A crown jewel
for music pros as well as students
The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience—known as The MAX – is a major attraction in Meridian with immersive and interactive exhibitions that celebrate the state’s many significant contributions to arts and entertainment.
In 2019, The MAX expanded its unique offerings when it opened the Governor’s Recording Studio to help educate and encourage the new generation of performing artists, musicians and audio professionals.
The studio, which operates alongside the facility’s art and pottery studios, contains state-of-the-art equipment and technology including a Yamaha drum set and baby grand piano. It is available for those who want to do live recording, tracking and session work, podcasts and audio recordings for documentaries and commercials.
Aaron Windham, director of operations at The MAX, calls the studio its “crown jewel.” There are other recording studios in Mississippi, he said, but not one inside a museum and cultural art center.
Windham said the facility is not only used by active recording artists and professionals, but is also a place for students to learn about potential career paths in the audio and recording industry through educational programs offered.
“We operate as a non-profit so we’re not just here to record artists, we’re here to help artists on their journey, whatever that may look like for them,” said Windham.
As word has spread about the Governor’s Studio, it has attracted a growing number of clients, including several from Meridian. The first to record there was Steve Azar, whose “One Mississippi” is the state’s official song. Todd Tilghman, winner of the 18th season of NBC’s “The Voice,” and Jamal Roberts, winner of the 23rd season of “American Idol” both recorded at the studio. actress and MAX Hall of Famer, Sela Ward, has recorded voiceover work in the studio.
The filmmakers and star of the documentary “John Nieto American Spirit Walk,” shown on Amazon Prime, used the studio to record the music soundtrack for the film.
Professionals and others can book the studio for music, taping voiceovers, recording podcasts or oral histories.
“It’s more than a recording studio where people come to record. It’s also a space for people to come and learn,” said Windham. There are workshops and classes open for the community and students in the region and state where participants can learn to create beats, learn technical skills or record their own musical works.
“They may not want to hold a microphone, but they love music and they might want to be an engineer or a producer,” Windham said. “So we can offer opportunities for people to get those types of experiences that they really couldn’t get elsewhere. “
Through its partnership with the Mississippi Songwriters Alliance, The MAX last year gave top songwriters a 20 minute demo session at the studio. “They can use that to get gigs or pitch to other songwriters or producers or whatever it might be to help them in their journey,” said Windham.
Workshops with Mississippi songwriter Clay Mills and other music professionals including Sean Gasaway, Virginia Brick and Adam McPhail provide valuable access and information, he said.
Windham said the studio will continue to keep its hardware and software in state of the art condition and will expand its video production capabilities in the future. Upgrades in The MAX for live production in the studio is also planned as well as offering workshops on songwriting and other recording topics.
To book the Governor’s Recording Studio, go to msarts.org/visit/whats-inside/recording-studio or call 601.581.1550 for more information.