We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Charlie Waymire. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Charlie below.

Hi Charlie, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I knew very early on that music would be my path but I honestly don’t think I ever made the specific distinction to pursue it professionally. It just was. When I was 9 or 10 I talked my parents into letting my buy Motley Crew’s “Shout at the Devil” album. When Tommy played the first big drum fill I was hooked. The path to music had been set before me and I just went down it.

I’m from a small town so there wasn’t a lot of music there but I did have a few friends that were already playing drums, which is my main instrument, and we’d get together and jam as often as we could. One friend played bass and couple played guitar and we jam in the basement all the time. I’m pretty sure we weren’t very good but it didn’t matter at that time. All that mattered is we were playing music.

From there I ended up attending two music schools. The first was Music Tech in Minneapolis in the mid 90’s. That was a wonderful time and my first in-depth experience with the wider music business and a new level of musicians. I was just out of high school and was lucky to have some amazing teachers that introduced me to a whole new world of music that I wasn’t aware of. It was a wonderful time of exploration and discovery.

After a few years in Minneapolis I ended up moving to Los Angeles to attend Musicians Institute. The experience was similar to Music Tech. It was a never ending road of discovery and expression.

Not to be cliche but I didn’t choose music. It chose me. If it can work that way? That’s why I don’t think I ever made the actual distinction of doing it professionally because I never thought about it really. It’s just what I did. And luckily what I still do!! Lol!

Charlie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I answered a little bit of how I got started in the previous question but that only covered how I started playing and ended up in LA. Since I’ve been here it’s been, to quote Sheryl Crow, a long and winding road.

After graduating MI my main focus was on being a professional drummer. I did a lot of gigging in LA, touring the US and Europe with my intention of just being a full-time working/gigging musician. One of the bands I played with, Speak No Evil, was signed to Universal Records and I came on board to do some touring with them. Unbeknownst to me at the time the first tour I did with them would be the beginning of my production career the led to the studio I own and operate now.

For that band I had a fairly large electronics rig with hardware samplers, triggers and a ton of drum pads. Most of it was to trigger sounds from the albums but I would make up intros and outros for each gig in my spare time on the RV. And that was the start of act 2.

While I still played out a lot after those tours I was knee deep in putting my first studio together specifically to record drums for artists. This was way before home studios were the norm. As word got out my drumming friends started doing tracks at my place and I just engineered. That turned into me recording full bands and producing. I never really thought about how my career was changing. It just kind of happened and it all felt natural so I just went with it.

There was a point however that I made a conscious choice to make the studio my main goal. Once I was at the point of recording full bands in my tiny studio (less than 300sq ft!) in Hollywood I found a place in the valley where I could build the studio I wanted. A space that would allow me to really help the artists that I was working with. That is when the current version of Ultimate Studios, Inc was born.

Being a drummer by trade I wanted to make sure I had a great space to record drums and have it stalked with great drums available for anyone to use for sessions. I’ve been lucky to work with some really great drummers like Chad Smith, Glen Sobel, Ray Luzier, Oscar Seaton and many more. That part of the business has been a fantastic experience.

While drums were a big part of the studio my larger goal was to have a space where the artists and bands I was working with had a comfortable space to be creative. The studio boasts a nice size live room with multiple ISO booths and accommodate almost any setup. Working with artist from start to finish, recording to mixing/mastering, is the main focus and I’ve loaded the studio with tons gear and instruments all available for artists to use on sessions.

The studio also has a full, multi-camera, live streaming rig that can be used for remote recording work as well. We’ve had everything from singer-songwriter live streams to full band concerts. This is a great way for artists to engage their audience AND get media for their everyday social media needs.

In some ways Ultimate Studios, Inc is a recording studio/media company as we can assist in almost any aspect of an artists career. We’ve even done a lot of Voice Over. For clients in and out of LA.

I think one of the main things that has guided my path at the studio is that fact that I was a working musician for decades. I know how hard it is to be a musician/songwriter. I’ve taken all of that experience and put it into the studio so I can make it easier, and more fun, for the artists.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I don’t know if there is a specific resource per se but I’ll say this. Be in the moment every moment you’re working. Early in my career I was focussed on being a musician, a player, only. I wasn’t concerned with learning the recording process, producing tips, or how to manage a session or things of the larger music production nature.

I came in, did my job and left. Not necessarily a bad thing. It was professional and I did my job to the best of my abilities.

But…….

Had I been more in the moment and not just focussed on me and my specific task I could have learned so much almost by accident. There are so many opportunities that I missed early on to ask questions from some amazing musicians, engineers and producers. I didn’t need a book or youtube I just needed to be more present in the moment. That’s why I love it when musicians and artists are into the entire process and not just their little slice of it.

So the next time you’re in a session or on a gig be in the moment, be curious and ask questions. Because even if you don’t want to be an engineer or producer knowing more about their jobs will help you do yours.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Helping artists get what they need for a successful career is what drives me. Whether it’s recording, mixing, mastering, consulting, video, live streaming or even learning how to record. That’s what I love. Making music and making music with other create people. There is no destination. Only the journey. So embrace it and have some fun!

Contact Info:

• Website: ultimatestudiosinc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charliewaymire/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cwaymire
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliewaymire/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ultimatestudiosinc
• Ultimate Studios, Inc IG: https://www.instagram.com/ultimatestudiosinc/