Top 5 reasons to record in a professional facility.

[JGriffin]

* stands back so he won't get hit with the swinging pendulum *

[Nick Sevilla]

I forgot to add:
Work with people who know what they're doing. Not someone who bought a bunch of gear for a home studio and doesn't know how to work any of it. It seems like most the business I've gotten lately is from people wanting me to 'fix' badly recorded tracks in the mixing phase. Just get it recorded right the first time dammit!

I've been getting this kind of business for years and years and years... lately the clients just come to me at the beginning of their project, instead of at the end, knowing it will cost less than them experimenting with studio gear only to not be happy with the results.

The best one was a drunk drummer as engineer, for an ex drinking buddy of his who got sober. Boy was that an expensive mess.

Cheers

[dsw]

any of you guys have a pool table?

[cgarges]

any of you guys have a pool table?

I used to be a staff engineer at a place with a pool table. It got lots of use. R&B legend General Johnson used to challenge everyone to a game where he would only use one arm. He ALWAYS won.

Mitch Easter just got a pretty badass table for the Fidelitorium.

Refelection in Charlotte had one that was featured on Murmur.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[drumsound]

any of you guys have a pool table?

I used to be a staff engineer at a place with a pool table. It got lots of use. R&B legend General Johnson used to challenge everyone to a game where he would only use one arm. He ALWAYS won.

Mitch Easter just got a pretty badass table for the Fidelitorium.

Refelection in Charlotte had one that was featured on Murmur.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

I'm kind of surprised the Fidelitorium just got a pool table. Though I can see Mitch as more of an air hockey guy.

[mjau]

The hell with pool tables. Every studio should have a foosball table.

[Sean Sullivan]

Working with professionals, be it musicians or engineers, saves you time which in turn ends up saving you money. If you are singer-songwriter you can book a nice studio and 3 session musicians for a grand a day and have an album tracked in two. Or you can get your college buddies together, rehearse for months, record in your basement for a couple of weeks while you work around everyone's day jobs and still not get the same results.

Being able to focus on your performance instead of the computer and cables is another big factor.

Gear...I guess. I think finding a studio that makes you feel comfortable is a lot more important than what compressor your vocals are being processed with.

Unless everyone decides to bring their girlfriends/wives, no distractions. Big plus.

And, finally...the barbeque. It's the only food every musicians seems to agree at the studio

[eeldip]

*2 pages in, not convinced*

*thinks about taking all that money, renting an isolated beach house for a week, bringing own gear, recording*

*mmmm... beach house recording...*

[dsw]

*thinks about taking all that money, renting an isolated beach house for a week, bringing own gear, recording*

*mmmm... beach house recording...*

one with a pool table

[vvv]

An extra set of experienced ears, drum sounds, the odd nice or unusual instrument, and bragging rights, ex., "Dude, we're in the studio!"

[eeldip]

1. cool footbridge to the beach
2. high ceilings
3. laundry machines!
4. sleeps 8
5. $300 a day

http://www.vrbo.com/299227

[JGriffin]

1. cool footbridge to the beach
2. high ceilings
3. laundry machines!
4. sleeps 8
5. $300 a day

http://www.vrbo.com/299227

$100 cleaning fee, what the fuck is that?

[Nick Sevilla]

1. cool footbridge to the beach
2. high ceilings
3. laundry machines!
4. sleeps 8
5. $300 a day

http://www.vrbo.com/299227

Very nice!!!

And paying a 100 cleaning fee for them to clean it up is not bad. dwlb, would you rather they charge for a daily maid service?

I wonder though if they would allow for someone to bring in recording equipment and set it up as a makeshift recording studio... probably not. If it did it would be a LOT cheaper than renting a studio plus lodging. Only meals and entertainment would have to be provided for.

Cheers

[cgarges]

I've made lots of records in lot of studios and I've made a few records in a few houses. Even though I've had pleasant experiences at a number of the houses in which I've made records, I pretty much usually prefer to work at a studio.

If the studio is a real, well-equipped studio with decent maintenance, then there's no question. In those scenarios, it's perfectly easy to forget about any other kind of shit and just make a record. You can concentrate on the work at hand and not on waiting for the plane to fly over or for the room to cool down while the noisy AC is running or trying to get that one last take before the neighbors call the cops or whatever. In a real studio, there's almost ALWAYS less gear that I need to bring and take the time to set up, which means more time actually recording music. Generally speaking (but not always so), in a real studio, there's some sense of control room design, where you can get some kind of idea about what you're actually recording, and you're less at the random mercy of the room.

All in all, they're both just spaces and it would make far more sense to analyze based on specific locations. I've worked in a few commercial facilites that were absolute jokes as far as any of the stuff we're talking about and I've work in a few houses that were pleasant and sounded good. Overall, my preference is for the predictability of a commercial space if it follows the acceptable criteria of decent design, equipment, maintenance, and staff.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[cgarges]

I'm kind of surprised the Fidelitorium just got a pool table. Though I can see Mitch as more of an air hockey guy.

I'm definitely an air hockey fan. In fact I was REALLY bummed recently when I went in to my local Habibtat Re-Store and found an air hockey table for $45, then saw the "Sold" sign on it. Mitch inherited that pool table from an aunt and uncle and it looks completely badass in the lounge there.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC