home recording versus hiring studio in eg nashville

N

number six

New member
Hello,

Understand this is "HOME recording," but the scope of the site touches beyond this (eg, marketing) so I think it is fair to ask:

Let's say that one uses HOME recording to do demos, or even "pre demos." Maybe things are not ideal; they sound pretty good, maybe you have someone work with you, help you out, and it sounds pretty good. You are more of a writer/generator, not really live performer yourself, only for demo to get the idea down. And you get some people, they're in a band, pro, semi pro, people who get on stage to sing, and play. They help, but it is all done with tracks, never doing the actual song.

But you want to have a completely different set of people take the information of your song "cold" (ie, have not heard before, see in and work from written format even if there is listening to prior version) and generate a version that way, see what they can do, get professionals who can do several songs in one day.

Maybe you want commercial, paid singer, even if they are not passionate, have not rehearsed, and your song is not their career; same with the players, they will do in time, in tune, competent, efficient, playing together--all that accepted.

Has anyone done this? I am looking at some studios in Nashville. They have various packages. There is basic demo can be had for something like $600 to include four or five instruments, like drum, bass, guitar, keyboard, or something like that. Maybe add a singer for extra $120, and it's someting like 3 hours. Sometimes you see even cheaper, but take this one as a reference. Point is not exact detail, but the spectrum. At the other side of spectrum, then, you can apparently record an album, perhaps, if you are quick and very well organized, for say $15,000. Get the studio, fair number of musicans, x number of recording hours and y number of mixing hours after this, maybe mastering. So that is the general range I have seen.

Has anyone known this situation, as a customer or a service provider? Or if you say, no, don't do that, what other suggestions? For me, I am not much of a performer, I like to generate things by different methods and will put a "pre pre demo" together with maybe me doing everything. But would like to branch out to hear how the material would fare in another setting. I don't have a band or performance group; it's intriguing but is not likely for me. Ideally I want a push-button fantasy band of good competent players who "get it" and can take my demo up a notch! Looking for a studio that does this fluidly, efficiently, competently, thoughtfully. Kind of thing.

I'm motivated by several issues including:
1. It's taken me a very long time to get demos together. For various reasons. At my pace it will never happen. But imagine codifying song, then getting it done--several, boom, boom, boom! Then there is someting to work with/on.
2. It would be interesting and informative.
3. Despite not wanting to 'polish a turd' (ie, spend resource getting inherently bad thing in best shape ever), I think this would also be "litmus" test regarding strenth of material, pushing through the cobweb of subjectivity about, oh, I like this part so much, I just ignore, then don't even hear or notice, these flaws.
 
Demo studios are a thing and they serve a purpose. I think they are for the songwriter who can't perform, play, sing, etc. Or for the amateur who wants a better sounding demo than what they can produce on their own. To me, they're expensive and not worth the investment. I say that mostly because all you get is a demo. You then have to get that demo into the hands of a publisher, an artist, a label... even being able to do that, there's little chance it will get picked up and turn a profit for you.

For you, it sounds like a demo studio is the right choice. Unless you can find a band who is willing to work with you on your songs.

I have thought about offering a basic service to a local songwriters group, but my work schedule doesn't allow me to apply much time to it.
 
Once you have that studio-done demo, what are you going to do with it? Do you have industry contacts or an agent to help peddle your song to interested parties (who WOULD BE the interested parties?) There's a ton of 'professional' writers out there (i.e. Nashville, Los Angeles) trying to eek out a living selling their songs.
 
I've researched this myself so I'm familiar with the details, price etc.

It is a very appealing idea, as I too would like to see if pro musicians could up the quality of the playing and singing on my songs. I have not used the service because it is more money than care to spend at the moment. Plus I have fun recording and mixing with some great musicians and the results are good.

I may do it in the future, but I would only send 1 song and see what they can do with it, then decide whether to submit more songs, depending on whether the quality is there and of course on my disposable cash.

I would encourage you to try it out for 1 song and see if you like the results. It's your money, so if you think it gives you the results you want, I see no reason why you shouldn't do it for as many songs as you want.
 
Is there a question of if you should do it???

Talking from the other side, I used to run a demo studio, along with a 6 room rehearsal studio.

Had access to all manner of good musicians, and good unsigned talent is more than happy to work for cheap.

We did bands, singer songwriters, home recordists that wanted to track live drums ect. Even ended up with a few commercial releases.
I've even had artists with other label releases come back wanting to remix and re-release some of those ealy demos. More than one has commented that they've not been able to capture the energy and performances of the so called 'demos'

That environment is different than the home environment. There's no fucking around, since you're on the clock.

Often people would be amazed at what they could create when they 'had to'. I'm talking amazed in a good way.


Having talent to work with that are people you're not familiar with can bring out artistry you didn't even think of or consider.

If you've got the coin to spend I highly encourage giving it a shot. Good results can be had.
:D
 
There's a lot of people online willing to collaborate. What results often depends on what you have to offer in terms of musical skills, lyrics, ideas, and ability to work in a team/with others.
 
That's a cool perspective RFR. Gun to head...... shit gets done...when it's hey man I'd like you to do the (XYZ instrument) on this tune I've written you're at the mercy of their whims and interest to actually contribute. Then coordinating a group to get together to brainstorm and bang out a version in a few hours is even harder.

I've never seen this type of operation in real time but most of us are familiar with "The wrecking crew"

And all these little demo studios are basically something in that category just not probably quite as deep in talent or ability......hell who knows there may be ones out there today that actually have a better stable of performers than the "The Crew' .....certainly on the recording side what we have available today at the click of a mouse pales anything that existed back in the 60's and 70's.

I have a shitload of tunes I 've written over the last 40 years and only put a couple down and not thrilled with the results...still thinking I'm going to produce most of them someday. Sadly if I had to put money on it, it will never happen..time will tell...for sure if you pony up a grand more or less to have a song produced you're going to believe the song merits being produced. In the end it may or may not be to your liking but you'll have a finished product.
 
Hello--appreciate these thoughtful replies, thanks to each (--ok, just noted apparent "thumbs up" icon with thanks at lower left corner!),

Dave C. --agree the lack of publicity emerges as a significan in goals one, at some level, has (people like your stuff, it means something--we want it to succeed and that means recognition, which means people become aware...). I acknowledge this is present for me, althought it seems less important than the 'discovery' role I think of. Noted on your site you have songs for 0.35 price point, interesting. IF YOU *did* offer such a service, can you say what kind of rates your would charge? Do the numbers I mentioned for Nashville places sound reasonable? Understand this varies with degree of service, probably lot of "extras" that may not be included in some places, like flying airline now, hidden charges, unexpected, pay for air you breathe extra charge, etc.

MJB: I cannot give a definitive answer. I think this project is part 'voyage of discovery' of my material and for that matter, self! To some extent this seems fundamental part of the whole enterprise of getting an idea and bringing it into reality, creating someething. I am around some people, work with people (in the sense of hiring them) who are professional at this, but not "superstar" recognize name. Also my "genre" is somewhat hard to describe (not claiming to be unique in the universe here). I am still defining it. So I would try to listen to the material in new form, and see where I think I fit in on the gradient, and what kind of publicity approach, if any, would be good. Lurking in the background, I would say that as a creative person I'm not in jeopardy--I do something like this my whole life and will likely continue. It is more definition, exploration, finding way forward! But I appreciate your comment, with DC comment, which is important to think: "Now I have a demo, or even better demo--now what?" Like when Bobby Redford wins the election in "The Candidate," and then says, "now what?!" Anyway your challenge of "so what?" is important consideration to think about.

Ido1957: good thought to limit exposure if it goes awry--take measured action, not go "whole hog" until I have some results. Also the notion of "send 1 song" I had not really thought about--I could send .WAV tracks and specify what is to be added (I thought, I will go there and supervise this process, perhaps with more knowledgable person to help).

Cleared to Play (not land I made error with your name, sorry!): I think we're having similar enthusiasm for this!

RFR: wow, very interesting perspective and appreciate enocouragement. I would enjoy efficient production environment, I think--I tend to try to create this. Of course has to be balanced with need for performers to be more than mere machine (I probably have tendency to think/believe/act this way just by bad habit). If you see this and can respond, did prices I mention in Nashville in my original post sound realistic, or more like, no, there would this and that extra at that price?

Pinky: Online collaboration, I have done a little of this in the sense of sending my "co producer" .WAV file to be incorporated into mix of the demo, for example, and then get mp3 or .wav file back in the mail that way. You have set up some 'basis functions', or dimensions that matter, in such a project: musical skill, lyrics, ideas, ability to work in a team. I will think about this and my 'profile' along these lines and appreciate your comment.

TAE: You touch on that issue that, as customer, your song is not a given performer's intimate, "hey, I'm-19-year-old, I'm in a band, this is my life" type of committment--you are at their baseline technical proficiency with whatever your work-as-presented, and that day, and their life inspire or allow. At one same time, in this setting, there is specific commercial/business/contract obligation to get some things done; in that sense, for the performer, it IS their career. On your site, you have really nice sounds and to my ear on basic system, deftly capture the artists you cover--when not doing a deliberately diffrerent approach! I liked your take on Bob Dylan a lot which is quite different from the original as you say, but also Leonard Cohen, where it is more capturing (in my opinion) something accurately for the love of it. The Dylan reminds me it would be fund to do a "Hendrix covers Comfortably Numb" type of affair!
 
Chili said:
Demo studios are a thing and they serve a purpose. I think they are for the songwriter who can't perform, play, sing, etc. Or for the amateur who wants a better sounding demo than what they can produce on their own. To me, they're expensive and not worth the investment.
Click to expand...
Agreed. The appeal of not having to hassle with building your own home studio and the time/money it takes to learn enough to do even a respectable job is understandable, esp when you have "experts" on hand who already have that knowledge.......likewise for studio musicians......but over the long haul it would be FAR FAR more expensive to hire out a studio, and the more people you involve, I think often it will take longer, not be quicker, because there are varying opinions, things to discuss about do you want to do it this or that way, oh let's try each, etc etc etc. Plus there is the stress of it because you're "on the clock" and it aint cheap.

Unless you have lots of money to toss at this or you just want to do a small/modest amount of work (maybe you have just 1 or 2 songs, they aren't complex etc), I could see it. But if you're interested in making whole albums or doing stuff like this off and on for years to come, as much as learning it on your own can suck (and does IMO, I hate it!), the money saved makes it a no-brainer.
 
We have a local performer here that went to Nashville to record his album. Remembering that Nashville is the opposite side of the world from where we are. He loved the experience, he sings and plays guitar and had the songs demoed before he went. He used the studio musicians as a band and he said that they pretty much nailed it after a couple of run throughs, even offering good suggestions on how to improve parts. The album was recorded in a few days and mixed and mastered over the next week or so, all done within 2 weeks. The result was stunning, so much so that he did the same thing for the second album.

Cheers
Alan.
 
yeah tough one here. i went into a pro studio to do 3 songs with a 10 hr block. hired musicians,fairly reasonable rate, 1000 dollars for musicians,1000 dollars for the studio. all the players were given the material a month before so i expected them to come in and hit the record button. nope some showed up late, some had to go through the material ,and 3 hours were lost before we tried to put down any tracks. came out ok but not what i wanted. went home and purchased my home studio equipment and software for about the same price. did a few things to control the room i work in at home(a bedroom).diy for about 50 bucks. all the time in the world to record , mix,master with just as good results and never would look back
 
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