It’s not a multi-million dollar facility in Los Angeles or Nashville, but studio recording engineer Dennis Haislip says the rustic, laid-back atmosphere of Central Iowa’s newest recording studio is suited just right for its purpose.

“We’re not here to record Aerosmith; we’re here to record the next Aerosmith,” Haislip says.

Dawg House Recordings, 57742 250th St., Nevada, has been revamped and reopened last fall. Haislip says he and Monte Whetstone, studio owner, put in a lot of work to update the studio, including adding a new computer and investing money in new microphones.

Although Haislip says he has always been involved with music, this is the first time his career has been focused on it.

“I worked pretty hard for a long time to get into the music scene,” Haislip says. “Then I decided to give up music because I was moving to Iowa anyway. I thought there definitely wasn’t going to be anything here, and now I live my dream job everyday.”

Before the studio, Haislip says he had some familiarity with recording, but he has learned a lot and continues to learn more with each band he helps to record.

“Before I met Monte, I was familiar with a small amount of live sound, running small mixers and stuff like that,” Haislip says. “I keep my head in a book, and every day, I learn something new.”

Haislip says the studio has a wide range of capabilities, from small projects to full-length albums. He estimates the difference between producing a demo and an LP at about 500 hours of time.

“We’ve got an analog system for people who like analog. It’s got that warm rich ’70s sound; it’s good for rock ‘n’ roll,” Haislip says. “Then we can take an analog sound, put it into the computer, mix everything digitally, burn the CD and still retain some of that good tone from analog. Or, we can just do it digitally.”

Mike DiMarco, vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Unhingd, is currently recording at Dawg House with his band. DiMarco says they have been working with the studio for about a month and are pleased with the way things are going.

“It’s a good environment and good sound,” DiMarco says. “It is a very professional environment, and they care about how our songs sound.”

Despite the cozy atmosphere of the studio, Haislip says he keeps everything professional when the tape is rolling.

“I try to take all of my opinion out of recording,” Haislip says. “If you want to come record something controversial, that’s fine, and I’ve got nothing to say about it. When it’s all done and I hear it on the radio, I can give my opinion on it, but when I’m here as an engineer I’m only concerned about sound quality.”

Haislip says he hopes the studio can become a communication point among bands. He says Ames has a plethora of local music talent, but not many people know where to find it.

He says for him, his job is more a love of music than a quest for dollar bills.

“I get kids who come out here, 18-, 19-year-old guys out there singing with their bands, and when he gets to the end of the song, it’s like somebody put a flashlight in his eyes,” Haislip says. “I get to sit over here and watch people light up, and what better job could you have? I get to play dream maker.”