21 Best Recording Studios In Houston
Texas has a lot going for it in terms of music. Austin, for example, is the live music capital of the world.
Houston, meanwhile, isn’t considered one of the best music cities in the world, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get some recording done. After all, the greater Houston metropolitan area is home to over 7.2 million people, and there are facilities serving a variety of needs.
In this guide, we look at the best recording studios in Houston and the greater Houston metropolitan area.
But first, if it's your aim to do music professionally, you'll want to check out our free ebook while it's still available:
Free eBook: Discover how real independent musicians like you are making $4,077 - $22,573+ monthly via Youtube, let me know where to send the details:
Contents
Band Barracks
Band Barracks is home to 24/7 rehearsal, DJ, and recording studio facilities. Their rates start as low as $12 per hour depending on which studio you book, and they are well known for their more than affordable rates.
As a multi-faceted company, Band Barracks also offers instrument repairs and music lessons. If you have a guitar that needs to be fixed, or if you want to brush up on your vocals before booking a studio session, Band Barracks can probably help.
Band Barracks has fostered a great reputation among its client base, who’ve praised it for its safe, clean, affordable spaces, as well as its ability to produce quality sound.
The Barron Studios
With two locations in Houston, The Barron Studios charges between $50 and $150 hour for their recording, mixing, and mastering services. The first facility is called The Original Barron Studios, while the second has been dubbed The Barron Collective. Yes, both are in Houston, only about 10 minutes apart.
They haven’t quite figured out their online presence yet, though, because they have two websites, neither of which provide much information about their facilities beyond an overview of gear available, booking rates, and engineer rates.
Fortunately, they’ve received very positive reviewers from their clients who praised their friendly staff, sound quality, and reasonable rates. If in Houston, give them a ring.
Studio 713
Studio 713 offers a mix of audio, video, and film distribution services. No matter what you’re looking for in terms of multimedia content, they’ve probably got a solution to meet your needs – recording, engineering, mixing, mastering, session musicians, producers, editing, song writing and development, ADR, voiceover, audiobook, podcast, and interviews.
Studio 713 is home to Studio A and Studio B, both of which have an Apogee Symphony setup. Of course, as is usually the case with any studio featuring multiple recording environments, we assume A is going to offer the best quality possible.
While we’re not sure what their rates are, reviewers liked their friendly and professional staff, great vibes, and clean environment. Some even call Studio 713 the best studio in Houston.
SugarHill Studios
The historic (I think this might be the only studio in Houston where that term really applies) SugarHill Studios was founded in 1941 by Bill Quinn and is evidently the oldest studio across the United States. As you might expect, it’s home to plenty of vintage recording equipment, as well as EMT plates, reverb chamber rooms, and more.
Their three rooms include the Sugar Hill Room (designed by Bill Quinn and Huey Meaux), Neve Room (designed by Jack Clement), and Green Room (designed by Bill Quinn).
The studio played an important role in helping artists like Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and others get their start. Of course, they’re still actively recording new artists today.
Customer sentiment is overwhelmingly positive. People loved the staff and equipment. Even those who were intimidated at the idea of recording at a “real” studio ended up coming away loving the experience.
1 Soundvibe Recording Studios
While I don’t pretend to understand 1 Soundvibe Recording Studios’ website layout, it is nothing if not highly visual and creative. It’s nice to know they’ve got people with imagination on their team!
Their Studio A facility is called Da Spaceship (starting at $80 per hour for a minimum of two hours), the larger of their two studios. The Studio B facility is referred to as Da PlayGroun (starting at $65 per hour for a minimum of two hours). 1 Soundvibe also has an event space, while they don’t tell us what types of events they host (presumably dance parties, listening parties, birthday parties, etc.).
Customers only speak well of 1 Soundvibe Recording Studios and loved their location, staff, and facilities. It looks like it would be a great place to record rap, hip-hop, R&B, and more!
iMix Recording Studios
iMix Recording Studios’ team is made up of head engineer / producer / co-owner Bruce Bang, tour manager / Grammy nominated engineer / co-owner Steve O, and record A&R / management / co-owner Sid Angelo.
Also on their team is Grammy winning multi-Platinum producer / songwriter / engineer Lab Ox, producer / engineer Rafael “Box” Hernandez, engineer / producer Nico Flores, producer / engineer Fred On Em, producer / engineer Heatwave Johnny, producer / engineer / DJ Soulos, and record label executive / marketing / engineer C Rob.
Their rates start at $60 per hour (for a minimum of three hours), and from what we can tell, they’ve got two rooms – Ocean Room and Foggys Room. All told, these are very reasonable rates.
Also, from what we gather, they seem like an excellent team to work with if you’re planning a hip-hop or rap oriented project.
Wire Road Studios
With high resolution photos and quality media, the Wire Road Studios website projects an image of professionalism through and through. For this, they deserve some praise, and it’s not just for show either. Reviewers also spoke well of their beautiful, modern facilities.
Their facilities include Studio A (with a 600 square-foot live room, control room, and two large isolation booths), Studio B (with a control room and isolation room), and Studio D (for composing, editing, voiceover, or vocal overdubs). Wire Road Studios also has a kitchen and lounge for breaks in between gruelling recording sessions, waiting for mixes to be completed, and so on.
In total, Wire Road Studios offers recording and tracking services, mixing, mastering, sound design, original music, and audio logos / musical themes.
Reviewers liked the facilities, equipment, and staff. Some even say it’s the best place to record in Houston (although this is not the only studio that has received this type of praise).
360 Recording Studio
360 Recording Studio offers recording, mixing, mastering, and music production services.
You know how sometimes you can say a lot of words without saying anything? That’s our experience of their “About” page, but from what we can gather, they have over 14 years of experience with great facilities and equipment. You’ll thank me later for that summary.
Their facilities consist of Studio A (the control Room), Studio B (the production Room), band room, and vocal booth. We’re not sure if those are really separate studios, or the names they’ve given to the rooms within their one studio. Recording sessions with 360 Recording Studio begin at $100 for two hours.
Reviewers said they liked the nicely organized studio, experienced engineers, cutting edge gear, and reasonable rates.
Lucky Run Studio
Upon entering Lucky Run Studio’s website, you’re greeted with a 30-second HD video showcasing their beautiful facilities. Nice way to make a good first impression. We recommend more recording studios to follow this example (virtual tours make for great marketing tools!).
Their building includes a lobby, Studio A (with a large tracking room featuring high ceilings), Studio B (cozy control room with two recording booths), and Studio C (the ideal option for singers, songwriters, rappers, and beatmakers on a budget). It’s a beautiful environment!
The Lucky Run team includes owner / engineer / producer Michael Mikulka, engineer / producer / programmer Ian Thomas, studio manager / engineer / videographer Mark Zamora, producer/ songwriter / arranger Eddie Ferguson Jr., engineer Taylie O’Dell, producer / engineer / multi-instrumentalist Guy Branche, and engineer / producer / singer / multi-instrumentalist David Rudd.
Lucky Run Studio also offers songwriter specials and audio engineering courses. Better keep an eye on these if you’re a songwriter or budding music producer.
PlayaMade Recording Studios LLC.
PlayaMade Recording Studios LLC., for better or for worse, has more of a booking system than a website, but thanks to their transparency, we know that their studio time begins at $75 per hour.
Customers loved the recording experience, as well as PlayaMade Recording Studios’ professional and inviting staff.
While we did wish PlayaMade would invest a little more time into developing their website than their social media presence (they seem to post the same things repeatedly on Facebook), it does appear they have a positive reputation overall.
You can’t always judge a book by its cover. Give the good people at PlayaMade a ring to find out if they’re the right fit for you.
We Got Soundz Studioz
We Got Soundz Studioz has got a 24/7 recording facility. Because they’re using a Google Business Profile, their website is relatively sparse. There’s only so much in terms of relevant media or information about their recording studio.
The reviews they’ve received are mostly positive, though, and their customers loved their quality sound, staff, and vibes.
We do hope they add more information to their website (or invest in a proper website), but if you are interested in working with them, you can always drop them a line.
281 Studios
281 Studios is a little different from other recording studios in that they offer mixing, mastering, studio rental, podcasting, and graphic design services. In their own words they call these “artist management” services, which is sort of true, but we would consider most of this post-production and branding services.
Either way, we do like to highlight a few unique options in our guides, and we find 281 Studios does offer something a little different.
Their website is nicely designed, but we do wish they spent a little more time adding relevant content about their facility (seems like a theme for Houston recording studio websites).
Customer sentiment is mostly positive. They liked the staff, clean environment, equipment, and rates.
Audible Studios
Audible Studios’ lead recording, mixing, and mastering engineer is Random, who handles all genres of music. No matter what style of music you’re planning to record, this is an option well worth considering.
The facility includes the Lunar Room, Eclipse Room, and Apollo Room. They’ve worked with the likes of Kayykilo, Jidion, Baby Goth, Big Pokey, GT Garza, and many others. Audible Studios’ recording rates start at $50 per hour, which is very reasonable.
Customers liked their recording environment, sound, engineers, and rates.
ICON Studio Suite
ICON Studio Suite has experience working with both artists and businesses on a variety of audio projects. Their staff includes engineer / producer Kapital, engineer / producer Young Pro, engineer CJ, and engineer Traphiiq.
ICON offers recording, podcasting, audiobook, voiceover, mixing, mastering, beat production services, and more. Recording starts at $50 per hour, while room rental starts at $25 per hour.
Clients loved their professionalism, experienced staff, sound quality, and good vibes.
Sunrise Sound Services
Sunrise Sound Services offers a combination of mixing, mastering, design, room tuning, repair, and training services. Basically, if you need help with post-production, setting up your own studio, or getting your gear repaired, you’d want to turn to Sunrise.
Reviewers said they loved the training offered at Sunrise Sound Services, experiences they’ve taken with them to further their own careers in sound.
24DMG Recording Studio
24DMG Recording Studio is open 24/7, and that’s a darn good thing, because with a name like 24DMG, you’d sure hope so. Their rates are more than reasonable, starting at $50 per hour.
Customers say they loved everything about their experience at 24DMG Recording Studio, including price, quality, and staff.
This seems like another great place for making beats, recording urban, rap, and hip-hop projects, and more.
Studio Sassafras
Studio Sassafras offers an array of music production (producing, composing, recording, and mixing), branding, social media, music release, artist development, photography, video production, styling, merchandise, playlist submission, email, website, press, radio play, and YouTube development services. They have their own social media workshops too.
The Sassafras team includes owner / producer / music business John Edward Ross, arranger / musician / manager Laura Lucas, social media / singer / songwriter Raycheal Winters, and artist director / singer / songwriter / PR Hannah Jones.
If you’re looking for more than just standard recording services, Studio Sassafras might just be down your alley. It’s obvious from their service offerings that they’re looking to help artists take their careers beyond.
But as with anything, we recommend investing in your career at a level you feel comfortable with.
Real Paid Studios
Located in Kemah, TX, roughly 38 minutes from central Houston, Real Paid Studios offers recording, mixing, mastering, production, and beats services to the modern creative.
Their website highlights some of their gear, including recorders, mixers, microphones, preamps, monitors, and instruments. At least, we hope it’s a “highlight” list because we’d expect the average studio to have a little more than what they’ve listed there. Either that, or they’re a project studio.
Real Paid Studios, though, has earned themselves a perfect rating on Google. Customers loved the clean and laid-back environment, professionalism, and quality production.
Third Coast Recording Co.
Third Coast Recording Co. was founded by John Allen Stephens in 2015. They offer recording, mixing, mastering, and production services, and their studio is located inside an almost 100-year-old home in Houston’s Heights neighborhood.
The studio has a very homey, inspiring vibe but is still home to very quality gear, like the Solid State Logic X-Desk console, Neve 1073LB preamps, API 3124 mic preamp, and more.
Third Coast has worked with the likes of Hotel Ugly, The Suffers, Izzar Thomas, Tee Vee, Rose Ette, among many others.
Some customers called John “ingenious.” They loved the space, the professionalism, and the creativity of this unique recording environment.
When I’m in Houston next, I’d love to check out this studio.
Sacred Stone Media Group
Sacred Stone Media Group is primarily pushing itself as a podcasting environment, but they do offer a mix of services – music production, studio rental, podcast production, podcast studio rental, mixing, and video production. They offer workshops too.
The Sacred Stone Media Group team includes owner / producer / songwriter / engineer Quincy Whetstone, owner / filmmaker / photographer Marcus Jones, and owner Marlon Watkins.
Their rates start at $50 per hour, though that is for podcasting studio rental. We assume it’s the same to record in their environment, but you might want to reach out directly for comment, as we can’t tell from their website.
Customers enjoyed the organized environment, professional atmosphere, quality equipment, and experienced staff of Sacred Stone Media Group.
Fresh Sonic Studios
Fresh Sonic Studios is home to Studio A, with a Universal Audio Apollo x8 audio interface, Neumann U87, Neve preamp, and more. For the best quality recording, Studio A is the best value at $75 per hour.
Studio B, though, has a Universal Audio Apollo x6, Neumann TLM 102, and more, and is quite competitive overall. Rates start at $65 per hour, but there appears to be a discount with each hour added ($120 for two hours, $150 for three hours, $200 for four hours, $250 for five hours, and $300 for six hours).
Top Recording Studios In Houston, Final Thoughts
So, if you’re planning to record in Houston, there are both the facilities and the people to get the job done! From studios that have been around for 90 years, all the way over to more hip-hop oriented recording facilities, you’ve got plenty of options to choose from.
If you’re ever in doubt, request a tour of the studio and interview the engineers. A professional facility should be willing to accommodate, even if they do charge a small fee for the consultation.
P.S. Remember though, none of what you've learned will matter if you don't know how to get your music out there and earn from it. Want to learn how to do that? Then get our free ‘5 Steps To Profitable Youtube Music Career' ebook emailed directly to you!