Can I get advice from those who have a home studio?

Pro Tools User said:
Dont let some jealous people that wish they were running a successful studio slow you down.
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I don't see jealousy on the parts of many people's responses here at all... most of them are just giving the kid a reality check. He can take some useful information from that to determine the scope of what he wants to get involved in....
 
Blue Bear Sound said:
I don't see jealousy on the parts of many people's responses here at all... most of them are just giving the kid a reality check. He can take some useful information from that to determine the scope of what he wants to get involved in....
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While some of us are a little heavy-handed with the much younger crowd, Bluebear is right... it's not jealousy, but more of a reality check.

Starting a business is a huge adventure, rarely do those who 'wing it' survive. Kudos to those who do, but that's not the commonplace.
 
Since when is reading music a prerequisite for having talent?
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What does talent have to do with it? I've seen many talented guitarists over the years that couldn't get through a one hour rehearsal. I wouldn't call someone who adds a bunch of Autozone dodads to their car a mechanic either.
But, I'll digress and admit there are talented people who perform and record sounds that sell all the time. Whether or not they "play" an instrument or actually sing is another matter entirely. That is what I refer to as a musician. Even a kid on a computer can make music under the right circumstances. It hardly qualifies him as a musician though. But, to each his own definition, including me. I know what I need as a bandmate , and no DJ could cut it. :rolleyes:
 
Blue Bear Sound said:
I don't see jealousy on the parts of many people's responses here at all... most of them are just giving the kid a reality check. He can take some useful information from that to determine the scope of what he wants to get involved in....
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A very true statement and I may have over spoke, but I have sensed in other threads similar, that there seemed to be a tinge of (that little shit is doing what I am but at a early age.....some get pissed cause mommy and daddy finance their endeveour, and the kid really didnt have to work and bust his balls to get the gear.) So I guess thats where the jealousy statement came from. Sorry If I over spoke.

Peace
Eddie
 
don't put as much stock into equipment as ability.

(relax)

thare is a guy near me with a NICE studio he just put together.
probably like 500,000$
24 tracks tape
full protools rig
nic mics, nic pre's, treated rooms, custom designed space
and.............




























HE SUCKS
you have no idea how bad this piece of s#@* is
most people couldn't f up a cd as bad as him if they were trying.
doing cd's for like 200-300 dollars a piece, and after like 4 months
NO ONE will record with him. even at that price.
it's a good thing he's that cheap though, because the couple bands that used him have all had to re record thier albums.

you can always freelance, and rent someone elses studio, if you can get the jobs.

that's the part that matters, getting the jobs.
 
RICK FITZPATRICK said:
Even a kid on a computer can make music under the right circumstances. It hardly qualifies him as a musician though. But, to each his own definition, including me.
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I strongly disagree. I know quite a few RIDICULOUSLY talented kids that write music on their computers. They're all under 20, too.

Pro Tools User said:
A very true statement and I may have over spoke, but I have sensed in other threads similar, that there seemed to be a tinge of (that little shit is doing what I am but at a early age.....some get pissed cause mommy and daddy finance their endeveour, and the kid really didnt have to work and bust his balls to get the gear.)
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I've bought all my own equpiment. So, I get reallllly annoyed when I'm accused of being spoiled or whatever. Eh.

Giraffe - There's a kid around here that has a ProTools setup with a CONTROL 24. The kid is 19. HE SUCKS. Apparantly he's got a lot of nice mics, too.

HE BLOWS. GOD DAMNIT.

It pisses me off. Rarr. :)
 
Chrisku13 said:
Hi,
I realize mostly everyone here will have a home studio (hence the name of the site), but I am trying to get one going as a business, and actually charge bands to come in and get their recordings done at my house. I have a few options and questions, and wondering if anyone is in (or has been in) the same boat as I am. First of all, how do you attract bands to come to your place to record? Also, what is your setup like? I will most likely do this in my garage or room, so space will be pretty limited. I am going to be pretty amateur for a little while, atleast until I get some more money for better stuff. I'm just wondering if anyone had advice or tips to pass along to me. Thanks,
Chris
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Hello Chris,

I registered on this site after reading your question and the many responses you have received. Rick Fitzpatrick's posts are outstanding and you will reflect on it in later years with a deeper understanding of his position (which I agree a 1000% with).

The drive in you is admirable but temper it with maturity. First, seek the advice of a lawyer (talk to a litigator) to explain the risk of opening your (or your parent's) home to others for the purpose of engaging in business. Ask about leins and damage claims for accidential injury at your home. Next, talk to an insurance agent about how claims would be handled for theft or damage to your equipment should something happen. While you are there, ask about medical claims filed against you for injuries to clients at your home. Find out what insurance riders are. Finally, you might want to talk to a police detective about security for your equipment and life after bands see your gear and talk about it to complete strangers. Do a Google search for recording studio crimes.

With luck, you may never have a mishap but don't bet your life or gear on it. You could find yourself or the folks paying for a negligent injury claim for years to come, or worse, your folks burying you over a crackhead's addiction and that lovely new mic you bought. If you want to learn recording, do it on location at a bands rehearsal room and mix there. Better yet, offer to do odd jobs for free at a local studio in exchange for learning. You will meet contacts and learn from others at the same time.
 
"Experience is a revelation in the light of which we renounce our errors of youth for those of age."
-- Ambrose Bierce





//AdrianFly
 
i can just say personally i know mad people who have done albums out of thier basement and they sold up to the hundreds of thousands. It really dont matter about "pro" or not, its can you sell, do people like you, because flat out talent sells. Shit the three Wu-tang albums were done on an ASR-10 with 8bit samples, that shit sold triple platinum, stop hating
 
Ok, thought I'd toss in my two cents worth. I don't want to brag about my acomplishments or possessions, neither are very great, but I have put a lot of time and money into the business of making music. As a musician I can say that there is no substitute for talent and ability, a crappy guitarist sounds like crap on the best recording gear in the world. As a recorder I can say that no matter how good the gear is, there is always something more or better. The point I am trying to make is that you are embarking on a journey that has no end. There is always something more to learn or aquire. The long range goal of owning/opperating a working studio as a profession is commendable. My advice is to break this down to realistic steps, it wont happen all at once. Not only is there a major investment of money involved, there is also a major investment of time and experience. Start small and as you gain both the experience and confidence you can and will grow and expand. I have been on this same quest for many years and still have not reached the end although I am much farther along than I was at 16. For most of us here it is a hobby or a means of learning the inside workings of recording, although some of us are likely to have more knowledge and experience than do some of the people working in pro studios, others are as new to it as you are. Learn all you can then learn how to apply what you have learned. Like with learning to play an instrument, you need to understand the theory and principals, but it is the ability to put those principals into practice that makes the difference between "is" and "wanna be."
At 16 I wanted to be a rock star, at 26 I wanted to be a producer, at 36 I wanted to be a promoter, at 46 I realized I was a washed up old musician. Now at 52 I am content to teach guitar, repair guitars and kick back at home with my little recording set up and enjoy music in a way I never did while I was chasing a dream. You have a dream worth following, just don't expect to get to the end without taking it one step at a time. Oh yeah, and don't forget to enjoy the journey instead of looking for the ending.
 
The poor guy only made the mistake of using the word "commercial" in his post. I think he now knows what that word means.

Anyway, as for advice, I would skip the recording school. (Maybe study music or business instead.) Most of the people I meet who go to school to learn recording know squat. To learn, find someone who is doing what you would like to do in 20 years, and work for them for free. This means getting a lot of coffee. In the meantime you will learn how a "commercial" studio works.

Good luck!
 
I don't think commercial recording is the approach you should take unless you have a good $250,000 to use. With that being said, you can still make money off of your home studio. The best thing to start off with is READ and READ a lot. Figure out everything you need to record, i've been working on mine for about 6 months and I just now bought every nit bit thing I needed. Then practice working with the equipment you have...bring in a drummer to record, record your voice and tweak it, record guitars, bass, whatever else you want and get good at working with what you have. After that you need to gain experience and a reputation and for god sake NETWORK. I was once talking to this guys who told me he recorded an album at this guys home studio and then he let me listen to it and I told him it was terrible and he agreed. "We got ripped off" is what he said. This guy paid for a home recording studio that sucked. Now the studio owner has a horrible reputation, so you must get good with your equipment and then do some recording for free, just to show people that you know what you're doing and you can do it well. Then start charging little by little, $50 for 1 entire song, then $15 an hour and so on til people keep coming back and new people hear great things about you. Thats mainly what its about, I've never heard of anyone making a living from a home studio, so don't try, make it a learning experience, use it to make extra cash to update your stuff, mainly use it to NETWORK and maybe one day someone will come along and say "Hey I hear you're good at what you do and I own a commercial studio and would like you to come work for me" then you can make a living from it and one day be able to open you're very own commercial studio.

Anyways, that is a very basic overview. Try not to work it though as a "commercial home studio" just use it for extra cash and experience.
 
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