Choosing a Recording Studio

[57pbass]

I am in the planning stages of doing a recording of a project I am involved with. Its blues based original music Gtr, Bass, Hammond B 3 drums and vocals. It will be straight - no effects on any instruments ( maybe a touch of reverb on the guitar and vocals ) . We have looked at a few options in South Florida but they have been too pricey.. We are now looking into Sun Studios in Memphis.

They have a reasonable day rate which includes an engineer and the room is perfect for us..its a very live room. We will have to add lodging to the expense but it still comes out cheaper. Plus it should be a great experience.

Are there any critical questions I need to ask before signing the bottom line ?

I am satisfied with what the engineer has told me to date - we will record to tape... bass direct.

Thanks

[frontlinebass]

In my experience with recording and choosing a studio there are a few questions I would ask. Some studios try and get the band/artist it sign a contract that says the next 2 or something albums will be recorded at that studio. This is not a great deal because if your band makes it with a recorded deal or something by law you would have to go back to that studio when you should be going to a high quality studio somewhere else. Another thing is to find out what kind of equipment these people have and if it is satifactory to your tastes. Try and find out what their recording process is i.e. if they use pro tools neuendo or even analog. Another thing to do is get some of their recordings and listen to how well they are produced and mixed. I am sure there are alot of other things to be considered when choosing a recording studio but those are the major ones that came to mind.

[doc taz]

Are you kiddin' me? THE Sun Studios In Memphis, Tennessee? WOW! And you got a nice rate?

 

Man, please post back here with more...

[Dave Martin]

Here are random thoughts, in no particular order.

Keep in mind that little or none of the original equipment is still in use at Sun. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but you should know that you won't get the sound of the old Sun records...

 

By the way, is there a B-3 and a Leslie at Sun? I hadn't heard about one being there. What shape is it in?

 

I would suggest that you need to make sure that the engineer/producer is familiar with the kind of music that you're going to do - I've heard some wrtetched mistakes made by having inappropriate engineers on records. Not that the engineers were bad, just that they weren't familiar with the way a genre should sound.

 

Will you have a 'producer'? That is, someone who can make final decisions, while keeping track of the time spent, the mood of the band, the quality of the song selection? It's really, really hard to do a whole album project with a third of the band saying, "I don't know", another third saying, "That's great", the third third hating the sound, and the rest of the band not paying any attention. It's not necessarily a problem if one of the band members is the person who makes that call (for that matter, the engineer often is placed in the hot seat - with or without compensation), but SOMEONE needs to have a final say.

 

If you're doing that kind of blues based thing, why would you want to go direct?

 

Remember that all you're doing (or all you should be doing) is a real estate deal - you book the room (with an engineer), and when you're done, you take your product and go. The studio will want a deposit of between 50 and 75 percent, but that's just to make sure that you show up. In addition to that, you'll be paying for things like tape, CD's, and possibly even snacks and such (I worked at a studio once that charged for the juice and water in the refrigerator - that sucked...). Make sure that there will be no additional charges other than what is spelled out in advance.

 

If you're recoding to 2" tape, be aware of how much it costs. (Some places offer to 'rent' tape - don't do it).

 

Oh - I almost forgot - how much time do you get on a day rate? Some places make you quit after 10 or 12 hours, or at least charge extra (the engineers are typically paid by the hour), while others don't really have a cut-off time.

 

And remember, it's most likely going to take longer than you think (especially if some of the band members aren't used to being in the studio), so don't ty to schedule you project too tightly.

 

Besides that, have fun and be sure and try the Rendezvous for ribs one night.