Studio rates

[tritton93]

Hi

how much does it cost to record in a studio, on average, for an hour with an engineer and all the equipment?

Thanks
Ed Tritton

[String7th]

Wow. Anywhere from free, to $10 per hour, to $80 per hour, to $1000 per song completed.

There's no average, only what people think they are worth. For instance:
1. A multi-million dollar commercial studio may charge $100 per hour plus a flat engineer fee. Recordings will sound as good as you can perform, because the gear will capture a perfect sound, as long as the performance is good.
2. A home-recording enthusiast may offer $10 per hour and if they're a musician as well will probably be more hands on with your performance, offer tips, and help you record a performance you are happy with.
3. A non-musician guy who took out a bank loan for his gear may charge $50 per hour, not know how to run half his gear, and constantly remind you of the time.

What are you looking to do? Do you need a full studio, or voiceover studio?

[tritton93]

one of my friends is looking to build a studio thats somewhere between a home studio and a professional one, and he doesn't know what to charge. I thought i'd put it to an international audience. He's a musician, so i imagine he'd give tips and not really be strict on timing.
I thought he'd have to charge about $30 an hour on its own to cover the electricity bill, so if he wants to make a profit a little bit more. would you think about $40 an hour?

[willjrockstar]

Seems like peeps i know are saying 300 per song no matter how long it takes.

I guess that could go both ways but thats how im hearin it a lot lately.

[String7th]

Your friend will probably change the pricing after the first 10 customers to find out what works best for themselves.

It depends a lot on what type of customers they get. Pro artists and musicians will only need a good engineer to run good equipment and can get a 10 song acoustic demo in 8 hours. You should charge a flat rate per song if you have the equipment to justify it.

But other clients will be young bands who jump in the studio before they are ready, taking forever to get the parts right, a singer who forgets his lines, a guitarist who can't play sober, and 5 weeks in, the drummer quits. You really won;t be laughing when this happens to you. These clients need to be charged hourly and collect at the end of the day.

A good way to start finding the right price is offering a band or 2 a free 3-song demo. See how long that takes, and get your price by how much is invested in the studio, this will also spread the word with thier friends and build a portfolio.

[TonyB]

Your friend will need to work up the rates as he gains experience and credibility.

It's definitely a "word-of-mouth" profession (and yes the part time engineers can be considered professional).

I prefer to go with the flat rate, especially for large projects (i.e., full CD).

However, for those inexperienced, disorganized artists/bands I charge by the hour because they tend to waste a lot of studio time.

I'm told on many occasions that I don't charge enough. Some clients have given me a tip above and beyond the advertised rates.

[String7th]

Originally Posted by TonyB

I'm told on many occasions that I don't charge enough. Some clients have given me a tip above and beyond the advertised rates.

Ok, good I'm not the only one. Sometimes I shine and the band thinks they found Dallas' best kept secret, other times I tell myself to never charge flat rates again.

[TonyB]

Originally Posted by String7th

Ok, good I'm not the only one. Sometimes I shine and the band thinks they found Dallas' best kept secret, other times I tell myself to never charge flat rates again.

I think that's a situation we'll always be in. I've gotten better about who to charge by the hour and who to charge as a flat rate. Not perfect; but better.

[willjrockstar]

Originally Posted by String7th

You should charge a flat rate per song if you have the equipment to justify it.

I assume you meant "talent" to justify it. Not tryin to nit pick but if you meant equipt like you said, just had to wonder why you felt that way.

[TonyB]

Originally Posted by willjrockstar

I assume you meant "talent" to justify it. Not tryin to nit pick but if you meant equipt like you said, just had to wonder why you felt that way.

Equipment and talent! how about that?

Talent for sure.

Equipment yes (can make talent easier)

Acoustic treatment (can make equipment sound better and talent easier).

All of the above can help.

Talent can be improved with experience.