The Home Recording Studio Business

[colorlessgreen]

The trend is definitely toward home studios. My humble studio in Tulsa, OK is a good local example of a successful home studio and i think i know why.
1. lack of competition. In Tulsa, there are a handful of home studios operating at our level. there are 2 large facilities that do commercial work 1 SSL in town that usually has car adds piped through it and 1 ancient Neve in an old church that gets a lot of drums from Nashville and about 5 or 6 med-large facilities that mostly do church stuff. There are really only about 3 other studios in town that do what we do and IMHO we're the best of them.
2. We keep a realistic gear list for our customers. We're not competing with the big studios so we don't try. We have a Mackie 32/8, Pro Tools Core 3 on a Mac 7600, 2 888/16s, 3 external scusi drives, 2 MOTIFs, 2 KURZ K2600s, Waves Gold, a RODE NT1000, 2 AT 4033, 8 Oktava 012, Senn 602, 8 Shure 57s and 2 Shure 81s, oh, and a big beautiful Grand Piano that sets us apart form our competition.
3. We price commiserate with our costumers' expectations and we keep the church gigs to a minimum. i don't want to get into a religious debate here, but we get ripped off from churches all the time. We do tons of rap...rap always pays...cash. We do Karaoke tracks for extra income, and we never turn down little old ladies that want to sing for 1/2 an hour. easy money. We also say yes 90% of the time. Even though we have no capability to do video, 24 bit, surround, duplication, or any of that fun stuff, we say we can get them started and then hand them off to friends who can finish. The friends appreciate the referral and the customers appreciate saving a little money along the way.

If you're interested in starting a home studio, keep in mind that cool bands wanting a full album will be diamonds in the rough. In the last 3 years, we've done 5 full band albums. Of course this number depends on your area, but the ratio, I bet, remains the same. For every album, expect 100 little old ladies. It doesn't hurt to offer voice, guitar, piano, whatever lessons...anything that keeps people in the studio.

Also, don't worry too much about gear. I'm sure I will receive 30 hate mails for this one, but anyway, if you're any good at all, you'll be able to record a pretty good demo on just about anything. Granted, better gear gives you lots of tools, but I know pro dudes who pull off very decent sounding recordings with a mackie, SM57 and a rack of Bheringer comps and reverbs and are able to charge almost as much as we can per hour...and get it. On the other hand, I know far more people who went deep in debt, accumulated great stuff, ProTools HD, Manely, Neumann, Eventide...etc etc.. and sold everything within a year cuz they sucked at it. And don't let any of these guys tell you that any of your gear sucks...I have found a use for almost every peice of crap box I have...even if it is to inject a crappy sound just for fun. Most of all! Have fun with it.. If it becomes work...then quit and go work at Home Depot. You'll make better money and have benefits there...and the only little old ladies you'll meet will probably not be singing "onward Christian Soldier"!!!

[Ben Godin]

OMG, this post went from 0 to 20, ...ill post some info about myself... I worked at a large pro facility in Baltimore, MD, for a good chunk of time, amazingly i am very young, i own a home studio in Charlotte, NC, we charge 65 an hour at the moment, and i do part time mastering, madminute, im sorry about your expiriences, but i don't think tell Kurt what to do will help at all, so cheer up , anyways, i used to work with very nice gear, Manley, etc., but now im working with mostly Avalons and Focusrite stuff and im very happy, i have very good mixing work but my mastering work is still in improvement, i do work for underground bands free of charge, so if you qualify contact me and ill do your work free (based on how much time i have), thanks everyone for posting. 8-) 8-)

[Kurt Foster]

The thing that strikes me about your responses to my comments is your own contradictions. You state that you don't see turd polishing when people turn out hits, yet you use the White Stripes example to attempt to make your point. You admit that you don't like their sound, so how can you say this is'nt polishing a sonic turd? As Tom pointed out, expensive gear does'nt always make a nice product. And the same can certainly be said about a majority of what is produced by majors in big houses today

I don't feel my comments were contradictory at all. I wouldn't go so far as to call "The White Stripes" turds ... or working on their projects as "turd polishing". I question their (and others) omission of bass guitar and I don't like their music but that's only a subjective observation... In my experience as a recording engineer and producer, I have come across much worse. Would I take on a project from them? Most likely not, at least not if they weren't famous. I would probably record them now as it would be a fat contract ... but I doubt Jack would want to use me, if only because I am not on board with his music and the way he does things.

So, to summarize, pros are daily taking money while turning out huge piles of dung. While you may personally not know any of these pros, it still happens. This same discussion is going on in several other threads on this board.

My take is this tendency is driven by home recording and internet downloading, not remedied by it. In times past, most of this crap wouldn't get by the A&R label guys, much less a reputable producer or engineer... Studio musicians played all the dates ... great players like the "Wrecking Crew", all fine musicians who could tackle anything, not just some noise laden 3 chord de-tuned crunch guitar crap with vocals that sound like a dog barfing ... It's home recording and the internet that has propagated this junk ...

At the same time, people are recording wonderful stuff in their homes and in small project studios.

I submit there are far more crap recordings than good ones circulating due to home studios and internet distribution ... In the past most of it would never have been recorded, much less released. Most of the stuff I hear posted on the Internet is very much crap imo. It is rare that I hear anything I care for. Everyone can do what ever they please in this scenario, musicianship has fallen by the wayside, audio standards are degraded, there's no one in control ... the animals are running the zoo ...

My entire point is that throwing money at projects and running audio through alot of expensive gear run by expensive producers and engineers does'nt always equate to a pleasant listening experience.

I agree ... it's not the studios fault though ... it's the record company reps and home studio producers that are driving this phenomenon. IMO, the "democratization of recording" has been a disaster. Digital technology has degrade audio quality and put cheap crappy tools into the hands of morons who don't have a clue about playing music, let alone recording it. There are tons of records out there that didn't even have a real a musician on them... all ripped off samples and loops with some ignorant gang bang low life that can't even speak english correctly, going "Ungh! Uh Huh!, Oh Yeah! Put yo' hands in the air" .... (all financed by criminal endeavors and dope sales btw) ....

[oakman]

Even if the "home studio craze" is flooding the internet with poorly produced music and getting limited exposure for musicians and singers that a big label wouldn't even look at, and even though a lot of it is "crap", I still applaud the fact that making a recording of ones band is more accessible to a larger group of people than ever. Perhaps some artists that would have been past over years ago will be discovered because of it... A gem that would have remained hidden will emerge. I dare say that it has already happened a few times.

We each have the freedom to tune out as we please. I say let folks have their fun. Let the home studio phenomenon go through its pangs and grow and be refined. The cream will rise to the top in time.

[Kurt Foster]

I still applaud the fact that making a recording of ones band is more accessible to a larger group of people than ever.

oakman,
I agree 100%! All things have 2 sides to them ... good and bad.

More than the chance that someone may be "discovered" I applaud the fact that by recording, perhaps some of these people may actually hear how bad they really are and maybe even incite them to work harder at their craft ... or in some cases (a best case scenario), quit! ...

[radioliver]

All anyone needs to know is that the amazing bands out there aren't on big labels and are "somewhat known" because of the internet. They record in their basement and make it "big" without the help of huge Corporate major label f**kers that keep sh*tting out crappy ?expensively? produced music. These days, one major label band in a 1000 are good musicians. All the shit bands we're recorded in major studios with NEve and ssl and whatever technical crap expensive vintage warm punchy shit all the old farts are nostalgic about. "Ahhhh....the 70's". Wake up, the 70's are over. It's not about stadium shows anymore. The underground scene is really important and there are great bands out there that aren't "barfing dogs". Listen to bands like Toronto's "Broken Social Scene". Pop/rock at it's finest. Original, not mainstream crap. How do they attract 3 to 4K fans at their shows? Internet. How does the CD sound? Amazing yet somewhat Lo-Fi. It really sounds good. Where was it recorded? In one of the band member's basement. The music is so well communicated yet not recorded on a punchy vintage warm console. The same old farts that are nostalgic about the gear keep complaining that the music sucks these days and that the kids are too lazy to learn how to record. Well that just shows how lazy they are to try and find good music. C'MON!!!!! The good music is out there just not backed up by those rich f**ckers that play crap on MTV. I may sound pissed off and I am. I'm usually a really calm guy but this situation really pisses me off.

Now let's have a drink and listen to some good music!

Cheers

[Kurt Foster]

Golly Ollie!,
A lot of anger there! Music is very subjective. You like what I don't and I don't like what you do ... that's fine with me.

I took a listen to a couple of the clips and I will say the noise floor of the recordings was very high ... lots of hiss (from poor gain staging or bad mixing) and thumps and clunks (from a crappy piano). These guys would do much better work with a major studio with Neve or SSL and whatever technical crap expensive vintage warm punchy shit all the old farts are nostalgic about.

The songs I heard were drawn out and all but put me to sleep ... very self indulgent and boring IMO. Like any one wants to listen to all that depressing whining ... perhaps if you would listen to a Beatles record you could cheer the fu*k up a bit!

All in all, perhaps these folks could benefit from some input from an old farts that are nostalgic about the gear keep complaining that the music sucks these days and that the kids are too lazy to learn how to record. If i had to judge from these recordings, I would have to agree.

The fact that this band is popular and doing well only underscores my previous remarks. This is exactly the kind of thing I have been talking about.

One last thing, someday, (unless we are all lucky), you will be an "old fart" too. Your disdain for the knowledge and experience "old farts" have to offer is both arrogant and ignorant. Snot nosed kids don't have a lock on the cutting edge, they only think they do.

[radioliver]

It's fun to see these strong opinions on this board!!!
All I want to say to resume my previous longer post is that the mainstream music sucks these days and that the only way for the good music to be released is home studios. Because they'Re cheap. THESE DAYS, it's all about the music and not about gear if we want to keep the good bands alive. The music industry has become so greedy that looks come before the music. Kurt, you may like country and not like more experimental music. Thats fine with me. But don't come and tell me that today's mainstream country is good!!
Anyways, the attitude was to get a response and it worked.

Cheers

[Kurt Foster]

Oliver,
I like some country ... mostly the more traditional stuff like that from Alan Jackson and Brad Paisley. Paisley can really play and he writes some good stuff too. "I'm Gonna Miss Her" is a major ruk! Merle Haggard is writing and recording some of the best stuff he has done in his life. I also think that Allison Krause makes some of the best records ever made ... great songs and musicianship. You can really hear the progression of her production if you listen to the early recordings she made and her later ones.. this is a case of where great production and better recording facilities made a big difference for the better.

I also like a lot of rock and pop music ... I am not "just" a country musician .. my biggest success's have been in the Blues genre' with guys like Kenny "Blue" Ray (who btw follows the internet sales model you outline), Jackie Payne and Brownie McGhee ...

The internet is a wierd place. It's easy to make it look like a buzz is going on for a band if you know how to go about it. I don't pay much attention to a band that claim success just because they say so ...

[oakman]

I'm an old fart and I dig the new music (and old too). I am also down with the "underground" scene. I do, however, get a bit irritated when a perfectly good band suffers the injustice of horrid recording and passed over because of it. I didn't listen to the clips from Broken Social Scene because I don't have Real Player (Hate It), so I can't judge for myself. This is not about them. So, here I am doing mixing and mastering for Indy bands with a passion to try and pull the quality up a notch or two. I am limited somewhat by the lack of a "Neve or SSL and whatever technical crap expensive vintage warm punchy shit all the old farts are nostalgic about", but it is becoming a mission or obsession or something like that. I am determined to bring this home studio of mine to the next level and see some undiscovered talent benefit from it. All I have to rely on is mid-priced gadgets, limited knowledge and a bunch of experience. Maybe I really suck and don't know it.

I guess that's why I jumped in on the home studio business thread. I kinda' have to agree with both sides of the argument. Expensive gear and super-pro studio talent doesn't make a band good, but it sure goes a long way to help folks hear it properly if it is good. The ability to hear talent through an irritating recording is an individual thing. Some can do it. Some can't. I guess there is no reason to dis folks for trying.