WHAT DO YOU CHARGE FOR RECORDING / MIXING / MASTERING?
You can find all of that information on our RATES page, but if you're not sure what it would cost for your project specifically, please CONTACT USfor a personalized quote. Every project is unique, and we are committed to helping you get a fair price for your project!
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO RECORD? HOW FAR OUT ARE YOU BOOKED UP?
1) How long does it take to record? Every record is different - it's really difficult to answer that without knowing more about your project! Please contact us and we can give you a better idea of a timeline for your project.
2) How far are you booked up? We are usually booked up three to four weeks in advance. In some cases, we may be booked out as far as eight weeks. Please note: weekends always book up before weekdays. Please plan ahead for your project and contact us for availability. The easiest way is to have some dates in mind, and simply ask if we are available on those dates! Usually we are working with multiple clients at once, so scheduling that many people can get tricky -- we appreciate your patience, understanding, and can't wait to work with you!
IS IT CHEAPER TO RECORD BY THE HOUR OR PRICE PER SONG?
Most of the time, it's a better deal to do the "price per song" bundle. This removes the guesswork from the process and keeps you from watching the clock as hours tick your money away. It also puts the entire project price in front of you upfront, allowing you to budget for, save up for, or even crowdfund your project. In some cases, however,it is cheaper to do a by-the-hour project, especially when it's a small or simple project. Solo acoustic guitar EP? Cheaper by the hour. Full band album? Cheaper by the song. Contact us and we can start the conversation about what's best for you and your project!
WHAT FACTORS DETERMINE THE PRICE PER SONG?
Mostly this deals with how much recording time will be needed, how complex the project is, who may need to be hired in to assist with the project (e.g., session musicians, additional production support, assistants, etc), and how large the project is as a whole. For example, projects that need hired-in string players, horn players, choirs, or other ensembles may also be more expensive as they require a lot of time and coordination to execute properly, and different session players may charge different prices. The short version: every project is different! Some are simple, some are complex, others are somewhere in between. Please contact us so we can get you a more specific quote for your project!
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN BUSINESS? WHAT TYPES OF WORK DO YOU DO?
We have been working with musicians and artists here at The Closet Studios for over a decade. We mostly work on recording, mixing, and mastering original music from bands and solo artists. We've worked on just about every genre you can imagine, worked with low budgets, high budgets, with young people, old people, college students, companies, non-profit organizations, schools, worked on projects from all across the country, and a handful from the UK, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and South America. We are passionate about what we do and are honored to serve our clients!
MY SONGS ARE ALREADY RECORDED - CAN I HIRE YOU TO JUST MIX/MASTER?
Yes! You can send us your tracks via Dropbox, Hightail, etc., or on a flash drive in the mail, and we can work with you to get your tracks mixed and/or mastered! Check out our rates page, or contact us.
I WANT TO RELEASE MY ALBUM ON MM/DD/YYYY - CAN WE BE DONE BY THIS DATE?
We highly recommend you don't organize your project that way - finish the record first, promote it, then release it. When in doubt, the golden rule is: don't plan your release until you have your product in hand. Life has a funny way of getting in the way - sometimes things happen over the course of the record-making process that are unplanned, unexpected, and can cause delays. We've seen it happen - an artist plans their release date, everything is on track, and then someone gets in a car accident, loses their job, a session player is on tour, or the band wants to experiment more in the mixing process, or the mastering engineer we wanted is booked up...stuff happens! Don't put yourself in that situation. We promise to be understanding of your situation if you promise to be patient and plan ahead with plenty of time to spare!
DO YOU GIVE ANY DISCOUNTS FOR RECORDING A LARGE PROJECT?
Yes! Generally speaking, if you choose price-per-song, the more songs you do, the cheaper each one gets. For example, if your specific project is $500/song to record one song, it might end up to be $400/song if you record 10 songs, which saves you $1000! This is because recording larger projects can be done in blocks of days at a time - e.g., we can record the drums for an entire album in two days back to back, which means we only have to set up once. This saves us - AND you - a lot of time and money!
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MIXING AND MASTERING?
Mixing is the process of taking the individual tracks (e.g., kick, snare, vocal, guitar, bass, hihat), blending them together, balancing, using processors and effects to create an exciting balance that showcases the song in its best light. After the mixes are all complete, the project is sent to a mastering engineer. The mastering process deals with the stereo mix only, rather than individual tracks. The job of a mastering engineer is to look at the project as a big picture, balance the songs to each other in tone, dynamics, and width, and prepare the project for release in its target market. The two processes are very different but both are vital to the finished product.
HOW CAN I PREPARE FOR MY RECORDING SESSIONS?
The best way to prepare for your session is to know your music, know your goals, and be ready to perform. Recording is a lot of work, so the best thing you can do is be prepared. Know the material like the back of your hand - worrying about chord changes or melody lines can distract you from making strong, emotional performances. The better you know the material, the more it frees you up to experiment, have fun, relax, and make a great record.
Next, make sure you have a sonic goal in mind for your project, and be prepared to describe what you want your record to sound like. It can also be helpful to bring reference songs - e.g., if you sound somewhat like Radiohead, show us a Radiohead album that you like the sound of. Then, make sure you're ready to perform.
We don't recommend a night of partying right before your session - save that for when the record is done. Singers: we recommend avoiding dairy, salty/sugary foods, and heavy/rich foods before coming in to sing. Guitar players / bass players: we recommend bringing new strings, extra picks, patch cables, a spare amp, spare pedals - the same things you might bring to a gig. Make sure your instruments are intonated and set up properly. Drummers - make sure your drumheads aren't insanely old, and make sure you bring your stick bag and cymbal bag. Sure, we have a lot of instruments, amps, drums, cymbals, percussion, and guitar pedals for our clients to play with, but if you bring your own stuff, make sure it's ready to rock!
CAN I BRING A PHOTOGRAPHER / VIDEOGRAPHER WITH ME TO THE STUDIO?
Yes, however, keep in mind that a recording session is first and foremost about recording amazing performances. Cameras can be a big distraction when trying to get an emotionally captivating vocal take, or nail a guitar solo! Please ask that your photo/video crew be discreet, and please ask us ahead of your session if you plan on bringing videographers or photographers!
WHAT GENRES OF MUSIC DO YOU RECORD? DO YOU HAVE A SPECIALTY OR PREFERENCE?
We love and record all genres of music! We tend to specialize in rock, indie, country, folk, pop, pop-rock, and Americana projects, but we've recorded just about every genre you can imagine, from jazz to rap to country to traditional Native American prayer chants, to Celtic bagpipe tunes, to simple voiceover projects - seriously, we're down for anything, so BRING IT ON!
DO YOU RECORD HIP HOP / RAP?
Yes, but we don't make beats or instrumentals. If you've already got instrumentals and you just need to sing/rap over it, we can absolutely do that!
DO YOU HAVE INTERNSHIPS / JOBS AVAILABLE AT THE STUDIO?
We do sometimes have internships and jobs available, but positions are limited. New graduates and neophyte engineers often make the mistake of contacting studios and asking for a job in an effort to "gain experience." In the modern music economy, the learning curve has changed, and you cannot afford to be in this position. There are so many resources available now with the internet, podcasts, books, etc., there's no excuse to not be learning on your own every single day. Our advice:Don't ask for a job you are not ready to do. Working for us will certainly teach you a lot of things, but this is not a school. This is a recording studio. If we're hiring, we're going to pick the most skilled candidate out of the bunch.Please contact us for more info - serious inquiries only, please.
DO I HAVE TO SIGN A CONTRACT?
Contracts are usually reserved for larger projects or projects with multiple songs, lots of work involved, lots of moving parts. If you're just coming out for a one-day session to record a song, you likely will not be asked to sign a contract. If you would like to know in advance for your specific project, just ask!
DO I NEED TO MAKE A DEPOSIT ON MY SESSION? HOW LATE CAN I CANCEL?
We currently do not require a deposit for your session, but please be respectful of our time. We ask that if you must cancel, please do so 72 hours (3 days) or more in advance so that we can fill your slot.
WHAT TYPES OF PAYMENT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE?
Generally speaking, we have three payment options: 1) all upfront 2) half upfront, half at mixing start or 3) at the end of each session. The first two options are generally for larger projects with a contract involved. For projects with individual by-the-hour sessions, payment is due at the end of each session. We accept Cash, Check, Paypal, Venmo, CashApp, BTC, and ETH.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We currently do not accept credit cards, however, you can add a credit card with many online financial services like Paypal and Venmo.
I AM AN AUDIO ENGINEER AND I WOULD LIKE TO RENT THE STUDIO TO RECORD ONE OF MY CLIENTS - IS THIS DOABLE?
Yes! We can rent the studio out for other audio engineers to use for their projects. Availability of dates may vary as we have our own clients, too! Please contact usfor more information.
WHY SHOULD I RECORD WITH YOU GUYS WHEN I CAN RECORD MYSELF AT HOME?
In this modern music economy, you cannot afford to have a mediocre recording. There is so much more competition now than ever before, and you need recordings that sound great to compete in the vastness of the digital music market. Recording yourself is difficult for three big reasons: 1) you're automatically biased and can't make informed, objective judgments about sound quality, performance quality, and the big picture of your production all at once. Hiring an external producer/engineer means you don't have to worry about anything but giving a great performance. 2) We have acoustically designed and treated rooms, top-notch gear, and years of experience to help you get exactly what you want out of your recording, and 3) It will likely take you much longer to record, mix, and master your project yourself than working in an efficient studio environment with experienced engineers
I'M A SINGER-SONGWRITER AND MY SONGS ARE JUST MY GUITAR AND VOCAL - HOW MUCH WILL THAT COST ME?
Generally speaking, these "one instrument + one vocalist" projects are very simple, very quick, and very affordable. This is one of those situations when paying by the hour is actually cheaper. If you're well-prepared, these sessions can be very quick and we can get a lot of songs recorded in a short amount of time. Please contact us to get the conversation started about your record!
HOW FAR IN ADVANCE DO I NEED TO BOOK MY SESSION? DO YOU EVER TAKE WALK-INS?
Generally speaking, we are booked up 2 - 4 weeks in advance, sometimes longer. We recommend booking at least 2 weeks in advance from when you actually want to record, but no farther than 16 weeks (4 months). We do not take walk-ins. Our studio is private and we book everything in advance.
DO YOU EVER RENT THE STUDIO FOR REHEARSALS OR WRITING SESSIONS?
Yes! Please contact us to get the conversation started.
I'M AN AUDIO ENGINEER - CAN I RENT GEAR FROM YOUR STUDIO?
Unfortunately, we do not rent out our gear to engineers or musicians, but we DO rent out the studio for other engineers to come record here. Contact us for more info.
WHAT SOFTWARE DO YOU USE? WILL IT WORK SEAMLESSLY WITH MY PRO TOOLS / LOGIC / REAPER RIG?
We primarily work in Steinberg Nuendo, but we also have the latest version of Pro Tools available for use. We can record, edit, and mix in either program. If we work in Nuendo but you need the files for yourself, we can record your project in Nuendo and then consolidate/transfer files to you via Dropbox or on an external drive for your own purposes. These consolidated files will work in any DAW and be lined up from the beginning of the session. Otherwise, we can just use Pro Tools the whole way. That is up to you. We can accommodate up to 96kHz Sampling Rate and 32 Float Bit Depth. We always record in WAV format, generally Broadcast Wave (BWF).
I'M NEW TO THE MUSIC WORLD AND NEED SOME ADVICE ON BREAKING OUT INTO THE INDUSTRY. HELP!
There are so many resources available on these topics - books, podcasts, Youtube channels, websites, blogs, forums, Facebook groups, you name it. PLEASE use them to your advantage! Do your homework, arm yourself with knowledge. Most of these things are free, and most of them contain infinite depths of information, all it takes is YOU to make it happen. I highly recommend the book "The Musician's Handbook" by Bobby Borg, as well as "How to Make it in the New Music Business" by Ari Herstand, among others.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to email me and I will try to help however I can. Here's a tip, though: asking "how do I break out in the music industry?" is way too general. Ask a better question and you'll get a better answer.
WHAT'S THE ANSWER TO THE ULTIMATE QUESTION OF LIFE, THE UNIVERSE, AND EVERYTHING?