Do people demand you work faster?

[if6was9]

Its a thing I've been noticing just i'm making my first proper recordings for other people.

The guys i've been recording have been pretty much looking for instant products- like as soon as the tracking is done the mixing should be done by that night or in the following days- i'm still in college so I don't have gear access all the time and I've got projects and exams too to get done and to study for, I've let them know this.
I let these people know that they won't be mixed till I've the time but that I will do them as quick as I can, still I get text messages and people coming to me asking whats the hold up and setting deadlines for me.
The projects have finished in about a month -6 weeks after tracking started- some had tracking going on over more than a week with 6-7 songs too,

Do you think this amount of time is unreasonable? how long does it take ye guys to deliver a project from start to finish?

 

[MetalWorks]

I have bands come in and finish 5 songs in 10-14 hours.

Tracked, Mixed and Mastered.

Obviously they will sound better with more time spent on mixing.

It would be better for them to leave with a Rough mix after those 10-14 hours and then come back with fresh ears and polish it up more.

It really depends on a lot of factors.

To have a fast recording the band has to play well which increases the fewer takes of each song and the fewer edits to be made in each song.

If the band has their shit together then it rests on your shoulders.

On average, I would say it is pretty standard that when you go to a good studio you can walk out with a good sounding demo the same day.

Walking out with an awesome sounding demo takes a few visits.

For me an ideal situation would be to record on a weekend and make it as best as possible. Then listen to it durring the next week and Finalize the Mixing and Mastering the next weekend.

 

[MetalWorks]

Also, I have formed a habbit of somewhat mixing while I am still tracking.

I get ideas for the drums and various plugins while I am tracking guitars and might apply them in between takes or overdubs. If its something that wont affect the performance I will make changes while they are tracking.

Kind of Mixing as I go.

By the time the song is tracked I am almost already mixed.

Then I save that Session under the next song title, delete the audio from it and the mix settings and plugins remain which makes the next song partially mixed already.

It kinda builds from there. By the time they are done tracking, I already have an idea of what song I think sounds the best and I mix that first. Then apply the settings to all of the other songs.

Eventually you will be using presets that put you right in the ball park and then adjust them accordingly. Then its mostly editing and balancing the mix.

 

[nwright]

I tell bands up front that they will not end their tracking session with anything in hand. Depending on the number of songs and their own imposed deadline, I give them a time frame, usually no less than a month. My last project was 4 songs and it lasted 6 weeks. Instruments were tracked in 10 hours, vocals in 6 and the rest of the time spent mixing and mastering. I do this on the side and can dedicate - when I am pushed - at most 2-3 hours a day outside of predetermined tracking days (which are 8-12 hours long usually). With my own band, a family and a full time job, I think it's reasonable. And, I've yet to have an unsatisfied client (I don't charge much, either, though).

My advice for the future is to be upfront in everything you do in your work and let them know ahead of time how long it will take and what their expectations should be.

One thing I do that seems to be a nice help, though, is make quick mp3 mixdowns of my progress and email them to the client. I don't do all the songs, but after a few days work, I'll render a quick mix of 1 or 2 songs and send it out to get feedback.

 

[if6was9]

I reckon I'd be able to deliver a project in a few days if it was a studio of my own or if i didn't have to do college work and work around everyone else also using the place for college work.

I think its a bit much to be pressuring for work to be done, when its already being stated that it'll take time.

Also did I mention these were done for free?

 

[if6was9]

I'd be worried of i sent them rough mixes they'd hold onto them- use them, not bother with the finished job and then i've got work circulating around thats got my name on it and isn't finished.

 

[Long_Shaded_Eyes]

Hi,

If it's for free then tell the band that if they are unhappy then can go somewhere else.

This kind of stuff happened to me as well , so I can understand (have a lot of work at college and I can't mix as much as I want).

 

[nwright]

I'd be worried of i sent them rough mixes they'd hold onto them- use them, not bother with the finished job and then i've got work circulating around thats got my name on it and isn't finished.

I send them mp3's with either silence or blips in them every 15-30 seconds.

I also get paid 100% upfront, so if they did choose to use my less than stellar mixes I've already been paid.

Being honest 100% from the get go has helped me a ton. It takes the pressure off, and allows me to focus 100% on the music.

*EDIT*
if it's free, then I'd echo Long ShadedEyes comment.

 

[LSD-Studio]

I have bands come in and finish 5 songs in 10-14 hours.

Tracked, Mixed and Mastered.

Haha, that's the time I usually need to track drums for 5 songs

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

Most of my time is spent fixing their fuckups!!

 

[beyond dead]

i usually put a ghetto watermark on the rough mixes i send to bands

 

[MetalWorks]

Haha, that's the time I usually need to track drums for 5 songs

Its the kind of work ethic I had to impose upon myself.

The local studios here that even I went to in my own band have the same turn around time.

Bands want to go in and get 2,3,4 songs in a 10 hour day so they can start putting songs up on their website and passing them out at shows.

They only want to spend a couple hundred bucks.


Obviously when a band comes to me and says "We want a 5-10 song EP/LP that we are going to sell and want the best possible quality," I am going to layout a plan that says we get it done by segments and its going to take more time.

I remember the last time I went into the studio we recorded to 2" tape and got 4 songs in 10 hours without using a PC until the very end when they loaded stereo tracks into Digital Performer, did some fades and burned it onto a CD.

I think we have it easier with our DAW's.

 

[ffaudio]

Just make sure the band knows point blank the amount of time you will need. That's what I tell bands and then if they want it faster I let the know that we already had a talk about it. Usually it's just the band being excited and wanting to hear their shit.

 

[beyond dead]

i remember recording before i started doing it myself. i always thought: it sounds good when he plays it back, why do i need to wait a week? now i know why, he wanted us to come back and record again

 

[LSD-Studio]

Its the kind of work ethic I had to impose upon myself.

The local studios here that even I went to in my own band have the same turn around time.

Bands want to go in and get 2,3,4 songs in a 10 hour day so they can start putting songs up on their website and passing them out at shows.

They only want to spend a couple hundred bucks.


Obviously when a band comes to me and says "We want a 5-10 song EP/LP that we are going to sell and want the best possible quality," I am going to layout a plan that says we get it done by segments and its going to take more time.

I remember the last time I went into the studio we recorded to 2" tape and got 4 songs in 10 hours without using a PC until the very end when they loaded stereo tracks into Digital Performer, did some fades and burned it onto a CD.

I think we have it easier with our DAW's.

true, I'm getting the same requests but am usually turning them down.
In the end there'll be "produced/mixed...by..." in the booklet and not "we're cheap cunts and can't play our own songs", so what you'll be judged by is the result only and nothing else.
I strongly believe that the music I'm producing is the best advertising I can get and I'd rather turn down a client or work WAY longer for the same money (constantly doing that) before I deliver a weak result.

that said...I'm kinda just starting and am really trying to see things over the long run....I know, that way it's really hard to pay the rent, but I don't want it to be as difficult in 5 years from now, so I'm trying to build up a name that stands for quality.

don't get me wrong, I'd love to do that kind of jobs, but I just don't think that it'll pay off in the long run cause it's just a bad advertising (unless you're planning to do that kind of jobs for the next couple of years), and seriously, your work is really good and you should start to take some more time and charge more for your work.
it's in your own hands how bands see you, fastfood or a nice steak with wine...
I'll have the steak

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I do this part time and I am very cheap (No doubt in my mind I am probably the cheapest in Auburn). If they can't work with my schedule then I have no qualms about telling them to go spend more money somewhere else.

Although I don't like having projects "hanging around" so to speak so as long as it's not more than 5 songs I like to have projects done in a week.

 

[Gnash]

i usually put a ghetto watermark on the rough mixes i send to bands

yep.

I've played guitar and bass on so many productions, waiting for the players to show up at the studio. What's up with that shit. It's usually me waiting on the band. And the money.

 

[JBroll]

"You can have it fast, cheap, or good, and if you're lucky you'll get to pick two."

Jeff

 

[greyskull]

just did two songs in two days.
and fucking hell did i bust my balls,

and they sucked

 

[elmuchoescadawg]

I just got done doing 3 songs in 2 very very long days and everyones was really happy with it.. Having said that I just finished another project where we allowed a month and a half to do 12 songs and then after 3 months I had to tell them to get it finished elsewhere as I had other projects coming up that I couldnt bump.

Looking at the time difference between these 2 projects anyone wanna guess what the difference was between the bands?