ROBERTSDALE — Technology and AI software is a constant, growing trend in making anything and everything faster and more efficient, so proponents say, but Red Room Sound Studio is not getting on that bandwagon.

The equipment isn't even digital.

Studio owners Mick Connolly and Lucinda Rowe say recording in analog gives artists a more authentic and realistic sound, one that they are seeing a return to.

The husband and wife duo, who play in the Best of Baldwin nominated band the Heat, are originally from Connecticut, where they have hosted both local and well-known talent including the Allman Betts Band; Carmine Appice, drummer for Vanilla Fudge; Ricky Byrd, former guitarist for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts; and Steve Katz of Blood, Swear and Tears.

The two have since settled in Baldwin County and fallen in love with the area and the local music scene. They chose Robertsdale as the location for Red Room, their third recording studio, due to the city residing on the way to the beaches of the Gulf Coast as well as being located in the lower part of what they described as a regional triangle for music recording, with Muscle Shoals about a five-hour drive away and Nashville being seven hours away.

"We've got this big triangle, and for artists that can't find their way into Nashville for whatever reason, whether it's expense or whatever, or they can't make it over that way, and same thing with Muscle Shoals, which is really kind of tight and small for recording time and everything else, they don't have to go anywhere now," Rowe said. "They can come here to Robertsdale, so we're really excited about that."

What makes the studio stand out is the way Connolly and Rowe have chosen to record and produce music for the past 30 years. They are one of the select commercial recording studios in the country that uses 100% analog recording technology and techniques, using a 24 track 2" analog recorder as the basis for their recordings.

They have worked with analog recording for over 30 years and have never moved to digital. They still edit everything using a razor blade, and they have never used auto tune when recording vocals, instead relying on the best vocal takes from the artists.

"It's a little more working with your hands than digital," Connolly said. "I'm not a big computer screen guy to begin with. There's something about moving an actual fader opposed to doing it with a mouse or cutting the tape with a blade and editing that way than just doing it on the screen. It's more real, and I think the result in the end is a better record. It's better music all together."

Rowe added that they have many young artists come in seeking an analog sound, and they are still able to give them a digital product in the end with a more authentic feel.

"It's a little bit more work but in the end; the work ethic that goes into the product [and] the feeling of accomplishment at the end is really, really cool, and we've seen a lot of that," Lowe said.

Connolly and Rowe told GCM they are aiming for an April opening of the studio, with Connolly saying he's up to doing anything when it comes to music genres.

"We have a lot of artists that are celebrities that have recorded with us before," Rowe said. "They want to come down because it's a destination. They want to go to the beach, spend a week, and then record during the day and go to Florida at night, and they're excited about it, so we just can't wait to open."