studio rates - what should I charge?

[gascap]

Hi All,

I need to give a proposal to a possible client. He needs to record 6 singers with a piano accompaniment. The tracks need not be seperated (just a good stero room mix - no fancy post production or mastering.)

My project studio is used to recording well,....just me and my violin (and what ever other goodies I can concoct).... BUT the gig could very cool and lead to more neato things, so...to make a long story short, I have accessed my church and it's nice piano - as well as more good mics etc.. The pieces are all in place.

Now my question:

He needs a proposal to give to the composer. Usually I charge @ $50 to add a fiddle track to a tune (more for an arrangement and additional instruments, but that's another post.) He says 4 hours is all the time he'd need the room for.

I'm thinking @50 per hour?...but THIS aspect of my fledgling studio project, is pleasantly new to me and any insight from the great gang a t HR would be greatly appreciated. Obviously my friend could go to a big room in town, and while I can't compete with them - which my prices will reflect - I don't want to lowball myself either (which I have a tendancy to do - just ask the wife.)

Thanks!

[Blue Bear Sound]

Well, the fair thing to do would be to look at the hourly rates at studios in your area and use that as a starting point -- deduct from that rate appropriately to account for the difference between what YOU can offer the client compared to what they can... also take into account your skill-level compared to other locals....

OTOH, you can also follow basic economics -- should charge what they're willing to pay!

[gascap]

Thanks for the words BBS!

Yes, it would be the fair AND logical thing to do. Actually, I've sort of done a bit of research already. I guess I need to do more though. The reasons you gave for me being less expensive are right-on (it IS a home recording operation, and alas, it's not my full-time gig.)

I'm just a little nervous, I guess.

[mikeh]

As Blue Bear said - your local market will dictate what you can charge. In most major urban areas the best studios may be $100-$200 per hour (or possibly much more expensive in an LA, NY or Nashville) and small home studios may be in the $20 per hour range.

Given that you probably have limited experiance and gear that can't "compete" with the "pro studios" it is likely you will need to be on the low end of the range - but again to defer to Blue Bear - charge what you think they are willing to pay. You are correct that you don't want to "lowball" and undervalue your services.

That all being said - $50 per hour seems to be in a "reasonable" mid range.

By the way if they think it will only take 4 hours it is a safe bet that it will take more like 8-12 hours (I normally allow 10 hours for a tracked and mixed song) - altough if you are not multi-tracking and if the singers/pianist are prepared it may be possible to keep it under 8 hours.

Make sure they understand that set-up time and mixing time must be added to the actual tracking time.

Good luck.

[gascap]

Thanks for the comments and ideas.

The ensemble is headed by a very talented and organized person - the keyboardist. Their goal is to simply capture the current state of some songs for a new musical - not cut an album (which is why I think I can really give them alot of bang for the buck.) And yes, they understand the meter is running as soon as I leave the house.

The way the session is set up is 2 hours for rehearsing, then 2 more for getting it on disk. In every other instance I am in total agreement regarding the 'realistic' time vs. the 'dream time' (I've lived that fantasy too many times.) But I really do think it will run smoothly (just piano and singers - all extremely talented and professional)....we shall see.

I'll be calling some studios tomorrow to confirm my proposal.

Thanks again!

[gec]

they should be rehearsing b4 they come into the studio....not while they're there................. additionally, I don't really know what your recording background is, but I will sugest this too you:

from your post I have gathered you have not recorded much else other than what you've done. Also you stated that these clients are well organized and talented "professionals"

Based on this I am going to tell you 2 things

1 - Other studio's maybe more money to record there, but I am also gonna say that they have more expeience in multiple types of music. So benchmarking yourself against them may not be effective.


2 - Since I don't know your skills personally.... I would say charge what you believe.... is fair for your talents, cost effective for your client, and most of all a price that will lead others in the door for you to charge much more to in the future........

[gascap]

Fair enough.

Although I do not work full-time as an audio engineer/producer and my original post gives the clear imnpression that it's just me and my fiddle I record here lately, I do have more experience than it may seem. I am a trained life-long musician and have many years of experience both behind, and in front of the mic. From undergrad studies in recording techniques to present, I've scored a film, written/recorded for TV, participated in countless concerts, band projects, demos, raw violin/string tracks, etc... BUT, I do not pretend to compete with pro houses - or even some fellow HR patrons for that matter.

I have also learned over time to know what my limitations are - a very important skill/realization IMHO.

Having said ALL of that, the current opportunity requires only a bare yet accurate representation of the songs in question. I feel quite capable of capturing what they're doing onto disk by using good mics, good placement, good meter reading, etc... (i.e. good recording technics)

Sadly, I also know that just because something is recorded in a 'pro' room with an expansive array of mics and gadgets at the ready, the result may not be any better than my rig. I have heard examples of this and immediately felt sorry for the sap who forked over the big $.

The fact that this client and co. is prepping only 2 hours prior to recording is indicative of the 'mood' of the session. Because they are pros and because it is very very early in the creation of the work as a whole, they obviously feel that this will work for them. I know the names coming in and have no reason to doubt their word. So why don't they just flip on a cassette and do the deed?...I dunno...but luckily for me that's their decision. I just hope that it all goes as well as I believe it will AND more importantly, it leads to more recording.

I guess I didn't really qualify myself much with earlier posts, and I hope I don't sound overly defensive here- all apologies if that's the impression. In fact, I may be posting some requests for technics/ideas - if I get in a jam and the ol' Runstein can't offer a clear solution.

Thanks for all the ideas, everybody!

[DanielJohn]

If this is a full-blown business, then I would go hourly rate. But if you do this as a small business, I have learned that people are MUCH more flexable when it comes to doing a full payment for one song instead of going by hours. Just a little tid-bit of what i've learned. It just keeps everyone relaxed. Hopefully you're in it for the music and the fun.
-DAN