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wjgypsy
New member
Do you record for a living? if you do, then please tell me how you got there.
zeke
zeke
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NoFO
New member
i only do it part time, does that count?
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t_chance
New member
It would be nice to at least make enough to pay for the gear. Maybe it's time for a tax write off.
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littledog
New member
50% recording
50% performing (keyboards/piano)
50% performing (keyboards/piano)
Chris Shaeffer
Peavey ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I do soundtracks for multimedia productions, and record demos for local people. Small time, but its what I do for a living.
Take care,
Chris
Take care,
Chris
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DKMurphPr
New member
I live to record.
Fortunately, I don't record to live.
Fortunately, I don't record to live.
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wjgypsy
New member
You see, i'm wanting to engineer full-time and i was just wanting some tips.
zeke
zeke
strmkr
New member
Right now I am making about 60% of my income from the studio/cd duplication biz, 20% from gigging on the weekends and 20% from working 2 days a week pushing buttons at a local t.v. station.
How I got here? I worked my ass off burning steel at a heat exchanger plant until I paid off the house and property. Once you have a paid-for place to live and work,the rest isn't so hard.
How I got here? I worked my ass off burning steel at a heat exchanger plant until I paid off the house and property. Once you have a paid-for place to live and work,the rest isn't so hard.
Son of Mixerman
Mix Junior
ZEKE SAYER said:
Oh...
I couldn't see your studio pics, so I can't comment too much. To engineer full time, you sorta need to engineer part time to build a customer base through working for less than minimum wage. Start young, network with musicians and other people into recording including mastering engineers. Practice and absorb everything around you. Intern if possible(it didn't help me) with good people. Make sure your trust worthy with some level of integrity. Be ready at all times. Learn what an engineer has to do. Mixing is only a small portion of the total package. Persistance. Learn how to manage money and time.
Its not just a job, its an adventure.
SoMm
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NoFO
New member
Go freelance. Or work for a major studio that will promise you enough money to live comfortably. (you gotta have mad skillz for that) Owning a studio can be a money pit if you do not have an established client base (read- 20-30 regular clients) and working as a house engineer for a smaller studio can leave you without work for weeks on end.
Get A DAT, CDR or Masterlink, a pair of small diaphram condensors, a decent 2 channel mic pre and a great big boom stand for doing location recording for schools, churches, etc. that always pays well.
get in good with some local studio owners and they will hook you up with some gigs under their name, just make sure you get in good with the clients to make sure they ask for you, but don't piss off the owner so he thinks you are stealing clientel.
as you get clients, you will have studios that you are familiar with, and they will charge you a studio fee, you charge your fee, if you are good, both technically and as a businessman, you can make $30k your first full year, but you will have to bust your hump and do some favors along the way.
after that, keep in constant touch with all your clients, as they move into new bands, they will remember you and your client base can grow exponentially. and then you can start to name your price.
a whole hella lotta work. that's why i work retail to pay the bills and work with clients i've had since my full time days as i feel like it.
just the ramblings of a man too lazy (and too comitted to his wife) to go for it himself!
Get A DAT, CDR or Masterlink, a pair of small diaphram condensors, a decent 2 channel mic pre and a great big boom stand for doing location recording for schools, churches, etc. that always pays well.
get in good with some local studio owners and they will hook you up with some gigs under their name, just make sure you get in good with the clients to make sure they ask for you, but don't piss off the owner so he thinks you are stealing clientel.
as you get clients, you will have studios that you are familiar with, and they will charge you a studio fee, you charge your fee, if you are good, both technically and as a businessman, you can make $30k your first full year, but you will have to bust your hump and do some favors along the way.
after that, keep in constant touch with all your clients, as they move into new bands, they will remember you and your client base can grow exponentially. and then you can start to name your price.
a whole hella lotta work. that's why i work retail to pay the bills and work with clients i've had since my full time days as i feel like it.
just the ramblings of a man too lazy (and too comitted to his wife) to go for it himself!
Michael Jones
New member
Stay in school.ZEKE SAYER said:
Go to college.
Study mathematics and physics.
Then follow NOFO's advice.
sweetnubs
New member
"Maybe it's time for a tax write off." do it. You can write off all of your purchases. Even if you just record at home get a business liscence. write it all off. The governemnt fucks us enough already.
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wjgypsy
New member
Damnright!
strmkr
New member
And good advice it is!
You don't want to wind up like I did spending too much of my life burning steel,driving a truck,running a sandblast rig or any of the other crappy jobs I've worked over the years just to pay the bills so I could steal some time for music.
My advice would be if you want to do it full time for the rest of your life,set your goals toward owning and operating your own recording business.You can work yur whole life for someone else,making them a lot of money while you do all the hard work and believe me,they will happily let you do it.
Work on developing "people skills". It goes a long way with a lot of clients. I was having a conversation with a long time friend/client the other day and asked him why,with the kind of money he has to spend,he was recording at my shabby little place when he could record at "bigtime studio xyz" across town with the ssl,big 2" machines and all the cool toys? His answer was "I've been over there and the guy knows his stuff but is a real sourpuss to work with,I would rather come here and cut up and tell a few jokes and have a little fun. It's you that makes the studio great to work in,not the gear"
Don't overlook media duplication as an additional revenue stream for your business.For the first few years I had this place,at the end of a lot of projects,I would get the question "where can I get 10, 25,50,100 of these made up?" and I would reccomend various sources around town. After a while,I got to thinking "they're walking out with money in their pockets I could be making." so I bought a 7 bay cd duplicator and the answer to that question now is "I can do those for you right here" not only that,but I have 3 other studios in the area who are using me exclusively for their short-run duplication projects. I have effectively doubled my revenue stream over the last 2 years with this aspect of the business.
Good luck and Godspeed to you. I wish I was your age at this time. A lot of changes are coming in the industry at a fast pace. Work hard and roll with them.
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NoFO
New member
oh yeah, great point!
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wjgypsy
New member
thanks man,
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Harvey Gerst
New member
Zeke,ZEKE SAYER said:
Define "living".
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wjgypsy
New member
Well, i guess it's what you do for money to buy food and things to wair.
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Harvey Gerst
New member
In that case, I guess I make all my money from recording. I thought you meant making a "good living".ZEKE SAYER said:
smellyfuzz
New member
JUST SO EVERY ONE IS ON THE SAME PAGE…
I do not make a dime in Music. It has always cost me a ton of bread.
I do however own a very small Carpet Cleaning business and over the last eight year the most SURPRISING thing I have learned is…
Just because YOU OWN a business, any business, doesn’t mean you make a ton of cash.
I’ve cleaned & met every kind of person anyone could imagine,
I have found that only the rare occasions is when someone makes the big bucks in thier own business.
I could absolutely make more money working for some one.
So, why do I stay in business…
Self destiny, a lower stress life, not have to explain to my boss why I’m not coming in today and for the CHANCE that I might make my small business into a bigger one some day.
Sean
I do not make a dime in Music. It has always cost me a ton of bread.
I do however own a very small Carpet Cleaning business and over the last eight year the most SURPRISING thing I have learned is…
Just because YOU OWN a business, any business, doesn’t mean you make a ton of cash.
I’ve cleaned & met every kind of person anyone could imagine,
I have found that only the rare occasions is when someone makes the big bucks in thier own business.
I could absolutely make more money working for some one.
So, why do I stay in business…
Self destiny, a lower stress life, not have to explain to my boss why I’m not coming in today and for the CHANCE that I might make my small business into a bigger one some day.
Sean