Recording Studios Face Uncertain Future

[musickey]

I know it gets discussed here alot but, still found it interesting that the NPR wrote an article on the subject.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121304883

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

Passante laments. "Yeah, you can make a record at home, but that doesn't mean you should."

Anyone else think he is just pissed that nobody wants to hire someone at $150+ an hour to do a fucking recording?


There is always gonna be the need for a large facility. We just don't need so many anymore.

 

[nwright]

If you check out some of the articles in the sidebar titled "Explore The Decade in Music", it addresses some things we speak of here, namely:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97312511&ps=rs

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monitormix/2009/11/the_death_of_mistakes_means_th.html?ps=rs

 

[Charlie E.]

Personally I think our rapid technology advancements are screwing up the economy as a whole.
Pretty soon the only jobs you'll be able to have will be with Apple, Netflix, and running servers.

 

[plague_rider]

Pretty soon the only jobs you'll be able to have will be with Apple, Netflix, and running servers.

YESSSSSS my job is safe!!

 

[Melodeath]

I think audio was a horrible career choice, money-wise

 

[ze kink]

I <3 the fact that people can make records in their bedrooms now. There's lots of good music out there now that you wouldn't have heard if it wasn't possible. That, and a lot of it is distributed for free too.

 

[raybrochill]

let's just face it... the time of the mega studio reached it's climax yeearrss ago. From what I understand, the higher quality project studio market is what is on the upswing, now. I think for a ton of bands it's not only that the record sounds good, but the vibe of the place you're doing it counts for something as well. I mean I would rather pay a little more for a nice (though it doesn't have to be stocked crazyyy with gear) looking control room, live room, iso booth... than a bedroom, living room, matress iso booth combo... even IF the recordings come out technically the same. It's not only the product, for a lot of people, it's the experience in itself.

...or maybe I just put too much stock in people

 

[egan.]

I <3 the fact that people can make records in their bedrooms now. There's lots of good music out there now that you wouldn't have heard if it wasn't possible. That, and a lot of it is distributed for free too.

The flipside of this is that few if any of these records could be made under that model. They aren't all important to me personally but many altered music, production, and/or popular culture dramatically and permanently.

 

[P-E]

The flipside of this is that few if any of these records could be made under that model. They aren't all important to me personally but many altered music, production, and/or popular culture dramatically and permanently.

Hence the need of a producer, not only a mixer.

 

[PhilR]

Some of the records that defined recording technology as it is today were made in facilities that resembles nothing more than offices or apartments. The big studio complexes were built as a result of an era of massive profits built on selling a product at staggering markup rates.

Nowadays we have a billion voices demanding to be heard and all of them could be recorded in a bedroom if that's what they want. Some will have the sense to figure out how to make it work, others will seek out those that already know for a little bit more money. But the days of studios making fortunes off artists that spend a over a year to record an album whilst being bankrolled by the record label are more or less gone. That's market forces at work folks.

 

[drew_drummer]

Everything dies eventually, so the future isn't uncertain at all.

/Nietzsche

 

[Kazrog]

"You can never replicate the sound of a room, unless you have a room..."

...or an impulse response of that room!

In other news, CRABCORE has made it to NPR:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/monitormix/2009/11/genre_dictionary_20002009_from.html?ps=rs

 

[mick thompson]

my ultimate dream in life is to win the lotto and open up a massive fully stocked studio with beds, a pool and all the shit... and make it so fucking cheap that everyone can afford it. i would gladly do it for no money if i was guaranteed to be financially secure - just to give people the experience of being in a professional pimped out environment. lets face it... its what we all want/wanted so if you have it share it

i really hope my dream comes true some day - every single one of you mother fuckers are welcome to come to the pool party and to hang out forever in the studio... free chicks for everyone! woo!

 

[Pipsymbol]

my ultimate dream in life is to win the lotto and open up a massive fully stocked studio with beds, a pool and all the shit... and make it so fucking cheap that everyone can afford it. i would gladly do it for no money if i was guaranteed to be financially secure - just to give people the experience of being in a professional pimped out environment. lets face it... its what we all want/wanted so if you have it share it

i really hope my dream comes true some day - every single one of you mother fuckers are welcome to come to the pool party and to hang out forever in the studio... free chicks for everyone! woo!

did you buy the lottery ticket yet ?

 

[plague_rider]

my ultimate dream in life is to win the lotto and open up a massive fully stocked studio with beds, a pool and all the shit... and make it so fucking cheap that everyone can afford it. i would gladly do it for no money if i was guaranteed to be financially secure - just to give people the experience of being in a professional pimped out environment. lets face it... its what we all want/wanted so if you have it share it

i really hope my dream comes true some day - every single one of you mother fuckers are welcome to come to the pool party and to hang out forever in the studio... free chicks for everyone! woo!

Snap!!

Have a kitted out studio, underneath my big-ass house with chillout areas and shit and practice rooms for the band if they have to rework something

Nice little waiting room with Xbox/PS3/Big-ass-huuuuuge TV

Obviously its BYOC (bring yer own chicks) cause Micks already acquired them all

And of course, really low rates for bands...

 

[nwright]

The flipside of this is that few if any of these records could be made under that model. They aren't all important to me personally but many altered music, production, and/or popular culture dramatically and permanently.

I don't think you can really say that in this context, because the advent of truly "decent" to good home studios did not come about until pretty much after ALL of the albums on that list, IMO. Also, the music biz has changed SO much in the last 7 years that I don't even think anyone will ever come close to the numbers put up by these acts.

 

[Jevil]

my ultimate dream in life is to win the lotto and open up a massive fully stocked studio with beds, a pool and all the shit... and make it so fucking cheap that everyone can afford it. i would gladly do it for no money if i was guaranteed to be financially secure - just to give people the experience of being in a professional pimped out environment. lets face it... its what we all want/wanted so if you have it share it

i really hope my dream comes true some day - every single one of you mother fuckers are welcome to come to the pool party and to hang out forever in the studio... free chicks for everyone! woo!

Then your dream would become your nightmare.
Recording as hobby is funny, but when it is your job, then it is a fucking JOB and you'd hate it! Specially when terrible bad bands of crabcore kids with no sens of rythm, no metronome and no hearing nor musical skills go to your studio.

7 years ago I had the chance to built my own studio with a friend of mine. I gave in. He built the studio by his own and he HATES recording as I hate my salesman job. Sometimes I help him and, sorry, but I have no patience with some bands.
All I do in that studio is for me, my projects and my bands.

 

[James Murphy]

I <3 the fact that people can make records in their bedrooms now. There's lots of good music out there now that you wouldn't have heard if it wasn't possible. That, and a lot of it is distributed for free too.

and i <3 the fact that 99% of those records sound like shite, thus securing my employability for the foreseeable future.

 

[DaveBlack]

herein lies the conundrum...

nothing can replace a good room/engineer/mics/mix but how many consumers actually care about the production on an album though? Metallica can come record in my apartment, helen keller could mix it and stevie wonder could direct the video for their first single and it would still sell like hot cakes.

so why should the labels put out an insane amount of money to record albums when half the time, it goes unappreciated.