Cartesian Binary Sonic Labs

The Story

Founded in 2009 by multi-instrumentalist, audio engineer, and composer Rena Jones, Cartesian Binary began as a record label in Portland, Oregon, focused on Deep Ambient, Downtempo, LoFi, and Chillout music. Originally from Texas, Rena’s musical journey began with classical violin in her youth, and she began her first internship in a recording studio at Music Lane Studios in Austin, TX. As a teenager, she expanded into composition and electronic music, eventually blending acoustic strings with experimental sounds that would become her signature style. Her passion led her to San Francisco, where she earned a degree in Sound Engineering from Ex’pression College for Digital Arts. While studying, she also had the rare opportunity to study Psychoacoustics under legendary acoustician John Storyk, best known for his work on designing Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Land, a foundational experience that deepened her understanding of sound and its emotional impacts.

While living in San Francisco, Rena became deeply involved in the city’s underground music scene and the cultural movement that shaped the West Coast Bass music and festival community. During this time, she worked on the development of Pro Tools, merging her technical knowledge with innovative music production techniques. These experiences launched her international music career, performing and sharing her work with audiences around the globe.

Over the past three decades, Rena has built a prolific and multifaceted career as a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and audio engineer. Her credits include composing music for award-winning projects like Dance Dance Revolution, creating sound design and musical compositions for industry leaders such as Adobe and Konami, and contributing to the development of Pro Tools during her time at AVID with the Engineering Test Services team. Her solo work—known for its philosophical depth, lush string arrangements, and electronic textures—has been featured multiple times on Echoes Radio PRX’s Top 30 Albums list, and most recently, her collaboration with KiloWatts Caesura charted as the second-best album of the year for 2024 on Echoes Radio PRX. 

Rena has collaborated with respected artists such as Emancipator, STS9, Sophie Barker, Matt Robertson (Bjork, Anoushka Shankar, Lamb, Cinematic Orchestra), Beats Antique, and Grammy-nominated J. Viewz. Recently, she contributed to an international collaboration with Holeig Spies on a Global project inspired by Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, which included icons Future Sound of London, Coldcut, Gaudi, and Youth (The Orb, Pink Floyd).

Beyond her music, Rena’s passion lies in helping other artists navigate the often-frustrating technical side of creative work. Having experienced firsthand the costly and creativity-killing setbacks caused by studio malfunctions and tech hurdles, she’s committed to ensuring that others don’t have to go through the same. Whether it’s troubleshooting gear, managing compatibility issues, setting up a robust backup system, studio recommendations, or customized one-on-one training, Cartesian Binary Sonic Labs can help.

With over 20 years of hands-on experience, a degree in Audio Engineering, a Bachelor’s in I.T., and a strong background in sales engineering, Rena brings a rare and valuable combination of artistry, technical education, and implementation coupled with technical expertise. At Cartesian Binary Sonic Labs, she empowers creatives to focus on their passion while she handles the complexity of the technology behind their sound.