Fort Wayne, Indiana: The Recording Scene's Best-Kept Secret
Fort Wayne, Indiana, might not come to mind as a vital music industry hub, but it should. While cities like Nashville, LA, New York, and London soak up the spotlight, this small Midwestern city has quietly built a hidden network of professional-quality recording studios. Thanks in large part to Sweetwater.com, these Fort Wayne studios have access to some of the finest recording gear in existence and are out pacing some of the more larger and more well-known studios across the United States.
Located in Fort Wayne — and boasting a top-tier studio of its own — Sweetwater is one of the world’s largest online music equipment retailers. It’s also an employment powerhouse — currently with well over 2,000 highly trained, on-site employees.
Many of them, especially in their sales department, come to the city with deep résumés that include Grammy nominations, arena-level touring, and A-list studio credentials. Combine that with the city’s already healthy music scene, affordable cost of living, and access to Sweetwater’s massive warehouse, and you get a community of independent studios that rival any other market.
We recently connected with six of Fort Wayne’s studio owners who are adding their own spin to the city’s thriving scene. From transplanted Sweetwater employees to Fort Wayne natives, they detail their distinct studios, personal journeys, and the magic that makes this city a recording haven.
Brick Shed Studios ~ Carl Bleke
Availability: Open to outside and commercial clients
Services: Full music and video production, recording, editing, mixing
Website/socials: BrickShedStudios.com
As both a Fort Wayne native and former Sweetwater employee, Bleke has deep ties to the city’s music and creative scenes. His Brick Shed Studios serves as “a creative music space” specifically designed to foster those communities.
Your audio & recording background
I bought my first set of multitrack recording sound cards in 2002 and have been obsessed every day since. Even when I studied music at Berklee, toured, and was a drummer and bandleader for several years on cruise ships, [or when I was] living in Boston, New York, or Phoenix, I had some iteration of my studio.
The story behind your studio
I built my first recording space in a woodshed with my father in our backyard when I was in high school, affectionately called “The Shed.” Brick Shed Studios is an homage to that first studio. It's an accessible studio where anyone can make music. Whether you’re a professional, weekend warrior, or beginner — we have so much to learn from each other.
A unique aspect of your studio
I do a lot of different projects and enjoy them all, but I especially love working with singer/songwriters to build up their productions. Seeing their reaction the first time they hear their song [fully realized] is the best feeling ever.
Notable gear & equipment
I'm most proud of my live room. I've spent a lot of time building up the space to be a room with character. It sounds like the plug-in you would ultimately add to give your track a natural ambiance. It also deadens up pretty easily if that is what is needed for your project.
Fort Wayne's recording scene
It’s pretty amazing. Sweetwater has brought amazing talent from all over the country. That's undoubtedly helped create one of the most talented and concentrated home-recording scenes in the country. I'm fortunate to have been born and raised in such a city.
Cellar Door Recording ~ Mike Arango
Availability: Private but open to outside projects as time permits
Services: Music recording, editing, and mixing services
Website/socials: Facebook.com/CellarDoorRecording
Mike Arango, a Sweetwater sales engineer, brings a wealth of professional recording expertise from his roots in the Los Angeles music scene. And at his Cellar Door Recording studio, he channels that experience through a genuine API console.
Your audio & recording background
I started early on by bouncing tracks between two cassette decks through a DJ mixer, then graduated to a 4-track Portastudio, then a DA-38 and Mackie mixer. I went to school for audio production and moved to Los Angeles, where I got a lot of work as a Pro Tools operator and editor, then as an engineer.
The story behind your studio
I built this space just to see if I could challenge myself to build out a three-room facility from scratch. It took a while, as I studied proper studio construction technique each step of the way, but my fingerprints are on every inch of that build. I ended up with a good-sounding space with excellent isolation, and the results translate well!
A unique aspect of your studio
I was after a warm aesthetic where musicians could be comfortable and relaxed while creating their art. [So the] space [is] anything but sterile. I've become known for my attention to detail and for getting good results, and this is a comfortable space to make that happen. The word has gotten out, and I'm staying quite busy!
Notable gear & equipment
The studio is built around an API 1608-II console with Final Touch Automation. It’s loaded with API 550A and 500B EQs, as well as Purple Audio TAV graphic EQs. I’ve also accumulated a collection of great outboard gear over the years, but I’m especially excited about my newly acquired Undertone Audio UnFairchild compressor and Neumann U 67.
Fort Wayne's recording scene
Fort Wayne's scene is vibrant and varied. There are so many talented folks, both native to the city and those who have relocated here, like me. There's never a shortage of people to record or collaborate with.
DarkFire Recording ~ Brook Floyd
Availability: Studio is currently under construction. Not currently open to outside projects.
Services: Production, recording, mixing, and mastering
Website/socials: None
Brook Floyd has plenty of experience building studios, having built them in multiple cities while building his career in recording. Now a Sweetwater sales engineer, he’s currently expanding into the world of Atmos with DarkFire Recording, his second Fort Wayne studio build.
Your audio & recording background
When I was 12, my guitar teacher took me to a recording studio. The moment I walked in, I knew I had to have one. I began recording friends for free and realized I needed better gear. From that point on, I started charging and, before I knew it, I was in business. I’ve built recording businesses in Arizona, Washington, and Hawaii.
The story behind your studio
After moving to Fort Wayne in 2016, I retained many clients who wanted me to mix and master projects for them, so I built a private home studio here. My goal was to always make things sound like any of my favorite albums. I want to give my clients the ability to sound like theirs — or whatever else they are going for.
A unique aspect of your studio
I have actually now moved to a new property in Fort Wayne and am building a new 1,200 sq ft studio with full Atmos mixing and mastering capabilities.
Notable gear & equipment
My favorite setups always included analog tape recorders and analog mixing consoles. There's no doubt that the quality and capability of modern recording is amazing, but there's something special about the simplicity and immediacy of hitting play on a multitrack tape machine and laying hands on a living, breathing mixing console.
Fort Wayne's recording scene
Fort Wayne is a very unique locale for musicians and recording. With Sweetwater being headquartered here, there is an inordinate amount of musical talent in the area. It provides such a rich variety of resources to pull from for any genre of musical project.
