Well HairyScarey, what can I say? I had better state from the outset that I am a former freelance engineer - and no, I am not touting for trade, before you even ask! But I do have a reasonable range of experience working in various studios around the World, working with hip-hop, rock and (mostly) classical and jazz. I also spent some time doing music recording for television. So much for my creds such as they are. I was motivated to post (I feel that most forums are a waste of time) because I just had a daughter of a friend who asked me for advice. She spent several thousand Pounds (of her VERY hard-earned money as a teacher!) building up a home recording system based around a Mac and an M-Box and had got absolutely nowhere. She played some songs (piano and vocal, bar-style stuff, but really nice) to me and asked if I could help. She needed 100 demo CDs for a showcase gig in London in ten days time. Would I record her? Her piano was a nasty Japanese upright, the mics were just an SM57 and something else and so I just told her No. If she has an important showcase for her music (she wanted to sell her tunes) then she should go to a local studio. I told her that I would keep an eye on things and we went round to have a look at a studio. I wont tell you where, when and how, but everything was dead standard - Good Concert Grand, good desk, the usual collection of Neumanns and AKGs, etc. and good outboard. For under 600 she recorded her 12-song demo and got 100 CDs nicely printed and looking very professional within a week. The guy who ran the place did a good job and used a C12 and a valve compressor on her voice that sounded perfect as a result. She told him about the Mac and the gear she had wasted all that good money on and he told us that he gets that over and over again. Usually they waste much more money, according to him. Up to 30,000, before they realise that theres more to this game than just being a mouse-jockey. I understand your frustration with some studios and yes, many demo studios are just home recording under another name and the results are poor. So it is a good idea to ask around and listen to what sort of stuff they have done that is similar to your music. But you must understand that the hit-in-your-bedroom is a complete myth. I once said all this to an engineer - musician friend of mine (his credits include the music for some of the biggest films made in the UK) and he told me that a really successful CD (was number one in the LP charts for some time) had been recorded in a living room. He knew because he had recorded it. They spent over 10,000 in equipment rental fees and converted a bedroom into a control room (32 IOs of PT HD3, Audient desk, video links, etc., etc.) and the whole thing was mixed and mastered at Abbey. So much for home recording. As I said, I know absolutely nothing about the Aberdeen music scene, so I cannot comment on any of the local studios. Nor would I want to! But please remember, a recording is only as good as the music. A truly great band in a crap studio will still sound great (though perhaps a little strange!) But a crap band in a great studio will still sound like crap!
