Morgantown Records

How professional grade studios have popped up in the University City.

by Sarah Marino

Last time I posted we talked to Drew Keenan, a self-made recording artist, who does all his tracking by himself. Unless you live in a big city where there is an ample music scene, you might find that a recording studio is hard to come by.

If you’re not a recording artist, this would make no difference to you, however, local bands must either record at home or travel to places like Pittsburgh in order to get their music out professionally. There are a few recording studios in Morgantown, but I had the chance to explore Zone 8 Recording in Granville, WV. Mark Poole runs his studio in his home, and has had many different clients throughout the years. He records all kinds of music from bluegrass to metal. Poole offers his services for a reasonable price, and also is very open and willing to work with clients on their music. Poole owns a good bit of equipment from guitars to mixers, and have worked with many local favorites like Yellowdog Union .

Since 1994, Poole has worked with many acts, whether they are a local band or a solo artist trying to get ideas out. Poole prides himself in that no project is too big or too small, and it’s his passion to work with clients.

The atmosphere for a session is a relaxed, inclusive environment where artists can feel their work keeps their integrity as well as improve with guidance. Poole wants to produce major label sounding work for a fraction of the cost.

A self made man, Poole started his studio in the mid 90’s in his own apartment. He rented this apartment since 1989- and lived there with the studio for 10 years until he eventually ran out of room and had to get rid of all his furniture.

Taking a tour of the 4 room apartment, amps, cords and mics cover much of the space, and to my surprise the bathroom is utilized as a vocal booth. He says it’s very DIY, though he believes it’s not that great of a space the sound produced is good.

“I’ve made  due with what I have, and it’s worked out- I’ve had a pretty steady flow of business for 20 years,” he said.

For Poole, this has become his full time job. He can work 7 days a week if he wants, and oftentimes can because demand is high.

“This past year has probably been my best year. I Went for a month without taking a day off,” he said.

Recording is a process in itself, but mixing tracks down can be a long tedious process. He tries to book 2 sessions a day, one in the morning and one in the evening.

What is remarkable about Poole is that he is self taught. He got into self recording because he didn’t like the studio atmosphere, and wanted to do it at home.

“It wasn’t long after I bought recording equipment friends bands would say hey would you record us, and it turned into a business, it started out as a hobby,” he said.

In the 80’s and 90’s Poole’s band recorded several albums at a studio in Ohio- and he wasn’t happy with those recordings. He wanted to up the game a bit, he learned from sitting in on class sessions and doing live sound at shows while working for a sound company.

This was all happening pre-internet as well, during what he calls the “Digital Revolution” before there was YouTube videos of anything imaginable.

“ADAT tape machines, which recorded to VHS, had 8 tracks that is what made home recording possible. That was the beginning of the digital and home studio revolution, everyone had a studio in their garage,” he said.

Looking at one of these in 2016 would be laughable to the modern musician, but it was revolutionary when Poole started recording.

An ADAT machine similar to Poole’s.

Though many studios jump on a computer and start their mixing process there, Poole prefers using an analog board.

“There’s something about the sound. If people are on a tight budget to do a really detailed mix down, you can do it in about 20 minutes on a board, if the band played well, it’s easy and quick,” he said.

A song can have 5 to 50 tracks on it, which layers the different sounds to make a finished product. Poole does use a computer, but feels it can be more time consuming.

“If a band comes in they might only have 250 bucks, and they want to get 6 songs down, if they perform them well, I can usually facilitate that,” he said, “You can really surgically alter things on a computer. It’s a lot more time consuming doing the computer stuff, it’s tools you didn’t have in the early days.”

Poole really likes to make sure the band keeps true to their sound through his recordings, because that makes each one unique.

He often sets up several different mics on one instrument, though he  may not use them all he feels he gets a better product from having that extra insurance.

So where has Poole gotten such a talent for recording so many kinds of music?

“The passage of time, I’ve recorded every conceivable genre of music, you just learn by doing it. And also having a wide variety of musical tastes. Rock and rock has always been my favorite, but I listen to jazz, country, some classical,” he said.

He also enjoys the variety, and said if he did the same thing everyday it would get very boring.

Poole offers his professional services for a fraction of what other studios might, charging only 35 dollars an hour, this is what he was paying for studio time in his early 20’s.

“I have low overhead, my rent is cheap, I try to keep costs down. I am geared toward bands who don’t have a lot of money but want a really good sound,” he said.

He said a record you hear on the radio can cost anywhere from 20-100 thousand dollars, but most records made in his studio are done for under 5 grand.  He enjoys working with bands who are just starting out, or may not have a lot of cash.

“I sort of wanted to fill that niche, cause I was that guy. We didn’t have money, we all had crappy jobs trying to pull our resources together, and then you would blow your bands savings in 2 days in the studio,” he said.

He really hopes to be there for those bands just starting out so they can get a good recording. He said he could probably have a nicer space, and charge some more money, but he likes his space, and says people are comfortable recording there.

He has been recording for a long time, and a musician himself he is happy doing what he’s doing.

“I’m not about money, I’m not striving to get rich. I like musicians. I like hanging out. I like band culture so it’s like a dream job for me,” he said.

He said he would have recording equipment anyways because he still actively plays in a band, so making money off of it is simply a bonus.

Over the years his equipment has added up, saying  he could have bought a house with all the money he’s spent.

For the future, he hopes to expand, and get some more equipment, and build himself a space of his own, of course he would not stray from the DIY aspect of it.

From metal to country he likes recording it all, and lives out what is many musicians dreams.

You can check out his website https://zone8recording.wordpress.com/ or take a look at his Facebook.