6+ recording studios right here in Charleston

Mic check 1, 2, 1, 2 🎤

With our straight-off-a-postcard charm, and a restaurant scene that reads like a James Beard nominee list, Charleston is a feast for the senses in many ways. One sense that shouldn’t be overlooked– the beautiful sounds of the Holy City. In other words: a lot of great music gets made here.

None of which could have been made without assistance from the talented producers + engineers running state-of-the-art recording facilities right here in CHS.

Coast Records

Downtown Charleston | 🎤 Atlas Road Crew, SUSTO, Brave Baby, Mark Bryan (of Hootie & the Blowfish), She Returns from War, + more

Producer/engineer/instrumentalist/songwriter Matt Zutell earned a degree in economics from CofC before founding Coast Records. Zutell frequently serves as a guest speaker for courses in CofC’s Music Industry program, and in 2017 he + Coast were awarded best producer/studio in the Charleston City Paper Music Awards. Combined, music produced by Coast has been streamed 2 million+ times on Spotify.

In addition to operating as a boutique label + providing studio space to record, Coast helps local artists make it in the industry with a variety of other less thought about services such as: consulting, writing professional press releases, video production + photography. For a 10% fee, they’ll even assist musicians in getting booked at upcoming shows.

Truphonic

West Ashley | 🎤 Darius Rucker, Daryl Hall, Patti LuPone

Elliott Elsey, a Charleston native, earned a masters degree in Recording Arts + Technologies from Middle Tennessee State University near Nashville before returning to the Lowcountry to head Truphonic. Aside from audio recording + mastering, the facility is also equipped for film + TV production.

Also working out of Truphonic– Grammy-winning mastering engineer Vlado Meller, whose services can be booked by those using the studio. Meller has been in the biz since 1969 + has worked with a ton of famous artists: Michael Jackson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Barbra Streisand, + Johnny Cash, to name a few.

Most recently, the Truphonic team worked with improv jazz trio Shimmy Ghoster. And Truphonic is already well established in the jazz world; the guys recorded, mixed + mastered Gullah quintet Ranky Tanky’s 2017 debut album, which landed the #1 spot on the Billboard, iTunes + Amazon jazz charts.

Fairweather Studio

James Island | 🎤 The Explorers Club

Owner + chief engineer Omar Colon, a graduate of the Recording Workshop in Ohio, opened Fairweather Studio inside a one-room cottage on James Island in 2014. Colon has worked with artists such as Sideshow Americans + SondorBlue, as well as contributed to various commercials + TV projects.

Rialto Row

Downtown Charleston | 🎤 Band of Horses, SUSTO, The Artisanals

At Rialto Row, you have the option to bring your own producer/engineer, or work with in-house producer + engineer Wolfgang Zimmerman. This is where Band of Horses recorded part of their newest album, which has not been released yet.

Pro tip: Out-of-towners can take advantage of Rialto Row’s on-site lodging, which is provided at a discount to those visiting CHS to make a record.

Charleston Sound

Mount Pleasant | 🎤 Darius Rucker, Ashanti, Mary Alice Monroe

Since 2010, Charleston Sound has been Darius’ studio of choice when recording in his hometown. Besides recording + mixing albums, the Mount Pleasant facility has experience in recording audio books for authors. The space can even be rented out for special events + parties.

Hybrid Audio Solutions

West Ashley | 🎤 Emily Curtis, Ember City, Kail Baxley

Located in West Ashley, Hybrid Audio Solutions’ cool, wood-paneled studio has brought to life tracks from artists all over the region. Additionally, the facility offers music + lyric video services. See some of what their past work here.

Of course, there are several other killer options around Charleston. Be sure to check out ARP Studio, BCM Recording Studio, Encore Music, Ocean Industries Studios, + White Key Studios.

If reading about all of the great locally recorded music has you ready to rock, check out our roundup of local music venues to see which upcoming shows you need to add to your calendar. I, for one, plan to be in the crowd for Cold War Kids tonight at Music Farm.

What other parts of our music scene do you think need to be covered? Let us know in the comments below.

– Jen