Studio vs. Home

[brokenstrings]

Does anyone know the going studio rates? For example, how much does it cost to lay down one song? Or will a studio even let you lay down only one song? My band mates and I have never been in a studio and have no idea. Were only looking to lay down a demo of our origionals and we need sound samples on our website. The big debate right now within our band is buying a home recorder vs. studio. I have listened to tracks that were made with home digital recorders that were pretty impressive. Were looking for some advice from anyone who has been there, done that.

[Trucula]

Its all in what you want to spend...I've recorded demos in a house that turned out as well as studios....But a studio has more effects and ways to deal with stuff more than what you can do at home( less you have alot of bucks to buy your own full set-up)..They have:.better mics..more tracks...ease of correcting stuff,,and adding more(effects ect)....some get carried away in the studio and do more to the track than what you'll ever do live,,,so its better to try and keep it simple so it sounds like you...I've recorded in 3 different ones ,for 4 different bands and several soloists and had to learn the music and come up with something that day...
But like I said...its all in what you want to spend...alot have package deals...(so many songs...so many copies for certain amount of $$)...and then you add art work,sleeves,shrink wrap...on and on $$$...expect to pay around $35 an hour in most local studios...and the quicker you lay down the tracks w/o mistakes the less it will cost you....because final mixes have to be included in the time/cost...If you can find one cheaper you may sacrifice quality...and you can also spend "ALOT" more than $35 if you have the funds to do so...just make sure its the way you want it(the song) and dont rush into it...we've recorded songs and after a while of playing them out changed little things and wished we'd have waited to record them.. Hope this is some help to ya...and Good Luck!!

[J Michaels]

$30 - $50 per hour is generally what I have found for studio time. As Truc said, be efficient in playing your songs so that you don't have to go through too many takes - that takes time, which costs money, then you have to pay the mfor their time to mix everything down and produce the final recording. Doing it in a pro studio is a pretty sure way of getting good results, provided you go somewhere that knows what they are doing. Ask for referrals to someplace that other bands around here have used and had good results. I liked Songcrafters in Beaver Springs (near Lewistown.) If I recall, it was $30 / hour, and the setup was very flexible and he had good taste in terms of what to add (and maybe more imortantly, what NOT to add) to the tunes, effect-wise and what-not.

That being said, it is amazing what you can do at home these days with a decent mic and some software. I use Cool Edit Pro as the track software, which has tons of effects, up to 99 tracks, lots of editing ability, etc. I have used everything from a digital recorder to record instruments and vocals, then transferring it to the computer and importing tracks into CEP and manipulating, to using a cheap-ass headset mic that plugs straight into the PC to record my acoustic guitar and vocals straight into CEP. Both ways produce pretty good results, all things considered.

Drums will be the tricky part, in my opinion. A decent mic in front of your guitar amp can capture your tone reasonably well, but getting the drums recorded can be tougher at home.

You have to have a room with decent acoustics to make any of this work, of course. But you can certainly get a decent demo at home if you 1) have decent software, mics, room acoustics, and, 2) (maybe most importantly) some knowledge of how to use the software and what-not.

Other thoughts: cost-wise, it may not be different overall. A couple hundred bucks for decent software, a couple hundred more for a digital recorder, more for mics, etc., plus the time to learn how to use it all effectively. (Dont underestimate that last one.) You're now at $500-600 bucks, which is what a few songs at a pro studio will probably cost. Plus, if you buy stuff and do it yourselves, you now have to decide who the equipment and software actually belongs to. (The band will most likely break up SOME day - ownership of stuff can become a real problem.)

Hope that helps at least give you things to think about, cuz I imagine it isn't making the decision a lot easier!

[brokenstrings]

thanks guys that really sheads some light on things. Im gonna have to talk it over with the band to see how were going to do things in the future. If we go the home route we have good mics we just need a new recorder. I have a Fostex FD-4 but it is really dated and you cant do anything with it other than lay down ideas with only 4 tracks. The sound is great except for guitars, they sound thin. We use SM57s to mic the guitar cabs but still arent seeing any great results.

If it were up to me and not a band decision, I would opt to go the home route just for the fact that were not looking to curculate a large number of discs and we could record as much or as little as we want. Currently, We need the recordings for the website more than anything.

Decisions, decisions.

[Trucula]

J Michaels makes some great points....Do you want to put big bucks into something only you will use?...If you were going to do it for alot of people you might have a chance at getting some money back...which usually leads to more equipment!

And you stand the chance of tying up buck for something that might end up on a shelf!

drums alone are hard to record...you need something to soak up the hitting of each drum so you dont get bleed over in other mics. it takes a special room to do this best...then a headphone set up so each can hear what they should be playing while they are in different rooms...theres mo money!

And do you wanna spend the time mastering a whole new field to do your own stuff?...Like he said it takes time!....its an art in itself!

Sound like for all the more you want to do now I'd look into a friend or someone on here that might dabble in it and give you all you need for starters...and Hey save some money for gear!...Try just posting an ad in services wanted and see what gives!..

[bassist_25]

This is an excellent thread that should be read by anyone who's considering recording. For the original poster - My advice for what you are hoping to accomplish would be to record yourself. I've personally heard stuff recorded on home studios that blows away some of the stuff done in local "Pro" studios. Besides, time's money and I'd rather take my time to put out a quality product. There's no pressure if you're recording yourself. Sure, there will be some trial and error, but I think the tradeoff is worth it.

But if you want to go to a studio, there's a few things to think about:

1. I would listen to as many local releases as possible and find out where they were recorded and who they were recorded by. If possible, get in contact with the band members involved in the recording and get their opinions about the studio. I've personally recorded at two studios: Audible Images in Stormstown and Data Music in Altoona. PM me if you're interested in hearing my experiences. By asking you to PM, I'm not saying that I had bad experiences or good experiences at either place, but I just feel that something like that should be discussed in private.

2. Take into consideration whether the person recording you is going to be just an engineer or will lend a producer's ear. Some engineers woud let the tape run despite how many flat notes are on a track while other's will stop you the minute you hit a clunker. I'd rather have the one who will stop when I hit the clunker.

3. As was stated earlier, have a good idea of what you're going to do before you record, but also have a good idea of what you want to do for post-production. Also, as much as you may want to record and walk out with something in your hands the same day, DO NOT record and mix in the same day. Record, take a DAT home, and listen to it. Then decide what you want to do. i.e. add a little more reverb on that vocal, etc. Listening to the rough recording will also help you be more objective.

Hope that some of this helps, and have fun with whatever route you decide to take.

[tonefight]

Another benefit of the home studio is that you can lay down rythm tracks and then practice leads, vocals, harmonies etc to the "base" tracks and go back a week later and add you "top" layer parts. Sometimes after you hear a song you decide it needs a change. You could make a change with a home studio.

The digital recorders being produced are amazing and alot of them have presets and effects right in them. In my opinion they are gonna put studios out of buisness. Lets take Poisons first album for an example, you could easily get that quality out of a digital recorder and once you figure out what you are doing you'll do better.

But if you have no idea what your doing it will take some time and effort to get on to it.

[J Michaels]

...Also, as much as you may want to record and walk out with something in your hands the same day, DO NOT record and mix in the same day. Record, take a DAT home, and listen to it. Then decide what you want to do. i.e. add a little more reverb on that vocal, etc. Listening to the rough recording will also help you be more objective.

Another benefit of the home studio is that you can lay down rythm tracks and then practice leads, vocals, harmonies etc to the "base" tracks and go back a week later and add you "top" layer parts. Sometimes after you hear a song you decide it needs a change. You could make a change with a home studio.

More good points.

The digital recorders being produced are amazing and alot of them have presets and effects right in them.

Absolutely. If you are using a 4-track cassette recorder, I don't think you'll get the kind of quality you are looking for, if you're also considering a pro studio. However, if you want to try the home recording option, definitely go with a digital recorder.

I've used the Fostex MR-8 8-Track Digital Recorder, and within an afternoon I was getting pretty efficient with it. Plus the quality was decent, and it was very easy to transfer files to my computer (just connects with a USB cable.) You can also save them on CompactFlash media and mix / add effects, etc. right there. It has mic and 1/4" inputs, some built in effects, multiple tracking ability (though I would record and transfer one track at a time into Cool Edit Pro and engineer it in there).

You can always get them used on eBay for $200 or so (maybe less if you get lucky), or brand new for $250 - $300 from Musician's Friend, zzounds.com, etc. Right now it's on sale on Musician's Friend for $229.

[brokenstrings]

Tonefight makes a good point in that you can lay down the rhythm track down and experiment over top of it with a home recorder. I use my Fostex FD-4 for that constantly. It's real nice to be able to lay down a decent quality track whenever inspiration may strike. I'm able to get very good quality sound out of the Fostex overall. I have been multitracking since about 1997. But the catch is, im limited to 4 tracks. If i had at least 8, i could really get things going. Some of these home recorders have came a long way since the days of my FD-4.

Thank you all for your experience and advice.

[tonefight]

If you already use a 4 track and have some recording abilities I would definatly go with the digital over going to a studio. I was asuming you were completely new to everything. We've been doing some recording lately with a digital 8 track and I'm really impressed and diggin it. It is also alot more comfortable having all the time in the world and having the time to redo things and change them.