home studio - security?

Chris Tondreau

Chris Tondreau

Member
Hey all;

Looking for some thoughts from the community here...

I have a home studio and have taken a few steps to ensure security.

1. I book by appointment only.
2. I do not publish my address. This information is only given upon booking.
3. I have a "you are being video recorded" sticker on my door.

Despite my best efforts, I had a band come in that has some plusses and minuses.

Plus:
- signed to a small label that is a partnering with a major label for a compilation release.
- Canadian band with good press, even as far away as the UK
- they want to record their album with me.

Minus:
- the singer has a... history. She was originally charged with murder. The crown withdrew that charge, but she was subsequently charged with being an accessory to robbery. She spent two years in prison. (her and her then boyfriend were heroin addicts who robbed a guy for his medications that he was on... he died in the process)

Which leads me to the question - What do you do to ensure the safety of your gear, your self, and your family when people come in to record?

Interested in whatever you have to offer.

Thanks!
CT
 
I hate to add another goof of a response, but:

A "you are being recorded" sticker in a recording studio is like a "you are being washed" sticker at a car wash :D

Seriously though, I can't imagine inviting someone with such a history into my own home. At some point, you have to draw a line for your own personal standards of safety. For all I know, she may be a charming chick. But hell if I'd let her near my family or belongings.
 
Try a big dog and a .45 ACP. Either one will fuck up an unruly human being real bad when used correctly.
 
By the way, do you have a picture of the singer? The whole "charged with murder" thing is kind of hot. And since she was into smack, she should at least be thin.
 
Chris Tondreau said:
Minus:
- the singer has a... history. She was originally charged with murder. The crown withdrew that charge, but she was subsequently charged with being an accessory to robbery. She spent two years in prison. (her and her then boyfriend were heroin addicts who robbed a guy for his medications that he was on... he died in the process)

Which leads me to the question - What do you do to ensure the safety of your gear, your self, and your family when people come in to record?
Click to expand...

Easy....don't book anyone that has those kind of Minuses.
 
Chris Tondreau said:
Hey all;

Looking for some thoughts from the community here...

I have a home studio and have taken a few steps to ensure security.

1. I book by appointment only.
2. I do not publish my address. This information is only given upon booking.
3. I have a "you are being video recorded" sticker on my door.

Despite my best efforts, I had a band come in that has some plusses and minuses.

Plus:
- signed to a small label that is a partnering with a major label for a compilation release.
- Canadian band with good press, even as far away as the UK
- they want to record their album with me.

Minus:
- the singer has a... history. She was originally charged with murder. The crown withdrew that charge, but she was subsequently charged with being an accessory to robbery. She spent two years in prison. (her and her then boyfriend were heroin addicts who robbed a guy for his medications that he was on... he died in the process)

Which leads me to the question - What do you do to ensure the safety of your gear, your self, and your family when people come in to record?

Interested in whatever you have to offer.

Thanks!
CT
Click to expand...

Oh boy! You asked.

Dont fucking let them in!!!!!. Dont let them in to your life !!!! Dont let them into your studio!!!!!!

A dead body? ? Heroin addiction?? 2 years prison???

I dont care how charming, talented, etc. she is, this is bad news.

Every heroin addict I've met is a liar and not to be trusted.
What if..... in a years time she
goes back on the smack?? Long after you've spent your money and have moved on and forgotten, She'll remember where you live. You got gear she can hock for dope.

Don't do it man. I wouldnt. Forget about money. I wouldnt have anyone in my home that I wouldnt be willing to have over for dinner.....especially with a family.

In a commercial setting, yeah. Maybe. There you have insurance, alarms, usually more secure facilities, and you DONT lay your head down to sleep there. In your home, you run risk of home invasion, and it could happen a year or so later.


Edit: I thought about it. They've probably already been to your studio (house) So too late.
Get a gun, learn how to use it. Practice so you dont have to think. Get so you are in control of the weapon under stress. Haha! Thats usually when they are needed, high stress situations.

If people come in your studio, dont let them figure out the layout of the house. Hopefully, you have a separate entrance to the studio and an adjoining bathroom.

Dogs help. Cactus plants make excellent perimeter control (depending on geographic location) Anyone who has ever had a run in with a cactus can attest to the severe displeasure they can cause.

But overall, keeping the studio seperate from the house is a good idea.

Only take clients that are referrals, vetted beforehand.


Maybe I sound a bit paraniod and extreme, but I have a family member who's a cop and I have some good cop friends. Stuff like I mentioned happens
 
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Good locks.... Good Glock and a Good alarm system....

RFR is pretty spot on..

You didn't really lay out your set up...

The "studio" is at your house...is it attached?

Do you advertise?

Most home studios are just a garage repurposed and that means no bathroom and that means you gotta let them into your house...Unless you REALLY know them....and we've all been blown away by the actions of someone we thought we knew. I'd personally never let people I meet off of Craigslist come use my room. I have sold shit on Craigslist and dependent on the vibe let some people see my room but it's rare..

The guitarist that I plays keys for in his cover band rents out his garage for chump change but it is set up like fort knox...multiple layers of doors with locks and he has 3 yappers that don't let you get close to the front door. I leave an amp there but haul all the rest of my gear home after every rehearsal.

I've thought about it and maybe someday when we get another man eating dog I'll consider it but the risk to reward at least for me seems to great.
 
Seriously though, please PLEASE just redirect them to a legitimate commercial studio. Be respectful and explain you're not equipped to deal with them right now, which is the case. A commercial studio will have alarms, locks, and theft protection and can handle clients in a more professional manner.

Adults have all kinds of pasts, and bad news travels faster than good. So if prying into these people's pasts or being the recipient of gossip puts you in a position where you feel untrusting, please PLEASE politely decline the job. DO NOT do it for a quick buck, then have to follow them around and hawk-eye them to make sure they aren't eying your Presonus Audiobox or grandma's silver collection. That type of treatment even years later makes junkies relapse. If there's the slightest question, just send them to a commercial studio. And try to avoid being condescending. Thanks.
 
fat_fleet said:
Stick to recording your church group.
Click to expand...

They may not rob you or murder you for your gear...but those are the ones that will bore you to death with their music and "message".

(Here come all the guys that play in church groups). :D

Seriously though...I've heard more horror stories of "church group politics", than you get with your typical high school garage band.
 
Thanks for the replies, all!

Here is the UK article, which came out prior to the charges being downgraded.

Pantychrist singer Danielle Delottinville has been charged with the murder of Jessie Kovacs | Daily Mail Online

However, yes. She has already been. She was polite and pleasant and everything. People who have been to prison usually don't re-offend, but this really weirded me out.

I had no idea in advance, though. Their drummer called me up and we made arrangements. It wasn't until about 3/4 of the way through the session that I realized and remembered the story.

Yes, the studio is accessible via a side entrance to the house that goes straight downstairs, and there is a bathroom down there. That's sort of a security measure, though probably not that effective overall.

I guess, quite simply, aside from gun ownership, (haha) there really is no way around avoiding these things except for keeping a smaller and tighter circle around the studio - referrals, vetting people - every person, not just the person who books, etc.

I had to laugh about the Rolling Stones/Hell's Angels comment. LOL

Thx!
Chris
 
I don't agree with the gun bit. Yeah right, gonna spend $500 on a .45 only to be so nervous, you miss. Pfft, no thanks. Get a shotgun. you don't have to aim!!. :D

Saw the barrel off so you can stash it in your audio desk. For real.

Or don't do business with someone you don't trust. Not if they are coming to your house. Robbery. They see all your equipment, stake out your house, figure out where to enter, when to enter... your stuff is gone.
 
Chris Tondreau said:
Yes, the studio is accessible via a side entrance to the house that goes straight downstairs, and there is a bathroom down there. That's sort of a security measure, though probably not that effective overall.
Click to expand...

It's one of the negatives of home studio recording. I mean...even a pro/commercial studio can get robbed...but they tend to have more formal security, and there's usually more staff around...unlike you, all alone in your home studio with the band.
I don't think anyone would rob you on the spot...but with a home studio, it would be easier for a band to case the situation, and then come back at another time...like if people get to know when you are not around...etc.
Hamilton Police homicide Staff-Sgt. Ian Matthews said: 'I believe a connection was made,' explaining that the victim knew at least one of the suspects,
Click to expand...

It just pays to pre-screen you clients before they show up at your door, if possible.
The occasional recordings I've done with outside people, have always been through a known contact...and I always tell them to please, not spread the word, as I prefer to keep it private.

So...get a decent alarm system, camera's if possible...and make sure you have insurance to cover the worst.
 
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