Doing my first recording for hire--what should I charge?

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Whoopysnorp

Whoopysnorp

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I'm friends with some guys who have a band that is soon to break up because the bass player is moving to L.A. They want to record one last time, and they know I have equipment and experience so they're going to do it with me. They mentioned paying me some money, but I don't know what to ask for. I don't want to ask for very much, since they're my friends, my setup is modest, and I only have experience recording myself (I've never recorded a group I wasn't in). Here's my setup, just to give an idea:

700 Mhz Athlon w/Delta 66 (Omni Studio)
n-Track and various plugins (mostly freeware)
Yamaha MX12/4 board
2 Marshall MXL603
2 Behringer ECM8000
2 Shure SM57
1 Sennheiser e602
1 CAD M-37
Tannoy Reveals
Bose speakers + subwoofer
consumer power amp

They said it's not going to be a terribly long project. I'll probably record them one at a time and overdub them, so there'll be a substantial time investment. What would you guys do?
 
here's my set up:

P2, 266mhz - terrible sound card (SBawe16...5-10 years old)
beheringer mx 802a mixer - 2 tape outs go to my soundcard.
1 SM57
2 SM58
1 AT Pro25
N-Track with mostly Sonic Foundry Plugins
AIWA "monitors"


that's basically all i got, and for all the bands i've so far recorded - it's been 4 mics on drums...do all drums tracks first. Then individually finish the rest. (usually 2-3 guitar tracks, 1 bass, 2-3 vox, 1 of anything else (like keys, etc.)).

So far i've just recorded my band and my friend's bands (2 of them)...and charged them 70 bucks for about 12 songs...which was defiantely a huge time investment for me. However, these guys hang out here all the time so it was no biggy...lol

another local band who i didn't know IMed my on AIM the other day - so i sent him a sample of one of my band's songs. He loved it, and offered $350 for me to record, mix, master thier 6 songs - to tell you the truth i was gonna tell him 100 bucks for that...lol...i havn't recorded them yet though - i'm telling them to hold off until i get my Delta44 and new comp...and might I add - anyone who wants to "build" a comp for me online - PLEASE do...refer to this thread lol: https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=&threadid=53246
 
shackrock said:
anyone who wants to "build" a comp for me online - PLEASE do...refer to this thread lol: https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=&threadid=53246
Click to expand...

I'll build you something rock solid and lightning fast for 900(actually, I'd keep 100 and go down to the place where I recently bought my rock solid, lightning fast windows PC for 800). But it's worth it :D.

I tell you, spend to get from a reputable dealer. Nothing on line or a mega maker. I guarrantee it will be a rock solid machine. And of course this is because if they build you crap, you take it back TO THEM, which causes them even more headaches. So the build it right the first time. And that's another plus, you get tech support from the person who actually built the machine. So they know it inside and out and will be able to help you better than anyone over the phone or e-mail.

Also, make sure it's a Pentium 4. They run a little slower for the money, but they run cooler so they are MUCH more reliable. Don't fool yourself into thinking you need a 2.4 ghz comp either. I have a P4 1.6 that handles anything and everything I give it with CPU power to spare.

I don't know how far you are into research or the buying process, I just thought I'd share what I know. Except for my stupid downloaded Cakewalk Sonar 1.0(I should really buy it) locking up everyonce in a while, the computer I just bought which I kind of ddescribed to you hasn't crashed once in the 3 months I've had it.
 
Yo Whoopy-MAN:

When I taught English composition in college, I used to tell my students that the "teaching" was free. They had to pay their tuition for me to correct their papers.

So, man, use the comparison. For a "friend" nothing is a good price but time is valuable, equipment, etc.

If you are good, charge enough.

There is an old story of a lawyer who retired and decided to double all of his fees so nobody would call him after learning of his price. He was flooded with work. Calls, calls, calls.

So, he lowered is price to less than half of the usual fees.

Nobody called him anymore.

Good luck.

Green Hornet:D :D :D :p :p :cool:
 
A couple of months ago, I did a freebie for a local young punk band. I liked 'em and figured I could do a good job for them.

They put the word around, and I'm currently doing a 5-track ep for another bunch of young guns. I'm charging this bunch £300, not by the hour, and they seem really happy with what they're getting.

Anybody I don't like, I'm charging £25 per hour...

My setup is (mainly)

Roland 1680
Behringer (sorry) Truths
AKG Solidtube
AT 4033
Oktava MK219
Pair ECM 8000s
AT Pro 25
Pair AT Pro 31s
Many SM57s & 58s
Pod
Bass Pod
Trace Elliot 4x10 Cab & Head
Fender Blues DeVille
Yamaha Rev500
Zoom 1201
YamahaFX500
Emulator E4K
Loads of Analogue synths and guitars (Rickenbacker, Fender, Yamaha, Takamine)

I'm not trying to pose (most of you here have got more kit than me, I imagine), but I don't think £25 per hour would be too high to charge, would it? - Oh, and I've been recording for about 15 years and I'm not entirely shit at it (although there's still a lot to learn).

Thing is, I just can't bring myself to charge properly. Anybody else have that problem?

Whoopy - as the Hornet says - If you're good, charge enough. You've paid for all your kit and spent your time learning, so don't be worried to get something back.

Phil
 
I'm have more worries about getting work not what to charge!
 
yeah - just as green was saying:

when i was always telling people 70 bucks..i recorded 2 awful, awful bands - they were terrible.

since this band who wanted to come in for 350 told thier friends, i've gotten 2 emails from some decent local bands...lol

the more you charge to the unknowning public, the better your recording will look - but you better do a good job!
 
shackrock said:
here's my set up:

P2, 266mhz - terrible sound card (SBawe16...5-10 years old)
beheringer mx 802a mixer - 2 tape outs go to my soundcard.
1 SM57
2 SM58
1 AT Pro25
N-Track with mostly Sonic Foundry Plugins
AIWA "monitors"
Click to expand...


Great, finally somebody with also such a 'fantastic' setup like me who proves that you can do a lot with just these things, just be a bit creative (recording track by track etc.) and with a shareware program and a crack ripped from the internet, some microphones you bought second-hand, a mixer you can also use for live-jobs, the monitors and amp from your home-stereoinstallation, and the personal computer you already had. Soon I will post some of my songs (played by radio-stations, not rerecorded, -mixed or -mastered or something) and you'll be surprised what you can do with (and getting paid for the results of using):

-Pentium 233, CD-writer, Cool Edit Pro.
-Yamaha ME.. (forgot the type, too lazy for taking a look, but it is an oldy) 16CH/4GR for the inputs (two groups going to PC, two to VHS-recorder, syncing later)
-Tascam Portastudio 244 used for sending outputs VHS and PC to
-Sony amp & monitors.
-Some Shure & Sennheisser mic's.

Ok, the things I record (synths, guitaramps, etc. etc.) are a lot better, but if you use good plug-ins etc. and some tricks, you can earn a lot of money with equipment that at first sight looks like &@(&^#@&*^, so.
 
Hey Whoopie, fancy bumping into you here! I would advise that you research your local competition, and charge a rate that is based on what it would cost to record at a similarly equipped studio, minus a just starting out discount to attract clients and allow for the just starting out glitches.
Best of luck, RD
 
RD, have we met?

Thanks for the advice, everybody. I'm not sure I exactly have any competition in my league here--I don't know of anybody renting out their basement for recording like I will be, the next step is pro studios. I'll go to the local guitar shop and check the bulletin board. I think I'll probably ask for $100. I'm not really looking to do this regularly, so I'm not that worried about attracting clients. I don't think I'll have any qualms about the finished product--I recorded a song that a (joke) band of mine had back when my setup was merely the mixing board and two 57s into an SB Live, and when my friend played it for his friend (whom I had never met), he said that it sounded better than the stuff from the local small-time studio.
 
Whoopysnort (been meaning to tell you that's a great name). The fact that it's friends and you don't want to do it regularly is the main dynamic here. It really depends on how much time you have to spare. If you have plenty of free time and all you've done is record yourself, this is a great opportunity to learn more about your craft. You'll definately learn stuff in the process of figuring out how to make them sound good. In that case you would profit from it as much as they will.

If, however, you don't have a lot of free time, then you have to be compensated. I personally don't do anything for less than $25 a hour except for very close friends whom I rarely charge. I only have a couple of people I would do it for free for and even they would have to pay me if they did it more than once every couple of years.

BTW, I don't think I'd record all of them individually if you really meant everyone. The rhythm section should play together if possible. I'm sure that's what you meant.
 
Thanks, Lt. Bob! Sir, yes sir! I don't have the most free time in the world, but besides my 40 hours a week at work my time is mine during the summer. I'll probably just go with the flat hundred bucks as a rate, since they don't have a lot of money and I'm looking forward to doing the recording (I like the band a lot). I actually did mean that I would record each instrument individually. I'm not positive on that, though. When they come over for preliminaries this weekend I plan to record a snippet of them that way and another snippet of them all playing together and let them decide what they think is better, sonically and performance-wise. The bass player said that he's probably the most likely of any of them to need multiple takes to get his parts right, so that could complicate the matter of everybody playing at once. I only have four tracks into my PC, so I get more sonic versatility if I can devote all four tracks to drums and do the other instruments later. But we'll see.
 
F_cksia

F_cksia - hell yeah...defiantely. it's all about knowing what you're doing more then having the best gear.

some other local guys rent out a pro studio...but what comes out of it sounds worse them my shit - because he has no idea what he's doing.
 
No- only in cyberland (AUDIOFORUMS.COM). Good luck, and have fun. RD
 
Say Whoopy,
I recorded a 12 song CD for a blues band over here
and I charged 'em 130,000....pesetas, which no longer exist...a little under 800 smackers. I wanted to charge 'em a little more but they we're friends and had no more to spend and I'm also tryin' to get my name out. They submitted this recording to a small record company in Granada that does blues and flamenco and got accepted so hopefully it will be distributed all over Spain this fall. My set up is the following:
Mac G3 350
Digi 001
Lexicon MPX 100
Behringer Ultragain Pro Mic 2200
Behringer Virtualizer Pro
(I know Behringer sucks but I won this shit in a band contest so I guess at that price ya' can't complain)
1 Studio Projects C3
1 Audio Technica ATM 25
2 Crown CM700
1 Sennheiser 422MD (that's right 422 not 421)
1 Shure SM57
3 Shure SM58
Event 20 20 bas monitors
Yamaha Power Recording Drums
Fender Showman amp - early 70's model
Gibson ES175 - 1958 model

A good friend of mine who is a well known producer here claims that I was taken advantage of but then like I said, I'm tryin' to get "Moco de Pavo Productions" off the ground.
This week I'm mixing a live concert of a bunch of gypsy kids from Cordoba (I love flamenco) and the project is done by a non-profit organization who are trying to keep these kids from drugs and a life of crime (lot's of luck). I ain't workin for free cus the people who brought me the project are makin' some bread and they are not the n-p org but they ain't makin' much so I told 'em to pay me what they could but they seem to be impressed with my work and since they also do video, documentaries, etc this should hopefully lead to more work in which case I'll charge 'em as much as I can fuckin' get away with.
When ya get here we should hook up and do a version of Frank's "Dumb All Over" which I'm pretty sure we can get published by a friend's small record company in Valencia, if he doesn't go bankrupt first.
¡Hasta la pasta tronco!
jordokid
 
¿Que hay, tio? That gee-tar of yours sounds pretty damn sweet, as does the amp. I'm looking forward to getting together for some music. Doing 'Dumb All Over' sounds great--I love that song. I wonder if it'd work in Spanish...? I show up in Spain on August 29. Once I'm settled in I'll e-mail or call or something.

Forza al canut!
 
Hey Whoop,
It sho nuff is a sweet axe. Bought it over 20 years ago in Ark. for 300 bucks and is probably the wisest purchase I've made in my life. It's the same age as my wife (¿vintage wife?) but a lot easier to get along with as I can come home drunk as a sailor and it never gives me any shit about playing around with its F-holes. Only wish I were a better guitar player.
I actually transalated "Dumb All Over" for friends who speak no English as I feel that Frank hit the nail on the head, especially with all the bullshit that's going on nowadays.
Well look me up when you get here. We'll only be about 30 kms apart and watch out for those asshole taxi drivers in Barajas.
jordokid
 
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