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 Cut Your Own Demo: Professional Studios Around the Country for $100 OR LESS Per Hour: Part 1 When you make the step up from home recording on a 4-track or using a Pro Tools rig, it's crucial to know where the good studios are that won't break your bank account. This article lists sites across the country to check out.
As featured in: Performing Songwriter Issue #72, September/October 2003. Visit performingsongwriter.com to order back issues or subscribe.
By Jen O’Neill
Part 1 | 2 Maybe you’re still using your trusty 4-track recorder to flesh out your tunes in the comfort of your bedroom. Or perhaps you’ve got an entire Pro Tools rig set up in your basement. Either way, you’re feeling ready to venture outside your house to approach a “real” studio complete with skilled individuals who can cater to your budget and provide the necessary technological requirements to create your music. To keep you from dialing up the first Joe Schmo you find (who might just charge an arm and a leg), we’ve assembled a list of tried-and-true studios across the country that can more than accommodate your needs. Because we understand that you might not be financially able to shell out $500 an hour--and that you might not even need all the bells and whistles that a package of that caliber offers--we’ve chosen 11 studios that offer packages under $100 per hour. While more expensive options are available, prices vary accordingly with the type of equipment you’re using and if you opt to employ the services of an engineer, producer or mastering engineer. In addition, some of the places we’re spotlighting stress the importance of charging daily rates or lock-outs to avoid exacting hourly constrictions and to focus intently on the project at hand. Each of these studios boasts a unique feature, such as an extensive collection of vintage or modern instruments, analog recording options or a reputation for capturing authentic live performances. They also each have their own individual vibe, a very important factor in the recording process (for example, if you find working in the presence of ghosts inspiring, rumor has it you should head to Minneapolis). Whether you’re looking for a homey, relaxed environment in a residential area or a chic, cutting-edge studio in the hub of the city, we’ve found it. While we would have loved to feature more cities-- with so many great studios to choose from, we had a hard time narrowing it down--we tried to spread ourselves out geographically as much as possible (sorry, Alaska).
This article is available with enhanced graphics in pdf format.
Last but certainly not least, wouldn’t it be cool to tell your friends that you recorded in the same room as Nirvana, James Taylor or R.E.M.? Well, you can.
ARTISTS: Billy Bragg, 10,000 Maniacs, Widespread Panic, Nanci Griffith, R.E.M., Indigo Girls, Vic Chesnutt, Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ UNIQUE FEATURE: John Keane is the author of A Musician’s Guide to Pro Tools. There is something to be said for the comfortable atmosphere that comes with recording in a studio that’s in a house, especially a large 1920s home on a quiet street in residential Athens. While John Keane Studios is in a fairly serene location, it’s within walking distance of several downtown hotels, restaurants, clubs and shops. Keane provides spacious lounges with cozy couches and a large kitchen hungry artists can appreciate. Opened in 1981, the studio is set up to capture live performances. Keane believes that artists and bands feel more at ease when they are able to record the way they would naturally play for a live audience. He is concerned with keeping the “feel” of a song, even after digital influence. “John’s trademark skill is capturing vocal performance,” says studio manager Pamela Keane. Thus, the vocalist is usually acoustically isolated but can see and be seen by the rest of the band. John Keane Studios has one main recording room, Studio A, a 500-square-foot room with hardwood floors and a 16-foot ceiling. Studio B is in the back of the house, containing a small recording setup with a Mackie 16-channel mixer, Sony PCM 800 recorder and a Digidesign Pro Tools Digi 001 system. The room is also considered a good place for working out last-minute lyrics and parts, checking e-mail, or just relaxing.
ARTISTS: Ani DiFranco, Oasis, Juliana Hatfield, Dexter Freebish, Shawn Colvin, Bob Mould, Vallejo, Sara Hickman UNIQUE FEATURE: All the rooms are wired for cameras, so all can be seen from the control room. Music is top priority for Mark Hallman, owner of the Congress House Studio in lovely south Austin. A former singer-songwriter and performer, Hallman kept a house in the 1980s for his band to rehearse and do pre-production in. He began to work with Carole King and a number of other artists, gradually turning his band house into a full-blown studio. The studio is set in a quaint 1930s building, with three cutting rooms and a control room, all fully wired for audio, enabling Congress House to record more than one project simultaneously. Each room provides different acoustics--one room with a concrete floor and the other two with hardwood floors. Hallman describes the dÈcor as “Austinfunky,” proudly displaying instruments, pictures and various nicknacks acquired from artists who have passed through Congress House. Hallman chooses all the gear himself, and he provides a variety of musical instruments. An artist can hire either Hallman as an engineer, or an inhouse engineer whom Hallman trained. Congress House caters to the artist because it was started by an artist. Hallman understands the expenses that can accumulate for a singer-songwriter, especially in Austin. “We do everything we can to keep the price down,” he says.
ARTISTS: James Taylor, Aimee Mann, Guster, Kay Hanley, Catie Curtis, Morphine, Destiny’s Child, Patty Larkin UNIQUE FEATURE: Variety of musical instruments available. Located just outside of Boston, Q Division moved from downtown Boston to the hip town of Somerville in 2000. The new Q Division is located in an old warehouse building in Davis Square, very close to the Red Line of the T (Boston’s subway system) as well as lively shops and restaurants. Boasting a warm, comfortable atmosphere, the studio’s lounges are filled with vintage furniture and funky wall decorations. Each of the live rooms has skylights, so no one feels cooped up after a long lock-out recording session. In fact, longer recording sessions are strongly encouraged at Q Division. “We’re a very project-oriented studio,” says manager Dave Sakowski. “We want the artist to finish the project, so we focus more on block time and lock-outs than hourly rates.” A virtual tour of the studio and equipment lists are available at www.qdivision.com Q Division has two recording rooms and an editing suite. The larger Studio A holds a vintage Neve 8068 Mark I console, fully refurbished and restored by Fred Hill of Nashville, Tenn. Studio B has access to three separate 24-bit Pro Tools systems. While Q Division has a diverse array of instruments in-house for artists to use, they also have relationships with local musicians and stores that provide them access to an even greater variety of instruments. The studio claims an impressive collection of vintage keyboards, including a Yamaha C3 grand piano, Hammond C2 organ and the Mellotron Mark 2.
ARTISTS: Breeders, Cheap Trick, Liz Phair, BR5-49, John Fournier, Guided by Voices, John Spencer Blues Explosion, Zwan UNIQUE FEATURE: Only bills clients by the day. Artists and bands looking for the most professional recording environment for the best price can check out Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago. While the likes of the Breeders, Cheap Trick and Liz Phair have been clients, owner Steve Albini is adamant about his desire to serve the up-and-coming singer-songwriter community. “Our core clientele is made up of underground bands and independent labels,” he pronounces. Built by the people who work there today, Electrical Audio is a two-studio complex constructed with adobe unfired earth brick. Albini ran the studio from his house for 10 years and decided to move it to a new building in 1997. He did some research on adobe construction and found the material to be “really well-suited for acoustic capabilities.”
Electrical Audio only bills clients by the day to avoid the bickering that might ensue from strict hourly rates. Engineers
Studio A contains a custom-made Neotech Elite console. The studio has one of the most comprehensive microphone collections around, offering almost 70 microphones from AKG to VTL.
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