Starting own studio

  • Thread starter Thread starter Gear_Junky
  • Start date Start date
great experience Tim Brown.

that was a great oportunity
to make your EXELLENT reputation.

I will work hard an dedicate time to make mine.


cheers from México. :)
 
That's interesting info. You'd think most drummers care about their sound, but I only know 2 and their drums sound terrible! I drum myself and I have a simpler kit, but it's tuned and sounds better.

Also the other musicians amps. It's true, the settings are different for recording (usually all flat) then when they play live and not all of them may understand this.

Turns out a friend of mine is almost done building his new house and he wanted to have a studio there and has the whole basement for it. Also, they're professional builders, so it would be no problem to build and soundproof a control room and vocal/instrument booths, etc. I'm going to make him an offer.

Are there any legal problems with running a commercial studio from a residential house?
 
Gear_Junky said:
That's interesting info. You'd think most drummers care about their sound, but I only know 2 and their drums sound terrible! I drum myself and I have a simpler kit, but it's tuned and sounds better.

Also the other musicians amps. It's true, the settings are different for recording (usually all flat) then when they play live and not all of them may understand this.

Turns out a friend of mine is almost done building his new house and he wanted to have a studio there and has the whole basement for it. Also, they're professional builders, so it would be no problem to build and soundproof a control room and vocal/instrument booths, etc. I'm going to make him an offer.

Are there any legal problems with running a commercial studio from a residential house?
Click to expand...

I'm a drummer, and almost every drummer I know is tone deaf. It bugs the hell out of me when I hear their cardboard box sounding drumkits. I like the drums to SING man! Tune those things to specific notes! I use 3 toms (15" Rack, 18" & 20" Floors) and I tune them 1 octave above the shells note. (So I tune them to pitches that would be similar to a 13", 16" and 18" really)
What I mean by this, is most guys would tune to the note that corresponds to the shell's fundamental note, just past the wrinkles. So, I tune to the note that's in the medium tension range, so that there's good stick rebound.

It depends upon the local zoning.
You COULD get the business license as an Independent Engineer/PRODUCER, and say nothing to them about recording bands, or providing the actual recording service.
Just have a little office in case they come to check.
Tell them when the bands go to record, that they hire you to actually mix the music for them.

Then, If you run an add somewhere-you only put a phone number, and maybe an E-mail contact-but no address.


Did you by chance play in the School band?
Just wondering because the majority of guys that I know had no training in School, while I went to a School, where The Music Instructor was big on Symphonic/Orchestral music; the Drummers/Percussionists had to learn to read music, and think of tuning drums to specified notes-as if they were a set of Tymps .

Tim
 
Tim - there was a guy Tony in Melbourne who was hired by the engineers/producers to come in and tune the kit. It made such a difference. It amazes me how many drummers don't really know how to tune a kit. Shit - I'm not a drummer but I can tune a kit. Mind you I did play in a brass band for five years though at school ;)
cheers
John
 
John Sayers said:
Tim - there was a guy Tony in Melbourne who was hired by the engineers/producers to come in and tune the kit. It made such a difference. It amazes me how many drummers don't really know how to tune a kit. Shit - I'm not a drummer but I can tune a kit. Mind you I did play in a brass band for five years though at school ;)
cheers
John
Click to expand...

Hi John,


What's funny to me, is this-How many guitar players would be able to even really make it as long as drummers do without knowing how to tune their guitars?! hahahaSome drummers go maybe their whole lives without knowing how to tune a kit.
I think guitarists would last maybe a few month's before somebody said "Here's how you tune it!"

Of course,I'm the kind of guy that If I played Piano, you can bet your butt I'd be learning how to tune the thing!

Admittedly, I kind of went overboard with the whole drumming thing-I went so far as to learn how to build drums, and built my own kit. I was even thinking of starting a drum company.

But, yeah man-It just bugs me when drummers don't know how to tune-and on top of that either don't care, or don't even want to learn! It's such a simple thing really.

You just make sure the whole Instrument vibrates as a unit, and not 3 different pieces (if it's a double headed drum that is: Top head, the Shell, and Bottom head; they need to vibrate as 1 piece, and when they do-the drum is generally alot louder, and more sensitive. Plus, it just outright SOUNDS better.)

Heck, I wish I could get a job just tuning and mic'ing drums!


Tim
 
Yep, yep, yep, but this whining (me included) belongs on drum-talk.com ;)

No, I didn't play in a school band. I only picked up drumming less then a year ago, always wanted to and finally got my first set.
 
Back to the topic ;-)


I run a small but rather nice Homestudio here in Nashville and find it to be a good source of "extra" income. Being that I am not trying to make a living off the studio it lets me be a little picky about who I record. Nashville is a very tough city to have a studio in, there are so many its just sick. Of course there are also an abundance of people willing to record but the rates are cut throat. On average I am making around 1000+ extra a month and only working when I want. And all the money I make goes right back in the studio and investing. My rates are nice for what I have, IMHO. Check out the site at the bottom of the page.

There are a couple of ways I get clients in the studio.

1. Word of mouth(the most important of all advertising)
I did a project for a guy when I started the studio for free because he didn't have any money but people loved his music and everybody around town knew who he was. I went the extra mile and it paid off about 100 fold. I have recorded at least 10 people that he sent to me and they are refering others as well.

2. Scouting(I know someone mentioned it earlier but I just wanted to say its an amazing way to pick up clients, and ones you like. I go to writers nights and clubs and hand out cards and mix it up with everybody I can.

3. POSTERS( Posters rule. Go to Kinko's and go nuts posting around places where musicians are.

By doing those 3 things a person with a decent setup should be able to make a decent amount of money with the studio. And best of all the more you make the more you get, the more you get the more you charge, the more you make ;-) Beautiful cycle. Well its late and I have babbled enough so off to bed.

http://www.offtherow.com/main.htm
That should take you right to the main page rather then go through my construction of building my flash movie.


P.S. Ignore the pictures page the photos are VERY outdated(9 Months) back in the days of one monitor AHHHH. There is also quite a bit of equipment not listed. There will be updated ones added very soon. I am just finishing up the site so bear with me.


Shakes,

Have you hugged your JoeMeek today?



[Edited by ShakesTheClown on 10-23-2000 at 23:03]
 
Hey, Shakes, very nice. I especially like your rates and policy page. Do you mind if I borrow some concepts from "terms and conditions"? It's always easier to rely on experience. Can you explain how you do it in legal terms, are you a registered business? (I think I'll have partners, so I'm thinking a small closed corporation) How many people work with you (the help, not the clients)? Do you give customers any receipts? My intention is to keep it legal, I don't wanna get into trouble with the city and the IRS.

Share more, Shakes! Thanks!
 
I try to keep the whole thing a "cash only operation" Unless the person really needs a bill, then I log it in a file as earnings. About 90% of my bussiness is cash so none of that is really a problem. As far as the legal stuff I didn't write it but sure take whatever concepts you like. I have no employees ;-) That way I keep it real simple, no heath insurance, no workmans comp. I like it that way, I hope some of that helps. Try to use the KISS method of running a bussiness. "keep it simple stupid" I have always thought that was a good way of thinking. I am however in talks with someone about a partnership and then it would be a legit bussiness and the ballgame would change. Till then however its just me enjoying recording who and what I want ;-)

Shakes,




Have you hugged your JoeMeek today?
 
Unbelievable

Hey Shakes, I really don't appreciate you stealing every freaking graphic off of my website and passing it off as your own (with a copyright notice, no less) on your website. I spent a very long time creating the background graphics and working out the table borders and color scheme myself. I have the original Photoshop files from that background and can describe in detail every filter I applied to achieve that effect and the painstaking process of making it tile (almost) seamlessly. Here is my website where the design originated http://aisle.pair.com . If you would have asked me to use any of the graphics or use the design as a basis for your own site then the situation would have been different. Since that's not how thing went down, I'd appreciate it if you would remove all of my original graphics from your site and try mustering some creativity of your own. A copy of this is being e-mailed to you, but I wanted to make sure this was mentioned in a public place as well. Jesus, I can't believe you could so blatently rip off my entire site design (as simplistic as it is).
 
whoops

your typo.. i mean hyperlink dont work dude. i want to see this! fight fight fight!

p.s.- you should PROBABLY have conducted this in private ;)
 
relax ...

He only stole both graphics.... not all. :D
That is, if he stole anything ... your link doesn't work. Stealing is bad, though ... especially when you can get better stuff for free.

btw ... nice studio Shakes.
 
Well that was a shocker!


I had what I thought to be a friend, who designed a site for me that all I had to do was type in the boxes to update. I thought he would have used orginal HTML and his own stuff to do it. If, he did indead steal someones graphics then I don't really want the site or the friend and its back to shi&^y old frontpage and me.( I even gave the basterd studiotime for designing it.) I have not however seen his site to see if he did rip it off because the links he gave me in his email were not working. I am kinda at a loss for words here and am both angry and quite ashamed at the same time. I really don't know what to say except sorry. I would however like to see his site to see how close it is before bitching someone out.

Shakes,


Have you hugged your JoeMeek today.
 
ill design you a site for free if you let me bugger your joe meek? hehehe. i dont know why but everytime i read the have you hugged your joe meek today i think it says bugger. AAAAAAAahahhahahaha. ahh shit i gotta get off this crack
 
resolved (soon)

Ok, just got an e-mail from Shakes himself. Shame on me for conducting the public humiliation campaign before contacting him directly, but I was slightly peeved at the moment :). In my haste I also screwed up my own URL - it's http://aisle4.pair.com . If you check out my site, it's plainly clear that my graphics and general design were directly ripped off by Shakes' buddy.

ok BigKahuna, *both* graphics. heh. Yes, better stuff is available for free, although I like that background. I never said my site was brilliant, I said it was stolen. :D
 
sorry man ... I didn't mean to insult you...
if I did, I'm sorry ... just being stupid/funny <--- (you pick which one) :)
 
sure looks like somebody has ripped off someones pages eeh?? :eek: I understand Diragor being upset as one can spend hours getting the right effects and titles etc


Nice studio Shakes - but is there any acoustic treatment at all??? I didn't see any cept a blue sheet on the wall and as we are in the Studio Building and Display forum I think such an observation is relavent ;)

Cheers
John :)
 
Yes there is about $1,000 of acoustic treatment done with foam and wooden difusers. The photo's are from when we first moved in, like I said above ignore the photos they are of the begining of the studio. The control room is pretty padded up as well and not quite setup like in the photo either, that was about 9 months to a year ago. I really need to get at adding equipment and new photos to the site, just don't have much time, or a digital camera.(really need one of those)


Shakes,



Have you buggered your JoeMeek today? ;-)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top