Is the studio industry dead??

off.the.walls

Been thinking recently I invested a fair amount of money into my studio for the simple fact that i wanted to have it there for recording with my own band, I did slap up a few adverts advertising it but have recieved no interest, so is it just me or is the studio industry pretty dead, I know a few friends with the same problem.

seannash

No offence but maybe slapping up a few adverts isnt enough in this day and age.
Id say word of mouth in your local area might be a good bet.
Try organise a competition with your local venue and offer the winners a free day or two in the studio.
You can hobnob with the other local bands too whilst they're there and tell them to drop by the studio.

I think you would need to build a bit of a reputation and the only way is to have something out there so that people can listen to and decide if its for them.People are far too aware now for a "have studio can record" advert to work i think.

I dont think the need is gone but id say more and more studios are doing work outside of recording bands(voiceover,adverts,tutoring)

Then again im from the outside looking in so Im not the best person to ask

DamagedTrax

studio industry definitly isnt dead. in the last 2 days we've just taken 3 new bookings.

you need to get your name out there. all the advertising in the world isnt worth word of mouth.

offer free recordings, we've all done plenty! eventually, if you're good, someone will hear something they like in your sound and book you and if they like the result they'll recommend you and so on.

run a competition (as we have running at the moment)


figure out your strengths and your niche and play off them. they will be your USP... for instance, if anyone coming to base recording needs any programing done (samplers, synths, drum machines etc), i have a background in techno/breakbeat production so i can handle most tasks in that area and a lot of sessions ive done lately are asking for a little extra in their tracks.
thats not exactly strange in a studio but its certainly not something every studio can offer.
same as mick out in trackmix. he has a reputation for getting great drum sounds, especially for rock and metal. im pretty sure this USP has brought him in a lot of work thru the years.

like i said you just need to recognise what your angle is and then try and get clients that are interested (which brings us nicely back to the first couple of points).

hope this is of some help.

off.the.walls

Thanks for the advice lads.

seannash

If i was trying to generate more business for my studio i think i would try and immerse myself in the scene.

Djs go see other djs,chat to other djs about music.

If you want to record bands get down to the gigs,approach bands.give them your card/website details.
I think a new band would be very receptive if an engineer from a studio took an interest in them.

Im sure it would help if you liked the band also but i guess business is business at the end of the day.

It seems as if your recording anyway so you might as well be recording someone else who might spread the word for you even if money aint involved for the begining

madtheory

Word of mouth and a track record of great product. What really sells is the engineer/ producer, more than the studio itself. Tough business.

fitz

off.the.walls wrote: »

Been thinking recently I invested a fair amount of money into my studio for the simple fact that i wanted to have it there for recording with my own band, I did slap up a few adverts advertising it but have recieved no interest, so is it just me or is the studio industry pretty dead, I know a few friends with the same problem.

Tbh dude, and please don't take this the wrong way, I'm not having a go, but I took a look at your studio setup:


Honestly, that equipment list isn't going to be a huge draw to bands that are looking to compete with all the other acts out there. You've got to have equipment that bands will have confidence in the quality of, otherwise you won't be taken seriously. It's a pricey thing to do, and something to seriously question if you're thinking about investment. Does it suit your needs for recording your band? Yes? Great! That's a brilliant position to be in. But does that mean you have a commercial studio? Well, that's a different story imo. I'll give you my situation, just for perspective on that opinion.

I've got a home studio setup too that I've built up over time (more considerably in the last year) for my own recording purposes, and hopefully will be doing some recordings beyond my own band. However, I won't be charging for those, I'll be working on projects I want to work on as freebies for people I know. I've also got access to an incredible sounding room in the most vibey setting.


Now, I'm missing a kick mic and some tom mics, but I'm aware enough to know that once I have those, this is AT LEAST (imo) the kind of level in terms of equipment needed to be talking about attracting the interest of others. Why would people pay, or even spend time doing a free recording, if that recording isn't going to be up to scratch in terms of quality?

As people have already pointed out, equally, if not more important is your experience and ability to get results. This is why I will be using my setup, which I'm building up for myself, to record other people without asking for money. I'm confident I can get results, but at the same time, I've a lot to learn, so charging is kinda taking the piss.

When my equipment list is a bit more complete and I've a bit more experience, and have got stuff I've produced out there, who knows, maybe I'll have people I don't know approaching me to do some work, at which point, I'd be stupid not to charge for it, but it'd still be modest pricing.

Like I said, this is just me giving my perspective and situation.
At the end of the day, I have some great recording equipment, and have what I would describe as a "home studio," with the ability to do mobile recording, and have access to a wonderful recording space also. Is that part of the "studio industry"? No, and here's the core of this whole meandering post:

Realistically, unless you have your own tailored environment where you are offering equipment and services that people deem commercially valuable, you're not really operating a commercial studio, and aren't really in a position to state that an industry you're not part of is dead.

Like I said, just an honest opinion from someone doing similar things, not trying to having a go! I guess, from my perspective, it's a case of realising the difference between having a recording setup, and running a studio business.

scorcoran90

im with fitz on this one.
and not being bad but the equipment you have is nothing special.
bands can now fork out 100 quid for a 12 hour session in elektra for example and get pretty good results wth some really good gear. word of mouth is the way and you defo should be prepared to do some recording for free.

studiorat

As a viable business where you can earn a decent living it's as dead as a do-do.
An engineer used to get £350 a day or there abouts 10 years ago.

Who's getting that now?

madtheory

scorcoran90 wrote: »

100 quid for a 12 hour session

I really hope that does not include the engineer.

Savman

madtheory wrote: »

I really hope that does not include the engineer.

It does actually. Not a bad day out, all things considered, very cheap way for a band or artist to build up their studio experience without breaking the bank. Being obsessed with the outcome or result is not desirable tho...

PaulBrewer

This is a subject close to my heart and one I've posted on many times.

Not referring to the OP specifically - but a 'Studio', to differentiate itself from the masses, must have something that separates itself from the Bedroom Boys ....... or it has no chance.

DamagedTrax

madtheory wrote: »

I really hope that does not include the engineer.

student engineer. that band VAG were in recently. never heard the results though.

madtheory

I hope the student gains credit towards her qualification!

DamagedTrax

madtheory wrote: »

I hope the student gains credit towards her qualification!

i doubt it. all c&g and fetac work is generally supervised (to a point). i'd say either the student gets a few quid or its looked on as practice.

having said that i do seem to remember someone on here mention that its freshly qualified engineers so who knows if they get payment..

scorcoran90

yeah its 100 with or without an engineer.

digitaldeath

Christ! For 12 hours?! I wouldn't get outta bed for that!

seannash

digitaldeath wrote: »

Christ! For 12 hours?! I wouldn't get outta bed for that!

Id say that because most musicians have dabbled in home recording to some degree and view it as an enjoyable past time they might also think that the engineer is having the time of his life recording people everyday.

Id imagine the expanding home studio market has devalued studio time alot

Seziertisch

I would have thought that for most guys starting out as engineers the opportunity to cut their teeth would be appreciated even if the pay isn't great.

Ultimately your success or failure in the profession is down to the results achieved. Just because you work 12 hours on something doesn't mean it is worth someone paying you for 12 hours, particularly when you have no proven track record.

There is also a direct correlation a lot of the time between the amount of time spent and the quality of the end result. In my experience the guys who really pride themselves on what they are doing are willing to put in that bit extra (even if its unpaid) because they consider the end product to be more important than whether they get paid for every hour they work.

Savman

digitaldeath wrote: »

Christ! For 12 hours?! I wouldn't get outta bed for that!

Good for you, but these people have to start somewhere ffs. Great experience for both Engineers and Bands at a steal of a price, what's the problem exactly?

DamagedTrax

Seziertisch wrote: »

There is also a direct correlation a lot of the time between the amount of time spent and the quality of the end result. In my experience the guys who really pride themselves on what they are doing are willing to put in that bit extra (even if its unpaid) because they consider the end product to be more important than whether they get paid for every hour they work.

+1

i cant charge more than 2 studio days for a complicated mix (indie/pop 60+ tracks) but realistically more than 2 days work goes into it when you consider edits and revisions and a serious case of mix OCD :-D

you just suck it up and enjoy having work in front of you.

Einstein

Also finding things tipping over. And it's all word of mouth. three quarters of the way through 1 guys album at the moment. Starting to mix a bands track from next monday, and starting a new album with a Singer Songwriter in January.
And to be honest, I could be busier if it wasn't a part time thing.

But paul hit the nail on the head. The studio has to have something to differentiate it from the bedroom setup etc.

madtheory

EUR100 for 12 hours is pushing it IMO. It's 12 hours of solid work, realistically. There's doing it for love/ experience and there's taking the piss. If it was 8 hours that would be more reasonable. Who even does 12 hour sessions at any price? Nuts. IMO.

DamagedTrax

madtheory wrote: »

Who even does 12 hour sessions at any price? Nuts. IMO.

clients choice IMO.

ive worked till 2am for the same money i've worked till 6pm.

i may get jaded and change my mind in years to come but right now i love long tracking sessions. much more relaxed and productive when you can afford to take breaks without feeling under pressure.

madtheory

Fair enough. I find the energy peters out after 9 hours. IME it's better to come back to it the following day, solutions present themselves much more quickly. 12 hour sessions mean one doesn't have a life outside the studio IME.

PaulBrewer

I'd agree with Mad.

danjokill

this is no **** but a few couple of years ago I did 24 plus hours straight behind the desk in that studio ........ it's a long story but I couldn't tell my arse from my elbow afterwards ... I drank so much coffee to keep going .... i really thought i was going to die my heart was beating so fast. However and i do consider it a fluke ..... and do not recommend doing this ever your ears need rest .... the out come was some of my best work!

Seziertisch

madtheory wrote: »

Fair enough. I find the energy peters out after 9 hours. IME it's better to come back to it the following day, solutions present themselves much more quickly. 12 hour sessions mean one doesn't have a life outside the studio IME.

Don't know about that. I think a good rule of thumb is to keep working as long as its productive.

madtheory

I can only speak from experience. Used to do the 12 hour session thing when I started out years ago. Usually baby bands at weekends. Even worse money than the student in question. Great way to have no social life/ lose the girlfriend. I quickly learned how to track the whole band live so we'd finish early. Would often do mixes and/ or vocals during downtime the following week. Boss didn't like. Until the repeat business came in.

Doge

DamagedTrax wrote: »

student engineer. that band VAG were in recently. never heard the results though.

I think that's the the ideal solution right there.

Get a stunning looking vag or 2 into the studio, train them in sound recording, have them assist your clients

and you'll find the majority of male bands, queuing up, fighting to get inside your door!

It will be the greatest breakthrough in Studio marketing, the world has ever seen.

Sure ffs lads, all the popular artists are doing it with their music videos, sex sells!

(Apologies in advance! )

NyquistFreak

waveform wrote: »

I think that's the the ideal solution right there.

Get a stunning looking vag or 2 into the studio, train them in sound recording, have them assist your clients

and you'll find the majority of male bands, queuing up, fighting to get inside your door!

It will be the greatest breakthrough in Studio marketing, the world has ever seen.

Sure ffs lads, all the popular artists are doing it with their music videos, sex sells!

(Apologies in advance! )

Reel yourself in there a bit mate, there's plenty of female engineers around the place who have enough to be dealing with aside from the "girl in band syndrome" attitude of a male dominated industry! I know you meant this as a joke....but if you can't show some respect, at least have the manners to not fuel the fire hey? Or this stunning vag will have to kick yer face off :pac: