- in Podcast by Bobby Owsinski
Episode 620 – How a Commercial Studio Survives in the AI Era With Tom Weir
Can a commercial recording studio still thrive in the age of AI, home recording, and constant industry change?
In this episode of Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, Bobby Owsinski sits down with Tom Weir, Grammy-winning engineer and owner of Studio City Sound.
We talk about how his studio stays busy by evolving with the business while holding onto the analog workflow and human element that still make records sound great.
Tom breaks down how Studio City Sound has expanded into voiceover, ADR, livestreaming, Dolby Atmos, podcast production, and AI augmentation sessions, where artists bring in AI-generated parts that still need real singers, instruments, and engineering to come alive.
He also shares why he refuses to mix away from his Neve console, what he learned from moving into a new studio space, and how the recording business continues to reward studios that stay adaptable.
In This Episode:
- How Studio City Sound stays successful by diversifying beyond music recording
- Why ADR, voiceover, livestreaming, and podcast production matter to commercial studios
- What it was like moving a Neve console, pianos, and full studio infrastructure into a new space
- Why Tom invested early in Dolby Atmos and how that’s paying off now
- How AI augmentation sessions are creating new studio work
- Why analog mixing through a Neve still beats mixing fully in the box for Tom
- What gear Tom depends on most for vocals, bass, guitars, and drum sessions
- How Tom went from a garage studio in Calabasas, CA to a Billboard Hot 100 number one record
You can hear it at Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Mixcloud, Spotify, Deezer, TuneIn Radio, or RadioPublic.
Also, a video version of this podcast is now available on YouTube as well.
