Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Howard.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Chris. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I got started in music when I was 12 but back then I made remixes to popular songs. One year my parents bought me some vinyl turntables so I could learn to DJ. Turns out, I wasn’t very interested in that sort of music production and when my turntables broke, I cashed in on my warranty. I bought some recording equipment and at that time I had no idea what I was doing. I bought a dynamic stage mic and an analog mixer that was more so for front of house, but it just so happened to have a USB port so I was able to record into a DAW (digital audio workstation). I think at the time I was using Audacity or Acid Pro, so that was technically my first interface and “studio setup.” After about a year of messing with that and making some decent songs with my friends, I decided this was something worth pursuing. I slowly invested in better and better equipment over the years as well as learning as much as I could about recording, mixing, and mastering. I never worked out of a large commercial studio during this period, it was mostly trial and error or eventually YouTube once it became popular for music production tutorials. I was running a studio out of the house I was living in at the time and continued perfecting my craft while working a full time job and going to school full time. I believe going to school for finance and banking is what helped me get into the mindset of opening my own commercial studio here in Conroe. Having recorded a lot of people in Conroe I knew there was a large enough population to support a studio.
So, if I could just get my overhead costs to be as low as possible and provide the best equipment possible, I knew I could do it. However, a commercial studio was still years down the road. During my first year in college I went to UNL (University of Nebraska – Lincoln) and made a record in my dorm room and printed up some CD’s that I handed out to a bunch of my friends. One of my friends gave a CD to her little brother who showed his friend. That friend ended up being one of the main reasons I was able to make the studio work. His name is Michael Aufenkamp but currently goes by the name Gringo the MC. I worked with him since he was about 15. He would send me his project over the internet and I would mix them and send them back. I also taught him how to make his records sound better and showed him how to mix. After my first year at UNL I came back to Texas and finished out college at Sam Houston State University. Gringo continued to work with me and showed an extreme interest in music just like me.
When he turned 18, I flew him down to Texas so he could learn first-hand how to make better music. After a few months he decided to stay indefinitely and work towards his music goals. Flash forward about 8 or 9 years of putting in work, I started a commercial studio and he is the main engineer at my studio. He needed a job and I needed someone to run the studio while I continued my full-time job. We are a year into starting this studio and it is steadily growing.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I have always wanted to be in the music industry but growing up I was always told to go to college and get a good degree so I can get a good paying job. I worked full time and went to school full time to get a degree in finance and Banking with a minor in accounting all while running a studio out of my house. I thought it was amazing that I double majored and had a minor but I quickly found out that tons of people had a similar degree or better. After graduating it was hard finding a job I wanted since most of them required master degrees, even for entry level jobs. During the search, I worked at a local bank starting as a teller and moving up to a Credit Analyst before the bank was sold, I used that as my cue to try something else.
Next, I worked as an accountant at a small company who was also bought out and moved the accounting operations to another state, I left that company as well. I then worked at a large corporation as a financial analyst before they had a corporate take over and I was laid off with thousands of other people across the US. This was the hardest time for me since I had just got financing approve to build the studio and now, I was unemployed. I didn’t stop though; I found a part-time manual labor job to keep me a float until I could find another job. I used this time to really get started on the studio build. Backing up a bit, I actually acquired the land for the studio a few years prior but back then I was planning on opening an auto shop with my brother but that plan fell through when he moved back to Austin.
That’s when I decided one day, I would open a studio on the property. Back to the story, after I cleared the lot and got the site prepped, I had a company put a metal building shell on the property and at this same time I found another full-time job. So, for the next year and a half I built a recording studio while balancing my work and family life. Every bit of the studio build was made with the artist in mind. I also did almost all of the work myself with the help of some great friends. From the AC design to the hand painted trim and doors, or the sheet rocked walls to the lighting system, everything was designed and built by my hands.
Wav House Studios – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My recording studio can record anything from Hip Hop/Rap to Pop or Blues, from Reggae to Country and even voice overs. We do it all. We are best known for our Hip Hop/Rap production. I started with hip-hop and rap back in high school and it just consumed me. Even to this day that’s my bread and butter, my favorite genre. I’m most proud of our customer service and the experience we offer our clients. I approached this business from the perspective of, if I make sure my clients are happy and they feel like we offer them value then the money side will take care of its self. We offer clients a very creative care free environment but we also offer the absolute best equipment in the industry. I feel like if I went to a commercial studio, I would expect them to have equipment I can’t buy for a home studio. I want to use the actual famous mics, pre amps, and compressors and work in a creative environment, not something just anyone could do in their own home. I want the client to feel special and I think we offer that.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I would love to say success is doing what you love but we live in a society where you need money to live, so success isn’t just doing what you love. It’s doing what you love and getting paid for it!
Pricing:
- Standard Vocal Tracking is $50/hr
- Premium Vocal Tracking is $60/hr
- 2 to 5 Piece Bands are $75/hr with a two hour minimum
Contact Info:
- Address: 15315 Lake Lamond Rd, Conroe Tx 77384
- Website: www.WavHouseStudios.com
- Email: admin@wavhousestudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wavhousestudios/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WavHouseStudios
Image Credit:
Chris Howard and Michael Aufenkamp
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