In today’s media ecosystem, it has never been easier to consume music. With streaming platforms, social media, and digital downloads, it is possible to enjoy a vast library of songs from all over the world at the touch of a button.
However, as an artist, it can be tricky to record music. Knowing what equipment to buy, where to get it, and for the right price has become extremely difficult. The University of Iowa’s Voxman Music Building has been a reliable place for school of music students to go and record CDs or albums.
Even so, the Voxman studios’ packed schedule can make securing a slot difficult.
“There’s about 450 music majors and around 60 faculty. We record or do live sound and video for probably 300 to 350 shows a year, and there’s around 15 to 20 full-length CDs a year,” James Edel, UI music production manager, said regarding the studios’ fully booked schedule. “It’s just a lot.”
However, there is still room for bands outside the school of music to use the recording studios. One band has been recording their first official pieces of music set to appear in their debut album. One More Hour is a local theatrical folk-rock band who recorded their music at the Voxman studios.
“We’re really into the songwriting process. It’s very collaborative. We’re really into writing story songs, and we pull from Irish tradition, American songwriter tradition, and Midwest Emo, and we try and put it all together,” band leader Finnegan Angelos said about the band.
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Finnegan Angelos, Liv Caskey, Iris Savage, and Bella Nekvinda are the official members of the band. The band has also worked with Matt Sleep, Sara Lyons, and Milo Savage-Webster to help with the recording process, even though they are not officially part of the band.
One More Hour is a band composed of a variety of different instruments including the cello, trumpet, guitar, fiddle, and more. Their instrumental diversity have makes it very possible to achieve this niche sound they’re looking for.
The band said Voxman was the perfect size because of the layout of their studio. All the instruments, microphones, and musicians could be set up in a large recital hall and not feel congested.
“We were considering a couple different places, but then the opportunity came up. We thought, this is kind of perfect,” Angelos said.
The studio they use has a control room that is wired throughout the building. This is different to the stereotypical recording studio where each room has its own control room. The producer will sit and watch the band via cameras and control the sound from there.
“Everything is really high-end. James Edel has been improving the studio for maybe ten years. It keeps getting better every year,” Shu-Min Alice Chang, UI audio and video coordinator, said about the technology Voxman offers.
Although Voxman is not as accessible to non-music majors, Edel and Chang remind students there are other places in the city to record music. Flat Black Studios is the place Edel refers hopeful musicians to who cannot find a spot at Voxman.
“You could probably go there for three days to record drums for a price that would get you not hardly enough mics and stuff to record drums yourself,” Edel said. “Also, they would have way better microphones than anyone would buy for their apartment studio.”
Editor’s note: Bella Nekvinda is a former staff member of The Daily Iowan.