* How long does it take
to record a CD and how much does it cost?
Unfortunately, there's no "one size fits all" answer to these
questions.
There are too many variables that
have a bearing on the amount of time it takes to complete a recording project, and
ultimately, the final cost of the project. All I can do is provide a reasonable
estimate but I can't even do that until I understand your goals and expectations.
Statistically speaking, the majority of the demo projects I've done here (4-5 songs, nicely mixed and mastered) seem to come in at around $150-$250. This assumes the band 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. There have been a few projects here and there that have taken longer but this is pretty typical for most bands.
The cost for a full-blown, well-polished commercial album project can cost you anywhere from a $1,000 - $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). If your budget supports those numbers, or even a little more, then you're probably good to go. If your budget doesn't support those numbers then you're not ready for this and should wait and save up more money or look for another alternative. Bands will often record more songs than actually needed in order to give themselves a little insurance at the end that they'll have enough "good" stuff to choose from for the final product.
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. So, to say with pinpoint accuracy how long a project is going to take is difficult at best.
Probably better than 90% of my clients schedule album sessions over the course of many days, weeks or months. Let's face it, most amateur 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, most muso's don't have gobs of money laying around 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.
But I've also 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 :-)
I suggest you pick up the phone and call me 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 based on a phone call or face-face meeting. There's no obligation and I promise there won't be any hard sell tactics (I hate it when people do that to me).
Allow me to provide some info on past projects that may be helpful to you. Consider the following:
* A four piece cover band came in to record a five song demo that they intended to sell at their shows. They wanted something a little more polished sounding. It took them around six hours to record the basic tracks. I spent about four or five hours mixing and mastering the tracks.
* A solo acoustic guitarist/singer/songwriter came into my studio to record a twenty song CD. This individual was very well prepared. He was able to record all twenty songs in about two hours. I think we spent about three hours mixing and mastering the entire project. Most of the songs were completed in one take.
* A three piece original blues band spent close to eight months recording tracks for their commercial CD release. The band would book 3-4 hour sessions a couple of nights a week. You do the math. We spent a lot of time experimenting with sounds and miking techniques and various things.
* A three piece thrash metal band came in to record 9 songs for a commercial quality CD. It took two and a half days of steady work to complete the project.
* A karaoke singer recorded almost 30 songs in about 3 hours (most were done in one take). I spent a couple of hours mixing and mastering the project.
* An original 4-piece band came in to record one song that was commercial quality. It took about 6 hours to record, mix and master. They recorded the drums first, against a click track, which also included a scratch vocal and acoustic guitar. The rest of the band then overdubbed their parts one at a time. Finally, we dumped the scratch vocal track and replaced it with a really good take. I think we did about 3 takes on the drums before we got a perfect drum track down.
As you can see, it's all over the map.
A few additional observations and comments:
1) A good work ethic helps. The less time you spend futzing around, the more work gets done. On the other hand, you don't need to drive yourself batty either. 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.
2) 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 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.
3) 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 a lot of people 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. 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.
4) 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.
5) 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.
6) I find that it helps to map out a game plan before we start each session. People usually have questions and comments and it helps to get everything out on the table so we can make intelligent decisions later on. Doesn't mean the recording session is carved in concrete. It just helps the session flow a little better.
7) 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. Now 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. So the band decides to record another take. That's another four minutes. Let's hear playback. Another four minutes. Discuss again. Go to the bathroom. Go smoke a cigarette. 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?
8) 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.