Area studios help local musicians master the art of recording

Southeast Missouri has a diverse music scene, with bands playing songs that range from bluegrass, gospel and acoustic folk to hard rock, hip-hop, soul and metal. Musicians across the area perform live shows, but most dream of recording their first album.

Facilities from St. Louis to Hayti, Mo., await bands looking to record, and a lot of talent sits in the studios, as evidenced by the products they've created for artists already.

Lost Possum's "Juggernaut" and Mike Renick's debut solo album, "Diamond Eyes," were put out by Brandon Drury's Echo Echo Studios in Scott City. Malcolm Springer at New Madrid County Recording Co. produced Dean Evans's "Family of Five" EP.

"Obviously, recording locally, there's a benefit to it financially," Renick said. The Mike Renick Band recorded "Lucky One" with Echo Echo as well.

"We contemplated going and recording some other places out of town, but, logistically, with people having jobs and stuff, doing it close to home is a big positive," he said. "You can put a disc that's done well, locally, against a disc that was produced in Nashville or wherever, and I think the average person won't distinguish a difference."

Dennis Gurley has owned and operated Alley Traxx recording in Hayti for 17 years. Musicians experimenting with home studios and the opportunities of the digital world have taken some business away, but Gurley remains optimistic.

"There's an art to it, you know," said Gurley, referring to the engineering side of the table. "People say that anybody can record, but it takes a certain kind of person to get the sound that sets that song apart."

A studio's best advertising is its product. Echo Echo Studios has produced some professional material for local acts like Lost Possum, The Thundertones and Renick. Brandon Drury helms the operations at Echo Echo Studios, and said he is excited about its future.

Drury said he is working on his new studio, upgrading equipment to be able to accommodate more work.

"My focus in the recording world is now on making a few great records per year," he said. "I'm looking for people who want to take their music further these days."

Most studios in Southeast Missouri are easy to find on the Internet, and many feature samples of music that they have produced on their websites. New Madrid County Recording Co. in Portageville, Mo., features the music of its clients, as well as offering the albums for sale on its website at www.nmcrecording.com.

Sunrise Recording in Cape Girardeau provides live event recording as well as work in the studio. Nestled in downtown, Sunrise has recorded music from gospel to punk rock.

Jackson studio Relevant Recordings opened in August and is already producing work for acts like young rock foursome The Illustrated Man, hard-core group Before All Falls and indie-folk artist Jefferson Fox.

"I have been involved with musicians, studios and production work since I was very young," said Justin Schwartz, owner and chief engineer with Relevant. "I decided it was time to have a place of my own to do [recordings], and now I want to show people a new side of music never seen or heard before."

Schwartz said he wants to create standout products for each musician he works with.

Most engineers agree a band should prepare before heading to the studio to record. Time-saving steps are money-saving steps, because most studios charge an hourly rate. The main point all studios stress is preparation -- mental, physical and musical.

Rehearsing and knowing the songs before heading to the studio is a good place to start.

"Try to have the songs ready when you go in to record, and then you can focus more on recording," said Renick, who is currently recording with the band again at Echo Echo. "You can maybe try some tricks or dress things up some, because you've got your stuff down and you have the time to fine-tune."

Musicians should also make sure instruments are up to par. A sketchy plug that pops now and then or drum heads that are wearing thin could fail during the session, costing time and money.

Many engineers suggest artists make rough recordings before coming in, so they can hear what the song sounds like as a whole before hitting the studio. This can be done with a tape recorder or video camera and will allow weak spots to be identified, which might lead to changes. This also helps artists choose which songs are studio worthy and which ones may need more work.

Jupiter Studios in St. Louis wants its bands to be educated about the process before coming to work.

"We've actually created a seven-part video about what to do before recording," said Jodie Whitworth, studio manager for Jupiter Studios.

The videos, which give bands hints and tricks about being prepared, are on the studio's site at www.jupiterstudios.net/faq.htm.

"It's important that the artists come in thinking like a producer," said Jupiter Studios producer Anthony "Trouble" Valli.

Jim Callahan, owner of Jupiter, said artists need to think about how much money they have, which determines the amount of time they'll have in the studio. From there, they should budget their time.

"Vocals are the single most important thing that is recorded; it's going to be the thing that people listen to more than anything," Callahan said.

Another valuable tip: Getting a good night's sleep, especially before the first day.

"There are usually a lot of pressures on that first day," Callahan said.