About
Rena Jones
Jones, a Texas native, embarked on her musical journey with classical violin in her youth, later delving into composing music and ultimately embracing electronic compositions during her teenage years. Fascinated by electronic music's freedom and adaptability, she pursued sound engineering studies at Ex'pression College for Digital Arts in Emeryville, California, gaining a degree in the early 2000s.
Transitioning seamlessly between roles as an audio engineer and studio musician in the vibrant San Francisco music scene, Jones left an indelible mark on numerous groundbreaking albums. Additionally, she contributed to the development of Pro Tools audio software at Avid before moving to Portland, Oregon, in 2006.
A multi-instrumentalist, Jones showcases her talents on cello, violin, percussion, electronic music production, and synthesizers, melding the organic warmth of acoustic strings with electronic beats in her distinctive musical style. Her compositions, deeply rooted in themes of nature and philosophy, have garnered acclaim across six solo albums, each exploring profound concepts ranging from reincarnation to the interconnectedness of reality.
Beyond her musical pursuits, Jones is passionate about culinary arts, nature, and sustainability. Finding inspiration in the muse of the natural world, and history, and expressing her creativity through music, cooking, and writing, her endeavors express her unwavering dedication to her crafts.
You can check out her record label Cartesian Binary Recordings here:
Musical Bio
Rena Jones
“Rena Jones is a polymath. She plays violin, cello, and synthesizers and immerses her music in the imagery of nature and philosophy.” ~ John Diliberto Echoes Radio PRX
A classically trained violinist, cellist, and audio engineer who also performs on synthesizers, and drum machines, she has composed for the award-winning video game Dance Dance Revolution, created custom sound design for Adobe, Twisted Tools, and Keith McMillen Instruments, and contributed to the development of Pro Tools during her work at Avid.
Her music has been released on influential labels such as LOCI Records, Aleph Zero, 1320 Records, and Ultimae, and she runs her own label, Cartesian Binary Recordings. With four of her solo albums selected as Top 30 Albums of the Year on Echoes Radio PRX—and her recent collaboration with KiloWatts, Caesura, reaching #2 on the same chart—Rena’s distinctive string work has appeared on albums by Emancipator, STS9, edIT (Glitch Mob), Beats Antique, and others.
As an audio engineer, she has recorded and mixed at world-renowned studios, including Sylvia Massy’s RadioStar, Justin Phelps's Cloud City Studios, Recombinant Media Labs in SF, Metway Studios U.K., and Emancipator's Wildwood Studios, while continuing to operate her own studio, Cartesian Binary Sonic Labs. While obtaining her degree in Audio Engineering, she studied psychoacoustics under legendary studio designer John Storyk, best known for building Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland Studios, further deepening her understanding of the science behind sound, psychoacoustics, and studio design.
Touring extensively across North America and Europe, Rena has performed at top-tier festivals, including Decibel, Shambhala, Secret Garden Festival, Burning Man, Glade Festival, Symbiosis, and Raindance. She has opened for artists Plaid, Ladytron, and Trentemøller. A fierce advocate for musicians, she is a voting member in the Recording Academy’s Producers and Engineers Wing and serves as a District Advocate, championing artist rights and industry reform, where she worked with Congress on behalf of the Academy to help pass the Save Our Stages, the Music Cares Acts and legislation to protect artists' rights from Ariticial intelligence.