The Mason Music Recording Studio is Birmingham, Alabama, musicians’ best kept secret. Our comfortable residential studio has inspired musicians and produced music featured in TV, film, and radio stations – all for a fraction of the price of the big studios in town.
Our Services
Before booking time in any recording studio, make sure you are ready. We have several songwriters who work within various genres, so if you are looking for a cowriter to work with, we can find a great fit for you. We can also assist with arrangements, pre-production, writing parts for most instruments, and song structure.
We work with local and regional bands, artists, singer-songwriters and labels who are looking for a recording studio nearby to track their next project. We are well connected in the Birmingham music scene and have top session players on call for whatever your songs need. We work with a wide range of genres, but specialize in rock, pop, alt-rock, americana, singer-songwriter and country. It’s our job to hear your songs and challenge you to get the best takes down on the recording. Our producers will help you find your sound and make sure your vision for your art is realized in the final product.
We track projects in one of two ways: live recordings are done with the full band tracking together at the same time and tend to capture a great energy and feel, but also tend to have less of a polished sound. Multitrack recording opens up endless possibilities of overdubs, edits, corrections, and creativity. The majority of our sessions are multitrack sessions that are built on a scratch track and each subsequent instrument is added individually. This allows for the most flexibility, and works best for the perfectionists out there who want their final product to be as close to flawless as possible.
We also work with musicians everywhere who need services that we can offer locally or remotely such as mixing and mastering. Simply share your files with us, send us a reference mix, and we will get to work creating a dynamic professional mix and master for your project. Mixing rates depend on the number of tracks and the level of sophistication of the project. We will quote you a price before starting and sign a contract to ensure that we stay within the budget we agree on. Final full format WAV files will be shared after your approval and payment have been received.
Mason Music Recording Studio is the ideal place for recording and mixing your podcast. A comfortable, sound isolated space with quality gear is exactly what you need to take your podcast to the next level.
Rates
HOURLY
$80/hr with a 2 hour minimum
DAILY
$400/day for 8 hours with an engineer provided
STUDENT RATE
$60/hr for active Mason Music students
How It Works
Self-Booking: (This option allows you to view available slots and book a session even when we’re not open. Score! If you plan to bring your own engineer, you’ll have to use Assisted Booking.)
- Click here to access the booking page.
- Select your desired session length, date, and time slot, then click “book”. (Self-booking only allows dates to be picked two weeks from today’s date. Want something sooner? Email us to ask for availability!)
- Create your own online account with Mason Music. If you already have an account, you can simply log in during this step. (This is the same platform we use for our private lessons, so feel free to ignore questions related to music lessons.)
- Follow the remaining directions to set up your payment and agree to the terms and conditions to complete your reservation.
- You will receive a confirmation email verifying your session. This email will also include a short form you’ll need to complete for us to get to know you and your needs for the session.
- A fabulous real human being will reach out to make sure you’re set up for success when your session rolls around.
Assisted Booking:
- Fill out this form to get a free quote
- We will reach out to confirm your needs and build a quote and schedule for your project.
- We will connect you with one of our amazing, friendly engineers or producers to discuss your project’s specifics.
- We will book your session and send you a link to pay and finalize the booking.
Our Gear
FAQ
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Can you help me find musicians to play on my record?
Yes – we have access to a great network of local session players on just about any instrument you can throw at us. Session players charge their own rates independent of the studio.
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Do you have instruments there I can use?
Yes – we have a Ludwig neusonic drum kit with Dream cymbals, a Korg sv-1 keyboard, several electric guitars, a fully outfitted pedal board, a Samamp VAC35, a Fender deluxe reverb, and a Reverend Mercalli IV bass. We can source additional gear as needed at an agreed upon rental cost.
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What DAW and software do y’all use?
We have both protools and Logic on a 2023 Mac computer. We have a subscription to Steven Slate Everything Bundle as well as Soundtoys plugins and an Avid collection.
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When is the studio available?
Monday and Tuesday from 8am-5pm and Wednesday through Saturday 8am-8pm. You can see available times using the self-booking link, or you can always reach out and ask us for help.
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Do you track live or overdub?
It depends – we can do either. The space is a bit small, but we have comfortably tracked 4 piece bands regularly. Drums and bass in one room, electric guitar in another, and a vocalist in the vocal booth.
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Is it in someone’s house? Is it even a ‘real’ studio?
Yes – that’s why we can charge less than the big studios. We have lower overhead and you still get a great sounding recording. We’ve had our recordings used on TV and film, as well as songs in rotation on radio stations. The main downside to being in a house is you have to go upstairs to use the bathroom. The upside is that the owner may just offer you a sip of bourbon or you may get to hang out with his chickens.
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Can I bring my own engineer and save money?
Yes. If you don’t use one of our engineers, cut the price in half. You will need to contact us before booking for this option through the quote request form. We do not allow people to self-book the space with an outside engineer.
Our Artists
- Matthew Mayfield
- Sarah Simmons (of the Voice)
- The Brook and The Bluff
- Venture Boi
- Juco – read our blog about Juco
- The Lie Within Callie
- Ty Grubb
- The Primitive Talk