Dan Murphy, The Examiner
2008-07-21 17:58:28.0
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BALTIMORE -

From the sidewalk, 2603 N. Charles St. looks like any of the other hundreds of historic row houses that line Baltimore’s streets. However, inside a brand new state-of-the-art recording studio is creating a novel approach to the city’s exploding music industry.

Mobtown Studios, owned by husband and wife team Matthew and Emily Leffler Schulman, prides itself on its ability to produce a professional soundtrack while offering artists a comfortable, homey atmosphere.

“We wanted to be able to provide kind of a living room environment for artists to work in and hopefully be inspired by but still have it be a professional space,” Emily said.

Matthew decided that Baltimore was an ideal location to set up shop because of the leaps and bounds the city’s music scene has taken recently — specifically in hip-hop and indie rock.

The couple got the idea to open their own studio when they realized there was a huge void to fill between the basement and laptop operations and big time studios that tend to be sterile and impersonal.

“It’s an interesting scene going on right now. ... [Baltimore] is becoming nationally recognized,” he said.

The Leffler Schulman’s also like the location because of its affordable space and proximity to many local colleges. Of course, working in 800 square feet of space in the heart of Baltimore has presented some obstacles to overcome as well.

Designer Julien Robilliard helped Mobtown build an innovative modular studio that allows them to create a wide range of sounds in a small space. They also had to raise floors and drop ceilings to eliminate rumbling from nearby trains.

“Matt really knew what he was doing and sort of instinctively knew the sound we were going for,” said Matt Smith, drummer for local band Kadman, which was one of the first groups to record in the new studio.

Emily, who is the eyes to Matt’s ears, has been in charge of setting up the look of the studio as well as their Web site. Her goal is to make both spots — the office and the Web site — places where artists of all kinds can interact and share ideas.

daniel.murphy@baltimoreexaminer.com