We recently connected with Frankie Ghiloni and have shared our conversation below.

Frankie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

My journey as a producer and vocalist started when I was 14. At that time, I was playing guitar in bands and was fascinated with the art of recording. I grew up watching Metallica documentaries of them in the studio, recording some of their biggest albums, and then touring on those albums. That band and those documentaries are really where my fascination with recording and playing in a band came from. Eventually, I joined the band At My Mercy as their second guitarist, and we began writing songs together. We wanted to have a way to have higher-quality demos. The other guitarist, Josh, who is older than me by a few years, was going to college for audio production, and he began teaching me the basics. Eventually, our manager put us in contact with Matt Good of the band From First to Last and his assistant engineer, Ryan Daminson. Both would go on to play an integral role in the band’s production and help craft quality recordings that are competitive and professional. During the process of recording our EP with them, Ryan and I became great friends, and he started training me on how to be able to write and record more than just demos. After years of working with and learning from Matt and Ryan, I eventually was invited to come work for Matt as an assistant engineer. Through that opportunity, I would get to work with and learn from some amazingly talented bands, from local to major label artists.

In early 2020, once the pandemic hit, the industry had completely halted, and there were no live shows. Unfortunately, At My Mercy disbanded. A little prior to the pandemic, I was wanting to have a location where I could take tracks and edit them and bring them back in a timely manner so that way I could be more efficient since we only had one computer, and Matt would record during the day, and I would edit at night. So I signed a lease on a room in late 2019. Once the pandemic hit, Matt closed the studio temporarily, and I was stuck with the lease I just signed, so I decided to start recording local bands and artists, eventually being introduced to my current band, Bury The Darkness. I started out as the band’s producer, and after a few years of working together, the band would offer me the opportunity to try out as their vocalist after parting ways with their former vocalist. At first, I was reluctant because I had no real experience as a vocalist outside of working as a producer producing vocalists. The band didn’t relent, and they were very persistent in their belief that I would be able to do it, and do it well. So eventually, I said yes, and we hit the studio. While I was trying out, I utilized what I had learned about singing from Matt and Ryan and pushed into the uncomfortable feeling of being vulnerable behind a microphone for the first time. Once I laid down the vocals and came out of the booth, everyone had big smiles on their faces, and they loved what I had done, which gave me an extreme confidence boost to keep going. So we hit the studio with Ryan Daminson and recorded our debut album that came out in 2023 titled “Dead Inside.”

Throughout my entire career so far, the only real obstacle standing in my way has been myself, and I am very fortunate to have all the people that have been a part of my journey over the years believe in me and see something in me that I didn’t see in myself at that time. Sometimes you’ve got to get out of your own head and get out of your own way.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

One thing I feel is important to talk about is working on your business and not just for your business. When I opened my studio, I was solely focused on creating the best possible experience and producing the highest quality attainable within a limited budget. Although this might sound like I was working on, and not just for, my business, ultimately there were certain things I was lacking in professionalism, such as a website, proper registration of my company, like getting my LLC, etc.

Once I took the time to sit down and start building up the brand and structure of the business, I realized it became easier to get people through the door so they could see that I did have something to offer. A great rule of thumb to follow is the 80/20 principle here, and I don’t mean 80% of your results come from 20% of the work. I mean spending 80% of your time working for your business and 20% of the time working on your business. It’s important to do these things because it gives your clients peace of mind, as well as giving you the protection necessary in an industry that can get dodgy at times. Take the time to have contracts written out and read over. Be prepared for any situation you might face as a business, good and bad.

One thing I take a lot of pride in is that I don’t try to take over a project when a band comes into my studio to work with me and bring a song in. I try to maintain as much of the original emotion of the demo as possible, while also bringing the sonics and production of the song to the next competitive stage. Working with a band that is prepared for the studio versus working with a band that just comes into the studio with no preparation is really a breath of fresh air because the producer is able to focus more of their time on things other than demoing out songs and ultimately taking over the project out of necessity.

If you go to an art exhibit and look at a beautiful historical painting, all you’re seeing is the finished product. But what you don’t see underneath all of the oil paints are all the mistakes that were made along the way that ended up adding to the beauty of the painting the way we see it today. No artist is perfect, but it’s the relentless pursuit of perfection and willingness to keep going no matter what that gets us to the end, no matter how intense the journey might feel.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

One story I’d like to share is how I bounced back after losing two of my recording studio facilities. When I opened my first recording studio, I was renting from a landlord and had moved in, set up, and was there for a year. After some disagreements, I had to relocate my facility. Unfortunately, at that time, I was in the middle of recording an album, which caused major stress for myself and the band. Thankfully, the band stayed with me through that process, and after searching stressfully for a couple of weeks for a new facility, we were able to locate one, move in, and set up.

After being at my second facility for a year, I was informed that the owner of the property had sold the building and that we had three weeks to vacate the premises. My chest sank to the floor in disbelief; it was happening again, and unfortunately, this time, luck wasn’t on my side. I had to move my entire recording studio into storage, which felt equivalent to being put in prison for me. I felt like I had lost my identity for the second time, the first being when my former band, At My Mercy, broke up during the pandemic.

With nothing but time on my hands, I began to maintenance my equipment and eventually got a job at a larger studio in my local area as an audio engineer/repair tech, fixing vintage recording studio equipment. That led to me being inspired to start learning how to design printed circuit boards and ultimately designing my own equipment. This was something I never saw in my future, but because of something that at first I perceived to be life-shattering, I ended up in situations I never thought I’d be in, working again with big bands I didn’t think I’d get to work with. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t my studio; I was still getting to do what I love and gained a couple of skills along the way. Now in 2024, I have my equipment out of storage and set up and I am recording some very talented bands, as well as my band, Bury the Darkness. I’m thankful for the obstacles that are presented themselves over the years because they’ve made me more resilient and stronger person.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

One major resource that helped me significantly with my business is a podcast called the 6 Figure Creative Podcast, formerly known as the Six Figure Home Studio Podcast. This podcast isn’t just for producers; it’s for all creative people who are looking to stand out as professionals in their profession. It’s helped me be more professional, and it’s taught me the skills necessary to be taken seriously in a competitive industry like music production. I highly recommend this podcast.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.toneheartstudios.com & www.burythedarkness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frankieghiloni?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr