It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:12 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 7 posts ] 
Author Message
Post subject: Music Studio in planning for Del. County, PA - seeking fdbk
Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 2:41 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 9:58 pm
Posts: 387
Hello fellow musicians!

** First off, this is not a solicitation for means of selling any services on the forum, but simply a bit of market research. I only want to gather any feedback possible to help me determine feasibility of this venture described below. Any future business matters will be dealt with through external channels.

My friend/bandmate and I are considering renting out a commercial space and starting up a new music studio, preferably in the Philadelphia region of Delaware County, PA (aka Delco). We are likely going to start out as just a rehearsal studio for musicians and bands, and then if things go well for us, we will acquire the equipment necessary to also serve as a full-blown recording studio.

I've been in several bands now, and I know what it's like to be fresh on the scene and just starting out. One of the biggest hurdles for most bands is "Well gee, where can we go to practice...?" It is seldom a convenience that one of the band members has ample space in their home for rehearsals (and one where they don't have to fear complaints from neighbors). More often than not, such bands would have to turn to renting a room in a studio where they can play at their full capacity. So bottom line, we want to be that studio, and provide an affordable place for anyone to come play. There are a few other studios in the same region, and we are continuing to do our research so that we can try to give a competitive rate. We do not yet know all of our expenses, so I cannot estimate $ yet.

We are both musicians and long-time bandmates, currently co-authoring original material and collaborating with other musicians in the region. We collectively have a lot of recording and performing experience, from both a musician and engineer perspective.

So, I wanted to reach out to the community here and see if there are any musicians and/or bands currently stuck in the start-up process, and trying to figure out the rehearsal space issue. Would any of you have any interest in looking into our studio in the near future, should we successfully launch? Again, we are not a company yet, and are still in planning phase. Right now, i'm just testing the waters and gathering information.

I appreciate any feedback or questions you all may have for me. If you would like to stay in the loop with me on this project, or just want to discuss more information, you may PM me and I will keep in touch. Meanwhile, we will be moving forward as best as we can, and hope to get this thing off the ground someday soon!
(When we do open up, we will advertise through normal means. None of this will occur publicly in this forum)

Thanks guys! Keep on rockin'...


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: Music Studio in planning for Del. County, PA - seeking f
Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 6:07 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2009 7:13 pm
Posts: 19025
Location: Illinois, USA
Top level mixing and mastering. Pro level producers and engineers (ie: successful track records/history). If you have those your studio will be operating 24/7. Good luck.

_________________
you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Music Studio in planning for Del. County, PA - seeking f
Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 12:26 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Sat Mar 22, 2008 10:38 am
Posts: 12975
Location: Canada
Solid Body Love Songs wrote:
Top level mixing and mastering. Pro level producers and engineers (ie: successful track records/history). If you have those your studio will be operating 24/7. Good luck.
You are right on that, SBLS. It's like being a star artist. As others have proclaimed here and elsewhere, "It's not the instrument. It's the player". I was once mentored by my boss who was an executive Chicago network TV producer (as well as having other major experience and connections), and as he put it to me, "A blank wall with a known talent has far more impact than a dynamite set with an unknown or insufficient talent." A great lesson in most cases. Equipment is a drawing card, but talent is the big package (both for the taking and for the giving). Still. let it be said that sometimes a little luck goes a long way, and connections and opportunity can do wonders only if you can deliver. Of course one wouldn't want to run a business on luck. :wink:
Having worked in and out of control rooms, mobiles, and studios, with engineering and creative departments, I can say that while they can work together there is no assurance that they are one in the same with equal skills. Sometimes both positions can come as one; however, you'll want to optimize your resources for best effect. This is not to say that the recordings could not be managed with enhanced technical skills accompanied with production skills, more that you'll not want to put yourself in a corner by ignoring your best selection and approach. I've known camera ops that make better sound ops. and vice versa. I've known great producers that make lousy directors and vice versa. Musicians that make lousy producers and producers that make lousy musicians. I've known some that can do it all. Ah, you'll figure it out. You probably have already. :D
Having fun, a sense of humour, a calm understanding, leadership, and constant organization are just a few areas to key in on. If I were to narrow it down my top two choices would be time management and money management (sometimes it is the same thing), and always let the client know that you can't give champagne on a beer budget. You can't get it that way either. But, a good beer or decent wine can be enjoyed.

Promotion, promotion, promotion - just make sure you can deliver what you promote. Watch and listen to clients for feedback. Make sure you know and agree early on who is the final decision maker for the band/artist and let them know who to go to for the studio. This speaks for itself. This can be tricky - but, get ready to have some rules and regulations. Post them if it makes it easier to communicate. Clients pay for studio time and facilities; but, in the end it is your studio and product that is the end result. There will be times when distractions should not be permitted in the work area. Your go to people can be the diplomats and rules can be relaxed after the session is complete. Use your own judgment, but be realistic and consistent. A professional studio demands a professional workplace. Most clients will respect that.

Have a plan to reach a goal in steps, don't try to be a Muscle Shoals or Abbey Road from the get go. You can use seven or more microphones for a drum kit or you can use a two or three mike setup that some of the best studios may prefer. Both practices have positive results, so (with your day to day operation) moderation with attention to details will serve you well on your road to improvement. Set a regular performance and equipment needs review timeline. Allow for regular maintenance downtime.

Clients are your bread and butter and your future. Word of mouth is your friend.

All the best on your studio adventure, msvolpe.

FSB

_________________
Hello, big guitar. Meet my little fingers.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Music Studio in planning for Del. County, PA - seeking f
Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 6:50 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:50 pm
Posts: 7998
Location: ʎɹʇunoɔ ǝsoɹ pןıʍ
My two cents ...
Build yourself some bass traps.
No, strike that. Build lots of them.
There are two general rules of thumb.
1) You cannot have too many bass traps.
2) You still don't have enough bass traps; refer to rule 1.
Don't go for the carpet-and-egg-cartons-and-foam-stapled-to-the-wall routine.
Pretty much any space can work if you treat the room correctly.
Of course, the aforementioned good gear and good people are also necessary as well.

Owens Corning 703
Light framing lumber
Some loosely woven natural fibre fabric for covering.

_________________
Image
Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Music Studio in planning for Del. County, PA - seeking f
Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 9:14 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Sat Mar 22, 2008 10:38 am
Posts: 12975
Location: Canada
Just a quick side note that may be of help:

When I was younger I produced commercials, music shows, and dramas - all of which were segmented more often than live to tape. I had done more than 20 takes for the same performance on the very rare occasion. This rare practice is to be avoided as it is usually a sign of inexperience whether it is the talent, engineer, producer, or equipment. I'm not suggesting to not do multiple takes to get it right, but experienced studio personnel and talents will set their own limitations. Something to strive for. Studio time should be for an end product not for an unprepared band rehearsal per se.

There are one takers (extremely rare), and many have said that if you were to do six takes . . . somewhere there is a keeper and more takes are no assurance that you will have a better one, not impossible, however.

If the moment allows it a rehearsal could be recorded and incorporated either for conversation or, at times, for a spontaneous performance. My approach was one take for everybody, another one perhaps for a tweak for talent, engineer, and producer, maybe a third to round it out, one for the talent, and if needed one or two for the engineer and/or decision maker for a final take. This of course will vary and hopefully will be less. I have worked alongside some excellent pros from Polydor when they recorded analog master tapes for surround sound in its infancy with a symphony orchestra, and although I can't say how many takes were done I can tell you that it was controlled to a minimum except when warranted. This of course was a testament to experience on all sides of the production. Sometimes first takes can be a thing of beauty. YMMV.

Best,
FSB

_________________
Hello, big guitar. Meet my little fingers.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Music Studio in planning for Del. County, PA - seeking f
Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2016 8:29 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 9:58 pm
Posts: 387
Thank you all for the helpful tips so far, it's much appreciated!

I should note that we are slowly distancing ourselves from the idea of recording/production, and rather we may simply remain as a rehearsal studio. This seems to be more viable. We realized that more and more musicians are turning to laptops equipped with Cubase in their basements for recording purposes, and this will be tough to compete with. However, having a place for a full band to practice is still always needed, and isn't always readily available, so it is still worth exploring this route for feasibility.

Furthermore, we'd like to also rent out to other applications such as giving lessons or providing a room for other teachers. We'll try to be creative about it.

Will remember the Corning board during materials research for the interior.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Music Studio in planning for Del. County, PA - seeking f
Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2016 8:54 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Sat Mar 22, 2008 10:38 am
Posts: 12975
Location: Canada
Rehearsal space is difficult for many, and it appears that you have a good plan. Have a great time with it, and rock on. :D
FSB

_________________
Hello, big guitar. Meet my little fingers.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 7 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: