Xander Byrd
From the left, Tribblation Sound Co-founders David Tribble and Jake Kerley.
Tucked inside the Epic in Grand Prairie — a city-owned complex known more for its recreation center and creative programming than its contributions to Texas music — lies a newly revived recording studio called Tribblation Sound. At first glance, it might appear to be just another city facility, but thanks to two Fort Worth-based musicians with a shared vision and a whole lot of faith, it’s quickly becoming something more.
“We launched about two months ago,” says studio co-founder and local singer-songwriter David Tribble. “It was a soft launch — no ribbon-cutting, no fanfare. Just a website, a vision, and a whole lot of faith.”
Though Tribblation Sound is based in Grand Prairie, its heart beats with Fort Worth rhythm. Beside Tribble — hanging out by the controls — is engineer and Tribblation Sound co-founder Jake Kerley, another longtime fixture in the local music scene.
Their goal? To create a welcoming, affordable studio for artists at all stages of their creative journey. The name is a play on Tribble’s own — and a nod to the trials of making music in a harsh industry. “It sounds like ‘tribulation,’ sure,” Tribble says, laughing. “But this is about community, about finding your sound and your people — and making something real.”
Tribblation Sound boasts a fully soundproof live room spacious enough to track full bands, complete with a custom drum kit and an arsenal of ribbon and condenser microphones. At the heart of the studio is a rare Neve 5088 analog console — prized for its warm, rich sound that engineers and artists alike treasure.
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“To my knowledge, there’s only two of them like it in the whole entire world and with the exact same specs,” Tribble explains. “The other one is in Nashville, and Ben Folds Five was the one who purchased it. So it's pretty desirable.”
Additional vocal booths and isolation rooms provide flexibility for layering and tracking multiple parts with clarity. Beyond the main studio space, Tribblation Sound also has access to an adjacent theater for larger live tracking sessions, feeding directly into the console for seamless mixing.
The studio’s location strikes a practical balance, positioned near Arlington and roughly halfway between Fort Worth and Dallas. Tribble appreciates its relative isolation within the metroplex, noting that “30 minutes is about how long it takes to get anywhere around here.” He adds, “We’re not aiming to compete with the big studios. We want to serve people who just want to get in the room and make something special.”
Kerley, who handles much of the engineering and mixing, brings a deep technical background and a collaborative spirit, having worked in his own home studio for years. Together, the two have already tracked and mixed projects for several local artists across Fort Worth’s diverse music scene.
In fact, Tribble himself recorded his 2023 album Sunset Sunrise in the space with producer Taylor Tatsch — a project that also featured Kerley on keys.
“We want people to feel at home here,” Tribble says. “Whether you’re cutting a full-length record or just laying down a demo, we’re here for it.”
Looking ahead, Tribblation Sound is exploring creative ways to grow community ties and offer more to the next generation of musicians.
“We were trying to set up programs where we can work with session musicians and do a trade-off,” Tribble explains. “That means they come in and track for us — lay down bass, play drums, or their instrument — and clock in hours for us. In return, they get more studio time, like an hour and a half for every hour they work. It’s a way to build together.”
The studio also hopes to deepen its involvement with local schools. “We had a guy just reach out to us recently — really interested in learning the system, learning the board, just getting in there and helping,” Tribble says. “That’s really exciting, because I feel like down the road we’ll be involved with the schools somehow, whether through internships or classes or something. That’s pretty exciting.”
Tribble sums up their mission with simple conviction: “We’re figuring it out as we go. But the heartbeat is the same: Serve the music. Serve the people.”
2960 Epic Place, Grand Prairie, TX 75052, infotribblationsound.com
