SONIDO CASE STUDY
Lighthouse Sounds
Case Study: Harmonizing Creativity and Efficiency at Lighthouse Sounds
Within the River Bend landscape of Alton, Illinois, Lighthouse Sounds emerges as a beacon of modern musical innovation.
Within the weathered walls of a vintage brick building, Caleb Lienard, Studio Manager at Lighthouse Sounds, along with several additional experienced industry professionals, orchestrates the daily management of a successful audio production business. Jay Stanley and Alex St. Cin originally founded the studio in 2016. Caleb joined the growing team the next year, and by 2019 he became the Studio Manager, helping to expand the business further. In 2021, Caleb took part ownership and has helped drive the business to a heightened level of aspirations and success.
The Lighthouse Sounds team is focused on providing a welcoming space where their clients can focus on creativity and inspiration. Not only do they provide overwhelmingly positive experiences for members of the local music community, but they also provide opportunities for aspiring audio engineers to gain real experience and growth potential.Â
Managing a multi-room audio production studio isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes a great deal of organization and commitment.
In previous years, Lighthouse Sounds navigated its operations through a patchwork of tools and processes with the intention of building a studio business workflow. Studio scheduling was designed around a Google Calendar and a WordPress website plugin, which really didn’t handle scheduling across multiple Engineers and rooms effectively. Lead and client management was all but nonexistent, apart from contact information scattered between multiple Engineers’ personal phones. Client billing was an informal affair left to individual engineers without a standardized business process, which often resulted in late or missing client payments – something the studio couldn’t really afford. The studio’s greatest challenge was the absence of a unified system to streamline operations, and Caleb wanted to find an optimal solution to help modernize the business and increase revenue potentials.
And that’s when Sonido Software came to light. Initially enticed by the powerful online booking capabilities within Sonido, Caleb was also soon enamored by the software’s comprehensive project management features. The power of file sharing and project organization also proved to be unexpected treasures, surpassing Caleb’s initial expectations.
“Sonido was a perfect fit for what I was looking for,” says Caleb. “It offers so much within a single platform, much of which I didn’t even know that my studio needed until I realized the greater potential.”
With Sonido seamlessly integrated into Lighthouse Sounds, Caleb witnessed a transformative shift. What began as a more effective studio scheduling aid swiftly evolved into the studio’s primary studio management system. Within the first weeks using Sonido, the Lighthouse Sound team now had a consistent and reliable client billing process, time tracking for employees, more organized file management, and a comprehensive contact database that has dramatically improved their workflow.
A defining moment came when an artist completed a full album at Lighthouse Sounds before relocating to Spain. The logistical nightmare of international communication loomed large, but Sonido’s seamless audio file review features emerged as a large benefit. By simplifying the way the artist and studio worked on audio file revisions, even while living continents apart, the collaboration not only expedited the project completion but also enhanced the overall quality of the final tracks and the client experience.
Caleb’s relationship with Sonido Software extended beyond mere utility; it has blossomed into a partnership at a deeper level. The attentive support provided by the Sonido team became an invaluable asset, cementing the studio’s trust in the software.
The impact of Sonido Software on Lighthouse Sounds transcended mere efficiency—it has become a catalyst for additional business growth. The studio’s increased productivity has reverberated through every aspect of their operations. Sonido has not only saved costs by consolidating disparate tools but also fostered a creative environment where artists and engineers can thrive. And that speaks to the mission of Lighthouse Sounds as a whole.
“Relying upon Sonido has opened my eyes to our past limitations as a studio,” says Caleb. “Not only has Sonido helped us to save money by having a single studio management platform, but it has increased team productivity across the board. Sonido has offered the best support I’ve ever received from a company.”
Get to know Lighthouse Sounds at lighthousesounds.com.
