O-Negative Studios — Local services in Laurel

Here’s a story that people should consider! Here are the facts: My group scheduled a recording session using their website. We selected the date, time and which sound engineer we preferred. We chose Lou, because we liked his work and we liked his experience. After booking, we were in communication with Lou about paying the security deposit and session fee. Today, 4 hours before our scheduled time, we get a text message from Lou’s employee asking if we could reschedule because he had a hangover. This was confusing because we selected to have Lou, not his other employee. After we explained the issue, the employee said he would reach out to Lou and ask him to come in. No one could get a hold of Lou. After waiting for hours for a reply, we decided to cancel and ask for a refund. Finally 20 mins before the session was supposed to start, Lou replies with a short apology and said we could still come in if we wanted to. We declined because we live in Baltimore and Ellicott City, and the amount of time it would take to drive to Laurel on such short notice would have made us late. We asked for a full refund, Lou said he’d issue a refund but we couldn’t get our security deposit back. I then called Lou and explained to him that after being told by his employee that we would not be receiving the service we booked and paid for it is not our fault for not showing up, and he cannot withhold a security deposit. He then paid back everything. 20 mins later we receive a text informing us that we have been banned from their recording studio.

My opinions on the matter: It is unprofessional to allow customers to select their preference on your website and then change it last minute without informing us. It is unprofessional to be asked by an employee, that we did not book, if we can reschedule our appointment just because he has a hangover. When you are working with artists, you must value their time and be able to provide the service that they are paying you for. It is unprofessional to be unresponsive for an entire day and then expect the client to feel good about the situation and still come in 20 mins before the start time. There was zero consideration for the situation this put us in, investing our time, preparation and money. Lou claimed he didn’t understand that our session was today, but if that were they case then he wouldn’t have asked his employee to cover for him. He claimed that we used a booking website that he wasn’t familiar with, but if that were the case then he wouldn’t have known to follow up about payment after receiving the booked appointment. The fact that he banned us from coming simply because we asked for a fair refund shows a certain level of impulsivity and unethical behavior. Bottom line, we were told that the service we paid for wasn’t going to happen, and then with 20 mins to spare Lou expected us to pretend like that never happened and still be able to make it. So be warned, if Lou mistreats you and you call him out, he might ban you from his “professional”...

I have to say I didn’t know what to expect when I first started working with this studio but I have to say it just felt right. The treatment, respect and customer service was amazing. They dont just care about your money but instead they care more about your music and transforming it in the best way possible. The engineer has a passion for his work and it shows through his signature engineering and production. Overall satisfaction and I’m looking forward to keep...

My first time here was 🔥🔥 The owner Lou, is welcoming guy. I respect his professionalism and ability to communicate effectively with his clients.

The place is a vibe and is perfect for artist to really tune into their art. The quality is on point, there is no outside noise or distractions.

The 3hrs I spent there, I felt like it was worth the investment. I will definitely be returning to work with Lou, the brother is super talented. I salute...