My Biz: It took 20 years, but Dave Paris finally got his studio

MARION — Rising up in southeast Iowa, Dave Paris was a particular sort of band child.

“Once I was a child, all the opposite children needed their dad and mom to purchase them amplifiers and results pedals,” Paris mentioned one afternoon this month. “I needed them to purchase me four-track recorders and sequencers. My dad and mom had no concept what these have been.”

Paris, 53, earned two levels at Indian Hills Neighborhood School in Ottumwa, then a bachelor’s diploma in arts entrepreneurship on the College of Iowa.

“I used to be required to volunteer with an arts nonprofit for a sure variety of hours, and so they had a recording studio. They mentioned, ‘We by no means use this, so would you wish to take it over?’ ” he mentioned.

Paris and his spouse, Barbe, moved to Cedar Rapids in 1999. He labored in IT and taught guitar for about 20 years, by no means dropping sight of his purpose.

“This has been my dream all my life,” he mentioned. “Whether or not it was me or periods I used to be recording with folks, I’d be sitting behind the sound man, the engineer, asking questions and studying issues.”

Launched in 2021

Paris discovered reasonably priced area in Marion’s Uptown neighborhood and launched Wall of Sound Productions, quietly, about two years in the past, kind of.

“I began taking a look at this place about this time in 2021,” he mentioned. “I’m undecided once I formally moved in as a result of I used to be in right here doing stuff and paying lease. Then I began getting shoppers so I by no means had a grand opening or something like that.”

Paris outfitted the area with state-of-the artwork gear for pre- and postproduction recording, mixing and modifying, and video.

“I needed to have a really versatile setting,” he mentioned. “I needed a spot the place folks have been going to be comfy and so they weren’t going to be nervous about coming in.”

Instructing others

When not recording, Paris performs together with his personal Dave Paris Group — Barbe Paris contributes bass and vocals — and continues to show, his classes designed to shoppers’ musical pursuits.

“Proper now, the most well-liked guitarist in America is Taylor Swift, so I educate a variety of classes to women,” he mentioned. And New Nation could be very fashionable, so I’ve performed a variety of acts which can be doing New Nation. I’ve performed a variety of gospel and praise-and-worship and all various kinds of types.”

Paris’ instructing philosophy is constructed on expertise and his personal enthusiasm for studying.

“I had guitar instructors that have been sort of stoners, so that they weren’t excellent,” he mentioned. “I came upon that if I simply confirmed up, that was a very good factor. I actually began to love being on that artistic finish with the scholars. I’m all the time making an attempt to be taught issues I can educate to different college students.”

The music enterprise

Paris can also advise his studio shoppers on the enterprise finish of their careers.

“We take a look at what sort of audience are you going to hit, what sort of radio stations are you going to have a look at?” he mentioned.

The confluence of know-how and media supply new profession paths for musicians.

“These days, the file firm isn’t as legitimate because it was,” he mentioned. “It’s a must to resolve whether or not you need 1 % of 1,000,000 ({dollars}), or 100% of $100,000. Are you going to do it by yourself with a smaller fan base, or are you going to go along with a significant label?”

Answering these questions for himself helped Paris, who for now maintains his IT job, chart his personal life in music.

“I’m retaining rock-star hours,” he mentioned. “I do classes and periods evenings and weekends, which principally works out for the clientele I’ve.”

Know a enterprise that ought to be thought of for a “My Biz” function? Tell us by emailing mary.sharp@thegazette.com.