Quote:
Originally Posted by jpmist
None of the sites are well maintained or particularly illuminating past an inventory of their mics and equiptment plus a few pics.
|
That's pretty typical. The people I know with commercial studios aren't spending much time at all on their websites. Most of their business comes through client recommendation. They're not relying on people randomly landing on their websites. So, typically, it's a list of gear, a few pictures, and a client list.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jpmist
And! I'm already getting cold feet at the thought of venturing outside my cosy safe & comfortable bedroom studio and wonder how I'd manage to put down a decent take.
|
That, too, is pretty typical. At home you're not making your mistakes in front of anyone and you're concerned the person recording you is going to judge you when you make them in the studio.
Speaking from experience on both sides of the studio microphone, sitting in front of the mic adds pressure and you're going to make mistakes. The person who doesn't make mistakes is a very rare species. Behind the mic, the person recording you has a goal... to make you sound as good as possible. They're not going to hammer you for making mistakes because that just kills the vibe. They're going to encourage you, try to make you comfortable, and try to bring the best out of you. They want you to be so floored by end result you'll want to record more. They'll want you to think highly of them because that's how they generate more business.
Put the worry of embarrassment out of you head. Everyone who has recorded has been embarrassed in the studio at some point. Laugh at your mistakes and redo the parts you got wrong. Composite tracks are your friend and any competent mix engineer can make the parts flow together seamlessly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jpmist
Thinking more, perhaps what I actually want is someone who'd be willing to take my GarageBand stems and mix and eq them properly which try as I might I have a hard time doing.
|
Don't take this personally because I don't mean it as an insult but that's just chickening out and I'd bet money you'll regret it forever. I get it though... it's safe because you don't have to even look at the guy when he listens. You can just send the files and be miles away. It's safe but you're cheating yourself. Give yourself the full experience. You will learn so much and it will make what you do at home in the future so much better. If you can't make your GB stems sound good, they're probably not recorded well to begin with. Great mixes start with well recorded tracks. You're about to hand someone burned cake layers and you're asking him to put enough frosting on them to cover the bad bits. That's not how you make a mediocre cake, let alone a great cake.
The initial intimidation you're feeling is normal but once you're in the studio and you've put a few mistakes behind you, it will go away.