Smart Studios


Smart Studios was a recording studio located in Madison, Wisconsin. It was set up in 1983 by Butch Vig and Steve Marker to produce local bands. The studio produced bands such as Killdozer, The Smashing Pumpkins, L7, Tad Juster, and Nirvana. After initial production and remix successes, the building became the focus of operations for Vig and Marker's own group, Garbage, who released their debut album in 1995.
The studio survived various mishaps, including flooding, and in 2003, a backhoe crashing through the walls of the downstairs studio. On May 1, 2010, the studio closed its doors because of financial difficulties. Following the closure, Madison filmmaker Wendy Schneider made a documentary on Smart Studios, The Smart Studios Story, in which she interviewed artists, record producers, and engineers who worked in the facility. Schneider's Madison-based production company, Coney Island Studios, produced the film. In 2012, the Wisconsin Historical Museum assembled an exhibit on the studio, Smart Sounds, Alt Music, Mad Scenes. In September 2013, producer and musician Brian Liston re-opened the former Smart Studios facility as Clutch Sound.

Selected list of albums recorded/mixed at Smart Studios