* How long does it take
to record a CD and how much does it cost?
The majority of the demo projects I've been involved with (4-5 songs, nicely mixed and mastered) seem to come in at
around $150-$250. This assumes the band or artist is well-rehearsed, playing live as a group
(more or less) and is able to record
most of the songs in one or two takes. You can figure about an hour per song for the tracking process and maybe
a half hour per song to mix and master. This is pretty typical for most bands.
The cost for a full-blown, well-polished commercial album can cost you anywhere from $500 - $2,000 (or more) depending on the number of songs involved and how you choose to approach the recording process (live vs. one-track-at-a-time). What usually factors into the final price is how polished you want the final product to be and how well-rehearsed you are coming in. A punk band (for example) might want a rougher, less polished product. Get in, kill the guy with the ball, get out type scenario :-)
If your budget supports those numbers, or even a little more, then you're probably good to go. Keep in mind that these estimates are based on a flat rate of twenty bucks an hour. Most of the other studios in the area are charging two or three times that amount (or more).
I suggest you call or stop by for a visit so we can discuss all this in more detail. I should be able to give you a pretty good estimate once I understand what you're trying to achieve. There's no obligation and I promise there won't be any hard sell tactics (I hate it when people do that to me).
Some personal observations and comments:
1) Probably better than 90% of my clients schedule recording sessions over the course of many days, weeks or months. Most free-lance musicians have day jobs and family commitments. It can be a problem to take time off from work to record an album. Heck, it's hard enough to get people to show up for a rehearsal once a week. Also, the musicians I normally work with aren't independently wealthy so they tend to schedule sessions based on cash flow. It might seem frustrating to work like that but the advantage is that it gives you a little more breathing room and time to experiment with sounds and song arrangements. It also gives you a chance to go back and fix little things that maybe weren't up to snuff. I think the level of satisfaction with the final product is usually higher when you can afford to spend the extra time to fine-tune things.
2) I've recorded albums here in a less than a day. An experienced, ambitious artist or band can start in the morning and walk out in the evening with a fully mixed and mastered recording. An album recorded in a day probably won't have the same level of sophistication and polish compared to an album that was recorded over a longer period of time. But then again, that sort of raw, immediate quality might be exactly what the artist is after. Artists that can pull this off have usually been performing the songs for a while (sometimes years) in front of live audiences. Or they are seasoned session musicians who are used to flying by the seat of their pants :-)
3) Truth be told, recording projects have a tendency to take on a life of their own. Clients will often come in with one set of expectations and leave with another. The game plan can change on the spur of the moment. For example, a band might book time here with the intention of recording a quick demo and then decide halfway through the process to go the extra mile and really polish it up nice. That happens a lot. But the reverse is also true. Occasionally, a client will come in here with grand expectations only to find out that it ain't working for whatever reason and stop short. There are many reasons why that happens. I've seen bands literally disintegrate halfway through the recording session because they aren't getting along.
4) A good work ethic helps. If you're used to working quickly and efficiently, you're naturally going to get more done. But you know, this isn't a factory. We're not making transistor radios here. This is art. Sometimes it's important to experiment in order to get the right sounds. A lot of clients record alternate takes of parts and then sleep on it for a few days to see if they like the direction. During the course of a session, it's important to take a breather every so often. Helps clear the brain. An occasional ten minute break probably saves you wasted time in the long run. Bring some food or munchies along. Hunger pains are distracting. Don't try to do marathon sessions if you can avoid it. Mental fatigue and ear fatigue are very real things you have to deal with.
5) If you can't perform the songs all the way through at rehearsal without screwing up, it definitely won't work here either. Things go a lot smoother if you are well-rehearsed but even well-rehearsed clients sometimes have problems. I guess it's just a matter of experience (or mileage or whatever you want to call it). If your songs aren't fully developed and you're still working out the arrangements, then obviously that will have a bearing on the amount of time it takes to complete the project. Songs that are fully realized before the session starts will usually sound more confident.
6) The number of friends and acquaintances you bring along to a session will have a direct impact on workflow. In one respect, I like it when visitors show up because there might be a future client in the group and that's good for me. It's also good for me because the more people you bring along, the more time is wasted and time is money and that means I make more money :-) Unfortunately, it also means that it takes longer to complete your project. The problem really is that people won't sit still for long. The entertainment factor wears off after about 15 or 20 minutes and that's when the trouble starts. People will inevitably start laughing and joking around. They'll start asking me what those buttons do. Cell phones start going off and, well... you know what I mean. Distractions will have a bearing on the amount of time involved and on the final quality as well. So my advice here is to bring only those people who are actively involved in the session and leave friends and family at home. Just a suggestion.
7) The more you drink the more you stink. A glass of wine or a beer or a shot or whatever isn't the problem. If you've just finished off a fifth of Hennessy, that's a problem (I've seen this happen a few times). Nuff said.
8) Make sure your equipment is in good working order. Change the strings on your guitars before you get to the session. Bring spare parts. Nothing worse than an equipment malfunction, dead battery or broken string in the middle of a song to ruin the flow of the session. It never ceases to amaze me why bands go through all the time, effort and expense of scheduling a recording session and then show up utterly unprepared. It's almost like they don't really give a shit. I've seen guitarists show up without guitar picks, strings, batteries, etc. Drummers showing up without sticks. Yeesh.
9) I find that it helps to map out a game plan before we start each session. Just a short 5 minute band meeting to discuss goals. People usually have questions and comments and it helps to get everything out on the table so we can make intelligent decisions later on. It just helps the session flow a little better.
10) Time flies when you're having fun. It's the theory of relativity at work. Consider this very typical scenario: you want to record a four minute rock song. The song is four minutes long. The band plays the song all the way through from start to finish. Now they want to hear a playback. That's another 4 minutes. Then they spend 5 minutes discussing the performance and whether or not they should do another take or keep what they have and fix any problem areas. Almost 15 minutes have just flew by and that's just one take. So let's say the band decides to do another take. That's another four minutes. Let's hear playback. Another four minutes. Discuss again. Go to the bathroom. Go smoke a cigarette. Tune your guitars. Make a phone call. Tell a joke. etc etc etc. Before you know it, an hour has gone by. And all you have is the beginning of a single song. You still need to lay down a few vocal tracks or who knows what. See what I mean about time flying by?
If it's any consolation to you... I like to work quickly and steadily. I prefer it when sessions move along at an even, comfortable pace. I like to get mics up, things dialed in and get the session moving as quickly as possible. And then get out of the way of the creative process. The artists are here to create. I am here to help facilitate the creative process - to provide the blank canvas if you will. I don't like to waste time. I don't need to make my money like that. Rock on.