Rent out like a storage place to do drums at or rent out part of a warehouse or something, and then just make a room. You really need to look around to find a place, but look into a lot of options, then just do it, if they get mad at you then tell them your sorry, it is easier to get forgiveness then it is to get permission. There are a lot of things you can do, just keep looking things will get better for you, just keep doing what your good at and things will work itself out, almost everyone has been there. I got a job working in a music hall and got in tight enough with the boss to be able to do some late night recordings whenever I want to with whoever I want to, because I too live in an apartment but soon I will be moving out to get a house so i can do a lot more tracking there, as soon as I get this degree in audio, which will probably be useless but I still learned a whole bunch, and no it is not a full sail degree.

Isn't it silly that local studios will take a kid out of Full Sail or SAE over you, with your documented experience, as an intern?

I would keep pursuing this, using the internship as a foot in the door.

Another way, which will make you just as much money as being an intern (meaning $0.00) would be to book bands at your existing rate, and negotiate with a local studio to re-sell time at a reduced rate to you. I'm sure that like everywhere most studios aren't booked solid these days and they could see value in the business you bring.

I've got a similar situation in that I work out of my Condo. The only real instruments I'll record at home are vocals, guitar (if it's acoustic or direct), synths and bass. For drums I do a lot of programming or I'll go "on location" usually to the bands rehearsal warehouse to record them. I do have access to a friends studio and if I can swing it, I'll record the drums and loud guitars there.

If you can swing it, try getting a warehouse somewhere that you can set up as a studio. They are generally cheap and if you've got the business, you should be able to cover a months rent with just a session or two.

I don't know where you live or work, so I can only guess at the options you have open to you. Doing it all yourself can indeed be tough; and there's little room for trouble - like an eviction - when you're trying to do it all on your own.

Hopefully, you can at least set up a monitoring and mixing area in wherever you're going to live - a spare bedroom, perhaps, or den, etc. I agree with the others' posts in suggesting that your'e going to have to sublet somewhere else, or perhaps become a more "Portable" type of recording comany. You may also be able to take on other projects that involve audio, but not nec. recording bands per se.

How easy would it be to make some of your rig portable, and transportable to clubs or other locations to do the tracking part first? (in my case, I do only Voice-overs and the occasional overdub here, literally everything else is done out on location. My neighborhod wouldn't support a "commercial" operation here - cars, foot traffic, etc. wouldn't go over well.)

There may be more opportunities in "the biz" for you, depending on where you live, and what you're willing to do to make it happen. Sadly, as you're finding out, running a "commercial" type of studio - open to bands and anyone who thinks they want to make a record - is one of the worst ways to make a living in today's world.

Hope things get better for you. Hang in there, I'm sure you have a lot ahead of you. This is probably just a speed bump in a long road to come.

duplicate - deleted

I'm located just outside of Chicago. I've been trying to exploit other audio opportunities like VO work, but don't know where to start advertising to get those first few clients before word of mouth advertising starts kicking in.

duplicate - deleted

Running any business by yourself is a real challenge, not to mention sending your stress levels and blood pressure completely ballistic. I work out of my house doing sound design and audio post for film, etc., as well as the occasional musician, VO work, editing performance music for ice dancers and figure skaters, anything I can get my fingers into to make a buck. At the suggestion of a few well established professionals in the biz, some of whom gave me a few excellent leads, I am beginning to market myself as a sub-contractor to other audio & video post facilities. FTP sites make fast turnaround times feasable, no shipping disks via FedEx or courier. I'm just beginning this process, but have had face-to-face meetings with a number of facilities here in the NY Tri-State area with positive results. This way I can work at home (no commuting!), see the wife and kids once in a while and, most importantly, I don't have the headaches of running a complicated business. As a freelancer I do the work, get paid, receive a bunch of 1099s at the end of the year and deduct every cent I spent on equipment, marketing, and the like.

You could consider going into partnership with another engineer in your area. Pooling your gear and other resources will give you a more impressive equipment list, you will be able to build a better room, you can be open more hours of the day and neither of you will have to suffer the stress of the business side of the music biz by yourselves. Choose your partner with great care; you'll spend more time with this person than with a wife or girlfriend. If you decide to do something like this make sure that you put together a contract. Anyone who will not legally commit isn't worth your time; a contract and proper business plan protects all of the parties involved.

I guess the point of all this drivel is to let you know that you have options. Keep the faith! 8-)

go mobile
and/or be a hired problem solver

you're not the first to think they can have a studio

you end up being a property manager .... and the first thing you learn about real-estate is that a music studio is the worst thing to use floor space for

so you move the studio out and away from town to where floor space is cheaper
:shock:
and you then find many of the old customers don't want to spend the time getting there

build a relationship with studios and get some good studio time prices

Art ..

Im still waiting for some samples of your most recent work. I try to be friendly to you and share but you don't give back. I'm going to cry into a pillow Now look at what you've done... :(

I think you have received some good advice. The problem today is that most people are giving their expertise (or lack thereof) away for free. There are so many studios none of them can really make a full time living at it.

I have been in business for myself for 10 going on 11 years and what UncleBob58 said is all true. If you are going to survive in this business you have to find a niche and exploit it or you have to be so diversified that you can do almost anything for anyone.

We do a lot of different things for clients from radio program development and production to reclamation of audio tapes and records where the client will bring us tapes and records swimming in brackish water and we have to dry the tapes and records, clean them and put them onto contemporary media. We also do mastering, transfers, media change, on location recording and the list is almost endless. Even with doing almost everything we still have problems because of the way the world works today. Everyone wants your expertise but are unwilling to pay for it.

As a mastering engineer I get to hear a lot of what people do in their basements and bedrooms with their own equipment. The results are not always good. If they would go to someone like you who has paid his dues and knows what he is doing they could save themselves a lot of money and grief but instead they try to DIY it and then HOPE the mastering engineer can make it sound good.

I feel your pain and hope this works out for you in the end.

Just keep plugging away and, if you can, find someone to share the expenses and burdens of running your own studio.

Best of luck!

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I think you have received some good advice. The problem today is that most people are giving their expertise (or lack thereof) away for free. There are so many studios none of them can really make a full time living at it.

I have been in business for myself for 10 going on 11 years and what UncleBob58 said is all true. If you are going to survive in this business you have to find a niche and exploit it or you have to be so diversified that you can do almost anything for anyone.

We do a lot of different things for clients from radio program development and production to reclamation of audio tapes and records where the client will bring us tapes and records swimming in brackish water and we have to dry the tapes and records, clean them and put them onto contemporary media. We also do mastering, transfers, media change, on location recording and the list is almost endless. Even with doing almost everything we still have problems because of the way the world works today. Everyone wants your expertise but are unwilling to pay for it.

As a mastering engineer I get to hear a lot of what people do in their basements and bedrooms with their own equipment. The results are not always good. If they would go to someone like you who has paid his dues and knows what he is doing they could save themselves a lot of money and grief but instead they try to DIY it and then HOPE the mastering engineer can make it sound good.

I feel your pain and hope this works out for you in the end.

Just keep plugging away and, if you can, find someone to share the expenses and burdens of running your own studio.

Best of luck!

Hey Art, I'm in a pretty comparable situation to yours. I live in a home I own and I have been building out my garage and basement to house different rooms for my studio. Problem is the wife and her mother and law dont want strangers in and out of our house at all hours and stuff so time is going to be limited. Right now I have been doing projects for small labels much like you and recording bands for free at time and also charging at times as well depending on the project and my financial needs at the time. My advice would be to seek the route I am going right now. Record drums at a studio you can rent out for a decent rate (odds are you are only going to break even on the cost of recording drums) and then record guitars and such in your apartment using small combo amps, thd hotplate attenuators on halfstacks, direct guitar amp sims and stuff like that, maybe a 2 bedroom apt with the 2nd bedroom as your control and vocals room would suffice. I think the biggest point I have to make is that your work is going to sell itself. If I ha the choice of working with a newbie or intern at Chicago Recording Company or having a Randy Staub, Chris Lord Alge, Ben Grosse, or a Bruce Swedien track me in their apartment guess who I'd put my money down on? Know what I mean? I tell local artists this a lot and its a major selling point when I'm trying to get projects in. From personal experience I can tell you that when you are a local artist and you book time at a major facility you aren't going to get the attention you deserve. They are going to stick an intern and a "budding" engineer on your project cause honesly you are not going to pay their bills. You project is not what is going to keep money coming in. It may just bring in enough money to stock the bathroom with toilet paper for the month. They are looking for the next major label deal. If you want more suggestions I have a list of some places you can work out of that are very professional and will work with and are all around nice guys. You can at least have a place to record drums at (the loudest element).

Hey Art, I'm in a pretty comparable situation to yours. I live in a home I own and I have been building out my garage and basement to house different rooms for my studio. Problem is the wife and her mother and law dont want strangers in and out of our house at all hours and stuff so time is going to be limited. Right now I have been doing projects for small labels much like you and recording bands for free at time and also charging at times as well depending on the project and my financial needs at the time. My advice would be to seek the route I am going right now. Record drums at a studio you can rent out for a decent rate (odds are you are only going to break even on the cost of recording drums) and then record guitars and such in your apartment using small combo amps, thd hotplate attenuators on halfstacks, direct guitar amp sims and stuff like that, maybe a 2 bedroom apt with the 2nd bedroom as your control and vocals room would suffice. I think the biggest point I have to make is that your work is going to sell itself. If I ha the choice of working with a newbie or intern at Chicago Recording Facility or having a Randy Staub, Chris Lord Alge, Ben Grosse, or a Bruce Swedien track me in their apartment guess who I'd put my money down on? Know what I mean? I tell local artists this a lot and its a major selling point when I'm trying to get projects in. From personal experience I can tell you that when you are a local artist and you book time at a major facility you aren't going to get the attention you deserve. They are going to stick an intern and a "budding" engineer on your project cause honesly you are not going to pay their bills. You project is not what is going to keep money coming in. It may just bring in enough money to stock the bathroom with toilet paper for the month. They are looking for the next major label deal. If you want more suggestions I have a list of some places you can work out of that are very professional and will work with and are all around nice guys. You can at least have a place to record drums at (the loudest element).

Hey Art, I'm in a pretty comparable situation to yours. I live in a home I own and I have been building out my garage and basement to house different rooms for my studio. Problem is the wife and her mother and law dont want strangers in and out of our house at all hours and stuff so time is going to be limited. Right now I have been doing projects for small labels much like you and recording bands for free at time and also charging at times as well depending on the project and my financial needs at the time. My advice would be to seek the route I am going right now. Record drums at a studio you can rent out for a decent rate (odds are you are only going to break even on the cost of recording drums) and then record guitars and such in your apartment using small combo amps, thd hotplate attenuators on halfstacks, direct guitar amp sims and stuff like that, maybe a 2 bedroom apt with the 2nd bedroom as your control and vocals room would suffice. I think the biggest point I have to make is that your work is going to sell itself. If I ha the choice of working with a newbie or intern at Chicago Recording Facility or having a Randy Staub, Chris Lord Alge, Ben Grosse, or a Bruce Swedien track me in their apartment guess who I'd put my money down on? Know what I mean? I tell local artists this a lot and its a major selling point when I'm trying to get projects in. From personal experience I can tell you that when you are a local artist and you book time at a major facility you aren't going to get the attention you deserve. They are going to stick an intern and a "budding" engineer on your project cause honesly you are not going to pay their bills. You project is not what is going to keep money coming in. It may just bring in enough money to stock the bathroom with toilet paper for the month. They are looking for the next major label deal. If you want more suggestions I have a list of some places you can work out of that are very professional and will work with and are all around nice guys. You can at least have a place to record drums at (the loudest element).

wow have no idea why that posted 3 times, i apologize for that, moderators please delete 2 of them, haha

Thanks guys....great advice. Rain, I was thinking of recording drums out of other studios, but haven't been able to find a place with decent rates. You said you know of someone?

Arthur,

What kind of music do you typically record? I have a facility in Evanston that's outfitted well for drum recording, and our rates are good.

Jed

I record mostly indie rock and some metal bands. I work in Niles and live in Elk Grove.

How far are you from the Shure building?

Hey Art, I have done some recording and engineering at 3Pear studios downtown. It's very laid back and the owner, Dave, is a great guy to work with. They have all pro gear and I have never had a problem with their rates. If you go on their site and register as an engineer you can get block rates at 35 an hour which isnt bad at all for a high level studio. The key to making this even more affordable is time management and preparation. Have the scratch rhythm tracks and everything needed for the drummer already down and ready to go. Let the drummer set his stuff up while you cue up the session and set everything up in the control room and start getting mics ready and such. Sometimes if you tell Dave ahead of time he'll even pull the mics from the mic closet and have them on stands, cabled up, ready to go for you by the time you get there. After set up it really just depends on how accurate the drummer is. The total charges is pretty much out of your hands after that and the perfomer is going to dictate the price they pay. After all it isnt your fault if they aren't up to par or cant play with a click and need to do 70 takes.

Hey Art, I have done some recording and engineering at 3Pear studios downtown. It's very laid back and the owner, Dave, is a great guy to work with. They have all pro gear and I have never had a problem with their rates. If you go on their site and register as an engineer you can get block rates at 35 an hour which isnt bad at all for a high level studio. The key to making this even more affordable is time management and preparation. Have the scratch rhythm tracks and everything needed for the drummer already down and ready to go. Let the drummer set his stuff up while you cue up the session and set everything up in the control room and start getting mics ready and such. Sometimes if you tell Dave ahead of time he'll even pull the mics from the mic closet and have them on stands, cabled up, ready to go for you by the time you get there. After set up it really just depends on how accurate the drummer is. The total charges is pretty much out of your hands after that and the perfomer is going to dictate the price they pay. After all it isnt your fault if they aren't up to par or cant play with a click and need to do 70 takes.

http://www.3pear.com

Hi Arthur,

If I recall correctly, the Shure building is on Touhy west of 94, so it would probably take you 20-25 minutes to get to my location (depending on traffic).

Drop me an email at jed@ece.northwestern.edu and we can talk further.

Best,
Jed

Hey Art!!!

Interested in moving???

I need a good (paid) helper!

I've been considering going back out to California......what state are you in?

Art,

I'm guessing Cucco is from fredericksburg, va..thats what it says on his location thingy. open your eyes!!! :shock:

Shit...I didn't even see that. In all honesty...I just might be contacting you about that if it is a serious offer.