Welcome to Hotel Frank

Check out Flip’s second solo album, the trip hop/anti-music odyssey, Northern Gothic.

Say what you will about Flip Arkulary, there's no denying he's been busy making music in the Pandemic Era. The former guitarist for The Half Hearts, singer for Exiles, and guitarist for Tyrannicals, opened his Duluth studio in 2019. During that time, he's engineered 13 music videos for Boxcar, Blake Shippee's solo album "It All Started from a Whisper" (produced by Erik Koskinen), two albums by Robyn Graves and the Sordid Affairs, plus sessions with Actual Wolf, Stardust Collective, Babie Eyes, New Salty Dog, "Misisipi" Mike Wolf, Breanne Tepler's song commercial for St. Louis Public Health, and more.  

Dipper, Flip Arkulary's first solo album/space opera, began recording in 2020 with Actual Wolf (Eric Pollard) and had it's lo-fi edition release in August 2022. It features performances by Actual Wolf, Robyn Graves, Breanne Tepler, Kenneth Gregory Bressler, "Misisipi" Mike Wolf, and members of Stardust Collective.  

Flip Arkulary was born in Duluth, MN on Aug 4, 1985 to Mitzi Doane and Stephen Arkulary. In his youth, Flip wrote classical music, had his compositions performed by Orchestras and Chamber Choirs even before his 18th birthday. He went on to studio composition with Macedonian Composer, Ketty Nez, at the University of Iowa. Flip would tour with The Death Ships as keyboardist, tour the country numerous times in The Half Hearts and Exiles. His first job out of college was working for then-Senator Barack Obama. He has performed at SXSW Musical Festival numerous times, and managed artists including Zoo Animal.  

Today, Flip lives in Duluth with his two cats, Melody and Callie. Flip engineers albums, works as a media publisher, and is simultaneously making two follow-up Albums to Dipper.  

However rare, live performances from Flip and his ensemble come complete with costumes, story arcs, and plenty of synthesizers.

See more visually appealing things on Flip's YouTube channel.

Hotel Frank offers 1200 sq/ft of recording space, spread over three rooms. We offer an extensive list of in-house gear, and record everything from the Avant Garde to folk singers. A digital/analog hybrid studio, in your town, with no limits.

Interfaces   
Antelope Audio Orion Studio (12ch)   
Antelope Audio Discrete-4 Synergy Core (4ch)   

Computer   
Mac Mini 2018 (2) i7 processor, 64GB Ram, infinite plugins   
Daw (s)   
Avid ProTools 12   
Reaper (preferred)   
Logic Pro   

Preamps   
Universal Audio 2-610   
Universal Audio LA-610 MKII   
Great River ME-1NV (2)   
Altec 1599B Mixer (5 ch mono out)   
Warm Audio 412 (4 ch API clone)   
Warm Audio 273 (2 ch Neve 1073 clone)   
Warm Audio 1176 clone (Eddie Ciletti modded to double as preamp)   
Radioshack MPA-250 (for the lo-fiers)   

Dynamics   
UREI BL-40 Modulimiter (LA-3A and 1176 style circuits in one unit)   
DBX 160x (2) Revive Audio Modded   
Warm Audio 1176 clone   
Klark Teknik LA-2A Clone   
Aphex Aural Exciter Type B (the 80s Machine)   
FMR Audio Really Nice Compressor   
FMR Audio Really Nice Leveling Amplifier   
Shure Level-Loc   

Effects   
Roland RE-150 Space Echo Tape Delay   
EHX Bi-Filter Dual Analog Filter Processor   
Roland SPV-355 Pitch-to-Voltage Synthesizer   
Mu-Tron Bi-Phase BPII Reissue   
Multi-Vox Full Rotor Leslie   
Boss RX-100 Spring Reverb   
Klark Teknik Roland Dimension D clone Stereo Chorus   
Lexicon MX-400 Dual Stereo Surround Reverb Effects Processor   
Antares ATR-1   
Ashly GQX-3102   
Lee “Scratch” Perry style 3 spring reverb   
Eventide Timefactor   
Eventide Modfactor   
Eventide Pitchfactor   
Eventide Blackhole   
Hammond Leslie Pedal   

Headphones   
Audio Technica ATH M50x (8)   
Beyerdynamic DT-770-Pro-250   
Beyerdynamic DT-770 Studio 80 Ohm   
Furman System   

Amplifiers & Cabinets   
Marshall JCM-50 Lead Combo with footswitch   
Marshall JCM-600   
Marshall JTM-30   
Marshall MX112 1x12 cabinet   
Ampeg V4   
Ampeg VT-40 with footswitch (w/ spring reverb)   
Sunn Solarus 4x10 (w/ tube tremolo)   
Sunn Beta Lead with footswitch   
Vox Handwired AC4   
Marshall Class 5 Combo (heavily modded)   
Hi-Watt Limited Edition Hi-5 5w Head 420 Logo Green Badge   
Hi-Watt Limited Edition HG112 Cab Green Badge   
Wurlitzer Spectratone Rotating Speaker   
Quilter Tone Block 200   
Quilter Blockdock 10C 100 watt cabinet   
Quilter Overdrive 200 Dumble Clone   
Peavey 4x12 (1980) (2 tall, 2 short)   
Motion Sound Pro 3 Rotary Speaker   
Orange OR15 (heavily modified)   
Orange PPC112 60-Watt Guitar Cabinet   
Traynor Cabinet (old)   
Sunn Cabinet 1x15 (old)   
Gretsch G5222 5w champ clone   
Supro 1810R Blues King 10 5-Watt 1x10 Guitar Combo   
Sovtek Mig50   
Pignose Pro G40V 40 Watt Tube Head   
Pignose 30/60   
EHX Mig50 Reissue   
1x8 mystery speaker   
Peavey 6505 Mini Head 2ch 20-Watt Guitar Head   
Peavey 1x12 cabinet   
Hohner Hoodoo Box Harmonica Amp   
Moog TB-15   
Kingston P2NB 1x6 Amp   
Epiphone Limited Edition 1939 “Century” All-Tube 18-Watt 1x12 Guitar Combo   
Roland JC-120   
Roland JC-55   

Guitars & Basses   
Gibson Les Paul Custom (1993)   
Gibson Flying V (1983)   
Gibson SG Standard (2016)   
Gibson Nighthawk Sp-3 Special (1995)   
Gibson Les Paul Special (2016)   
Gibson SG Special (2014)   
Fender American Standard Stratocaster (2007)   
Fender Mexican Jazz Bass (1995)   
Fender Mexican Precision Bass (2022)   
Fender Mustang Bass (2022)   
Squire 70s P Bass   
Squire Offset Telecaster   
Eastwood Sidejack Baritone Guitar   
Italia Modena Sitar Guitar   
Epiphone Jumbo   
Epiphone Hummingbird   
Guild D-25   
Yamaha C40II Classical Guitar   
Yamaha FG820 12-String   
Lyre   
Oud   
Balalaika   
Guitarele   
Tim Kaiser Circular Harp   
Kinnor Harp  

Keyboards & Synthesizers 
Baby Grand Piano 
Mellotron M4000D Micro
Yamaha DX7 
Yamaha Reface Series (DX, CS, YC, CP) 
Roland Juno 106 
Roland SPV-355 
Roland S-10 Sampler 
Roland SH-101 Monosynth 
Roland Boutique JX-03 
Roland Boutique VP03 
Roland Boutique JD-08 
Moog Sub Phatty 
Moog Theremin 
Korg Apr Odyssey 
Korg Triton LE 61 Key 
Korg BX-3 Tonewheel Organ (Hammond B3 Clone) 
Korg SQ-1 Sequencer 
Behringer Arp 2600 Blue Marvin 
Behringer RD-8 (808 Clone) 
Behringer Wasp Clone 
Arturia Suite + Keystep 32 and Beatstep Midi Controllers 
Tim Kaiser Instruments – Feedback Machine, Mini Synth, Drone Machine 
Benidub Lickshot Dub Siren 
Bontempi Reed Organ 
Banjira Harmonium 
Hohner Melodica 

Drums 
14 Snare Drums 
1975 Lugwig Butcher Block Kit (huge) 
2019 handmade Maple Kit from Wisconsin (over there) 
Concert Conga
Surdo 
Udkka 
Various hand percussion, glockenspiel, bells, shakers, etc 
Various Kick Pedals 
Zildjian Custom Dark Cymbals and Hi Hats 
14” and 10” Gongs 
Sizzlers, Twizzlers, and Drizzlers

Microphones 
Peluso P-414 (2) 
Peluso P-87 (2) 
Peluso R-14 Ribbon Mic 
Peluso P-251 Tube Mic 
Peluso P-47 Tube Mic 
Peluso SR-14 Stereo Ribbon Mic 
Sennheiser MD 441-N 
Sennheiser MD-421 (2) 
Sennheiser 251 
Sennheiser e604 (3) 
Shure SM7B (3) 
Shure Sm57 (4) 
Shure SM58 (2) 
Shure Beta 57A 
Shure 819 
Shure Green Bullet 
Audio Technica AT871r Boundary Mic 
Cascade X-15 Stereo Ribbon Mic 
Cascade Vin-Jet Ribbon Mic 
Electro-Voice RE20 (2) 
Electro-Voice 635a (3)
Electro-Voice RE50 (2) 
Electro-Voice 664 
Electro-Voice ND44 
Placid Audio Copperphone (2) 
Wasaphone MKII 
Canned Sound Gleamer 
AKG D112 
Secret C12 Clone 
Motorola Intercom Mics (2) 
RCA Dictation Mic 
Town & Mouth Report Lo-Fi Mic 
Astatic D-104 
Ampex Stereo Mic 
Beyerdynamic M201TG 
Royer R-101 
Sony F-96 (2) 
Sony F-7B

Hotel Frank is also a record label, being home to Duluth Artists including Actual Wolf, Robyn Graves & the Sordid Affairs, and Flip Arkulary, himself! We like one-off projects, from recording/mixing/masters to duplication and layout design. Let’s do a one-off, it’ll be fun!