Do You Make Money off ur Studios?? Hop In

[pipelineaudio]

i see pipelineaudio is reading this thread....maybe i'll jump in and say "buy REAPER" before he does. it really kicks the other DAW softwares' asses and is incredibly budget friendly.

heh

Im reading this thread in horror

I put my whole life into this biz, gave up eating (and not the way most "artists " say they starve..I MEAN it), gave up health, money, years of my life

I got in at the wrong time, paid my dues for nothing because the industry I paid my dues to left town by the time I got on my feet

So now, 1500 bucks and start charging?

oh the pain

But you know, its the new reality

As much as I hate it and have to realize that my life, health, and suffering have been completely wasted, I gotta say:

Hell yeah! 1500 bucks lets do it

Your just doing rap, and vocal stuff right?

You already got a PC?

ANY 2 channel "pro" ( HAHHAHAAHAHA) soundcard will do, dont spend more than 200$. One of the Echo's with the XLR ins will be perfect

Any 400$ or less multipattern condenser mic

At your level, the mic pre's that come with the soundcard, as long as theyll do phantom power, should do

REAPER, as much as it pains me that I put the nails in my own coffin, will KICK ass for you...another 200$ if you do the right thing

700$ left ...SPEND IT ON THE BEST MONITORS YOU CAN GET!!!!

I reccomend KRK V8's...youll get them for 700 if you are careful, and Im talking about the active ones

 

[young_digital]

heh

Im reading this thread in horror

I put my whole life into this biz, gave up eating (and not the way most "artists " say they starve..I MEAN it), gave up health, money, years of my life

I got in at the wrong time, paid my dues for nothing because the industry I paid my dues to left town by the time I got on my feet

So now, 1500 bucks and start charging?

oh the pain

But you know, its the new reality

As much as I hate it and have to realize that my life, health, and suffering have been completely wasted, I gotta say:

Hell yeah! 1500 bucks lets do it

Your just doing rap, and vocal stuff right?

You already got a PC?

ANY 2 channel "pro" ( HAHHAHAAHAHA) soundcard will do, dont spend more than 200$. One of the Echo's with the XLR ins will be perfect

Any 400$ or less multipattern condenser mic

At your level, the mic pre's that come with the soundcard, as long as theyll do phantom power, should do

REAPER, as much as it pains me that I put the nails in my own coffin, will KICK ass for you...another 200$ if you do the right thing

700$ left ...SPEND IT ON THE BEST MONITORS YOU CAN GET!!!!

I reccomend KRK V8's...youll get them for 700 if you are careful, and Im talking about the active ones

u are the man.....how do u give "props/rep power" on this site? i ought to give yall some props

 

[RawDepth]

u are the man.....how do u give "props/rep power" on this site? i ought to give yall some props

Ah Hell, give me some rep too then `cause I'm rooting for ya.

 

[Chris Shaeffer]

In addition to all the other good advice, I'd add that you should develop a thick skin and the ability to speak calmly to people who are saying very stupid things yelling at you.

This is MUCH MUCH easier to do if you know a lot more about recording than your client does. Its worth your while to practice your ass off with your recording setup and try as many different things as possible before opening your doors wide open.

Start with friends once you're happy with how your own stuff is going. Don't charge them much (i.e. have them bring the pizza and pepsi) and have fun. Treat them like clients and see how the interpersonal flow goes. You'll probably be surprised and very happy you started with friends who will forgive you.

I'd do that a few times, actually. See if you can finish an album or 2 (or 5) with friends or acquaintances before declaring your business ready for anyone who calls. Trust me, you'll need the practice: not just the studio gear, recording process, and ironing out the kinks with your junior engineer, but understanding how you keep your clients happy when they have no idea what the hell is going on.

There WILL be a point in the process where they'll stop and say something like "The mix doesn't sound right. I don't like it." And you'll say something like "Well, yeah, we haven't even started recording the real vocal tracks- these are just scratch tracks so you can write the harmonies. It shouldn't sound like a finished mix yet so it doesn't."

They'll say "Oh. Ok. Can I take a CD of it home then to work on the harmonies?"

The next day they come back with thunder and lightning and throw the CD in your face. "This sounds like ass and you suck, asshole! I want my money back!"

What do you do?

"You played it for your girlfriend, didn't you? And she said it didn't sound as good a (in$ert billionaire arti$t)'s latest megabucks album, right?"

Friend: "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"It happens like that all the time. Your girl has a good ear, its just she's never heard a WORKING mix before."

"What's a working mix?"

You point to the CD- "THAT's a working mix. Its a mix so you can WORK with the song. Dude, we're only 1/3rd of the way done with the album- if it sounded like a fisnished megabuck recording NOW we'd frickin' stop working and go make some money with it!! Here. This will give you some idea what it might sound like later..."

Then you jam the mix through the compressor and limiter you set up because you knew this was going to happen. Smash the crap out of the mix and turn it up loud and watch your client grin at how "professional" their mix now sounds.....

Its silly, but especially when you are first getting started you'll find you have to prove that you know what you're doing to your clients.

Do you know what you're doing?

If not, then practice some more before opening your doors. ONE unhappy client is enough to make getting started much, much harder than you want it to be.

Good luck! And have fun,
Chris

 

[Mindset]

Yeah it is critical that you know EXACTLY what you are doing. the reason clients pay for professionals, is to get professional results that they couldn't achieve on their own.

 

[SonicAlbert]

I'm still not sure what you will be recording, i.e. singers or whole bands. As has been mentioned, you can set up a simple vocal recording rig for your $1,500. But that amount will be woefully short to set up a decent rig to record bands. The reason being all the mics, soundcard inputs, cables mic stands, etc., etc., etc.

If you are starting out recording vocals, you basically need a mic and a good soundcard that has preamps. Note that I said "good" soundcard. If you want to get a little more elaborate you'll then get a preamp or channelstrip type preamp to put between the mic and the soundcard. You'll need software too, obviously, and monitors. That's really about it, since you already have the computer. This can be decently for $1,500.

You might want to think about a Digidesign interface like the Mbox2 (list price $499) or the Mbox2 Pro (list price $799). Street prices are obviously lower than that. These interfaces come with the latest ProTools 7.3 software, which is great for recording in my opinion. So, no additional expense for software. Also, most engineers are familiar with ProTools, which would make it easier to hire them in to assist you. Make sure to check the specs on the digidesign web site regarding your computer, so you know it will work with the Mbox2.

Then get yourself a good vocal mic or two, a couple good monitors, and you are pretty much on your way on a very low budget. No reason to break the bank over this. At least this early in the game.

 

[jonnyc]

I'm still not sure what you will be recording, i.e. singers or whole bands. As has been mentioned, you can set up a simple vocal recording rig for your $1,500. But that amount will be woefully short to set up a decent rig to record bands. The reason being all the mics, soundcard inputs, cables mic stands, etc., etc., etc.

If you are starting out recording vocals, you basically need a mic and a good soundcard that has preamps. Note that I said "good" soundcard. If you want to get a little more elaborate you'll then get a preamp or channelstrip type preamp to put between the mic and the soundcard. You'll need software too, obviously, and monitors. That's really about it, since you already have the computer. This can be decently for $1,500.

You might want to think about a Digidesign interface like the Mbox2 (list price $499) or the Mbox2 Pro (list price $799). Street prices are obviously lower than that. These interfaces come with the latest ProTools 7.3 software, which is great for recording in my opinion. So, no additional expense for software. Also, most engineers are familiar with ProTools, which would make it easier to hire them in to assist you. Make sure to check the specs on the digidesign web site regarding your computer, so you know it will work with the Mbox2.

Then get yourself a good vocal mic or two, a couple good monitors, and you are pretty much on your way on a very low budget. No reason to break the bank over this. At least this early in the game.

He already said he's going to be recording rap. So he'll probably use a combo or midi, keys, mpc's and vocal tracks. I also wouldn't really stear him towards PTLE, eventhough I'm a user and one of the biggest PTLE apologists out there I still say he'd be better off with something like Cubase or Reaper(assuming they've gotten their midi stuff hammered out). What the little guy really needs to do is get a couple really decent artists in and maybe do a few days of free work for them which will give himself practice material and examples to advertise with. I just recently gave a screamo band a free 4 hour session which has lead to half a dozen more bands setting appointments to come in and record at full price including 2 full lengths. Sometimes a very small sacrifice can go a very long way.

 

[Mindset]

He already said he's going to be recording rap. So he'll probably use a combo or midi, keys, mpc's and vocal tracks. I also wouldn't really stear him towards PTLE, eventhough I'm a user and one of the biggest PTLE apologists out there I still say he'd be better off with something like Cubase or Reaper(assuming they've gotten their midi stuff hammered out). What the little guy really needs to do is get a couple really decent artists in and maybe do a few days of free work for them which will give himself practice material and examples to advertise with. I just recently gave a screamo band a free 4 hour session which has lead to half a dozen more bands setting appointments to come in and record at full price including 2 full lengths. Sometimes a very small sacrifice can go a very long way.

I personally would go PTLE & rewire Reason 3 into it. When a client comes into the studio, I believe they have majority of their material ready. A production deal for instrumentals etc, will cost a client a LOT more. Rap/Hip hop doesn't mean that they will always use a mpc etc. Since he wants to set up a recording studio, I assume that he will be recording of course.... If he will produce beats, than he probably will need those equipments.

 

[jonnyc]

I personally would go PTLE & rewire Reason 3 into it. When a client comes into the studio, I believe they have majority of their material ready. A production deal for instrumentals etc, will cost a client a LOT more. Rap/Hip hop doesn't mean that they will always use a mpc etc. Since he wants to set up a recording studio, I assume that he will be recording of course.... If he will produce beats, than he probably will need those equipments.

Fair enough but if he's relying on every single client to bring in their own source material then he's going to set himself up for a healthy amount of rejection. I'm actually not really sure what your counterpoint to my point is here.

 

[young_digital]

im gonna be recording strictly rap and r&b for now..so i'll basically need one microphone...and i do not produce beats..i expect the clients to have the stuff when they come in...this is typical stuff..i mean...this is a recording studio..we record, mix and master your stuff.....we do not create beats

 

[jonnyc]

im gonna be recording strictly rap and r&b for now..so i'll basically need one microphone...and i do not produce beats..i expect the clients to have the stuff when they come in...this is typical stuff..i mean...this is a recording studio..we record, mix and master your stuff.....we do not create beats

I've had probably a dozen rappers call me wanting to know if I can produce beats, I have no capabilities to so I've lost all dozen of them. I guess I just assumed that most guys who have something as expensive and powerful as an MPC or high dollar keyboard, or who has the ability to create beats with a pc probably already has enough knowledge and equipment to produce a demo quality song themselves.

 

[SonicAlbert]

If they are coming with their own beats, and you are just recording vocals, then the mic is of paramount importance. I really think ProTools is going to be the most compatible and give off the most "pro" vibe to prospective customers. And Mbox 2 Pro and as good a mic (or two) you can get for the rest of the $1,500 might do the best for you. Oh yeah, and monitors, and cables and mic stands, etc. See why $1,500 is almost nothing to start with?

 

[bigwillz24]

I record mostly rap and r&b... Even though I now have enough equipment to record a rock band. I started out with a *whisper* Sound blaster *cough* Live card... a *cough* behringer mixer, and a (I can't believe I'm telling you this) Radio Shack no name brand microphone.

It worked.

I guess what I'm trying to say is yes it can be done with 1,500 bucks. But don't expect miracles right out the gate.

In fact I wouldn't look into charging a client for a while.

Use a few friends for practice and listen to the advice you are getting in here. I wish I had found this site before I started spending money on equipment.

Theres a saying around here "buy cheap buy twice" I agree to some extent. I prefer "buy smart buy right". But hey I'm just another guy on the internet with an opinion.

 

[pipelineaudio]

If they are coming with their own beats, and you are just recording vocals, then the mic is of paramount importance. I really think ProTools is going to be the most compatible and give off the most "pro" vibe to prospective customers. And Mbox 2 Pro and as good a mic (or two) you can get for the rest of the $1,500 might do the best for you. Oh yeah, and monitors, and cables and mic stands, etc. See why $1,500 is almost nothing to start with?

I love "compatiable" when people speak PT

It is the ONLY software which is not compatiable with other software, but only with itself

So let me get this...a band sooo broke that they record at a studio with 1500 worth of gear, NEEDS format compatibility with a large studio?

LOL

 

[SonicAlbert]

Love it or hate it, ProTools gives off a professional vibe to prospective customers. It is also very commonly used by large, small, and home studios alike. Besides that, it is great software for recording, editing and mixing audio. It's also easy to learn in my opinion.

But most importantly, more engineers will know ProTools than any other single program. This is important because the whole premise of this $1,500 studio is that he will be hiring outside engineers to do the audio work for him. I can't think of any other single program that will be as well known to professional engineers as ProTools.

You don't want to be hiring guys who have to figure out unfamiliar software while they are in a session. Or you don't want to be limited to a few engineers who might not be your first choice because they are the only ones who happen to know the non-PT software you are using.

My engineer is a ProTools wizard who also is familiar with Digital Performer. However, the difference in his speed between ProTools and DP is remarkable. If you are paying somebody by the hour, you definitely want them to be working on software and equipment they know like the back of their hand.

 

[DavidK]

This is important because the whole premise of this $1,500 studio is that he will be hiring outside engineers to do the audio work for him. I can't think of any other single program that will be as well known to professional engineers as ProTools.

.

Reality check: what kind of "pro engineer" is going to come to some guys basement and work with his soundblaster card"?

Lets face it: some teenagers might pay him 40 bucks to record a rap song, WITH BEATS included, whatever the hell that means. Keep in mind that since the original poster probably knows nothing about recording, it will take 2 years to learn anything and by then the $1500 in gear is obsolete.

In theory, yes, one could do this if they had an incredible gift of the gab. Getting a client is sales, maybe he is a born salesman. Pro Tools doesnt matter, these "clients" wont know PT if it bit them on the ass. A high school kid might save his paper route money and give you 40 bucks to record some rap. Thats about it, unless you invest serious TIME learning this stuff. The money isnt as big a problem as the learning, the guys who know their stuff here could do a recording with $1500 worth of gear but they have years of experience.

My advice: Dont even think about hiring an engineer. That wont work, nobody would be interested. "Splitting the profit"? Trust me, nobody would be interested, anyone with the skill could do this on their own and wouldnt need you. Unless you are amazing at salesmanship and getting kids to pay you.

 

[SonicAlbert]

Reality check: what kind of "pro engineer" is going to come to some guys basement and work with his soundblaster card"?

Some "pro engineer" that wants to get paid! You could ask the same thing about my engineer. Why would he want to come to my home studio and mix my projects, all of which are lower budget than what he usually does.

Even really good engineers need to fill out their schedules. And if your checks don't bounce and they like what you do, why wouldn't they come over for a while and do some mixes?

That said, I don't think much of anybody "pro" would work on a soundblaster card. That's why I suggested ProTools. That, a good mic and a couple good monitors, and you are really pretty close to being able to do some serious work.

I also agree with you that the "splitting the profit" thing probably won't fly.

 

[DavidK]

Some "pro engineer" that wants to get paid! You could ask the same thing about my engineer. Why would he want to come to my home studio and mix my projects, all of which are lower budget than what he usually does.

.

Well sure, but the disparity is pretty great. Based on your keyboards alone, it would be fun to go to your house.

I am a freelancer too, I go wherever people pay me. That said, I dont go for 20 bucks. Bottom line: our friend here may indeed have some success if he is good with recruiting clients. But based on his budget and lack of experience, he should know exactly what to expect. Only a high school student would actually pay money, there are "studios" here that have $50,000 worth of gear that you could get for $20 an hour. $1500 worth of gear would be about $1.50 an hour. Unless the engineer wants 75 cents, I dont see realistically how the engineer fits the picture, nor would he be needed at this level.

 

[Big Jinx]

Good stuff in this thread.....

I was that guy five years ago, started out with little money (Go Navy) and one guy who wanted to put some stuff down on CD. Went from Fruity Loops and Cool Edit Pro to Reason/Cubase now Reason/ProTools. It's kinda like a graduation of sorts because you start to hear where you are and where you want to be. Evolution of yourself starts on it's own and gets expensive. I still don't have the most expensive gear, but knowledge of my own equipment and "sound" keeps me on par with my peers. Sound engineer?? How many rap producers on here have one?? I know I don't...Besides the fact that I'm a greedy fuck and don't want to share, good mixing knowledge on it's own is sacred. And truthfully, a good final mixdown (not mastered) with proper EQ and volume (not over 0db and bassed up like a track on my website, lol) is better than average for the guy paying $20 per track. So think small budget/small project before you dive into the Sound Engineer realm. Just my .02

Jinx out.....

 

[Steve Henningsgard]

I decided to record my own band a couple of months ago and, while I'd been recording here and there on 4-tracks and such for years, this was my first foray into "real" multitrack recording (Delta1010, etc.) The quality turned out so good that I bought a bunch of mics and immediately started recording other bands to up my skills! I figure I'm still learning, but my quality is loads better than some shitty 4-track that they'd do, so I charge by the song ($45/song). It's well worth it for the bands to have a sweet, listenable EP/demo, I'm learning a bunch about recording in the process, and I'm getting paid enough to continuously upgrade my equipment little by little. Added all together (except for the computer, which I already had) I've probably spent around $2500 total on equipment. Just be honest and tell people the quality they can expect, and if you've got a good schmoozable personality and a good work ethic (e.g. going to bed at like 5:00AM after mixing for free for 8+ hours for nights on end), you'll eventually get to the point where you can increase your prices & get some better equipment.

While I do mostly metal/hardcore bands (not necessarily by choice, btw), I can't imagine rap would be much different.