Finding a local studio for vanity album?

[jpmist]

I've been writing and recording my own stuff on GarageBand for quite a few decades. With the Covid lockdown I added several more songs that I think are worth the time and money to record a lot better than I can. I can manage some rudimentary GB recordings, but my hearing loss on low and high frequencies is pretty moderate and with one ear far worse than the other I worry about panning properly. And that's just for starters - it's a bit late in the day to work up those 10,000 hours to train my poor ears further than I have so far.

Having no idea how to even start, does anyone have any tips on finding a local studio who wouldn't scoff at the idea of some old geezer recording some simple songwriter/acoustic tracks well enough to put on iTunes? What might I budget for that? How much time per song could I expect to take? What would be the availability of vocalists who might do the vocal track better than I? Would a studio or sound tech simply take my GB tracks and clean them up?

I have zero expectations that my stuff will find an audience, but it's kind of a personal legacy notion to have something tangible to listen back on as "after a few decades of playing here's where I ended up." As you can imagine I'm starting at ground zero so any thoughts would be appreciated.

[jim1960]

If there are people in your area who perform music similar to your own, I'd start by seeking them out and asking if they know of a small studio that might work for you.

But before you do contact the studio, know what you'll require of the the person you hire. If you'll need bass or background vox, or something you cannot provide yourself, you should find out if the person you hire can do it or if you'll have to hire from the outside.

I'd also inquire about the gear on hand. You may have a choice of places in the end and the gear might factor into your decision.

Lastly, ask the studio to either send you or point you to examples of their work. It's good to know what they're capable of ahead of time.

[jpmist]

Originally Posted by jim1960

If there are people in your area who perform music similar to your own, I'd start by seeking them out and asking if they know of a small studio that might work for you.

But before you do contact the studio, know what you'll require of the the person you hire. If you'll need bass or background vox, or something you cannot provide yourself, you should find out if the person you hire can do it or if you'll have to hire from the outside.

I'd also inquire about the gear on hand. You may have a choice of places in the end and the gear might factor into your decision.

Lastly, ask the studio to either send you or point you to examples of their work. It's good to know what they're capable of ahead of time.

Thanks Jim. I posted the same on Reddit and got three recommendations of local studios so I guess that's where I'll start.

[runamuck]

Originally Posted by jpmist

... any thoughts would be appreciated.

Where are you located? Maybe someone here can suggest a studio.

[Howard Emerson]

Originally Posted by jpmist

I've been writing and recording my own stuff on GarageBand for quite a few decades. With the Covid lockdown I added several more songs that I think are worth the time and money to record a lot better than I can. I can manage some rudimentary GB recordings, but my hearing loss on low and high frequencies is pretty moderate and with one ear far worse than the other I worry about panning properly. And that's just for starters - it's a bit late in the day to work up those 10,000 hours to train my poor ears further than I have so far.

Having no idea how to even start, does anyone have any tips on finding a local studio who wouldn't scoff at the idea of some old geezer recording some simple songwriter/acoustic tracks well enough to put on iTunes? What might I budget for that? How much time per song could I expect to take? What would be the availability of vocalists who might do the vocal track better than I? Would a studio or sound tech simply take my GB tracks and clean them up?

I have zero expectations that my stuff will find an audience, but it's kind of a personal legacy notion to have something tangible to listen back on as "after a few decades of playing here's where I ended up." As you can imagine I'm starting at ground zero so any thoughts would be appreciated.

If you think that a recording studio is any different than custom tailor or a professional photographer.........Your money is as good as the next customer, and about the only thing they'd 'scoff at' would be offering them used musical equipment in trade for recording time.

Call up any recording studio you see listed in your local listings. If they have a web site with a list of recordings they've done just give a listen, but more than that you just need to tell them: I'd like to do some recording with acoustic guitar and voice, and whatever else you'd like to include.

It really comes down to your budget vs their hourly rate, right, and make sure they're following a good Covid19 disinfecting protocol! I finished my last CD just after having Covid19, and my engineer producer is a germaphobe to begin with, so I felt comfortable knowing that he'd be fussier than me!

Any good studio may turn out, of course, to just be a very clean full length mirror with great lighting. Whether or not YOU will like what you're 'seeing' is another story. Clearly you're used to hearing yourself, so that is probably NOT an issue.

Any studio worth their salt is there to help you sound & play the best that you can. It will definitely feel different when you're only wearing the hat of an artist instead of engineer!

Don't wait any longer. Just do it, and enjoy the journey!

Best regards,
Howard Emerson

[jpmist]

Originally Posted by Howard Emerson

If you think that a recording studio is any different than custom tailor or a professional photographer.........Your money is as good as the next customer, and about the only thing they'd 'scoff at' would be offering them used musical equipment in trade for recording time.
. . .
Any studio worth their salt is there to help you sound & play the best that you can. It will definitely feel different when you're only wearing the hat of an artist instead of engineer!

Don't wait any longer. Just do it, and enjoy the journey!

Best regards,
Howard Emerson

Many thanks for your detailed and encouraging reply! Thru Reddit I've gotten several Atlanta area recommendations who's web-sites I've checked. None of the sites are well maintained or particularly illuminating past an inventory of their mics and equiptment plus a few pics.

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. 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. A Reddit response may lead me to one.

So, I guess it's my own challenge to get past my stagefright to do a studio session . . . Thx for letting me think out loud.

[Doug Young]

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. A Reddit response may lead me to one..

This is extremely common, and almost any studio should be willing to do this. Even fully pro recordings are often done in home studios or other remote locations, with someone at a better equipped studio doing the mix.

[jim1960]

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.

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.

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.

[jpmist]

Great stuff here, thanks.

jim1960 - I'd swear you've been talking to my parents behind my back, but they passed on a while ago <grin> You do reading between the lines pretty well!

I'm not even gonna try arguing your points cause you'll just nail me again. But it's true that getting myself out of my comfort zone takes a lot and I'll likely exhaust the home studio notion a bit more. I've set up speakers for my recording setup to get me away from relying on headphones which I'm guessing fatigue my ear. Will see how that goes.

I imagine a simple visit to the 3 studios I've gotten leads on would go a long way to get comfortable with the idea.

Thanks all for the input!

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by jpmist

I imagine a simple visit to the 3 studios I've gotten leads on would go a long way to get comfortable with the idea.

You can take some of the pressure off yourself by thinking of it as a learning experience. I've yet to use any track I've recorded in someone else's studio - I've just never been happy with the performance, but I learned a ton each time I've done it just watching how different engineers work. Even pros who work in the studio all the time don't always get a good take on the first session, or even the umpteenth attempt, so don't worry about it. Just enjoy the process and learn from it. If you happen to get a great take of something, that's a bonus.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by jpmist

jim1960 - I'd swear you've been talking to my parents behind my back, but they passed on a while ago <grin> You do reading between the lines pretty well!

I swear I don't even own a Ouija Board.

[keith.rogers]

Originally Posted by jim1960

... 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.
....

Love it. (And it sounds a lot better than the related "polishing" metaphor.)

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by keith.rogers

Love it. (And it sounds a lot better than the related "polishing" metaphor.)

I must've been hungry.

[Gdjjr]

In the Houston area there are a couple of ads for studios on Craigslist

[Howard Emerson]

Originally Posted by jpmist

Many thanks for your detailed and encouraging reply! Thru Reddit I've gotten several Atlanta area recommendations who's web-sites I've checked. None of the sites are well maintained or particularly illuminating past an inventory of their mics and equiptment plus a few pics.

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. 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. A Reddit response may lead me to one.

So, I guess it's my own challenge to get past my stagefright to do a studio session . . . Thx for letting me think out loud.

JP,
Ever since the advent of Protools I've been taking advantage of my producer/engineer's extreme editing abilities. I am almost always nervous in front of microphones, but I don't let it stop me from getting into the studio when only high quality reproduction will do.

Fred Guarino (owner/engineer) knows that once I start playing that if I screw up, most of the time I'll stop for a second, and start from where I was or just prior, and then we stitch it together. He'll just let me continue playing until I say otherwise.

Most of the time I play with no click track because I'm the only instrument, although I may overdub another guitar or a bottleneck track. This makes it a cinch to get a complete take with a minimum of fuss on my part.

When and if you decide to start auditioning potential studios, make arrangements with the studio for an hour of time with your guitar so that you can actually try what I'm referring to.

Sitting in a chair, in situ, with a mic and headphones on will give you a real world feel of what to expect, and believe me you'll be nervous and overwhelmed at that moment.

Just do it, roll with it, and the engineer & room that makes you feel the most at-home is the one you should consider using.

Life is too short.

Best regards,
Howard Emerson