Would you start charging at this level?

[chaviracorona]

Hello, everybody. I record and mix music as a hobby (at day time I'm an English teacher). Throughout the years, I've collected the following equipment:

Hardware:
-Macbook 2ghz intel dual core 2gb ram
-A pc with similar characteristics.
-Bheringer 1832 fx pro mixer
-M-audio fast track usb interface
-M-audio Studiophile nearfields.
-Shure pg58 mic
-AKG perception 100 mic
-M-audio O2 keyboard midi controller
-Sennheiser eh250 headphones

Software:
-Logic studio 8
-Cubase 4
-Samplitude 10
-Protools m-powered 7
-Adobe audition 3
-Wavearts plugs
-Waves mercury bundle
-Izotope Ozone plug

Here in Mexico everything is so expensive compared to the prices in US or most 1st world countries. For instance, that AKG perception costed me $250 usdls when it can easily be gotten for less than 100 over there. I know my gear is not cutting edge, but I think I'm able to get good sounds out of it. I've gotten to the point of actually wanting to get some cash out of it so I can upgrade it and hopefully make a living.

So the question is; am I ready to start charging? I'll attach some pics and audio examples so you can hear what I can do. Thank you for your time.

[TonyB]

Originally Posted by chaviracorona

I know my gear is not cutting edge, but I think I'm able to get good sounds out of it.

I've gotten to the point of actually wanting to get some cash out of it so I can upgrade it and hopefully make a living.

So the question is; am I ready to start charging? I'll attach some pics and audio examples so you can hear what I can do. Thank you for your time.

You may have answered your own question.

It's not the equipment. It's what you do with the equipment and is the client satisfied with what you do with the equipment?

However, I'm not sure how you can make a living at it. I personally can't because I live in an area of part-time musicians who can only use and pay for my services when they are not at their day jobs. So don't set your objectives too high at this point.

The sample you posted is pretty good. Sounds like you have some talent for this stuff.

[whomper]

Originally Posted by chaviracorona

Hello, everybody. I record and mix music as a hobby (at day time I'm an English teacher). Throughout the years, I've collected the following equipment:
...(list of gear)...

... I know my gear is not cutting edge, but I think I'm able to get good sounds out of it. I've gotten to the point of actually wanting to get some cash out of it so I can upgrade it and hopefully make a living.

So the question is; am I ready to start charging?
...

the real question is how good are you at using the system
and how big a demand by payign customers is there
also how much competition doing this already
keep in mind any govt restrictions on running a biz

making some money to upgrade could be reasonable goal
making a living is unlikely


In DF probably a good chance to make some extra income
in Monterrey maybe could also work as a side biz
Taxco or SL Potosi probably not
Puerta Vallarta - nope

Where are you ??

[richiebee]

Logic studio 8 = $500
Cubase 4 = $500
Samplitude 10 = $700
Protools m-powered 7 = $250
Adobe audition 3 = $350
Wavearts plugs = from $100 each
Waves mercury bundle = $6800 (Native) or $11120 (TDM)
Izotope Ozone plug = $250

For instance, that AKG perception costed me $250 usdls when it can easily be gotten for less than 100 over there.

Something doesn't quite add up. Not saying you don't pay for your software, but if you don't, you need to start doing so before you start charging people for your work. Running a business on pirated software is extremely serious stuff.

[chaviracorona]

Originally Posted by richiebee

Something doesn't quite add up. Not saying you don't pay for your software, but if you don't, you need to start doing so before you start charging people for your work. Running a business on pirated software is extremely serious stuff.

I know the waves plugs might be the odd ones out, I have a "pact" with a good studio and I have access to them; perhaps I should have statated that?
Anyway, I'd never use pirated software as I woldn't want people to download the songs I record/mix.

Thank you for your comments and the time u took.

[lolzgreg]

Are you ready to start charging, yes.

I think these recordings sound pretty good, but I don't think you're at the point where you could make a living at it yet though.

Every piece of work you do have to represent you to the fullest extent. Every sloppy performance should be fixed, take extra care with seating and panning vocals, tune when necessary, etc.

A lot of bands are looking for "that great gear" when they walk into a studio. A lot of them don't know its the engineer that makes the magic happen and not the console he's mixing on. If I walked into a studio and the dude was mixing on a Behringer and a fast track, I would probably raise an eyebrow or two. Making a living is a bold statement. That's assuming you will make enough for you/your family to pay rent, eat, have heat and electric, car and health insurance, afford small gifts, live "normally." I sure as hell can't do that now (though I do well as a part time engineer) and I charge $35.00 an hour. Brandon even says if he had kids, he'd be in deep trouble. I'm not saying that this isn't a possiblity for you, but you need to strive for excellence in every project you do, learn, learn, learn and work your butt off to get there!

[brandondrury]

This whole "make a living" thing is TOUGH. The biggest problem is not quantity of business, it's when you get the quantity of business. Even though I'd say half the bands out there have an audio interface I could stay busy pretty much every night and weekend. The problem? I'd have to work every night and weekend!

I think the conservation of energy applies to your income...mostly. You will have to deal with bullshit in one arena or another. Specifically, going to work sucks. Going to a recording studio ain't so bad. However, when your work is something fun you pay for it in other areas. Even when you figure out how to beat the system and just sell products you made or whatever you still had to go through the epic disaster of creating and marketing those products. Few people can get over that hurdle.

There are a few specific issues with making a living recording.
-- When $$ are involved you tend to record less capable of bands for the $$$. This reflects negatively on you. It is NEVER the band's responsibilty to sound good. If they can't, you won't and you will lose business.
-- If you are too picky about who you work with you will lose business.
-- Working every night and weekend is fun for a while. Then one day you wake up and realize you hadn't seen your friends in 3 years. Seriously. I've done that. I don't want to live that way.
-- When you have strangers coming and going every day it gets to be a weird home situation for everyone living there and even your neighbors. That's why they have laws against that sort of thing.

I've found the most rewarding way of working is to pick bands I WANT to work with. Charge a flat fee. Use as much time as it takes because this is a fun gig for me. Finish the project up when I can. Move on. This solves all the problems except one. The income is dismal.

Brandon

[TonyB]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

This whole "make a living" thing is TOUGH. The biggest problem is not quantity of business, it's when you get the quantity of business. Even though I'd say half the bands out there have an audio interface I could stay busy pretty much every night and weekend. The problem? I'd have to work every night and weekend!

I think the conservation of energy applies to your income...mostly. You will have to deal with bullshit in one arena or another. Specifically, going to work sucks. Going to a recording studio ain't so bad. However, when your work is something fun you pay for it in other areas. Even when you figure out how to beat the system and just sell products you made or whatever you still had to go through the epic disaster of creating and marketing those products. Few people can get over that hurdle.

There are a few specific issues with making a living recording.
-- When $$ are involved you tend to record less capable of bands for the $$$. This reflects negatively on you. It is NEVER the band's responsibilty to sound good. If they can't, you won't and you will lose business.
-- If you are too picky about who you work with you will lose business.
-- Working every night and weekend is fun for a while. Then one day you wake up and realize you hadn't seen your friends in 3 years. Seriously. I've done that. I don't want to live that way.
-- When you have strangers coming and going every day it gets to be a weird home situation for everyone living there and even your neighbors. That's why they have laws against that sort of thing.

I've found the most rewarding way of working is to pick bands I WANT to work with. Charge a flat fee. Use as much time as it takes because this is a fun gig for me. Finish the project up when I can. Move on. This solves all the problems except one. The income is dismal.

Brandon

Brandon,

You summed it up very well! Yes, you can charge (from the sounds of your work, you have every right to charge), however, it doesn't mean you can make a living at it.

There's a difference. I charge and enjoy what I'm doing, but I can't make a living at it due to my physical location....all part-time artists/musicians/star-wannabes/etc.

However, I keep enough business going to keep the business going (i.e., can't pay myself a salary and can't pay my mortgage with it).

[glenlata]

i charge, tho its very low, 20 bucks and hour, but depending on the location and the genre i have bumped into a lot of other problems. for one, people don't want to give you the time to do a good mix, they want to record their song, then they want a cd right away and they take it and they are off to let the whole city hear your unfinished work, granted it might still sound ok, it probably isn't up to par for you. another issue is when you enter hip hop more so i've noticed, everyone has a homeboy that can record them for free. and even tho their songs sound like they were recorded for free, they don't care. those mixes do sound good enough to charge tho. just my little 2 cents, i could rant all day about running a studio but i think between all the post here you get the picture.