Studio rates

[String7th]

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.

Yeah, I guess I should have been more specific.

I actually work the other side of that. I charge per project and my studio is under the $10k status, no high-end stuff. Instead, I work with the band on a musical aspect, not engineer, to produce, I throw in a ton of musical ideas, and suggest the band to try a bunch of different things that would add many hours. So in the end it takes longer because of the way I work, but the band doesn;t feel like I did it just to add hours on the bill.

[newkid]

Originally Posted by 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

Depends where you are. Varies from city to city.
Depends on the gear you want to use.
Depends on how much help you want from them.

Call around your area and ask them.

[newkid]

Originally Posted by 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?

Charge what the market price is.
That may or may not be above or below his expenses.
EG you may or may not make a profit.

Call around and see what others are charging.
Ask around and see what people are willing to pay.

$30 just for electricity ?????? WTF
How much for the rental value of the gear?
How about insurance taxes etc?
What about his salary and bennies.

$40/hour? Depends. I would probably use my own gear unless he has some real value added. And then only for a final take.
Some bands may think its a great deal.

Got a great room that has been tuned? Or an echo chamber.
Real know_it_all experienced person? Or wannabee.

Where is the value added ?
What is someone's motivation to use this studio?

He can find plenty of DIY books for setting up a company that shows how to budget and make a profit.

You all should do that planning first.

Charge high - you can always lower rates or have sales.
Charge low - very hard to raise them if you are losing money.

[brandondrury]

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.

I think the rule is fairly simple. If you REALLY want to do the project, the flat rate makes sense. Otherwise, these are almost always a bottomless pit for time.

Brandon

[TonyB]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

I think the rule is fairly simple. If you REALLY want to do the project, the flat rate makes sense. Otherwise, these are almost always a bottomless pit for time.

Brandon

That's a better way of putting. Yeah.