New local recording studio opens

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A new audio rehearsal and recording studio has officially opened in downtown Strathmore, aiming to help artists produce professional quality sound bites. 

Dan Wiewel, owner of Max SPL Music, held a grand opening for the studio space on Nov. 19, showcasing what the space is capable of.

“The space can be used for recording and rehearsal, but largely recording aimed more at small bands, solo artists and those who are looking for a comfy spot to record in,” said Wiewel. “If you have never been in a recording studio, it can be pretty intimidating, so having something nice in town that is welcoming and affordable is preferable.”

He explained establishing a dedicated recording space has been a goal for roughly the last 10 years, though one he was more actively pursuing for the past three.

The studio was able to take off in earnest once Wiewel was able to partner with a sound engineer who moved to Strathmore from Edmonton.

“He approached me and we said ‘let’s join forces,’ and put together a studio here in the building. We combined his equipment with mine, both of our expertise, and here we are,” said Wiewel.

Currently, the space features a piano, electric drum kit, amps, synthesizers, and a soundboard ready to use and help artists assemble their music. 

The plan is to expend the local arsenal of equipment as the studio develops and attracts local artists to make use of the space. 

“There is a fairly big music scene in Strathmore of musicians who just really like playing music. We don’t have a large professional scene like Calgary or Edmonton, but we have had musicians in town who have gone professional,” said Wiewel. “It is every musician’s dream to have their own recording studio. I have done a lot of recording in my old basement and things like that. It is just the dream to have your own space and finally, we had room to do it here.”

He added generally speaking, creating industry quality recordings can be cost prohibitive to many an aspiring artist. 

In addition to offering recording and a rehearsal space as a service, Wiewel plans to begin offering classes in the new year for those who wish to learn how to record for themselves. 

“We’re set up to record everything from a solo artist to a full band live off the floor. We’ve got a very large system, and we are also working towards being able to do on location recording as well,” he said. “Our space, this isn’t a multimillion dollar studio, but I think people will be really surprised at the quality that we can put out being in downtown Strathmore.”

The studio began availability for bookings as of Nov. 19.