
- RME Fireface 800
- Adam A8X with SUB
- Genelec 1029A
- JBL 4408A (x2) + Marantz Model 16 amp
- Cloudlifter (2 Stereo)
- Quantum Matchmaker DI
- Radial Passive DI
- Reamp DI
- AKG BX15
- OTO Machines BAM Space Generator Reverb
- Elektron Analog Heat
- Ensoniq DP/4
- Lombardi 8-channel with Binson Echorec
- Sherman Filterbank 2
- TC Electronic FireworX Multi FX
- TC Electronic M-One Dual FX Processor
- Akai AX60
- Akai S612
- Arturia Minibrute
- ASM Hydrasynth keyboard
- Elektron Analog Keys
- Elektron Analog Rytm
- Farfisa (organ)
- Hammond C3 + Leslie
- Korg SV-1
- microKORG
- Moog Sub 37
- Moog Voyager
- Nord Wave
- Oberheim / Dave Smith OB-6 desktop
- Rhodes Suitcase
- Roland JV-880
- Roland JX-03 (keyboard)
- Roland SH-01A
- Soma Lyra 8
- Steinway L Grand Piano
- Teenage Engineering OP-1
- UDO Super 6 keyboard
- Wurlitzer Electric Piano
- Yamaha YDP 223
- Yamaha YPT 220
- Epiphone PR100/NAA
- Fender Jazz Bass
- Fender Mandocaster
- Fender Squire Electric Guitar
- Ibanez 305
- Fender J. Mascis Jazzmaster
- Acoustic guitar
- Classical guitar
- Mandolin
- Stroh violin
- Miscellaneous string instruments
- Trombone
- Flute
- Large Tom (calf skin)
- Pearl Toms
- Roland SPD-SX
- Yamaha Multi 12 Drum Pads
- Yamaha Recording Custom 8x14
- Sonor SQ2 (18” BD, 12” TT, 14” TT)
- Sonor ProLite (22” BD, 20” BD, 10” TT, 12” TT, 14” FT, 16” FT)
- Sonor Vintage (18” BD, 12” TT, 14” FT)
- Snares:
- Ludwig 1966 Acrolite (14”)
- Rogers 60s 14”x6
- Sonor ProLite Maple Die Cast 14x7
- Sonor ProLite 12x5 Flanged
- Sonor ProLite 14x6 Flanged
- Sonor ProLite 10x3 Jungle
- A&F 15x8.5
- Sonor Brass 13x5.75
- Ludwig Marching Snare 14x10
- Sonor D454 Snare
- Miscellaneous percussion: tamborines, bells, shakers, claves, güiro, crystal sound bowls, water drums
AMPS(On request)
- Fender Tube Bluesmaster
- Roland KC-80
- Roland KC-500
- Roland AC-33
- Two Technics 1200s
- Numark M6 USB
- Ortofon Concorde MK 2 Cartridges
- QSC K12 Powered Speakers
Various
Portalis is a recording environment shaped by land, sound, and the people who choose to work inside both. The studio sits in a circular clearing in Arroyo Grande and San Luis Obispo County where the terrain bends acoustics in unexpected ways. The room, the weather, the wildlife, and the atmosphere all take part in the work. Artists arrive thinking they are stepping into a studio and discover they’ve stepped into a site.
The name comes from the diamond. A threshold. A space that opens. A quiet signal that you are crossing from one sonic register into another. That shape appears throughout the landscape around Portalis and in the way sound behaves on the property.
Inside, the live room is fully outfitted: Hammond organ, Rhodes, grand piano, and a range of instruments and equipment calibrated to the architecture. Outside, the land functions as a second studio, holding its own tone and pace. Field recordings, natural resonance, and environmental sound become part of the palette.
Portalis was founded by two collaborators who share a belief that sound is inseparable from place: Kathleen Kim, whose practice builds from deep listening, land-based movement, and experimental performance. Guillermo Brown, a drummer, producer, and interdisciplinary artist whose work spans music,
Together, they built Portalis to offer artists a space that is both grounded and open. A place where musicians can work without distraction, tap into the acoustics of the land, and follow their materials into unexpected territory. Sessions here are slower, more intentional, and shaped by the environment itself.
Portalis is not a retreat center, not a conventional studio, and not a residency in the traditional sense. It is a portal. A site where sound, land, and practice meet.
