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Post by indiehouse on Jul 25, 2018 14:29:32 GMT -6
So, I’ve been acquiring some really nice gear over the years, mostly jumping on good second hand deals. I’ve actually got a fair amount of outboard now, probably 4 racks worth, and some stuff in the pipeline coming in, and some stuff to build. I’ve got a pretty nice mic collection, and now a ton of pro acoustic treatment.
But, I’m lacking a purpose built space. I could do a studio build out in the basement or garage, both have their drawbacks (and expenses). The thought occurred to me to approach a local studio here with the prospect of partnering up or something. I’d bring all my gear/mics/treatment/monitors to the table, which I’m fairly certain smokes anything they have, or at least outnumbers theirs. It seems like a risky move, and I'm not sure how the logistics would work. I’d love to have a better space, though. I’m not super comfortable with the idea of having all of my gear out there like that. Its a pretty significant investment. Not sure how I would even approach this. We’re really just connected on Facebook and have mutual friends. Also, I’m really not in a position to quit my day job or anything. I get paid decently to do Audio/Video work at a university. I just basically want a space I could work out of when I want to in my limited free time. I would miss the convenience of just walking into the next room to do studio work, instead of a 25 minute drive, one way. What if my gear ends up broke or missing? Mics dropped, speakers blown, etc?
I'd be willing to be responsible for a portion of the overhead each month, depending on what that is. And this is where the idea starts to fall apart for me. Like, is it 50/50? I certainly won't be using the space for 50% of the month. And what about scheduling and booking?
I don't know. I'm just kind of rambling and talking out loud. Good idea? Bad idea? I mean, I'm not trying to be a competitor or anything. My initial thought is that it could be a win for both of us. The studio gets a healthy gear boost and I get a space to call home.
Of course, if the shoe were on the other foot, I'd probably be reluctant to deal with it.
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Post by svart on Jul 25, 2018 14:34:56 GMT -6
I've tried discussions on partnering with studio owners around here. No go. Those who entertain the idea generally end up letting on that they want your clients, and little more.
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Post by swurveman on Jul 25, 2018 15:36:31 GMT -6
Here's my experience:
I partnered with a guy who had a studio that had been in business for awhile. He wanted more gear and I wanted a better space. We met at my place and his and had talks about what we both wanted/needed out of the partnership and why. After some time, we both trusted each other and went for it. We both did this full time. The studio had an alarm system. So, I wasn't concerned about theft. I trusted he wouldn't be reckless with my gear and he wasn't. You have to make a character assessment. In this case I made a good one.
It was a good idea and he was a good guy, but there was not enough enough profit to make up for the $1,300.00 a month we were paying for the space. When his lease was up, he quit the business and got a 9-5 job. I went back to my home studio. I do miss his large tracking room and dedicated control room.
Many here may disagree, but if I had to do it over again I would have bought a console and- against my acoustician's advice- cut up my room into a tracking and mixing space. I think consoles impress people who really do not understand hybrid tracking and mixing and people have a conception of what a studio should look like, which includes a tracking and mixing room.
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Post by drbill on Jul 25, 2018 15:50:53 GMT -6
To play devil's advocate from your potential partners viewpoint : "What are you bringing to the business other than gear?". If you're not bringing in clients, credits, or a following, I'd be dis-inclined to partner up.
From your perspective, you're going to loose your closeness to home, probably loose some $$ per month in rent, and your gear will undoubtably take some hard knocks. Is it worth it for the extra room? Only you can answer that, but from my perspective, I'd be thinking about building out my garage for a live room, or running tie lines into other rooms in the house, and give the family a fun day out when I wanted to record more instruments.
My $0.02 devalued to $0.00025467 for streaming.
[really just my personal preferences]
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2018 17:37:59 GMT -6
But, I’m lacking a purpose built space. What are you doing right now with all the gear you have? Are you recording in concerts or other spaces? Are you making enough money to pay for the gear now or have you just been accumulating gear because you love it? If you're making decent money now, then you might consider a partnership since you'll obviously have a clientele to bring along. If you're not making money, I'd recommend a couple of other business-related threads on this forum. The studio business is a lousy business and it's way easier to lose your shirt than to make enough to buy a second shirt. You have to take a ruthless look at your own skill set and the real business opportunities in your area. Hope is a great thing to have, but you also need a believable business case. If there's no business case, then build out your own space and enjoy it as an avocation. |
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Post by rowmat on Jul 25, 2018 17:43:21 GMT -6
I'm in a partnership arrangement.
He has the space (private residence, no rent) and brings the clients and often produces.
I provide most of the gear, tech maintenance and repairs and do the engineering.
We generally joint mix.
It works well overall the downside being we split the daily rate so the money is not so good individually.
The upside is burnout is less of an issue than if you were running everything on your own.
The reality is if we had to pay commercial rental rates and also pay for tech maintenance and repairs it wouldn't be viable unless we doubled our daily rate and in this economic reality that would cost us a lot of potential clients.
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kcatthedog
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Post by kcatthedog on Jul 25, 2018 17:48:59 GMT -6
Another challenge is, currently you are answerable to yourself. How much of that do you really want to give up?
When I got this ball rolling, I really thought I wanted to get a little studio going but now I find I really like just working on my own songs and only being answerable to myself.
I realize that is not a very viable business philosophy, so I think my recording space is just that: just my space for my recording.
So, I guess I am asking you, what do you really want most? And do that ?!
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Post by ericn on Jul 25, 2018 17:50:36 GMT -6
The reality is the most important thing we can bring to the party as non - musicians besides our skills is the room. The room is real estate and in most places it’s far from cheap! Nobody wants to hear this because the room isn’t looked at as something sexy and with a whole generation of AE’s who never set foot in a good room there is this unspoken idea that you can get by with a small closet.
What is often forgotten in deals where somebody parks expensive gear in somebody else’s room is the gear in 99% of these situations doesn’t come close to the expense of the real estate!
Of the 3 situations like this I have been in, only the first where I was young and stupid did I think I should get some sort of equity for parking my gear somewhere. In the 2 situations as an adult I was just happy to have a nice place I could use!
Funny enough though both partners always gave me a significant share of the proceeds for projects where all I did was pop my head in an offer advice or do some troubleshooting. I figure they new it would be earmarked for more gear.
So if you have a nice secure place in the KC area I have a couple of consoles, a RADAR V a Ampex 8 track.... that I would love find a room for😁
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Post by ericn on Jul 25, 2018 17:52:27 GMT -6
I'm in a partnership arrangement. He has the space (private residence, no rent) and brings the clients and often produces. I provide most of the gear, tech maintenance and repairs and do the engineering. We generally joint mix. It works well overall the downside being we split the daily rate so the money is not so good individually. The upside is burnout is less of an issue than if you were running everything on your own. The reality is if we had to pay commercial rental rates and also pay for tech maintenance and repairs it wouldn't be viable unless we doubled our daily rate and in this economic reality that would cost us a lot of potential clients. Do make sure your own insurance covers your gear at his residence used for commercial purposes! |
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Post by christopher on Jul 25, 2018 17:53:32 GMT -6
I think its better to team up with a studio as a freelance guy, then work on bringing in business there and work as needed. Then after a few months, see if you like the situation enough to get into a partnership. You want to be able to know what kind of person you are dealing with. Its typically a money losing business, and the stress can do crazy things to people. You don't want to be legally bound to a partnership and they start selling off your gear as "rent payment" or something nuts like that. But if they are cool, I think it can be a lot fun.
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Post by rowmat on Jul 25, 2018 18:11:42 GMT -6
Even if your business partner is an okay person it's the overhead that is a major stumbling block for those coming from a low overhead home studio environment to a commercial premises where the bills always seem to roll in twice as fast as the client payments.
Also what business arrangements are in place for you to still receive income in the event that other engineers may use the studio and your gear from time to time?
I have seen things get awkward where the other partner will chase work that often involves bringing in clients who already have their own engineer.
If that's the case you can kiss your engineering fee goodbye but what about the use of your equipment?
These are all things that need to be worked out contractually so you don't get burnt.
One way around that is to split every dollar that comes in 50/50 regardless.
That can work if you are both putting in an equal amount of work.
However supposing you end up bringing in most of the clients and your partner starts taking a lot of time off and leaving you to do most of the work. Would you feel happy about giving him 50% of everything you are doing while he's off wind surfing and scuba diving in Acapulco for a month?
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Post by bowie on Jul 25, 2018 20:32:17 GMT -6
I won't go too much into this for the possibility that people have worked with could be reading, but these things are rarely ever 50/50. That's ok. But, you must decide if the situation is enough for you to be happy with it, or if the other individual is really going to stay happy with that they are offered (you don't want them changing their mind and creating a complicated mess months in).
Whatever you do, always prepare for a worst-case scenario. It's easy to be casual with people in the music biz and I've mostly been very fortunate. But, I've also spoken to many who have lost tens of thousands of dollars due to partnerships that went south.
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Post by ericn on Jul 25, 2018 21:13:50 GMT -6
Even if your business partner is an okay person it's the overhead that is a major stumbling block for those coming from a low overhead home studio environment to a commercial premises where the bills always seem to roll in twice as fast as the client payments. Also what business arrangements are in place for you to still receive income in the event that other engineers may use the studio and your gear from time to time? I have seen things get awkward where the other partner will chase work that often involves bringing in clients who already have their own engineer. If that's the case you can kiss your engineering fee goodbye but what about the use of your equipment? These are all things that need to be worked out contractually so you don't get burnt. One way around that is to split every dollar that comes in 50/50 regardless. That can work if you are both putting in an equal amount of work. However supposing you end up bringing in most of the clients and your partner starts taking a lot of time off and leaving you to do most of the work. Would you feel happy about giving him 50% of everything you are doing while he's off wind surfing and scuba diving in Acapulco for a month? The problem with basing the payout on amount of work is in the big bad real world sweat and time are cheap, equity is all about the capital one is bringing to the table. If the other party is covering all the overhead and your doing the work your probably entitled to 10-15%, it sucks yes don’t like it ? Go take out a loan and build out a place or do the math and realize the secure 10-15 ain’t that bad. The spoils go to those who put up the cash and take the risk. We call it capitalism. |
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Post by winetree on Jul 25, 2018 22:06:00 GMT -6
I've never had a business partner. I could never figure out how to make it work finding someone with equal equity, time and labor.
I was told early on, buy the building. Even if you only pay the bills and just make a living,
years later when you retire your nest egg will be the money make from the sale of the building.
Real estate appreciates, Equipment depreciates. I took the advice.
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Post by rowmat on Jul 25, 2018 22:35:50 GMT -6
Even if your business partner is an okay person it's the overhead that is a major stumbling block for those coming from a low overhead home studio environment to a commercial premises where the bills always seem to roll in twice as fast as the client payments. Also what business arrangements are in place for you to still receive income in the event that other engineers may use the studio and your gear from time to time? I have seen things get awkward where the other partner will chase work that often involves bringing in clients who already have their own engineer. If that's the case you can kiss your engineering fee goodbye but what about the use of your equipment? These are all things that need to be worked out contractually so you don't get burnt. One way around that is to split every dollar that comes in 50/50 regardless. That can work if you are both putting in an equal amount of work. However supposing you end up bringing in most of the clients and your partner starts taking a lot of time off and leaving you to do most of the work. Would you feel happy about giving him 50% of everything you are doing while he's off wind surfing and scuba diving in Acapulco for a month? The problem with basing the payout on amount of work is in the big bad real world sweat and time are cheap, equity is all about the capital one is bringing to the table. If the other party is covering all the overhead and your doing the work your probably entitled to 10-15%, it sucks yes don’t like it ? Go take out a loan and build out a place or do the math and realize the secure 10-15 ain’t that bad. The spoils go to those who put up the cash and take the risk. We call it capitalism. My 50/50 income split (if we are talking an actual two person partnership versus a sub-lease arrangement) was based upon my situation assuming the OP was supplying the gear AND engineering the session AND covering his share of the overhead pro-rata ie. rent, power, insurance etc. If the other party owns the building and has invested a bunch in renovations, acoustic treatment etc. then that changes things somewhat. I don't contribute to the utilities in our studio because I don't charge for any tech work or maintenance and my partner claims the utilities as a tax deduction anyway as he makes a lot more income than me and he also teaches guitar plus plays in several bands which actually sell out shows and make money! (He's currently touring in South Africa) If we were turning over more $$ then I would probably bill the studio separately for my technical services on top of my engineering services. As a tech charges anywhere from $600 to $1000 per day for location studio work I would actually make more $$ as a tech than as a recording engineer! |
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Post by rowmat on Jul 25, 2018 23:07:44 GMT -6
So, I’ve been acquiring some really nice gear over the years, mostly jumping on good second hand deals. I’ve actually got a fair amount of outboard now, probably 4 racks worth, and some stuff in the pipeline coming in, and some stuff to build. I’ve got a pretty nice mic collection, and now a ton of pro acoustic treatment. But, I’m lacking a purpose built space. I could do a studio build out in the basement or garage, both have their drawbacks (and expenses). The thought occurred to me to approach a local studio here with the prospect of partnering up or something. I’d bring all my gear/mics/treatment/monitors to the table, which I’m fairly certain smokes anything they have, or at least outnumbers theirs. It seems like a risky move, and I'm not sure how the logistics would work. I’d love to have a better space, though. I’m not super comfortable with the idea of having all of my gear out there like that. Its a pretty significant investment. Not sure how I would even approach this. We’re really just connected on Facebook and have mutual friends. Also, I’m really not in a position to quit my day job or anything. I get paid decently to do Audio/Video work at a university. I just basically want a space I could work out of when I want to in my limited free time. I would miss the convenience of just walking into the next room to do studio work, instead of a 25 minute drive, one way. What if my gear ends up broke or missing? Mics dropped, speakers blown, etc? I'd be willing to be responsible for a portion of the overhead each month, depending on what that is. And this is where the idea starts to fall apart for me. Like, is it 50/50? I certainly won't be using the space for 50% of the month. And what about scheduling and booking? I don't know. I'm just kind of rambling and talking out loud. Good idea? Bad idea? I mean, I'm not trying to be a competitor or anything. My initial thought is that it could be a win for both of us. The studio gets a healthy gear boost and I get a space to call home. Of course, if the shoe were on the other foot, I'd probably be reluctant to deal with it. What about some kind of co-operative with maybe up to four like minded people? Split the overheads four ways and each brings their own clients. Share the gear/space. Obviously it may become tricky at times with clashing bookings but four people can bring in more clients than one or two and the increased business turnover should make it more viable. This was the idea behind Rolling Stock Recording here in Melbourne. Several engineers/producers banded together and setup the studio in 2015-2016 with a bunch of friends to help the with the build (internal mud brick construction). My understanding is there is a central recording area with a main control room and another couple of smaller control rooms operated by other engineers that share the main recording area but allow those engineers to retain control over their own gear while still sharing the space and overhead. QUOTE: "Surrounding the performance space are three separate and completely independent control rooms purpose built to suit the working processes of Myles, Zvi and Tom. Each control room is fully wired to the performance space and features extensive audio production equipment and instruments."www.mylesmumford.com/rolling-stock-recording-rooms/ |
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Post by Tbone81 on Jul 25, 2018 23:35:52 GMT -6
So, I’ve been acquiring some really nice gear over the years, mostly jumping on good second hand deals. I’ve actually got a fair amount of outboard now, probably 4 racks worth, and some stuff in the pipeline coming in, and some stuff to build. I’ve got a pretty nice mic collection, and now a ton of pro acoustic treatment. But, I’m lacking a purpose built space. I could do a studio build out in the basement or garage, both have their drawbacks (and expenses). The thought occurred to me to approach a local studio here with the prospect of partnering up or something. I’d bring all my gear/mics/treatment/monitors to the table, which I’m fairly certain smokes anything they have, or at least outnumbers theirs. It seems like a risky move, and I'm not sure how the logistics would work. I’d love to have a better space, though. I’m not super comfortable with the idea of having all of my gear out there like that. Its a pretty significant investment. Not sure how I would even approach this. We’re really just connected on Facebook and have mutual friends. Also, I’m really not in a position to quit my day job or anything. I get paid decently to do Audio/Video work at a university. I just basically want a space I could work out of when I want to in my limited free time. I would miss the convenience of just walking into the next room to do studio work, instead of a 25 minute drive, one way. What if my gear ends up broke or missing? Mics dropped, speakers blown, etc? I'd be willing to be responsible for a portion of the overhead each month, depending on what that is. And this is where the idea starts to fall apart for me. Like, is it 50/50? I certainly won't be using the space for 50% of the month. And what about scheduling and booking? I don't know. I'm just kind of rambling and talking out loud. Good idea? Bad idea? I mean, I'm not trying to be a competitor or anything. My initial thought is that it could be a win for both of us. The studio gets a healthy gear boost and I get a space to call home. Of course, if the shoe were on the other foot, I'd probably be reluctant to deal with it. What about some kind of co-operative with maybe up to four like minded people? Split the overheads four ways and each brings their own clients. Share the gear/space. Obviously it may become tricky at times with clashing bookings but four people can bring in more clients than one or two and the increased business turnover should make it more viable. This was the idea behind Rolling Stock Recording here in Melbourne. Several engineers/producers banded together and setup the studio in 2015-2016 with a bunch of friends to help the with the build (internal mud brick construction). My understanding is there is a central recording area with a main control room and another couple of smaller control rooms operated by other engineers that share the main recording area but allow those engineers to retain control over their own gear while still sharing the space and overhead. QUOTE: "Surrounding the performance space are three separate and completely independent control rooms purpose built to suit the working processes of Myles, Zvi and Tom. Each control room is fully wired to the performance space and features extensive audio production equipment and instruments."www.mylesmumford.com/rolling-stock-recording-rooms/Great idea. If I were to open a commercial (or semi-commercial) space I'd be looking for a situation like that. Now days you need to think of new school studio business model, some type of hybrid environment or flexible work space. I saw, and did some work at, two different studios in Los Angeles that were primarily mid to high end rehearsal studios and/or equipment rental/event production companies. They both had mostly lock out studios, a few hourly rooms, and then a main recording studio. The rehearsals and equipment rentals paid the bills, and were the bread and butter so to speak. You have to get creative to make a studio really work. |
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Post by indiehouse on Jul 26, 2018 8:54:20 GMT -6
All great advice and taken to heart, many thanks! I guess I'm not necessarily looking for a business. I've read enough to know that the studio game is a hustle. I also know that a good sounding room is key to good sounding recordings. It's the one thing I don't have. I mean, I have a set-up now. It's just not the most ideal situation. My initial thinking was that I'd contribute my gear to the studio, and take on a portion of the monthly expense (say $500ish) in exchange for a certain amount of days per month. Whether I bring in clients or not shouldn't matter as as long as I pay my portion of the bill. That was my thinking. But, I just don't think that at the end of the day, it's realistic enough. All I'm after is a good sounding space. There have to be better ways of acquiring this. I don't really want to take on a huge monthly overhead, nor am I trying to open up a commercial studio. What I'm after is a private studio, where I can take on projects as I see fit, that fit into my aesthetic and free time. That was kind of the plan all along. Get a decent job doing similar things in audio/video, which allows me the freedom to buy cool gear every now and then, and take on projects that I believe in. The key aspect I'm lacking now is a good sounding room. I wonder if I should give Jeff Hedback a shout and see what he thinks of my in-house options? I admit to being envious of the setup wiz has. A detached building that size would be just about perfect for me. I just don't have the real estate for that. |
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Post by ericn on Jul 26, 2018 9:10:36 GMT -6
All great advice and taken to heart, many thanks! I guess I'm not necessarily looking for a business. I've read enough to know that the studio game is a hustle. I also know that a good sounding room is key to good sounding recordings. It's the one thing I don't have. I mean, I have a set-up now. It's just not the most ideal situation. My initial thinking was that I'd contribute my gear to the studio, and take on a portion of the monthly expense (say $500ish) in exchange for a certain amount of days per month. Whether I bring in clients or not shouldn't matter as as long as I pay my portion of the bill. That was my thinking. But, I just don't think that at the end of the day, it's realistic enough. All I'm after is a good sounding space. There have to be better ways of acquiring this. I don't really want to take on a huge monthly overhead, nor am I trying to open up a commercial studio. What I'm after is a private studio, where I can take on projects as I see fit, that fit into my aesthetic and free time. That was kind of the plan all along. Get a decent job doing similar things in audio/video, which allows me the freedom to buy cool gear every now and then, and take on projects that I believe in. The key aspect I'm lacking now is a good sounding room. I wonder if I should give Jeff Hedback a shout and see what he thinks of my in-house options? I admit to being envious of the setup wiz has. A detached building that size would be just about perfect for me. I just don't have the real estate for that. Giving Jeff a call is probably one of the best investments you can make in improving your sound and one of the most affordable! |
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Post by svart on Jul 26, 2018 9:31:25 GMT -6
I have been talking to someone local who has ties to a big name in the mixing business who's looking for a new studio to call home after an unknown reason for dissolution of their last partnership. I was approached as a possible investor/partner in this endeavor, but have been hesitant to offer any type of commitment due to the lofty expectations and some seemingly short-sighted ideas that have been floated by the others who were approached.
they want to form a consortium of sorts, multiple owner-operators in a single location, but the ideas behind the locations have been everything from a converted house to a large multi-purpose facility. The gear situation has been explained as anything from primarily rental-gear-when-needed to everyone pools their personal gear together.
From talking with the others, it seems that they all intend to use the big name to draw clients and to somehow divide up various clients and duties.
The problem I foresee is the same as most of the others have mentioned.. Division of labor and division of costs and profits (if any), and what happens during disagreements and/or dismissal/resignation of partners.
The obvious solutions would be contracts that spell out percentage of ownership based on initial investments, and any labor involved be paid at rates commensurate with the local rates.
For instance, say the total investment needs 100,000$ to get into a building and build out the studio. Let's say there are 5 investors which want to divide the cost into equal 20K portions, but one of the five can only supply 10K cash but agrees to do the majority of the labor in construction of the rooms, wiring, etc. Local contractor rates would certainly add up to 10K in a hurry, so it's trading initial capital for labor that adds up to a total of 20K "invested" to get it running.
A contract that stipulates all of these things, plus how long the payback period is for the initial capital, and at what interest rate, etc, would be in order. This would NOT cover labor for normal studio services as I would prefer have a company fund that pays each owner as an employee for the amount of hourly work done. So all gross profit would end up in an account, and an impartial 3rd party like a payroll service would administer the pay checks so that no single partner could manipulate/embezzle from the account, etc.
I think the primary concern on everyone's mind in a situation like this is not "how much can I make", it should be "how do I protect myself in a worst case scenario", because lets face it, that's more likely to happen than a smooth running studio..
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Post by ericn on Jul 26, 2018 9:52:52 GMT -6
I have been talking to someone local who has ties to a big name in the mixing business who's looking for a new studio to call home after an unknown reason for dissolution of their last partnership. I was approached as a possible investor/partner in this endeavor, but have been hesitant to offer any type of commitment due to the lofty expectations and some seemingly short-sighted ideas that have been floated by the others who were approached. they want to form a consortium of sorts, multiple owner-operators in a single location, but the ideas behind the locations have been everything from a converted house to a large multi-purpose facility. The gear situation has been explained as anything from primarily rental-gear-when-needed to everyone pools their personal gear together. From talking with the others, it seems that they all intend to use the big name to draw clients and to somehow divide up various clients and duties. The problem I foresee is the same as most of the others have mentioned.. Division of labor and division of costs and profits (if any), and what happens during disagreements and/or dismissal/resignation of partners. The obvious solutions would be contracts that spell out percentage of ownership based on initial investments, and any labor involved be paid at rates commensurate with the local rates. For instance, say the total investment needs 100,000$ to get into a building and build out the studio. Let's say there are 5 investors which want to divide the cost into equal 20K portions, but one of the five can only supply 10K cash but agrees to do the majority of the labor in construction of the rooms, wiring, etc. Local contractor rates would certainly add up to 10K in a hurry, so it's trading initial capital for labor that adds up to a total of 20K "invested" to get it running. A contract that stipulates all of these things, plus how long the payback period is for the initial capital, and at what interest rate, etc, would be in order. This would NOT cover labor for normal studio services as I would prefer have a company fund that pays each owner as an employee for the amount of hourly work done. So all gross profit would end up in an account, and an impartial 3rd party like a payroll service would administer the pay checks so that no single partner could manipulate/embezzle from the account, etc. I think the primary concern on everyone's mind in a situation like this is not "how much can I make", it should be "how do I protect myself in a worst case scenario", because lets face it, that's more likely to happen than a smooth running studio.. Never go into any business without iron clad contracts and understanding your liabilities and consequences of the contract. This where having your own lawyer and CPA who are beholden to you, not the organization are worth every penny! |
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Post by drbill on Jul 26, 2018 9:56:21 GMT -6
All great advice and taken to heart, many thanks! I guess I'm not necessarily looking for a business. I've read enough to know that the studio game is a hustle. I also know that a good sounding room is key to good sounding recordings. It's the one thing I don't have. I mean, I have a set-up now. It's just not the most ideal situation. My initial thinking was that I'd contribute my gear to the studio, and take on a portion of the monthly expense (say $500ish) in exchange for a certain amount of days per month. Whether I bring in clients or not shouldn't matter as as long as I pay my portion of the bill. That was my thinking. But, I just don't think that at the end of the day, it's realistic enough. All I'm after is a good sounding space. There have to be better ways of acquiring this. I don't really want to take on a huge monthly overhead, nor am I trying to open up a commercial studio. What I'm after is a private studio, where I can take on projects as I see fit, that fit into my aesthetic and free time. That was kind of the plan all along. Get a decent job doing similar things in audio/video, which allows me the freedom to buy cool gear every now and then, and take on projects that I believe in. The key aspect I'm lacking now is a good sounding room. I wonder if I should give Jeff Hedback a shout and see what he thinks of my in-house options? I admit to being envious of the setup wiz has. A detached building that size would be just about perfect for me. I just don't have the real estate for that. I would agree with this wholeheartedly. |
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Post by drbill on Jul 26, 2018 10:02:32 GMT -6
I think the only way a multi room situation works is if there is an initial party that purchases / leases a facility, and builds it out themselves. Then they can approach local engineers / producers / composers and offer the rooms for lease - doing the final buildout to suit. In addition, they should have a VERY discounted option to use the 'main room" for tracking purposes. That makes sense. I would consider getting involved in something like that if the opportunity arose and if it suited my needs.
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Post by bartacusad on Jul 26, 2018 10:12:05 GMT -6
Short answer: DON’T
Partnerships are the worst business structure period. Its not going to end well.
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ericn
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Balance Engineer
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Post by ericn on Jul 26, 2018 10:19:32 GMT -6
I think the only way a multi room situation works is if there is an initial party that purchases / leases a facility, and builds it out themselves. Then they can approach local engineers / producers / composers and offer the rooms for lease - doing the final buildout to suit. In addition, they should have a VERY discounted option to use the 'main room" for tracking purposes. That makes sense. I would consider getting involved in something like that if the opportunity arose and if it suited my needs. Yeah I always liked the original Flyt Tyme layout where more than one control room had windows into the tracking room and all control rooms where wired to the tracking rooms it just made sense! |
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