Why were these ads so very successful? You have to look at them in context. By late 1978 the home recording craze had ramped up considerably from the 1960s, when only a few intrepid souls dabbled with the concept. Magazines like “Music Connection” in Hollywood had begun to spring up but sellers of pro audio gear typically wanted little to do with the amateurs that read them. My client, the brave Everything Audio, agreed to advertise to that market and I prepared these ads.

I wrote and designed them to hit the market squarely between the eyes with exactly what they wanted and never expected to find in their price range. By design, these ads are non-intimidating and I made sure we never talked down to our audience. To this day, “Your Own Studio” stands as a terrific headline, if I do say so myself. Imagine what those words meant to the beginning musician, songwriter, producer, or band? Up to that point such a thing had never before been possible (unless you were already successful and very rich!). And while “Delay, Flange,” etc. might not seem like much of a headline to you, it was a calculated list of buzzwords that caused our target market to foam at the mouth.

What: Concept, copy assistance, design, illustration, art.
For: Partial-page black & white ads for semi-pro and pro audio recording equipment.
Client: Everything Audio (Pro Audio dealer)
When: 1978-1979