What do you Use Your Setup For?

[Trep]

I am Curious as to the uses people are using their studios and skills for and the scale of it too. I know that we have many hobbyists and home recorders, musicians first, right up to guys who own their own medium to large commercial Studios.

Im also interested to know how many guys still have the "dayjob" going and how Many peoples main Occupation is production work.

Which Catergory Best Suites you?

I hope some of you find this as interesting as i do....

 

[Ermz]

I'm somewhere between the 'Project studio' and 'freelance' options, though more and more towards the former as time goes on.

 

[Trep]

I'm somewhere between the 'Project studio' and 'freelance' options, though more and more towards the former as time goes on.

What do you mean dude? Former What?

Actually Ermz, You were one of the guys i had in mind when posting this. Is Audio Your Primary Occupation? What kind of Job Flow Do you have these Days? Just Curious Particularly with you from the Australian Industry Perspective..

 

[sash poask]

yeh i got into this only about a year ago, picking things up as i go along, originally was just to sketch ideas for the band i was in, now i am obsessed with this, hoping to record some friends bands as soon as i move in to my new place at the end of summer

 

[Ermz]

What do you mean dude? Former What?

Actually Ermz, You were one of the guys i had in mind when posting this. Is Audio Your Primary Occupation? What kind of Job Flow Do you have these Days? Just Curious Particularly with you from the Australian Industry Perspective..

Sorry, I meant the former option: 'Project or Home Studio with Regular Projects and Clients operating as primary occupation'. It's in between that and freelancing. I do all my acoustic recording work externally at the bigger studios and then take it home to a project studio that's rapidly evolving for the direct recording, editing and mix work. I'm trying to get more and more autonomous because freelancing in Australia eats about as much wang as hoping to ever get a good price on anything.

But yeah, audio is my primary occupation. The flow of work is steadily increasing over time, but it took some time to build up and the issue you find yourself battling with is your ability to keep your prices moderate. One of the major reasons this is difficult is because the daily rate at most facilities will bleed you, so you absolutely need your own set-up for all recording, if it's at all feasible. Since I'm in a small rental property things like drum tracking, vocal tracking, reamping etc. are nigh impossible. Gotta play to your strengths and make them count so you get return business. So what I do mostly is mix my arse off.
​

 

[Trep]

Sorry, I meant the former option: 'Project or Home Studio with Regular Projects and Clients operating as primary occupation'. It's in between that and freelancing. I do all my acoustic recording work externally at the bigger studios and then take it home to a project studio that's rapidly evolving for the direct recording, editing and mix work. I'm trying to get more and more autonomous because freelancing in Australia eats about as much wang as hoping to ever get a good price on anything.

But yeah, audio is my primary occupation. The flow of work is steadily increasing over time, but it took some time to build up and the issue you find yourself battling with is your ability to keep your prices moderate. One of the major reasons this is difficult is because the daily rate at most facilities will bleed you, so you absolutely need your own set-up for all recording, if it's at all feasible. Since I'm in a small rental property things like drum tracking, vocal tracking, reamping etc. are nigh impossible. Gotta play to your strengths and make them count so you get return business. So what I do mostly is mix my arse off.
​

Ah I See, Do you work Just with Metal Artists or do you go much Broader.?

Im finishing my Diploma in a month or so and now Im starting to think about what i want to do. within the last few months, the work i had done drastically improved, and for the first time in 4 Years i Felt That i Am able to sufficently and adequately pull a Production worth paying for. I felt confident to begin really starting to work my Setup, studio and skills, but my only hesitation is having a big enough work flow to do it.

How do you promote your Work, Yourself and production? Do you advertise, Word of Mouth what. What ways are you helping yourself to exapand and grow?

 

[Metaltastic]

"Hobbyist / Home Recorder / Musician First" sums me up perfectly, especially the last part!

 

[Metaltastic]

I'm trying to get more and more autonomous because freelancing in Australia eats about as much wang as hoping to ever get a good price on anything.

Dude, is it bad that your constant barrage of misery and self-pity about Australia cracks me up every time?

 

[GarethSE]

In between freelance and homestudio
its the fun times

 

[Pot]

this is a hobby..........and an expensive one

 

[The Unavoidable]

I would say musician first, as my main objective is to able to record myself with professional sound quality. The dream would be to have the setup and skills to record my own music aswell as say, Mr. Sneap?

However, if I would ever get that could and that type of equipment I would gladly use it to record other bands for a living. I'm currently working on buying some gear for my studio to make it more suitable for mixing and recording other bands, to get more experience and more money for gear obviously and maybe even do it as a second job. But my main focus has always been to for it to suit me and my music first and foremost. That way, if I don't get any clients I can just shrugg it off and just focus on my own stuff instead!

 

[Fifth_Horseman]

Hobbyist / Home Recorder / Musician First...
Got the stuff for my home studio to be able to record guitars and bass for my bands album (reamping later), and do editing.
It's been quite a journey so far, the things I've learned from here in the last two years have been priceless.

However, I have no desire to invest precious time into recording other bands, I have a nice income from my dayjob and would rather spend the time playing my instruments. Musician first, absolutely.

 

[Ermz]

Dude, is it bad that your constant barrage of misery and self-pity about Australia cracks me up every time?

It makes you a masochist, yer prick!

Ah I See, Do you work Just with Metal Artists or do you go much Broader.?

Im finishing my Diploma in a month or so and now Im starting to think about what i want to do. within the last few months, the work i had done drastically improved, and for the first time in 4 Years i Felt That i Am able to sufficently and adequately pull a Production worth paying for. I felt confident to begin really starting to work my Setup, studio and skills, but my only hesitation is having a big enough work flow to do it.

How do you promote your Work, Yourself and production? Do you advertise, Word of Mouth what. What ways are you helping yourself to exapand and grow?

Start working and promoting yourself as soon as possible. It takes time to pick up momentum, especially here on the isle of nowhere.

My only promotion comes from word of mouth and my interaction with people on a few audio forums. It's surprising but I'm actually getting some work from the forums. The rest is word of mouth, the main element in this biz. People don't tend to google record producers, they go by whose work they feel is good and whom their friends recommend.

So start by doing a bunch of free/cheap stuff for as many bands as you can, just for the purpose of sending some feelers out there. If you do good, they'll come back to you with interest.

In the old days you would intern at your local studio until you learned enough to start getting given work. Doesn't seem to work that way anymore.

 

[Metaltastic]

It makes you a masochist, yer prick!

(sadist)

 

[Trep]

It makes you a masochist, yer prick!



Start working and promoting yourself as soon as possible. It takes time to pick up momentum, especially here on the isle of nowhere.

My only promotion comes from word of mouth and my interaction with people on a few audio forums. It's surprising but I'm actually getting some work from the forums. The rest is word of mouth, the main element in this biz. People don't tend to google record producers, they go by whose work they feel is good and whom their friends recommend.

So start by doing a bunch of free/cheap stuff for as many bands as you can, just for the purpose of sending some feelers out there. If you do good, they'll come back to you with interest.

In the old days you would intern at your local studio until you learned enough to start getting given work. Doesn't seem to work that way anymore.

Yeah Man, Seems to be the case. Ive "sent out the feelers" well about a dozen or so, and all with happy people and a good result. I suppose my only Limitation right now is time. I look forward to finishing Study For this reason.

Thanks Ermz.

 

[seditz740novaprospect]

full time home studio here

 

[Trep]

How many Produce other genres besides Metal?

 

[Via Noctis]

Dumb question. What is freelance producing/engineering?

 

[brianhood]

its definitely my main sorce of income until i start touring again. I've been staying booked up pretty well so far

 

[Lowberg]

wackin off


I'm a musician first who is cheap as hell and who wants to be able to produce and record his own stuff without paying anyone