Below is a short list of the most commonly asked questions, for a comprehensive list of FAQs about how to choose a studio, prepare for time in the studio and what goes into a recording/mixing/mastering session, CLICK HERE!
Q: What are your studio rates?
Studio rates start as low as 35 per hour!!! Please contact us for a complete list of rates and terms.
Q: How long does it take to record a song?
This question is like asking, "how long is a piece of rope?", it has no definitive answer. It can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 5 months. It all depends on what you need to do the recording for, whether or not the material has been written yet and/or how well rehearsed you are |
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with it. We always think that rushing things can spoil what could turn out to be a great recording and for us, that's what it's all about, making a great recording. For quick live band 'demos', you should allow at least 1 hour for every minute of a songs length, plus 2 hours for setting up; i.e. for a 4 minute song, allow 6 hours. To fit into that time constraint, you may need to cut some corners on 'production' but you will get a great 'live sound' result. For a 'finished' single, it can take anywhere from 4 days to a month+... and that's an estimate for only one version of one song. For a whole 'finished' album (from 10-14 songs), anywhere from 3 months to a year or maybe even two years, generally depending on how many songs you want to do, how much time you can spend in the studio on a regular basis, how many re-takes, versions, and/or mixes of each song you wind up doing.
If you want a fast demo just to hear what something sounds like or to try to get some gigs, you could cram a few songs into a one day session. We have done 14 songs in three 12 hour days, but that was exhausting, laborious work and, in our opinion, the finished product didn't sound very good. In this we suggest to bands, do not send out too much material just to get gigs. 2 or 3 songs are sufficient.
At the end of the day it is ultimately about what you want, but we always warn people of trying to do too much all at once, We really feel this is a false economy.
Q: Which are better, analog tape or digital harware recordings?
This a very controversial question.
Analog tape offers many positive things, the most important being natural 'saturation and compression' of the recordings and it naturally sounds very 'smooth' and 'warm'. Tape also has many downsides. Tape has a very high noise floor (ya know that 'tape hiss'...), it has a limited frequency range (20Hz-20kHz), it is difficult to edit, it has a limited number of available tracks, there is a very long 'set-up' time, and it is VERY expensive.
Digital recordings offer much more flexability. They are 'non-linear' recordings so you can edit very quickly and freely, there is no wait for rewinding or fast-forwarding (which over a long session really saves a lot of time and |
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money), there is no noise floor so the recordings sound much 'cleaner', they have a much wider frequency range (0Hz-26kHz), there are an unlimited number of available tracks, they are very convienient to exchange between studios, and the format is very inexpensive. The downsides are there is no natural 'compression' and they don't naturally sound as 'warm'.
The average person cannot fundamentally distinguish between the two nor do they care to (which is one reason mp3's are so popular)... so this argument is really only found in the 'musician and engineering' community and they're not the ones buying 99% of the music out there.
In the long run digital offers so many more options, saves so much more time and costs so much less money that we have adopted it as our principal format. For those of you out there that just have to have that tape sound, NEVER FEAR, we can book you into several different analog tape studios at reduced rates! Please contact us for more info.
Q: I have a recording that I've completed in another audio program/format which I would like to re-mix. Can you do that?
Yes. We support Sound Designer II, AIFF, Wav., Recycle and Rex audio formats, 16-bit ADAT formats, D.A.T. and 1/4" 2 & 4 track tapes. We also support virtually all audio sequencing applications. If it is on another multi-track tape format or random audio application, we can still get it done, but we may have to book you in a larger studio (at a reduced rate) or rent the necessary machines to ideally transfer your tracks to the formats we have here and then mix from there.
Q: Should we bring our own instruments/amplifiers?
Yes, they are what you normally use and are familiar with, but we do have many things here that you are certainly free to use. Please take a look at our gear list.
Q: Can you arrange session musicians or singers to help me out with some parts?
Yes, tell us what you need and we will arrange it for you. Please, don't forget that this can be expensive. We can arrange producers, programers, piano players, bass players, drummers, guitarists, brass/string players, rappers, back-up singers, voice over actors, turn-tableists/D.J.s, you name it, we can get it, we could probably even get a Bavarian Nose Flute player. Rates vary depending on the specific musician and what your requirements are.
Q: Do you work evenings or on weekends?
Yes, we will rock till we drop(ish). We work days, evenings, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. We try to avoid very late night or overnight sessions as this tends to waste the next day. We generally keep working hours to a 10 hour limit between 10 am & midnight.
Q: Do you have any contacts that we can send our recordings to?
Yes, but ONLY those that were recorded here and we do not / will not / can not guarantee any response from those contacts. We can definately give you some suggestions as to what avenues to take with your work.
Q: Can we make samples from or record ('cover') another band's song?
Yes, but should you wish to sell this recording later you will need to get licensing permission from the song's publisher.
Q: Do you have backing tapes/recordings of popular songs (kareoke versions)?
No.
Q: Can you take the vocals out from an original recording and thereby use the recording for backing?
No. Although it is possible, to a degree, doing so greatly affects other instruments within the mix, e.g. you will lose drums, bass, guitars, etc..., so we do not support this procedure.
Q: Can you play any instruments?
Yes, our staff members are all writers/producers, editors, programers, synthesists, and D.J.s. They also collectively play drums, guitar, bass, keyboards, piano, and turn-tables.
Q: What happens to my files after I complete my project?
Audio files are very large and demand a lot of hard drive space. We are not an archive facility. So, your files will have to be backed up and removed from our computers. You will be given options in which to accomplish this depending on the size of your files and the most economic way of storing them. If you only did one song with just an acoustic guitar and solo voice, a simple CD-R back-up may suffice, if your band is as big as P-Funk and you do 39 songs, then you may need to get a 120 gigabyte hard drive (if a situation like this is relevant, you will need to get a drive before the session begins. We will work from that drive from the get go). Either way (or any way in between) this must be accomplished within 30 days of the completion of your project. After that time, if your files are not removed, they will be deleted.
If you have other questions regarding the recording process, please email us. Or, why not participate in our educational course? Email us for more information. |
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