CloserLook Studios - Bringing State of the Art Technology to Cleveland

By Dawn M. Tucker

The Voice Magazine - March, 2004

“This studio provides state of the art recording, giving the artist the best of both worlds with analog and digital recording.”

Barely five years young, CloserLook Recording, nestled in an industrial area in Cleveland, finds its home in the old “Tyler Elevator Company” building complex. What better match could there be for the owner, Tyler Owen.

No , there is no family connection…though Tyler says “It was almost like an omen, laughing, he concludes, “I was hoping it was a good one!”. Hailing originally from New York, this handsome, energetic musician exudes a great passion for music and the music business. He writes a monthly column on the technology of music (which can be found on this site).

When he speaks, his hands move about as if dancing to a song only he can hear. I wondered “How long does it take to record a CD?” His response: “The recording process is an intricate one and whether you are looking to record a demo, full album, or just a part of one track, the speed of recording is dependent on how rehearsed the band is.”

This owner (along with his staff: Beth Gladen, James “Frizz” Thomas and Robin Stone) seems to be more concerned with the artists themselves than anything else. (Is this a rarity in the music business?)

“When someone comes in to record” says Tyler, “I like to ask them right away what their objective is…what are they trying to accomplish?”

He says even though there have been big names in his studio, he likes to record the little guy. Could this be because he remembers what it was like starting out? He mentions he comes from a modest family background. “I come from a non musical family, I have been writing songs, playing guitar and singing my whole life.” Starting when he was barely five years old, it took his family until he was around twenty years old to finally accept his passion.

With a wistful look that seems to appear at every mention of his family he says, “They started to understand what I was doing when I could play music AND pay bills!” Playing in bands like “Lefty” and “The Edge” (which also featured Vince Ruby and Bill March: who has been the drummer from Cameo & Sam Merendino).

Tyler seems tailor made for music. He has an affinity for musicians like “Robin Stone” and “Alexis Antes” who he fondly reports as being “Women who have gone out and forged their own way. (you can find them here: www.SheLovesYouRecords.com) So why Cleveland? Tyler says, “There is an amazing wide spread of talent here.” Believing the local bands are not well represented, he brings recording ease to musicians of all levels.

Studio A features a Neve Board- Vintage and analog with a price tag as new of roughly a third of a million dollars. Once a band (artist, musician) has recorded in Studio A – they can then go to Studio B, which has the most amazing view of the city at night, to mix. Musicians could not ask for a more creative, visually enticing place to record their sound.

Studio B is where they mix the music on the largest two-channel version SSL board in the mid-west. 5.1 surround sound with the largest seventy-two channel ever made, they call this the “blue” room because of it’s darkly hued walls.

Complete with large freight elevators (perfect for transporting musical instruments of all sizes) CloserLook Recording provides a comfortable atmosphere idea for sound recording.

What they do differently is go the extra mile. Tyler says, “For local people we slide the scale…we make it affordable. You’ll find a friendly staff, aesthetic surroundings and prices as low as $28/hr. CloserLook is open 7 days a week. Call today! This is one place deserving of a ‘CLOSER LOOK’!