Now What?

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steppingonmars

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Ok I've been doing recording for a little while and slowly improving. Never really intended to make this a buisness of sorts or anything, just wanted to make some good recordings for myself.
I guess my recordings must be getting better as a couple of decent bands have asked me to record them and have asked what my rates are. I guess that means they want to pay me? I did record a demo for the one band before for a case of beer, but I don't think I can justify this to my wife if I'm not making some cash on the deal.

I told them both realistically that I could give them a decent demo and I don't really want to do any large mutitracked fiascos as it's too time consuming. My studio is set up so I can record an entire band live, minus vox and get a decent sound. I've recorded bands like this very quickly and can usually mix them quite quick too, it took me about 10 hours to do whole mixes for 5 songs last time.

Anywhoo any past experiences or what I should charge would be appreciated. I'll attach a song here to give you an idea of the quality of work I do

http://www.box.net/shared/1fpao8k26y
 
steppingonmars said:
Ok I've been doing recording for a little while and slowly improving. Never really intended to make this a buisness of sorts or anything, just wanted to make some good recordings for myself.
I guess my recordings must be getting better as a couple of decent bands have asked me to record them and have asked what my rates are. I guess that means they want to pay me? I did record a demo for the one band before for a case of beer, but I don't think I can justify this to my wife if I'm not making some cash on the deal.

I told them both realistically that I could give them a decent demo and I don't really want to do any large mutitracked fiascos as it's too time consuming. My studio is set up so I can record an entire band live, minus vox and get a decent sound. I've recorded bands like this very quickly and can usually mix them quite quick too, it took me about 10 hours to do whole mixes for 5 songs last time.

Anywhoo any past experiences or what I should charge would be appreciated. I'll attach a song here to give you an idea of the quality of work I do

http://www.box.net/shared/1fpao8k26y
Click to expand...

Not an expert but since no one responded...

With any business, you need to determine what the market will bear. What are comparable people charging? Figure out who the local or regional studios are, what they charge, and listen to the quality of their work. Then decide how good yours is, and adjust the your price. If the local Pro Tools shop with all the toys is charging $50 per hour, you're not going to get away with that. If the guy down the street is charging $20 per hour and you blow him away, that's good info too.

Beat the competition in quality. If you can't do that, beat them in price. It's also important to spell out exactly what you do and for how much. Don't let anyone take away a master without paying. Keep money extra for the inevitable damage such as musicians accidentally stepping on headphones, etc. Do you record on site, or in your house? Think carefully about who you let in your house.

Insurance and a good alarm system are also positives. If you're going to be doing a lot of business, think about taxes and such. If you're doing it for real, be aware that your house may not be zoned for a commercial venture and any neighbor who doesn't like the way you cut the grass can shut your ass down. Mobile or on site recording is cool because you don't have the same zoning issues, to the best of my knowledge. Or at least it would be easier to get away with it. Have backup equipment ready and standing by. Learn your computer software inside and out and front to back. The better you know it the faster you work. If you're not recording with a computer, start. If it's a Windows machine, don't freaking use it for anything else and don't put it on the web. Keep it virginal and you'll have less spyware/adware/viruses. If it's a Mac, don't run Microsoft Office on it and you'll be fine.

Never put expensive mics on the drum set with an amateur drummer behind it. Never let the musicians touch the board. Don't do final mixes with the band sitting there arguing about who's instrument isn't the loudest. Look for services you can add on to gain a little profit - Offer to help them get their music online and with iTunes for an extra $100 - then submit their stuff to CDBaby for them for $55. If you know anyone who does web work, refer bands to that person for a small commission.

When bands book time, the clock starts when you say and stops when you say. Don't let bands show up 2 hours late. They're paying for your time whether they're there or not. If recording other people's crappy drums, invest in some conversion technologies so you can swap out their crappy sounds with your own high quality samples. There are many ways to do that. Buy a Line 6 POD 2 or some other simulator for people with crappy amps. Read up carefully on sound treatment options and microphones - this site here is an outstanding resource for both. But trust your own ears, too.

There is oh so much more but that's what I can think of straight away...
 
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Well I talked to the one band, I told them $200 for the 3 songs, they wanted $200 for 4 songs, then they started to spew off all the incredible things they wanted for that cash. I told them I want $15 an hour and told them they should get quotes from other studios and sample their work

They're going to borrow some superlux mics from the music store, not use any OH drum mics and record themselves in their basement, with a br1600, maybe it'll sound great, who knows.

I'm going to record the other band for $15 hour, I know it's not a lot, but it will at least be worth my time and they want to do a good job of it.

Thanks for the input
 
I'm thinking about it myself but more for singer/songwriters.
I'll have a musician friend over in a week or two to do a couple of songs for free.
So far he's fallen out with every engineer he's worked with so this should be a good test.
If it goes well, I'll consider a per song or per hour deal.
 
steppingonmars said:
Ok I've been doing recording for a little while and slowly improving. Never really intended to make this a buisness of sorts or anything, just wanted to make some good recordings for myself.
I guess my recordings must be getting better as a couple of decent bands have asked me to record them and have asked what my rates are. I guess that means they want to pay me? I did record a demo for the one band before for a case of beer, but I don't think I can justify this to my wife if I'm not making some cash on the deal.

I told them both realistically that I could give them a decent demo and I don't really want to do any large mutitracked fiascos as it's too time consuming. My studio is set up so I can record an entire band live, minus vox and get a decent sound. I've recorded bands like this very quickly and can usually mix them quite quick too, it took me about 10 hours to do whole mixes for 5 songs last time.

Anywhoo any past experiences or what I should charge would be appreciated. I'll attach a song here to give you an idea of the quality of work I do

http://www.box.net/shared/1fpao8k26y
Click to expand...

One big advice: Always take upfront cash!
 
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