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MasterTrax Recording Studio Provides a Place for Musicians to Lay Down Tracks

Musicians in Johnston County don’t have to travel to Nashville or New York to record an album – they have a professional‚ commercial recording studio in their own backyard.

MasterTrax Recording Studio in downtown Selma is owned and operated by Smithfield natives Jon Owens and Adrian Howell‚ who started the studio in 1988.

A custom-built studio‚ MasterTrax offers a large tracking room‚ a separate drum/isolation booth and a comfort­able lounge where clients can relax between recording sessions.

“We do everything audio‚ from back­­ground CDs for people who sing to putting music together for dance recitals‚” Owens says. “We also clean up old audio and transfer it to new media and record bands doing a full CD.”

Owens and Howell have been work­ing together since they were teenagers and started their first recording studio in Smithfield.

“It was a small project studio. We did one project there‚ and by word of mouth‚ business spread‚” Owens says. “Our clients wanted us to expand be­cause they liked our work.”

The pair chose Selma for its convenient location.

“It’s in close proximity to I-95‚ I-40 and Highway 70‚ and there are plenty of motels‚ restaurants and shopping for our clients‚” Owens says.

Owens has been a drummer for 25 years and currently plays in the local CC Ryder Band‚ which does mostly country cover songs. He has also played drums on the road with a variety of different bands.

“Adrian is more of the technical guru‚” he says.

In addition to recording services‚ MasterTrax offers CD burning and printing with a resident graphic artist and photographer. Experienced studio musicians are also available to clients who don’t have their own.

“I enjoy the creativity of the studio and helping people get their sound on tape‚” Owens says.

Story by Jessica Mozo

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