Are Recording Studio Prices Breaking Your Bank? You are definitely not the only one. Once you add in the cost of the engineer, musicians, and many other factors, recording studio prices can go up quite a bit. So how exactly do you buffer the damage while still getting the most out of your sessions? Easy, you do things differently. Having had my home studio running for quite some time, I have learned that when it comes to professional studios, there are a few tips I can give to reduce costs which we will discuss below:
Tip 1: practice practice practice
I cannot stress this enough. If your goal is to spend the least amount of money on high-quality recordings, you should realize that most studios charge by the hour. If you walk into that studio and spend 2 hours trying to figure out where to start, you’re going to see a pretty high bill once it’s all said and done. Before you even consider booking a session, learn your material until you can say it in your sleep.. This will make a big difference to recording studio prices because the less time you spend in the studio, the less you’ll have to pay. Many studios tend to have a minimum amount of time you should book the session for, but the way I see it, if you spend 2 hours on a song, it’s much better than spending 3 or 4 hours. If you are really good, you could complete 2 songs within the given time frame, which is a win-win.
Tip 2: Negotiate a flat rate
As I just mentioned, many recording studio prices are based on time and not necessarily by project. If possible, try to negotiate a single fee for services. For example, let’s say Studio A charges $5 per hour for a study session and you must spend a minimum of 3 hours in the studio. You have an album you’d like to put together that contains 12 tracks. With his policy, you’ll spend at least $15, so if you spend 2 hours on one track, you’ll end up spending $120 for the entire project. The key is to put the word out that you plan to record a certain number of tracks and negotiate from there. So if you guarantee to do 12 tracks in the studio, you could get an offer of maybe $80-$100 on the project. Many times this is possible if you are a professional and the studio doesn’t think it will take you a long time to complete each track. You get your album recorded at a reasonable price and they are happy with your business.
Tip 3: find an investor
Recording studio prices are sometimes unavoidable. So what do big dogs do? They find investors. Let’s say Lil Wayne needed to record an album and it would cost him $100,000 to record the whole thing. His label would be the investors because they will put up the money, because they believe that he will bring in much more than that amount. Lil Wayne is focused on his job and they worry about money. This strategy usually works if you are making money from your music. People like to know that they’ll get their money back from recording studio prices, so it’s important to have a good plan for how to pay them back.
Tip 4: Record your own voices
Often times, a recording studio will charge for tracking, mixing, and possibly mastering the recording. They include it all in the session costs and sometimes this can be greatly reduced by learning a little. Let’s say the studio charges $5 an hour for the session, $20 for the mix, and $20 for the mastering. If the session lasts 4 hours, you’re looking at $60, whereas if you just need to mix and master your music, you could save yourself $20 that could be used to mix or master another project. Learning to record your own voice takes practice, but it’s very possible with a quality microphone and a little knowledge of the recording process. A simple Google search will put you on the right track and this tip actually brings me to my final tip.
Tip 5: Build your own studio
There is no better way to reduce recording studio prices than to have your own studio. You can write a song, record, mix and master your song right from your home. Over time, the cost of purchasing the equipment has dropped significantly. You could put together a respectable studio for less than $1,000. It takes time to learn how to set up a home recording studio and learn how to use the equipment. I suggest, again, that you do some research on the subject and be prepared to take a lot of notes. The time and money invested up front will save you a lot of money in the long run.
I hope these tips help you reduce the recording studio prices you are currently paying. As a fellow independent artist, I can relate to how hard it gets sometimes and every hundred really counts. With proper planning, I am sure you will succeed. Good luck.
