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VIC BRANCO ON THE CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES
FACING PROFESSIONAL RECORDING STUDIOS
Professional Sound recently caught up with Vic Branco , president of the famed Iguana Studios in Toronto , ON , to ask about how they and other successful studios are surviving and maybe even thriving during a difficult era for their segment of the industry — one that began even before COVID . You can read our cover story celebrating Iguana Studios ’ 25 th anniversary in the digital edition of the June 2019 issue of Professional Sound at Professional-Sound . com / online .
PHOTO : NEAL BURSTYN , NTBCREATIVE
PS : Even pre-COVID , is keeping a high-end professional studio in business in the 2020s significantly harder , or at least substantially different , than it was in the 1990s ? If so , how / why ?
Branco : It ’ s both ! In the ‘ 90s we were still on tape and all our gear / effects were hardware-based in a producer ’ s rack , so purchases were easier to make . Add in that most “ pro studios ” mirrored each other when it came to gear and available services , so life was definitely easier .
The 2020s , even pre-COVID , have been a struggle with emerging technologies and navigating through the cluster of plug-ins and hardware that is constantly being released faster than we can assess if it ’ s any good or not . I get emails almost every day about a new plug-in or a knock-off piece of gear . The challenge we have is how the software / gear fits into our workflow and if it will drastically improve the end product . Technology is moving at such a rapid pace that as soon as you master your new purchase , there ’ s an update or someone ’ s released a better version . It never ends [ laughs ].
PS : How much does the gear and technology you invest in affect the overall business of the studio ? How do you weigh that investment versus potential new business ?
Branco : The gear we choose to buy is everything . Making the right purchases today is paramount like never before . Everyone now has access to the same products and most are very affordable , so what you buy has to work for you and your client base , but you cannot limit yourself in this tough economic landscape . We ’ re constantly thinking ahead and measuring how long each purchase will serve us and our clients and what new clients we can attract with our purchases . Before we close the deal , that ’ s now always the deciding factor .
PS : When we spoke for a cover story on Iguana in 2019 , you said , “ I am not the studio owner who sits here and begrudges the home studio and the home studio producer … I embrace what they are doing at home and we can consult with them and say , ‘ OK , where do we fit in and can we help you make this better ?’ If we
can , great , and if we can ’ t , then we just move on to the next project .” Can you tell us how studios can augment what home-based producers are doing in a mutually-beneficial way ?
Branco : Well , that approach hasn ’ t changed and if anything , we ’ ve definitely expanded on that . With technology available to everyone now , compatibility issues are almost non-existent . So , now more than ever , we are able to jump on a project that was started in home studio , whether it ’ s with an established producer or someone who ’ s just starting out . From recording in a killersounding drum room to cutting vocals in our spacious live room , ripping guitars and bass at full volume through screaming tube amps , mixing on a classic analog SSL console , having a space where there are no boundaries or limitations and experienced engineers will always add value to a project . That ’ s always been our goal and how we ’ ve kept the studio going .
PS : Whether speaking personally or more broadly , how have professional studios been weathering the pandemic ? What has differentiated those who are getting by okay from those who aren ’ t ?
Branco : Professional studios traditionally keep their business close to their chest but with Instagram and other social media , you can now get a pretty good idea of what ’ s happening behind the scenes in our industry .
Personally , I think most pro studios have been reinventing themselves and are seeking new creative revenue streams by offering new services that they may have never considered before COVID , like offering livestreams or online
VIC BRANCO
editing and mixing / mastering to name a few . You see it all over social media and those studios should be able to ride this out . If a pro studio thinks their pre-COVID model will keep them going , they ’ re going to have a super tough grind and most likely won ’ t survive .
PS : Aside from COVID , it ’ s been an increasingly challenging situation for large , high-end studios for a long time because of things like rising property costs in cities , shrinking recording budgets from labels , more homebased recording , etc . What ’ s your main advice or insight in terms of how professional studios can best position themselves for business success in the current landscape ? How do they find the right avenue or opportunities for them ?
Branco : Well that ’ s a business plan that I would love to see . You ’ re right that the economics have drastically changed and budgets are a fraction of what they were when I started in the early ‘ 90s , and the home studio / producer is not going away . I ’ m into my fourth decade in the studio business ; things are at an all-time low and add in COVID and our losses are immeasurable . But there ’ s always a bright side . We can ’ t look back — we all need to move forward and look at every single revenue opportunity that ’ s out there . They pop up almost every day ; that ’ s how we will all survive . For example , I ’ ve seen more filming taking place in studios than ever before , whether it ’ s for live broadcast or streaming online , because large pro studios offer the perfect environment and space to facilitate these productions . It ’ s not all about recording a band anymore , and thinking outside the box is how we will all survive .
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