KVR Audio

theEmbark · Post by **theEmbark** » Sun Jun 19, 2016 8:51 pm

Hey guys,

A buddy and myself are thinking about starting a studio locally. Our target is bands that might have a low budget and little experience but are looking to take the next step.

We have both ran hobby studios for years and recorded many bands but not really on a commercial basis.

We are trying to figure out a gear plan. We certainly collectively have a lot of gear but want to keep our hobby studios.

There are a lot of questions for this topic but I guess one would be the dreaded DAW question. I have found that personally I love composing in Logic Pro and recording is fine too for the small stuff I do at home.

But these days with multi track recording is protools just kind of expected? If so to what degree because for instance a copy of protools hdx and a c24 console eats the 20k budget.

When starting in the commercial industry where is it wise to put the money? Obviously the physical and acoustic structure are probably primary but assuming we've got that down.

My personal hobby studio runs:
12 core hackintosh
Logic Pro X
focusrite pro40
Eleven rack
Presonus eureka
MIDI timepiece
Patchbay

Sm57s
Sm58s
Some akg drum mics and over heads
Rhode nt1a

Various synths and keys nothing note worthy but super functional for my purposes.

And there's other stuff but this is primarily my go to gear.

I've scouted a couple studios (still in that process) and some seem to have so much it's overwhelming and others have poor acoustics and look like hobby studios.

Can anyone give me a little guidance? Maybe a studio that you feel is similar from a competition point. Or just some general thoughts from your own experiences either running, working in, or recording in studios.

Thanks,
Kevin

DJ Warmonger · Post by **DJ Warmonger** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:28 am

You need a huge mixing console that looks great on photos and impresses your clients.

Not my idea, suggested by Kim Lajoie

Michael L · Post by **Michael L** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:52 am

I never owned a studio but was a producer, and all I wanted were engineers with good ears & ideas. Results (e.g. reel) spoke much more loudly than gear. So why make it hard on yourself? Use the tools that you know best, to serve your customers best.

woggle · Post by **woggle** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 7:25 am

Michael L wrote:I never owned a studio but was a producer, and all I wanted were engineers with good ears & ideas. Results (e.g. reel) spoke much more loudly than gear. So why make it hard on yourself? Use the tools that you know best, to serve your customers best.

for sure - more than you currently have is probably marketing. If you go down the shitloads of equipment route you will chase your tail as there is always more expensive equipment. Perhaps think in terms of making a great space to perform in - if you are trying to capture performances - and market on that plus skills plus evidence of your quality

Tet-64 · Post by **Tet-64** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 11:18 am

I worked in a commercial studio for about 4 years, the first thing that comes to mind is payment

You will want a solid payment procedure regarding invoicing either taking payment up front or not releasing the masters/stems until payment has received

Don't forget to factor in running cost, I remember our CEO quoting our electric bill was about £1000 a month in the studio alone

Put some money aside for spares/replacements/labour because no doubt something will break at some point, and it will probably happen mid session

With any business your going to want it to be able to run itself at times, so maybe consider getting a few DAW's and selection of plugins so the engineer/producer is comfortable with your setup

Other gear to consider, a range of guitar amps/cabs, a nice drum kit, a F**k load of drum heads, strings, sticks etc
(If you can make contact with either the manufacturer or re-seller you should be able to buy these at cost price)

Have Phun

acYm · Post by **acYm** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 1:04 pm

do not make the studio's location publicly available. conduct an interview with potential clients at first before letting them in.

you're gonna need high-end converters, these have a much higher priority than pro tools. at this point really, anyone bemoans your lack of pro tools, just explain to them what PCM is, and the concept of stems, they usually get it.

theEmbark · Post by **theEmbark** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 3:28 pm

Thanks guys for the replies!

I agree completely that at the end of the day people are coming in for quality and how that gets done is more or less irrevelant. That's kind of why I mentioned my hobby gear. I've recorded a handful of bands with it and we've both been happy so maybe just buying duplicates of what we already have and know is a good first step.

I completely agree to keep the studio unmarked! That wasn't my intention to make it a marked public building but rather a larger space that will be in a commercially zoned area.

As far as the engineer goes I am hoping that will be myself.

My first profession was in business marketing and design. I ran a company that was basically a launch pad for startups.

Over the last 3-4 years I've been focused on reading and learning and shadowing audio engineers and building a portfolio. I've been in hobby recording for about 10 years. I'm looking to get some more formal training but am comfortable in a booth running things and produce mixes that please the people they are for.

I think though that upgrading my interface would be a good investment Lynx Aurora makes some converters that I love and of course apogee is nice as well.

As far as DAWs the more I think about it you are right. Protools is no necessity. I've got copies of Cubase, logic, sonar, and studio one so on the daw front over the last 2 years have almost covered everything but protools.

Looks like time for some more practical planning!

Thanks again,
Kevin

mitchiemasha · Post by **mitchiemasha** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:07 pm

One word, Results...

theEmbark · Post by **theEmbark** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:17 pm

Yup I think I'll just pour most the money into an acoustic friendly environment with a good vibe.

I'll just probably build a duplicate of the computer I'm running now. Build a nice monitoring/control room with some decent monitors.

A nice drum kit and accessories and a variety of amps for bass/guitar.

But like you said: results.

A better mixing space will allow me to produce better mixes. A better interface will allow for a cleaner signal which again translate to a better mix. Proper acoustic treatment results in proper recording and listening environments which leads to better mixes.

Basically I think as long as I invest money on things that I know will result in a better overall product in my hands I will be okay. Buying a random collection of mics or having thousands of vst instruments isn't going to improve anything. Of course you need plugins and mics but having a smaller selection of go tos will streamline the process and you will always know you'll be happy with the results.

One day I'll have a closet full of $1000 mics but not anytime soon

Thanks,
Kevin

Winstontaneous · Post by **Winstontaneous** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 8:32 pm

Surprised no one's mentioned it - people skills!

Running a commercial studio means you're in the service industry. You need to be presentable in appearance, odor, attitude, etc. Some people will need production advice, but they won't always want to hear it from you if they didn't ask.

BITWORD · Post by **BITWORD** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 8:36 pm

As silly as it might sound - a kitchen... gotta have a kitchen

theEmbark · Post by **theEmbark** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 9:49 pm

Winstontaneous wrote:Surprised no one's mentioned it - people skills!

Running a commercial studio means you're in the service industry. You need to be presentable in appearance, odor, attitude, etc. Some people will need production advice, but they won't always want to hear it from you if they didn't ask.

Fortunately growing up in a family of 7 kids and just my business background developed my people skills but I agree 100%! You need to learn to communicate with the masses.

BITWORD wrote:As silly as it might sound - a kitchen... gotta have a kitchen

That's really good advice. I hadn't really thought of that. We've been looking into an apartment building that we might convert. There are a ton of them sitting around empty here so would be very easy to tear out the kitchens! But maybe keep one haha

ATN69 · Post by **ATN69** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 10:17 pm

Maybe this is another silly thing to mention but a clear set of rules for the studio, posted on the wall so no one will miss it

In my younger years I worked in a studio. Some times we had bands where the members suffered from the boose, girls and party syndrome. We totally banned drinking and smoking within the studio premises after one guy threw a cigarette in the toilet trash bin and almost setting the place on fire

So in short, RULES rules!

theEmbark · Post by **theEmbark** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 11:05 pm

ATN69 wrote:Maybe this is another silly thing to mention but a clear set of rules for the studio, posted on the wall so no one will miss it

In my younger years I worked in a studio. Some times we had bands where the members suffered from the boose, girls and party syndrome. We totally banned drinking and smoking within the studio premises after one guy threw a cigarette in the toilet trash bin and almost setting the place on fire

So in short, RULES rules!

Another good point

.

The building we are looking at used to be a big apartment building. I doubt we'll do demo in the whole building but is having lodging/hang out space detached from the studio something you guys see much of? We don't have any studios setup like that in Cincinnati that I know of but I've seen them in other cities. We get a lot of big bands passing thru town on tour.

Since this building used to be an apartment building and is a lot larger then we intend on starting up with just getting creative with space. We don't have a done deal on the building yet though.

Thanks,
Kevin

resynthesis · Post by **resynthesis** » Tue Jun 21, 2016 12:01 am

I talked to a guy who started a studio a couple of years ago and the things that stood out for him, cost-wise, were quality mic stands, quality cables and microphones. he didn't expect to have to spend so much on these. many bands coming into his studio expecting him to be able to mic up 3-4 cabinets, 2-3 vox and a drum kit. It might be worth reading accounts of recording sessions (e.g. Mike Senior's in SOS) to see what a small studio might be expected to supply. Maybe it's magazines like SOS and info on the web that's giving people these expectations.

Initially at least, I wouldn't worry so much about providing instruments as much as being able to record multiple sources for those bands who like to record live with a few overdubs.

What's expected in a commercial studio? Need advice on moving from hobby to commercial