It's over seven years now that I've had a home recording studio. It began as a bereavement project - something to both take my mind off loss and to create something commemorative of the person I'd lost. A creative space, separate from the house, a dedicated music room tucked away at the back of the barn, it has a live room, a control room, a vocal booth and storage areas. Mics by Shure, Røde and AKG, three Macs, Focusrite and Presonus preamps/interfaces, a raft of production software... it's a hobby just a little bit out of control.
I'm often asked how much I charge for studio work... I've said, many times, that if I'd set out to run the studio as a business, it would have closed down years ago. There's been a handful of local projects I've helped, and a lot of online collaborations, but mostly it's just me using the space to develop ideas. Music production involves a broad skills set and is itself constantly evolving, it's a permanent education process. That alone is all I ever asked and keeps me busy.
How much do I charge?
First, you're wanting a large chunk of my time and the use of some expensive gear and resources. Second, you're hiring me for either pre-production, production or post production work, or a combination of these, and - you're hiring me as either engineer, or producer - or both.
Pre-production: this is developing you and your music for bookings and record sales. My role in these activities could range from minimal to managerial, with all stops in between. This is song development and arrangement, one or many.
Production : tracking your developed, arranged songs, then...
... Post-Production : editing, then mixing each of your song tracks down to a final mix, ready for mastering, and either mastering or providing stem mixes for mastering out-house. Might also include DDP (the process of adding information to a master including track listing, artist & composer details etc - so when a cd is popped into a player, it identifies itself and gives a track listing. It also tracks sales for royalties).
"Going into the studio" could mean any one, two or all three of these processes. Before asking for 'how much?' you need a plan, and a budget. Maybe you just want some demos to attract bookings for gigs. Maybe you want to sell CDs. Maybe you're building a career as a songwriter and/or performer/band. Will the studio you're looking at offer the elements you need, or will you split the costs between different providers? That said, there has to be a producer, which might be just you, but who will be 'in charge' of all three of the above stages, and beyond into publishing and distribution?
Before asking 'how much?' you need to know what you want from the process - from just getting a song/some songs tracked for someone else to mix, synch to video etc... to recording an album with single releases in a planned campaign. Making a record is a substantial investment - you'll want a good and realistic idea of what returns you might get - tangible and intangible - and set a budget that includes marketing and distribution. You might also need to budget for session players, offering at least MU rates, if you're a solo singer-songwriter.
A guide to 'how much?' means considering three basic tiers: A simple, home studio set-up, A fully equipped project studio with a live room, used by local professionals. High end production studios, with various rooms, iso rooms and booths, and probably more than a single studio and a pedigree of being used by major artists. At even the lowest level,the home studio, digital technology and the power available with a single laptop computer, make it possible to produce a record. At the lowest level it will likely be necessary to go out house for mastering but the limitations of the lower levels are mostly those of scale. Making songs from samples, maybe with a single live instrument, is one thing, but bring in a band... I have a dedicated live room and vocal booth but tracking a four or five piece band is a major exercise in creating isolation, and, unless working with pros, tracking in layers with a click is unlikely to be a viable option. That said, I've become adept at creating isolation for bands playing all together which for most local bands is the best option for a good take (with a few overdubs later...).
At the first, lowest, level, recording is likely to cost between £25 and £60 per hour (£150 to £400 per day). Whats on offer will determine where on that scale - the engineer, the room, the mics, the preamps... are. Production cost at this level £100-£300 per song. A % split on writing/publishing might be available. Mixing at this level is likely to be £50-£100 per song, if available at all.
Moving up a level, you should be getting live room, drum room, vocal booth, probably a console based control room, high end mics and preamps. Recording £50 - £100 per hour, £500 - £1000 per day. Production at this level £500-£1000 per song, Mixing £150 - £500+ per song.
At the high end, expect recording to be from £1000 per day, Production from £1000 per song, Mixing £1000 - £3000 per song.
Mastering will be £25 - £30 per song, basic, £50 - £150 per song mid-range, star quality £100 - £350 per song, and upwards.
Don't forget, there are costs involved in publishing and promotion, so consider deals which might involve % splits on earnings but reduce the studio and production costs.
Whatever your plan (and you'll need to have promotion/distribution plans from day 1) - bear in mind that your are hiring a technician, a space, expensive gear and all for a period of time. Don't expect to rock up and track a half dozen songs in a day. Setting up and establishing the signal chain can be half a day alone. Don't overlook pre-production - turning up and asking for a click track that's never been used by the band - or you - before; asking if there's an amp you can use - and will then need to get used to/find your sound with; not having any charts for session players etc. - all this should be covered in preproduction. Playing in the live room is not like playing live to a crowd, getting levels that work, minimising 'bleed', or building tracks an instrument at a time are skills that may well be new. Bear in mind that your tracks will need editing, synching... Don't expect to mix 'by committee' - mixing is a lonely, mostly solo endeavour (there'll be plenty of time to discuss revisions once a basic static mix is done - most mix engineers give a final mix with up to three revisions within the fee).
Me - I have a good room, decent gear, I'd be in that lower bracket but pushing into the next level - a 'home studio' that's more a 'project studio'. What interests me most currently is developing a YouTube channel.
Two negative responses in seven years that still stick in the mind... "Where do ya think you are, London?" No, its Pottery Lane, not Abbey Road, but all the same...
and... "I think you should do it for free" from someone wanting to make a CD for sale. Yep, because that would make for a good model wouldn't it? I have, in the past, offered freebies such as 'taster sessions', and may do so occasionally in future under the 'PreProduction' heading.
To all the many happy studio visitors - I've loved working with you, keep playing, keep dreaming and I'll keep learning and helping where I can.
Comments