Recording can be daunting enough on its own without factoring in the task of finding a studio that not only suits your technical needs, but is comfortable to be in and fits your budget. If you’re Calgary musician Anthony Blaine, the solution is simple: just open your own.

Okay, so maybe it’s not all as simple as that.

The idea to one day open a recording studio was there, and Blaine even had his eye on a location, so when the space became available, it didn’t take long for the dream to become a reality.

“A business by the name of Aurea Media used to be co-owned with Tac Time Studios at this building. I had been a client of Aurea Media (CD and DVD duplication) for five years before the opportunity came up,” Blaine recalls.

AB Records officially opened for business on New Years’ Day 2009, after a lot of cleaning up and some patiently executed renovations.

“We put in new carpet, built a custom three-part desk for the control room, assembled about 25 acoustic panels, put black “tuxedo” fabric over the old walls and painted the rest,” he details.

Fortunately there were advantages in taking over a space that was already developed for similar purposes.

“It would’ve been a huge pain to put in the glass,” he said, referring to large window looking out from the control room and onto the drum, piano and vocal rooms, which have windows in each. But, overall, “The structure and design are perfect for a recording studio, and the acoustic isolation of the rock wool walls are fairly natural sounding. The best part is the foot of sand underneath the entire studio (for soundproofing).”

The first time I went to AB Records in northeast Calgary, Alta., I drove right by and had to call for directions. Being in the middle of a cozy little residential area just off of Centre Street, I was convinced I was completely lost. As it turned out, that inconspicuous white building on the east side of the street was exactly where I wanted to be.

The inside of the building is a stark contrast to its exterior. After taking my shoes off and walking down a long hallway lined with guitars I found myself in the lounge, a small room with comfy couches, a coffee table, TV, and warm lighting. That lighting is carried throughout the rest of the studio, from the engineering room, to the piano room, the vocal booth and the centre of it all, where a drum kit is set up and ready to go.

Barely a year has gone by, and word is gradually getting out about the studio.

“Some months are slow; some aren’t,” Blaine nods (shown at right with producer/engineer Jae Fortier, centre, and computer consultant Wayne Kavanagh). After all, the life of a new business owner can be a challenge. “We are definitely kept on our toes to stay creative.”

Still, they keep busy. When not recording clients, Blaine and Fortier are recording themselves, or hosting music showcases around town.

They’ve also made arrangements with other local business to provide discounts on services like web design, guitar repairs and printing for those who record at AB Records.

Being active musicians themselves has helped figure out what to provide.

“I’ve always been a huge music geek. My parents bought me a Yamaha upright when I was six. I taught guitar and piano full time for about three years, and ran a studio out of my basement – who doesn’t do that?” he laughs. “I’ve also been gigging about four times a month since I was 18.”

He continues, “Jae’s a natural talent for business and for music. He has always been running songwriting challenges, battles of bands and showcases throughout Calgary, and has also been gigging steadily in the pub scene.”

Although neither has any formal business education, they both have professional training in audio production, but “I like the challenges of it; it’s quite an adventure.”

That adventure is something they try to share through their week long Introduction to Engineering course.

“I like to call it Sound Engineering for Dummies. We teach people how to run their home studios better, or we give them practice in a real studio environment. We go through mics and placement, cables, basic set-up, pre-amps, dynamic and effect processors, EQs, editing, sequencing, recording and mixing,” he explains.

And it’s cheap, compared to similar programs offered across western Canada.

Since opening the doors at AB Records, “our business seems to float more around in the indie rock, folk, and blues side of things but only because of our own personal musical history.”

When it comes to heavier music, namely hard rock and metal, AB Records has the in-house skills, just not the resume.

Calgary’s Train Bigger Monkeys recorded five songs at the facility last May, but other than that, “I would love to do more metal projects,” Blaine says enthusiastically. “The instrumental tones in metal are very unique.”

In fact, AB Records is willing to drop their basic recording prices for just that purpose.

From now until June 15, 2010, the studio is offering 10 hours for the price of $450 for metal bands who mention this article. Visit AB Records’ official website for more details on the studio and services offered.