Is hiring a studio to produce your ideas a common service?

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jamoo
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Is hiring a studio to produce your ideas a common service?

Post by jamoo » Fri Jun 07, 2013 4:08 pm

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/muc/3855392976.html

This could be a useful service if you like the studio's work. Is this becoming more common? You come up with an idea and give it to others to polish remotely?

kslight
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Post by kslight » Fri Jun 07, 2013 5:55 pm

I don't think its totally unheard of...but that is downright cheap if they do good work. I would certainly want points on the recording also... I am not sure how much I'd want to do that remotely, I'd really like the client to be there for input. But, I would also probably not be able to justify working so cheap if I did it on their time. Would certainly be good work for someone that's a good player, engineer, and has a collection of cool instruments...but I'm not sure that combination in itself is so common.

But hey, not knocking their nitch if they keep their doors open with it.

trevord
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Post by trevord » Fri Jun 07, 2013 6:41 pm

That's how i started moving from hobby to paid music - I used to do quick MIDI sketches of peoples ideas - I wouldn't call it studio work - but they could afford for me to work with them while it was in the "try this - try that" stage - once the idea was fleshed out with synths they would have something to take elsewhere with some sheet music even.

I never professed to be "as good as a professional studio" - i liked the niche and its all I ever want to do in music really - i prefer to play around endlessly rather than come up with a finished product :)

Of course I would recommend people going that way - but I always recommend they finish off in a studio - I myself try to go to studios if only to experience working in different studios.
I am a believer of supporting local studios with small jobs as much as I can.

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fossiltooth
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Post by fossiltooth » Fri Jun 07, 2013 7:28 pm

I think Irwin Chusid wrote about this kind of thing in Songs in the Key of Z...

dfuruta
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Post by dfuruta » Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:51 am

that was different - those were mail order songs or "song poems", where one sends in lyrics and the company slaps out a song. there's a nice documentary about that business, "off the charts". very weird.

"we'll take your demo ideas and make a polished song" doesn't seem so different from conventional producing, to me...

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fossiltooth
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Post by fossiltooth » Sat Jun 08, 2013 10:44 am

So... The difference is that in once case they just took lyrics, and in this case they take lyrics and "musical ideas"?

trevord
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Post by trevord » Sat Jun 08, 2013 3:33 pm

In my case I tried to contribute as little as possible musically
I was mostly "computer monkey" if you will - just trying to get the best out of the DAW/MIDI/synth rig
I do my own music but I think my biggest selling point was that I was neither a threat nor judge (musically speaking that is).
My biggest contributions music-wise were
1) transposing/tempo shifting
2) song structure (intro,AABA,outro)
3) preparation of materials to take to "real" studio (file formats, media etc)

if you think that doesn't take skill,
try (after you are brought to tears) telling someone who just sang their heart out for 10mins free form improv
"That's nice but could you split that in a few verses and bring it in under 4mins - thanks"

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fossiltooth
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Post by fossiltooth » Sun Jun 09, 2013 10:37 pm

I'm not doubting that. Those "song poem" players had skills too.

I'm just wondering whether (intentionally) worthwhile art often comes out of that kind of arrangement.

You tell me!

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Post by The Scum » Sun Jun 09, 2013 11:01 pm

There are orchestras around the globe that will take a scratchy lead sheet or MIDI file, and turn it into fully arranged & recorded film soundtrack.

I'm not sure this service it really that different.

Whenever I see ads like this, especially when the service is underpriced, I'm tempted to pull out some of my nuttier, more incongrous and grandiose "musical ideas," and see what I get back. $150 would be a bargain indeed...of course, they don't list any horns or strings.
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Post by dfuruta » Mon Jun 10, 2013 10:17 am

fossiltooth wrote:I'm just wondering whether (intentionally) worthwhile art often comes out of that kind of arrangement.
There's not that much worthwhile art coming out of any sort of arrangement :wink: .

dfuruta
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Post by dfuruta » Mon Jun 10, 2013 10:20 am

The Scum wrote:Whenever I see ads like this, especially when the service is underpriced, I'm tempted to pull out some of my nuttier, more incongrous and grandiose "musical ideas," and see what I get back. $150 would be a bargain indeed...of course, they don't list any horns or strings.
Totally agree. I wonder if they reject submissions that're too strange.

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Post by jhharvest » Tue Jun 11, 2013 10:57 pm

At least here in Arusha, Tanzania that seems to be how studios make most of their money. Singing is pretty popular, a lot of people go to church and learn to sing in that context, but few people have access to instruments and therefore there aren't very many skilled musicians / composers. Then on the other hand most, if not all recording engineers here are also "producers" and play several instruments. People come in with their song ideas / lyrics and the producers create the music to go with it and record the whole shebang.

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Post by RoyMatthews » Wed Jun 12, 2013 7:50 am

I honestly thought that most studios had something like this. An in-house producer that fleshes out and arranges song idea. Seems perfectly reasonable to me. There are a lot of singer songwriters who utilize producers this way.
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Post by jamoo » Sun Jun 23, 2013 1:36 am

dfuruta wrote: "we'll take your demo ideas and make a polished song" doesn't seem so different from conventional producing, to me...
It is in that you're not involved in the process and it's done remotely. You whisper in a certain direction and the rest is carried by professional 'others'. I generally imagine talent from the artist(s) makes a recording, even though the polish is all studio back-end.

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