bands wanting too much...

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playsguitars

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Lately i've been swamped with projects, and for the most part it's 17-20 year olds in bands that see my rates, (just for them, cause i know they're on a budget anyways) and just put their songs in OVERKILL mode, wanting to record 5 different harmony parts on vox, a thousand different guitar tones, etc, etc. how can i just tell them that i'm not into it (i like more simplistic recordings for many reasons, one of them being CLARITY?!) without being the dick that's bringing them down?

i only charge these kids like, 100 per song, and i'm thinking of raising my rates to hourly, because they wanna do all this crazy stuff to the music which is already fine to begin with. if i were per hour, then i'd have no complaints experimenting, though these kids are on a budget and i need all the business i can get right now as i'm in between jobs!
 
you should always book for time for this very reason.
 
alright thanks guys, i appreciate the responses. i'll just raise it to an hourly rate. what do you guys charge per hour just out of curiosity? i was thinking 20/hr...time is money, you know...
 
I think the rate depends on where you're at and how many other studios are around. I charge $30 an hour but I'm the only game in town...:D
Nothin like a captive audience, huh?
 
You can say like $100 per song, which is X hours of studio time and X hours of mix time, beyond that has an overage charge of $X per hour.
 
I agree with a straight charge per hour. Charging by the song as you see, everyone comes in wanting to do Bohemian Rapsody. :rolleyes:

Maybe give new bands the first 2 hours free with a minimum of 8 hours or whatever. Some other incentive.
 
i understand the per song rate, as a lot of younger bands want to know exactly how much scratch they'll need when they go into the studio...they don't have the option of going overbudget and paying for the excess later

in that case, do what was mentioned previously, and put a time limit on how many hours will be spent tracking each song
 
Or, you could tell them "as your producer, I'd recommend you stop substituting production for talent." I'd tell them "the very best and talented musicians strive to make thier recordings as clear and sparse as possible. It's a testament to the song not to clutter it up with useless instrumentation."

If they don't believe that, tell em thier rates go up for every extra track they make.
 
you tell 'em to shut up and like it...cause they got nowhere else to go! No, but seriously, I've fallen into the trap of cutting deals for people and only ended up seriously screwing myself...not because they were trying to take advantage of me, it was more because I get kinda perfectionist-y when I record, and I refuse to walk away until it's good. I'm actually usually the one looking for the 15 part vocal harmony with 1800 guitar parts underneath just for "texture". It's really a simple fix. For future acts, give them the $100 a song deal, but you need to throw some stipulations on it. It's just like any coupon for any store, there's always fine print. As for bands you're working with already, you're kinda commited to the standards you've already agreed on. Going back on it would make you a dick, and that's just not good for business. So the best way to handle it is to talk with the band. Try to be the voice of reason, try to speak from experience. Let them know that throwing all that extra crap on just for the sake of throwing it on is a waste. But also listen to the band. Maybe they've got some interesting ideas, maybe it's not all just crazy immaturity. Sometimes young bands have some great natural production ideas in their heads...they just need direction. Work with them, talk to them, figure out where that 5 part harmony might fit nicely and a thick crazy full texture, and figure out what's just overkill. Tell them how a 3 part harmony can sound like a 40 part harmony if it pops in in just the right place when before and after it's just a single vocal part. Also show them how that 7 part harmony sounds like monotonous shit when you listen to it for 5 straight minutes. If you're producing them, then do that...PRODUCE them.

Good luck. Oh, and for your info...I don't really have a set price. It depends on the band, the project, the timeframe, and how my equipment list is looking. As I upgrade and my output improves in quality - my cost increases. I also charge differently for recording, mixing, and mastering. What matters is that you're charging a price that justifies the product you can create. You shouldn't undercut your time as a producer/engineer...because without you there's nothing...but if you're only capable of making a 4 track demo on a tascam, you can't really be charging $100 an hour.
 
hey thanks for all the fantastic advice. these bands are REALLY creative and inspiring, but i just feel like i'm getting dicked. i think i may be the only act in town, as far as i am aware (besides the bigname studios) and i think that 20-30/hr (depending of course) is a reasonable rate at this point in time (and my gear list.) again, you've opened my eyes. i couldn't be more satisfied with the advice you guys have given me.
 
Charge by the day. Let them know that they're getting your services for the entire day (8 or 10 or 12 hours or whatever you want to comprise a day's work) and that they can use the time however they want, whether its adding ten harmonized vocal lines or playing video games in the lounge. You'll be able to plan things better because you will know that you'll be dedicating an entire day to the recording process (potentially). With an hourly rate they will be tempted to want to utilize your services for one or two hours at a time, which creates extra work for you in setup times and whatnot, and can potentially create headaches when it comes to billing ("well we weren't all there, just the singer, so we shouldn't have to pay the full rate"). Just tell them that for X amount of dollars they have your services to use as they see fit from 10 to 8 or whatever schedule you decide to set your hours.
 
Adam P said:
.......With an hourly rate they will be tempted to want to utilize your services for one or two hours at a time, which creates extra work for you in setup times and whatnot, .....
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Which is why I have a set up charge of $75 which includes the first two hours each session, then $20 for each additional hour. So if we do 8 hours in one day it's $195, [$75+(6x$20)] but if they do 4 hours each day for two days it's $230 total.[$75+(2x$20)]+[$75+(2x$20)], so even if they only do one or two hours I still make $75.
 
If bands were to pull that with me i'd charge for set up time with no sad look on my face. Lateness...they plan to come in at 4pm my timer starts at 4pm...if they are late...sry. I've done an hour rate for about 4 years and never had any problems....can't say the same with people trying to screw me over and get the finished product without paying the full amount...NO more of that haha.
 
VTgreen81 said:
Which is why I have a set up charge of $75 which includes the first two hours each session, then $20 for each additional hour. So if we do 8 hours in one day it's $195, [$75+(6x$20)] but if they do 4 hours each day for two days it's $230 total.[$75+(2x$20)]+[$75+(2x$20)], so even if they only do one or two hours I still make $75.
Click to expand...



^^^^This^^^^^
 
Would any of you people be interested in sort of long distance mixing, mastering? We're recording our songs and need somebody for mixing them. In the town we got a few people that are doing mixing but they're either too expensive or unskilled.
 
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