Oktaven Audio is a large-format recording studio in Mount Vernon, New York specializing in classical, jazz, and acoustic music recording. Designed by Francis Manzella, the studio features over 2000 square feet of total recording area with a 42' x 30' x 13' live room and up to six iso spaces of varying size, two 9’ concert grand pianos (a Hamburg Steinway D and a NY Steinway D), a large collection of microphones, preamps and outboard gear, and a variety of amps and instruments. Oktaven was founded in 2009 by Head Engineer Ryan Streber and CEO Jessica Slaven.
STAFF
Head Engineer and co-owner Ryan Streber studied composition with Milton Babbitt and Christopher Rouse at Juilliard (BMA 2001; MMA 2003). His years of experience working as a composer and engineer with some of NYC’s most talented and exciting artists and ensembles drives Oktaven’s focus on classical, jazz, and art music.
CEO and co-owner Jessica Slaven is trained as a visual artist (BFA 2001, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago; MFA 2005, University of Pennsylvania). Jessica has worked with Oktaven’s clients for nearly 15 years to help usher well north of 1000 albums into existence.
Engineer Charles Mueller studied classical guitar at Northwestern University (BM 2012) and music technology at NYU (MM 2016). He has engineered recording sessions at many top studios in Chicago and New York, and regularly works as a producer for rock and pop artists in Brooklyn, including his own indie-psych band, lakewhales.
Assistant Engineer Calista Case is a trained soprano and actor who is currently studying musical theatre at New York University's Tisch School for the Arts (BFA 2025). She studied opera at the American Institute of Musical Studies (Graz, Austria) in 2022, and has been working to develop her skills in music technology and radio broadcasting throughout her undergraduate career.