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Post by btreim on Jul 26, 2013 14:23:05 GMT -6
With the music industry in its current state, whats everyones feelings on owning a studio vs renting a studio on a per project basis?
Are you able to generate enough business between renting, and your own projects to recoup the cost of owning?
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Post by svart on Jul 26, 2013 14:53:05 GMT -6
Nope. If I didn't use the gear for my own projects in between paying clients and I didn't own it outright, meaning I had to pay rent on the gear, I'd be broke.
Not because there aren't enough bands around, but because everyone "has a studio" now.
This has got to be my biggest pet peeve of them all. When I used to talk to bands, I was able to generate interest and discussion over the gear and such. Now, when I talk to a band and mention gear, they immediately dismiss it with a "oh, I have the plug-in of that" which is usually preceded or followed by "My best friend/neighbor/cousin/nanny has a studio in his/her house. They bought (insert Guitar Center sale of the week here) and will record me and/or let me use it!". I usually follow this up with "Are you sure that this is the best choice, to record yourself?" and I usually get the response of "this Mbox/firepod/digi00X is great, I'll get pro tones from it, I'm not worried. Oh and I got this awesome new (bottom of the line) MXL (or other chinese crap) mic which all the big studios use! It'll sound just as good as what you can do but I won't have to pay anyone!!!!!!!!11111".
I'm serious. I get this all the time. I also find that people who are in bands usually get the recording work even if their own recording sounds like shit. I mean it's some kind of artist bond thing. I've recorded a number of bands who will take what they learned from me and turn around and buy a few things at GC or MF and open a studio in their bedroom. They'll get more paying clients than me too. It's unbelievable and horribly frustrating.
The other thing is that I'll get folks who will point me to their previous recordings as proof that their gear and methods get "pro" results, yet when I tell them that I think I could do better, they then tell me that "it's ok, I don't really want to sound too produced". WT-holy-F, you want "pro" but not "produced"? How does that work? I've come to figure out that it's all pride. Artists are emotional beings usually and they get so wrapped up in writing their souls into the music that they can't separate the production part of it. They need to see it through and touch every single part of the process. It makes them feel complete to write and record it all together. The problem is that ego gets in the way and won't let them see how inexperienced they are in the recording process. They've bought the name-brand official licensed gear with the big-name endorsement from a salesman who promised them audio orgasmic bliss. They simply can't handle the truth that they can't get what they want with an insignificant amount of money and that they've produced good songs that sound like bad demos. They'll ignore all criticism and only listen to praise from mommy/daddy/grandma/friends/family pets while subconsciously trying to believe they are good enough and everybody likes them.
In any case, most of my recording comes from repeat business now. I can rarely find new bands that are interested, for the above stated reasons.
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Post by scumbum on Jul 26, 2013 15:31:23 GMT -6
Nope. If I didn't use the gear for my own projects in between paying clients and I didn't own it outright, meaning I had to pay rent on the gear, I'd be broke. Not because there aren't enough bands around, but because everyone "has a studio" now. This has got to be my biggest pet peeve of them all. When I used to talk to bands, I was able to generate interest and discussion over the gear and such. Now, when I talk to a band and mention gear, they immediately dismiss it with a "oh, I have the plug-in of that" which is usually preceded or followed by "My best friend/neighbor/cousin/nanny has a studio in his/her house. They bought (insert Guitar Center sale of the week here) and will record me and/or let me use it!". I usually follow this up with "Are you sure that this is the best choice, to record yourself?" and I usually get the response of "t his Mbox/firepod/digi00X is great, I'll get pro tones from it, I'm not worried. Oh and I got this awesome new (bottom of the line) MXL (or other chinese crap) mic which all the big studios use! It'll sound just as good as what you can do but I won't have to pay anyone!!!!!!!!11111". I'm serious. I get this all the time. I also find that people who are in bands usually get the recording work even if their own recording sounds like shit. I mean it's some kind of artist bond thing. I've recorded a number of bands who will take what they learned from me and turn around and buy a few things at GC or MF and open a studio in their bedroom. They'll get more paying clients than me too. It's unbelievable and horribly frustrating. The other thing is that I'll get folks who will point me to their previous recordings as proof that their gear and methods get "pro" results, yet when I tell them that I think I could do better, they then tell me that "it's ok, I don't really want to sound too produced". WT-holy-F, you want " pro" but not " produced"? How does that work? I've come to figure out that it's all pride. Artists are emotional beings usually and they get so wrapped up in writing their souls into the music that they can't separate the production part of it. They need to see it through and touch every single part of the process. It makes them feel complete to write and record it all together. The problem is that ego gets in the way and won't let them see how inexperienced they are in the recording process. They've bought the name-brand official licensed gear with the big-name endorsement from a salesman who promised them audio orgasmic bliss. They simply can't handle the truth that they can't get what they want with an insignificant amount of money and that they've produced good songs that sound like bad demos. They'll ignore all criticism and only listen to praise from mommy/daddy/grandma/friends/family pets while subconsciously trying to believe they are good enough and everybody likes them. In any case, most of my recording comes from repeat business now. I can rarely find new bands that are interested, for the above stated reasons. I think a big part is the drum sound people are happy with these days . They record in a bedroom , then quantize and sample replace . Thats the sound of new bands and why EVERYONE sounds the same . I hate that drum machine generic sound . But its what bands want today . If bands couldn't do that to their drums and had to have the actual sound of their drummer playing in a bedroom or garage , that right there would kill the idea of trying to do it on their own . As soon as they play back that drum sound theres no denying , even their family and friends would agree it sounds like ASS . They would then all go to a studio to record . Everything else is pretty easy to do at home , guitar , just throw up a 57 , Bass , just go direct , vocals , bad room , just throw up a dynamic . But drums , theres no easy way to record them , it takes lots of gear , a decent room , tuning , mic placement........so today everyone just plays along with a drum machine . |
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pma
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Post by pma on Jul 26, 2013 15:47:35 GMT -6
Ha ha. This thread is gonna be interesting. Love it already. The installation of my cue mixer cabling was more expensive than most complete "studios" in this town.
Hey, a single live room without sync used to be a home studio. Now, a RODE and a rejection filter is a pro studio. Though times.
But it's related to the hardware vs plugs thing I believe. Most people prefer hardware and "real" studios.
But, do we really need it? Who gives a shit in the end? Engineers only?
I know I kind of miss the traditional A&Rs. They usually got cold feet about "not so pro" setups. They also had the function of suspension between crew and artist. You could always team up with the artist about single choices and vocal level. Now, at least for me, artists or managements are in charge and paying. They usually love cutting costs reducing quality. I bleed with you about the "indie" disease. I hate it, though the actual music and expression is all I want. Bold straight forward, no bullshit music. But please, let me capture it as good as I can.
I stopped recording solo artists by the way. Bands still has a higher threshold before the bullshit anxiety kicks in.
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pma
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Post by pma on Jul 26, 2013 15:52:23 GMT -6
It's funny. Even though I'm not super enthusiastic about it - the Daft Punk record might be a good thing for us. That thing is pretty much impossible to do at home. Even though there's not much mankind magic on it. It sounds VERY expensive studio.
I know all my friends at software companies hates the record. I think it's because they can't touch it.
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Post by scumbum on Jul 26, 2013 16:31:37 GMT -6
If you own a building or can put a studio somewhere you don't have to worry about rent , I'd build a studio there . But , if you have to pay monthly rent and your just starting out . I think the best thing to do is own your own gear , have it all in portable rack cases that you can take anywhere . I'd then either record at the bands house , setup in their living room , maybe a big warehouse where they work , or find some big empty rooms you can rent cheap for like a weekend or a week , setup your gear in there . I'm not doing the whole engineer as a job thing anymore , but when I was trying to do it , thats what I did . I could setup shop anywhere in like 10 minutes . I could also go record any live show , had a few splitters for the vocal mics and would put up my own mics on the guitars and drums . If you had some music you wanted to record , I would come to you and record it .
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Post by brianscheffer on Jul 27, 2013 15:17:26 GMT -6
As the owner of a commercial recording studio, I can talk about this stuff for days... I have mixed emotions about home studios. On the one hand, it makes it much harder to continue to eek out the meager-close-to-the-margins existence that I live; but on the other, it does allow some records to be made that wouldn't be made otherwise. What I'm trying to do is to come to terms with this new reality and figure out how a place like mine can fit in with people that think they can do everything at home. If we can educate musicians about the reasons why a professional studio makes sense and why they should utilize one for at least a portion of their projects (drums!), we still stand a chance. The problem is that people still think the gear makes a record. The gear is great, and great gear is important, but I'd take the experienced engineer with a pile of SM57s and a four track over the recent Full Sail graduate in a million dollar studio every time. That's the real tragedy here... Everyone thinks they are an engineer if they have the tools. I own a hammer, but I'm no carpenter. It would never occur to me to claim to be one, but if you go out and buy an Mbox and a cheap condenser, all of a sudden you're a recording engineer. It's crazy. The crazier part is that people believe it and will book time with one of these basement guys instead of a place like mine, and they pay someone who has a tiny amount of knowledge and experience to be the trustee for their art. I don't know if people don't know how a recording session should go, don't care, or can't hear the difference. I just worked on a mix for a guy that recorded at a project studio that has an amazing gear list, a lot of it better than stuff I have. It sounded pretty objectively bad... There's another studio in town with a ridiculous collection of awesome gear, run by someone who has very little experience. The art of audio engineering is getting lost and musicians are going to kill it if they are not careful. When all the big studios fold, future engineers will be left learning the craft from the bedroom Mbox guy. It's a whacky dichotomy that, at what I imagine must be the height of enrollment in audio engineering school programs, the craft is being diluted. Perhaps that's part of the problem... These guys are getting empowered by their education and forgetting that this is a career that requires quite a bit of experience to become competent at, let alone master.
To get more to the point of the original post... If I were doing it all over again, I may consider freelancing instead of building a studio. I love having my own place, but it's a roller coaster ride even after almost eight years at it. It really is a crazy business to be in. We buy lots of expensive equipment, put it in rooms that cost a lot of money to set up, and then rely on broke-ass musicians to pay our bills. The very premise is irrational. I always tell guys starting out that instead of trying to build yet another studio to instead utilize the ones that already exist, even if it's not mine. I don't know how St. Louis stacks up to other cities, but we have too many studios for the amount of work that goes on here. All the legit rooms sit idle more than they should, and it seems like the perfect situation to have these basement guys step up their game and work out of these rooms. We have extremely affordable freelance rates for the gear we have and I don't get a ton of freelance business. This despite the fact that we have an audio program at a college in town that graduates thirty to forty students a semester; this despite the fact that I've had sixteen people ask me for a job so far this year and nineteen people ask me for an internship. It doesn't make sense to me. To a person I tell these inquiries about our welcoming and encouraging of freelance engineers. I can only imagine that all these people are making a go of it in home studios. That, or they are expecting someone to hand them a gig in an industry where even many professionals are having a hard time making a go of it.
Perhaps I should start a recording school or become a gear manufacturer. It seems like there is some stability in those endeavors...
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pma
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Post by pma on Jul 27, 2013 15:38:08 GMT -6
No one could've stopped me from building my studio. It was what I always wanted. Though, businessman I'm not.
That's pretty weird in todays world. Don't know if there's another profession like it.
I can't imagine a carpenter owning his own business who keep losing money from lousy business say: "You know what, I love construction, wood and tools so much. I continue to build your kitchens but for 1/3 of the price. Heck I'll do it for free. Maybe you can pay me later. When I do your out house?"
I mean, when I discuss with accountants and banks they just shake their heads. Poor guy, bleeding money, can't do business.
It's almost religious in a way.
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Post by cowboycoalminer on Jul 27, 2013 16:01:44 GMT -6
I'm in a bit different situation than most studios these days. Most of my work is done via the internet because I DO have my studio in my home. I only record bands here on an invitation basis or referral from a trusted source. I'm not going let just anyone near my family. Mine and one other are the two high end studios in the Tri State area (Cincinnati, Nothern KY and Indiana) and the other is far more expensive than me. So I do get a lot of hits, and most I turn down.
That said, this is not my only source of income either so I'm afforded that luxury. Now concerning the "my cousin has an MBox" thing, there's really only one way I see to combat that. When they start on with their bullshit of "I can do that", it's simply a matter of pinning their ears back with a track or two from your studio that proves they can't do that. I keep a few tracks handy for that type of thing and it works. If they want their record to sound like this, they'll pay, if not buzz off. I liken it to an expensive restaurant. Charge 65 dollars for a steak and people will line up for miles trying to get in. Not too many lines for a T-Bone at Waffle House though. Perception and delivering on the goods is the right combo I think.
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Post by scumbum on Jul 27, 2013 17:46:17 GMT -6
and then rely on broke-ass musicians to pay our bills. haha , I used to liken it to making a product specifically designed to sell to Hobo's . Problem is , Hobo's have no money , so if your target business is hobo's/Broke Ass Musicians (same thing) , I don't see much money being made . Thats what I use to tell a friend of mine who built a huge Band Practice complex , where they rent monthly rooms to practice in . It was an awesome place , but he never made any money , all he ever did was break even , so I used to tell him his problem is that his business is marketed toward Hobo's........ |
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Post by Ward on Jul 27, 2013 21:55:28 GMT -6
We all need a place to work. If you can find a place you can rent that is accessible every time you need it, then you're golden. If your work is limited to engineering and/or producing bands then this may be the best option for you.
On the other hands...
If you are a creative genius and write for your acts/artists/others and/or you are an artist with extensive studio experience... a project studio might be right or you.
So, with both hands full, the next scenario (let's call it the left foot) is when you are a serious engaged producer/engineer and need a lot of certain tools and industry standards at your disposal, and you just can't get them anywhere near you or maybe you can't get all that at a reasonable price. Then you have a defined need for your own studio and should probably make yourself understand that the investment you are looking at will total $500,000. Yes. HALF A MILLION DOLLARS.
Then there's the right foot scenario: Go in as partners with someone else who has a similar work flow, work ethic and need. Or partner up with n existing studio and bring investment and work with you.
For myself, I can't function without my own studio but I welcome others to come work here or work with me. I'm a Half-Mill into this now and about to drop another $300K on building a new studio. Meh, it's only money. I don't owe anything on my gear any more, and I'm investing about $50k-$75k annually in new gear, upkeep and repairs. So what the heck. What's a little debt? Hopefully, I'll outlive it!
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jul 27, 2013 22:04:35 GMT -6
We all need a place to work. If you can find a place you can rent that is accessible every time you need it, then you're golden. If your work is limited to engineering and/or producing bands then this may be the best option for you.
On the other hands...
If you are a creative genius and write for your acts/artists/others and/or you are an artist with extensive studio experience... a project studio might be right or you.
So, with both hands full, the next scenario (let's call it the left foot) is when you are a serious engaged producer/engineer and need a lot of certain tools and industry standards at your disposal, and you just can't get them anywhere near you or maybe you can't get all that at a reasonable price. Then you have a defined need for your own studio and should probably make yourself understand that the investment you are looking at will total $500,000. Yes. HALF A MILLION DOLLARS.
Then there's the right foot scenario: Go in as partners with someone else who has a similar work flow, work ethic and need. Or partner up with n existing studio and bring investment and work with you.
For myself, I can't function without my own studio but I welcome others to come work here or work with me. I'm a Half-Mill into this now and about to drop another $300K on building a new studio. Meh, it's only money. I don't owe anything on my gear any more, and I'm investing about $50k-$75k annually in new gear, upkeep and repairs. So what the heck. What's a little debt? Hopefully, I'll outlive it!
Where are you located? |
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Post by Johnkenn on Jul 27, 2013 23:25:43 GMT -6
Nashville is a studio mecca...but for the life of me, I don't know how some are staying open right now. I know I track at home muuuch more than I did just three years ago. Having said that - I feel like I'm just now getting a good enough product at home to compete sound-wise...and that's after 10 years of playing "home studio jockey"...
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Post by tonycamphd on Jul 27, 2013 23:29:25 GMT -6
Nashville is a studio mecca...but for the life of me, I don't know how some are staying open right now. I know I track at home muuuch more than I did just three years ago. Having said that - I feel like I'm just now getting a good enough product at home to compete sound-wise...and that's after 10 years of playing "home studio jockey"... what percentage of the improvement is from experience vs improved equipment? |
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Post by cowboycoalminer on Jul 28, 2013 7:56:22 GMT -6
Nashville is a studio mecca...but for the life of me, I don't know how some are staying open right now. I know I track at home muuuch more than I did just three years ago. Having said that - I feel like I'm just now getting a good enough product at home to compete sound-wise...and that's after 10 years of playing "home studio jockey"... what percentage of the improvement is from experience vs improved equipment? Thats a great question. My guess is it's a combination of the two. Not trying to answer for John here but Id like to give my opinion. In Johns case, I've heard some of his early stuff and I thought it sounded great. His recent stuff sounds even better. My guess is the gear makes a bit more difference here. Anyone who contends that great doesn't matter has obviously never used any. It can make all the difference in some cases especially in the case of an engineer who knows what they're doing. That's why great engineers use great equipment. I get such a bang out of this DSP vs hardware debate that constantly wages. Take Slate for example. He makes great software and I use his software, but he contends constantly on forums that software is equal to hardware. Well, inexperienced people buy into that because he says it and because they have no chance of ever touching great hardware. He is after all, an industry insider and from my own lips, a great engineer himself. Because I know he is a great engineer, he cannot convince me that he CANT hear the difference!!! He and I have batted this back and forth on the other forum so many times. He still has my respect and he's been nothing but respectful to me so no bad blood either way, but fellas, eerrm, no one in their right mind is going to stand over an SSL and use it for a coffee cup holder while choosing to use the VCC that emulates it. Slate is no dummy so the only conclusion I'm left with is that he's a great salesman. Equipment matters a lot. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2013 8:10:40 GMT -6
I started with a tascam four track > mackie 1202 and an s3000 > cubase > protools mbox > protools hd and an Audient console - to my current hybrid setup with some lovely pres/eqs/comps.
Along the way I have learned (notwithstanding the skills to operate it) equipment makes a huge huge difference!!! And hardware still trumps plugs.
I almost cried when I first put my drums through API 550's.
Glad I learned the hard way though.
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Post by scumbum on Jul 28, 2013 8:36:36 GMT -6
Nashville is a studio mecca...but for the life of me, I don't know how some are staying open right now. I know I track at home muuuch more than I did just three years ago. Having said that - I feel like I'm just now getting a good enough product at home to compete sound-wise...and that's after 10 years of playing "home studio jockey"... what percentage of the improvement is from experience vs improved equipment? For me , what has improved my sound over the years is 90% experience and 10% equipment . Once I understood theres no fix it in the mix and what I record is what I get , making sure the sound is right in the first place , that improved my sound . Making sure those drums are tuned as best as possible and the mics are in the right spot . And then knowing how the room affects the sound too and making sure I recorded in decent rooms . Also the performance is more important than the gear . I can have all the best gear but if the band is out of time and singer can't sing , it doesn't matter what gear I use , no ones gonna wanna listen to my recording . But if I have a kick ass Pro sounding band , I can record them with the most basic low end stuff and people will say " Nice recording , it sounds awesome !" Anyways thats what I've learned , but I'm sure all you guys already know this stuff if you've been recording for years . |
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Post by Ward on Jul 28, 2013 8:39:03 GMT -6
Some of the best plug-ins are a mirror image of their hardware counterparts. But they are only that - a mirror image of an actual physical tangible object, nothing more. Useful in PTHD when you're mixing but not that good that you can go without hardware during tracking thinking you can "fix everything in the mix".
There is no substitute for great recordings. The better your tracks, the better the final results.
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Post by Johnkenn on Jul 28, 2013 9:15:43 GMT -6
Nashville is a studio mecca...but for the life of me, I don't know how some are staying open right now. I know I track at home muuuch more than I did just three years ago. Having said that - I feel like I'm just now getting a good enough product at home to compete sound-wise...and that's after 10 years of playing "home studio jockey"... what percentage of the improvement is from experience vs improved equipment? Well, there is definitely something to be said for my limitations as a player that lend to creativity and uniqueness when I build tracks at home. From day one, my biggest complaint about going in the studio was that it can end up sounding stock really quickly. Country music demos have been a bootcamp - it's usually 5 songs in 3 hours...not much time for creativity. But these players are the best in the world, can chart out the song and literally be locked in at the second chorus of the first take...Your role as "producer" is to point them in a direction, KNOW WHAT YOU WANT, maybe gently suggest parts, dynamics and when you want them in and out. Also, tone suggestions, but there's just not a ton of time for that kind of thing. As far as the sound, if you're at one of the many, many reputable studios, it's not even an issue. Some rooms sound better than others, but we're not cutting Marvin Gaye here, they're ALL great. Well shit - just re-read the question mid-post...and I'm not answering the question...To answer your question - I'd say most of it is due to experience. But you can't fake a great room on a song with two instruments. Altiverb is pretty cool though (Wait's Room Bricasti impulse)...Also, you can't fake a great player. Excellent playing can make up for lesser recording all day long. |
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Post by tonycamphd on Jul 28, 2013 11:00:16 GMT -6
what percentage of the improvement is from experience vs improved equipment? Thats a great question. My guess is it's a combination of the two. Not trying to answer for John here but Id like to give my opinion. In Johns case, I've heard some of his early stuff and I thought it sounded great. His recent stuff sounds even better. My guess is the gear makes a bit more difference here. Anyone who contends that great doesn't matter has obviously never used any. It can make all the difference in some cases especially in the case of an engineer who knows what they're doing. That's why great engineers use great equipment. I get such a bang out of this DSP vs hardware debate that constantly wages. Take Slate for example. He makes great software and I use his software, but he contends constantly on forums that software is equal to hardware. Well, inexperienced people buy into that because he says it and because they have no chance of ever touching great hardware. He is after all, an industry insider and from my own lips, a great engineer himself. Because I know he is a great engineer, he cannot convince me that he CANT hear the difference!!! He and I have batted this back and forth on the other forum so many times. He still has my respect and he's been nothing but respectful to me so no bad blood either way, but fellas, eerrm, no one in their right mind is going to stand over an SSL and use it for a coffee cup holder while choosing to use the VCC that emulates it. Slate is no dummy so the only conclusion I'm left with is that he's a great salesman. Equipment matters a lot. Wow! the perfect post! you should make this a webpage all by itself! |
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Post by Johnkenn on Jul 28, 2013 13:21:28 GMT -6
Thats a great question. My guess is it's a combination of the two. Not trying to answer for John here but Id like to give my opinion. In Johns case, I've heard some of his early stuff and I thought it sounded great. His recent stuff sounds even better. My guess is the gear makes a bit more difference here. Anyone who contends that great doesn't matter has obviously never used any. It can make all the difference in some cases especially in the case of an engineer who knows what they're doing. That's why great engineers use great equipment. I get such a bang out of this DSP vs hardware debate that constantly wages. Take Slate for example. He makes great software and I use his software, but he contends constantly on forums that software is equal to hardware. Well, inexperienced people buy into that because he says it and because they have no chance of ever touching great hardware. He is after all, an industry insider and from my own lips, a great engineer himself. Because I know he is a great engineer, he cannot convince me that he CANT hear the difference!!! He and I have batted this back and forth on the other forum so many times. He still has my respect and he's been nothing but respectful to me so no bad blood either way, but fellas, eerrm, no one in their right mind is going to stand over an SSL and use it for a coffee cup holder while choosing to use the VCC that emulates it. Slate is no dummy so the only conclusion I'm left with is that he's a great salesman. Equipment matters a lot. Wow! the perfect post! you should make this a webpage all by itself! Uh...or not...keep it here exclusive to this site...  BTW - somebody go recruit Steven Slate to this board... |
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Post by cowboycoalminer on Jul 28, 2013 16:19:19 GMT -6
Wow! the perfect post! you should make this a webpage all by itself! Uh...or not...keep it here exclusive to this site... BTW - somebody go recruit Steven Slate to this board... I'd be all for that. Stevens the real deal. |
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Post by btreim on Jul 29, 2013 9:15:15 GMT -6
I guess my question was focusing more on the financial and business aspects of owning a studio. I'll give you some context. I've fairly recently moved to Chicago from Nashville, and it turns out I was living in la la land. I had grown accustomed to there being 10 studios on every corner, plenty of space for everyone. That's not the case in Chicago, even though it's one of the biggest cities in the US.
It's very hard to find a studio, or even a bare room that could fit your needs for a reasonable price in Chicago. I feel like that's probably the case for a lot of the folks on this forum that don't have the pleasure to live in Nashville. You either have to build it yourself, or kill your budget finding something that'll work.
So what do you do, how do the folks who have gone with the 'build it' path make a sustainable income in a seemingly "out of market" area when you don't have the luxury of endless studio spaces at your disposal.
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pma
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Post by pma on Jul 29, 2013 9:48:24 GMT -6
The thread may be sliding a bit. It's all under the umbrella somehow.
I only see two reasons / cause of a comercial high end facility these days
1. Someone has too much money and a dream of owning a studio.
Money bleeds but owner gets to hang around artist, rockers, girls, whatever.
Weirder rich man's hobbies exists anyway.
2. Hardcore enthusiast with a romantic view of life and a modded optimistic calculator.
And a VERY forgiving family (read: ex-family).
It doesn't pay itself, in no context. But some of us are deeply infected and can't be cured.
I'm trying to downsize this year. Selling my space which has 250 square meters +. With accomodation in outer city of Stockholm.
Not central but still in the city. The rents are mental and everything about the studio is a nightmare businesswise.
By all means, the ITB vs. Hardware is a present debate all the time. Even if you're an all analog guy the DAW is gonna be close, in your dealing, in your sessions. I notice more and more if I'm as the engineer or producer wanna use hardware, tape or consoles it has to be from my budget. Clients usually get nervous about analog sessions.
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Post by Johnkenn on Jul 29, 2013 9:54:42 GMT -6
Damn good question I guess my question was focusing more on the financial and business aspects of owning a studio. I'll give you some context. I've fairly recently moved to Chicago from Nashville, and it turns out I was living in la la land. I had grown accustomed to there being 10 studios on every corner, plenty of space for everyone. That's not the case in Chicago, even though it's one of the biggest cities in the US. It's very hard to find a studio, or even a bare room that could fit your needs for a reasonable price in Chicago. I feel like that's probably the case for a lot of the folks on this forum that don't have the pleasure to live in Nashville. You either have to build it yourself, or kill your budget finding something that'll work. So what do you do, how do the folks who have gone with the 'build it' path make a sustainable income in a seemingly "out of market" area when you don't have the luxury of endless studio spaces at your disposal. |
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