Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Patrick.
Matt, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
People often ask me how old I was when I began recording. At first I’d respond with; “In high school I purchased my first four-track recorder…” But I realized that I actually first started recording myself in elementary school with boom-boxes that had built in microphones. I would record myself playing piano and singing, play back what I recorded, then add a secondary piano part and vocal harmony while recording onto a second one. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was multi-track recording all the way back then.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Any vocation has it’s challenges and it’s ups and downs, especially when you are just getting started. But knowing that this was what I was made to do, helped keep me focused. I think the greatest struggle for most creatives is thinking that you aren’t as good at your craft as your peers appear to be at theirs and that at any moment you are going to be “found out” and the work will cease. Longevity is key here and as I look back at nearly 30 years of producing records, that track record helps me ignore that voice inside of my head telling me I’m not as good as others in my field.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I own and operate the Library recording studio in Northeast Minneapolis. I built and moved into this space at the end of 2008 and have been producing music here ever since. My specialty is producing, where I dig into the music with the artist to make each song as good as it can be, from a musical, stylistic and oftentimes even a lyrical stand-point. You can book time at any studio in town, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you will have input into your music, just that it will be captured well. I engineer my sessions, but I also produce the music and as a singer and multi-instrumentalist I have the ability to add other sounds to taste. I have worked with a number of amazing local, regional and national artists including Cory Wong, Caitlyn Smith, John Mark Nelson, Annie Mack, Dan Rodriguez, as well as renting the facility out to others to record with their own engineers such as Jeremy Messersmith, the Pines and the list goes on. But one thing I make a point of, is that no matter who comes through the door, their music is just as important as the person who just left and they get the same care and treatment.
What are your plans for the future?
A big change happened fairly recently! Last year I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to take on the suite next door to me, allowing the Library to expand from 1500 square feet to 2500. With that came a large enough room that can be a lounge area while clients are in here recording, but then transform into a beautiful listening room in the evening. I am very much looking forward to having an ongoing series of intimate, live concerts here at the Library in the near future.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thelibraryrecordingstudio.com
- Instagram: @librarystudio
- Facebook: The Library Recording Studio
- Youtube: @TheLibraryRecording
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thelibrary
