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Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from the tri-state area. In addition to this development from Dubuque, we will share other developments in Tuesday’s edition.
A longtime Dubuque recording studio has moved into a new space.
Asylum Recording Studios relocated to 1533 Central Ave. in March and started operating out of the space in May. The location is also home to The Glasshouse recording studio, and the two share the space.
“The main mix room is two times as large,” said owner Matt Gregory, who runs the studio with business partners Dimitri Jess and Willie Horsley.
Gregory — a member of the Recording Academy and a Grammy nominee — started Asylum Recording Studios in 2011 in Chicago.
“I was a DJ, a side-hobby DJ,” he said. “The next evolution from being a DJ is producing your own songs. People were enjoying it, and they would ask, ‘Can you record something for me?’”
Gregory and the recording studio came to Dubuque in 2013. The studio was located at 62 E. Seventh St. prior to the move to Central Avenue.
“The first thing I did when I came (to Dubuque) was looked up if there were any recording studios, and there weren’t any,” he said. “People would tell me they had home studios, but there was nothing like the commercial studios.”
In the new space, Gregory said he hopes to have a room for live music recording ready by the end of August. He plans to have a large mural painted in the front waiting area of the space.
The larger studio space will work well with the longer list of recordings Gregory, who is also known as “Mr. Zills” and “Thee Sound Dude,” has worked on since starting the studio. In addition to recording songs and full albums, he has also completed audio work for MTV, voiceovers, radio spots and recordings of live shows. In the past two months, Gregory has gotten into podcasting as well.
“I know for a fact I’m the only guy in town working with an analog console,” Gregory said. “I think that’s why people like working with me. The console imparts a certain quality of sound.”
Asylum Recording Studios can be reached at 563-235-0717.