VALDOSTA — Music artists in town have a new place to lay down some tracks and develop their talent.

Diamond Recording Studio is a recording studio that caters to all genres of music, said owner Ashley Walthour.

Named after Walthour’s late dog, Diamond, the business allows artists to record without having to travel to Atlanta or Tallahassee, Fla., Walthour said.

Originally from Atlanta, Walthour had lived in Valdosta for about three years. He was about to move back to Atlanta, when he decided to open a recording studio here and give musicians a chance to monetize their music.

To do this, Diamond Recording Studios offers several services including recording, music distribution, artist development, video shoots and photography.

The studio has a sound-proof room with professional recording equipment, Walthour said.

The idea is to help artists produce professionally mixed music.

Musicians may be recording in the bedroom, which can cause issues.

“You may record something at home and it may sound fine, but the next one may be too loud or too quiet, or the bass may be too loud,” Walthour said.

The sound-proof room negates any extraneous sound including air-conditioner noises and sounds from the street.

Walthour has a professional sound engineer, Antonio Tillman, who mixes the sound and ensures the sound quality is “ready for distribution.”

Once ready for distribution, Walthour helps musicians choose from more than 150 platforms, including iTunes, Spotify, Shazam, Apple Music, Google Play and Amazon.

“There are people doing everything they need to make the music, but they aren’t getting paid to make it,” Walthour said. “Often times, artists upload music to Facebook or Soundcloud, but they can’t (monetize) their work on those platforms. … Anytime some of their music is used, maybe someone uses a snippet of it in the background and they are dancing, they get paid for it.

“They put all their effort into it. They put their heart and soul into their work, their artistry. They are paying for the mixing and mastering, and everyone has a family to feed.”

Diamond Recording Studio has access to streaming platforms outside the United States.

Walthour said being on steaming sites such as Spotify help artists find audiences. Walthour currently has three artists who have booked tours after using Diamond Recording Studio’s services.

When doing artist development, Walthour said the company focuses on the individual needs of each artist.

“Every person is different as far as what they need,” Walthour said. “We help the artist with what that specific artist needs.”

Diamond Recording Studios works with artists on voice, performance and image.

Diamond Recording Studios has a vocal coach who can work with artists to perfect their sound, Walthour said. Diamond Recording Studios focuses on helping artists take their performances to the next level.

“A lot of people are used to rapping when they are standing in front of a small group of people, but it’s different when you are doing it in front of thousands of people, so it’s learning to keep the audience engaged while they are performing,” Walthour said.

When working with an artist’s image, the studio helps artists represent themselves to the public. The company has a stylist on hand that advises on clothing, hair and anything that needs to be done to make the artist better look the part.

Walthour said the company is planning to add a photography service that offers digital prints. The prints would be used professionally.

“You can take a photo with your phone but this is for your portfolio,” Walthour said.

For the video shoots, Diamond Recording Studios offers its recording studio as a space for videos to be recorded, Walthour said. The studio also has a cameraman, a director and video editing that artists can utilize to create professional-quality music videos.

When opening the studio, Walthour said the goal was to create a place where musicians can hone their craft at a decent price.

“Right now I’m giving people an actual chance,” Walthour said. “If you went to another city you would pay so much more than what you would here. I’m cutting the price so people actually have a chance to get it done.”

To help aspiring artists, Walthour has started hosting DJ Blast Sunday.

DJ Blast Sunday is a live event where “all the major DJs in Valdosta come (to the studio) and the artists come and perform their songs and the DJs provide feedback on the spot,” Walthour said. 

The event is streamed on several different platforms.

Walthour developed his passion for the music industry because he grew up around aspiring artists in Atlanta.

“I’ve been around music for a long time,” Walthour said. “Music is first nature to me. I can’t really say why.”

Diamond Recording Studios, 603 E. Hill Ave., is open by appointment only. For more information, call (229) 339-2177. 

Jason Smith is a reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be contacted at 229-244-3400 ext.1257.