How Much Should I Charge For My Studio?

[MaKoRancid]

This will eventually be my rig:

Digi 001
Digimax LT
Studio Projects C1
4 Shure SM 57'
Beta 52
2 MK012 Over Heads
Alesis M1Mk2 Monitors
Pod 2.0
Computer
1 Recording room with acoustic Foam

What would be a fair price?

[ProfessionalTool]

I'm assuming that your question is how much to charge clients to record at your studio, not how much to sell it for...

You've only listed equipment here, and i'm sure you realize that the value of a recording facility has as much, if not more, to do with it's operator(s) ability than the gear involved. Other things weigh in as factors as well, like your reputation regardless of ability, location, size of facility, whether it's a comercial space or out of your home...the list could go on.

So to answer your question, somewhere between $2.00 and $1,000.00 an hour.

Not trying to be a smartass, but really there's no way to judge with so many variables.

[MaKoRancid]

I know that the operator has to be good and this makes a huge difference. If i supplied a link to a demo would you be able to get more of a feel? This is a home studio by the way

[DesertDude]

5 hr block time- for $99.00us 50/50 split per hr. for you and the gear. As you grow and gain more gear and experiance the new clients get the rate increase. When your room gets fancier you can make an increase. Offering food can gain an increase. If you block out the time, you can plan your day more effeciently.


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[Kickin.da.speaker]

Yup, link us to a demo.

Other than that, I'd start low ($100/day?), build a customer base, and then go from there. When you have to refuse projects is when you can start to raise your prices.

[sean shannon]

How well do you operate Pro Tools, how fast can you set up what you want to do-i.e, tracking, mixing, headphones, etc.? Do you have a mixer of any sort? What speakers do you monitor on, and how do your mixes translate? Does the client ever have to wait for you to figure something out, or patch cables behind the rack? How is your headphone monitoring setup? What format are you mixing to? What kind of projects are you recording? Is there room for a band, maybe with isolation? Who have you worked with before? Why would someone want to pay you, instead of a studio? Can you work into the night? Do you have a comfortable couch in your control room? Can you mike up a whole band at once? Quickly? What city are you in? What does a similar studio in your area charge? Does the cat jump on the mixer during sessions, or the dog bark during vocal takes? etc. etc. etc. $10/hr might be a good place to start if you are not sure or if you are a new studio operator with no reputation. When you charge people, all of this matters. Your rates go up with your experience.

[H E A D W E R K ' N]

I believe the golden rule is to charge enough to keep the books just nicely filled... too cheap and you'll be turning away too many clients, too expensive, and you won't have any.

As the others have said, the value of a studio is typically not in the gear or the facilities it hasm, it is the house engineers. Top flight studios can boast of vintage desks and wonderful acoustic live spaces, but few home studios can.

So no offence, but you're list of gear is simply a nice recording rig, not something that will dictate your rates.

Ultimately, that will come down to your reputation. Reputation is a funny thing, because it's as good as your last project - basically! You have to get out there and do as many project as well. Charge whatever you can get away with, but remember, working for free to record a group who's album will go places would bring about far greater dividends to your career than slagging them off for someone who'd cough up the dough.

I still remember the buzz of the first time I had my name printed on a commercially released CD sleeve - I only did a Mac to PC drive transfer of their PT sessions, but it still rocked!

Remember that musos - especially the ones looking to record in home studios - have next to zero money, so don't expect miracles. If this is going to be your full time job then you'll obviously have to make sure you're bringing in enough to cover living costs, etc. but don't shoot yourself in the foot. If you've got enough money behind you to survive a few months, go out and find some good groups worth working for nix, just to get the experience, the credits and the rep. THEN you'll be able to say "Here's my credits list" and a more handsome daily rate won't scare would-be clients.

Oh, and remember that musos can take forever to pay up too, so budget for that. Frankly this is one part of the biz I can't understand. As a multimedia designer I'll charge you 50% of the quoted cost before I do a thing! A friend who is like Australia's most in demand producer/engineer goes through some incredible sh*t just to get paid! When you've got the rep, do yourself a favour and demand a small bond or upfront payment when the session commences, it'll save you a lot of headaches and hopefully catch on throughout the industry.