PaulDW Posted March 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2004 Yeah rass's post has influenced it... He hit the nail on the head there int erms of what the concerns are, ive heard so many mixed reviews about the place... It isnt cheap to record, and we want to make the best of the time and money... I keep getting this feeling that it might be the case that if Mark didnt like our music then it could go all wrong, but if he does liike it, then itll be great... Well what happens when he dont like it... Im all for construvctive criticism, and someone to keep us on the straight and narrow... But if that creates a bad atmosphere, and it all goes wrong then its a darn waste of money! Toms well... We made a live recording there for a demo last october, and it was alright in terms of quality, but we didnt like the mixing of it, vocals were too loud, the levels werent correct, but it did sound professional. We couldnt do any overdubs either which wasnt too grand.. We had good fun with the guys and there, and it was relaxed and so on, and was a good atmosphere top record in....However, there was very little input from the guy behind the desk, he took a more hands off approach... However granted this was a quick demo recording so its a very different ball game alltogether. But we are talking bout a proper EP here and not just a quick recorded demo, and we want it to be worth it... I have to say, looks like there is an element of risk in both cases... Im maybe swaying towards Toms in general bnecause we have a good rapport with down there, and we use it for everything else.. Hmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rass Posted March 21, 2004 Report Share Posted March 21, 2004 dont get me wrong, you can get good results from exile, just it seems a bit touch and go whether you'll get treated right or not. Mark Nichol IS Exile so if he's having a bad day your going to have a bad recording experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WalkingOnGlass Posted March 21, 2004 Report Share Posted March 21, 2004 The Mill is the place to be...Mark @ Exile is a decent guy, but he took like 2 months to finish our 3 track demo, and we cant listen to it, it's pretty cringeworthy, locally, we'd never record anywhere outside of The Mill... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulDW Posted March 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2004 What are prices like at the Mill jamesy? Ive heard its crazily expensive... Worth it of course... but theres only so far the budget would stretch... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost Posted March 22, 2004 Report Share Posted March 22, 2004 I've used the live deal at Toms and found that they're not that hot at getting good dry acoustic sounds - tend to layer the reverb on a bit too much. However, it was a live deal - they might spend more time with you on the sound if you're paying by the hour. Can't fault the folk there at all - very helpful.Tried to record at Exile, but the bugger rarely answers the phone. Too busy obviously... If you have the cash however, I'd vote for the Mill.If you don't have the cash, I'd recommend a home recording. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Jack Posted March 22, 2004 Report Share Posted March 22, 2004 Try phoning the Mill - 01330 844773 - it might not be as much as you think, and it's definitely worth it to get a proper porfessional sound. And the better it sounds, the more you'll sell, and make more money back...It's a lot of fun out there too, Niall's a good geezer, as long as you keep the teas coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 I haven't heard much coming out from exile that would be considered by a mastering house or duplication plant as useable...........If anyone does record there, make sure that you get ALL the mastering done by someone else, as Mark cannot master to save himself (from the many tracks I have heard come out of his "studio"). Also don't let anyone tell what to do with your songs. Accepts constructive criticism, but not bullying. If you don't want a certyain thing done, dont let it happen. YOU are paying for it.I'll leave it at that for now....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash@TMB Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 RecordingsI've become a good listener over the past 2 years since I started doing the sound for gigs in the bar. Over that period I've done something like 300 gigs, so I also know a little bit about sound. This new ability to listen sparked an interest in HiFi.Our home HiFi is a 150Wpc Muisical Fidelity system with Monitor Audio Gold Reference 4 way speakers. It's an excellent system for listening to both modern and classical music on. If it sounds good on that system it will sound good on pretty much anything. This has been bourne out by what we play on our jukebox through our equally excellent Funktion-One and MC2 PA.We listen to A LOT of demos. We've probably heard recordings from virtually every studio in Scotland. Here's my feedback based on listening to many offerings from local studios.Both Exile and the Mill are routinely producing excellent recordings. However the people that use the Mill usually have more means at their disposal. People low on cash can't even afford to get to Crathes. This pretty much eliminates anybody seeking to record on an ehrm, limited budget.Given sufficient resources, Exile produces recordings to an equally good standard. Mark often takes on relatively low budget projects. If the band are prepared to listen to him, and make the most of his time, then he can (and often does) work wonders. I've seen instances where, if the band are good to work with, and he likes their sound and their material, then he really pushes the boat out. If something extra is being given at no additional charge then the penalty may be time; you can't expect a business to shelve their paying work to put a few extra hours in FOC on a low budget project!If I was looking to record then I'd call both Exile and The Mill and ask them to send me copies of recordings they've made on a similar budget, and also recordings of a similar style of music. You might find that material closer to the prog end of the spectrum would be better done at The Mill, whereas poppy punky stuff would likely fare better at Exile.Flash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WalkingOnGlass Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 I'm sorry, but I totally disagree...I recorded pop-punky stuff at The Mill with Point of Origin around a year and a half ago, and Niall was totally 100% proffesional, I've also heard the tracks that Sirius did there, and they also sound amazing, I'm pretty sure that both bands weren't anywhere near the style of music that Niall is into....I've yet to hear anything of similar genres come out of Exile sounding half as good...If you go into The Mill and Exile with the same budget, I'm positive that The Mill results will be far more satisfying, as well as, the experience of recording at a big nice studio will be a lot better than sitting on an old couch being told/not really getting much choice as to how your recording sounds at Exile...From my perspective, having recorded at both studios, The Mill is FAR superior, Niall will make suggestions but you will have total control over your recording, whereas Mark just seems to input his own ideas on tape regardless of opinion, I quite like Mark, but on a professional level, it's hard to work with him and his schedule/lack of reliability..If you have the money and want something you want to be proud of, The Mill is the only choice for me, we're back there May 1st and 2nd, cant wait! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash@TMB Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 I haven't had the experience of recording anywhere - I can only go by what I've heard produced.I'm not suggesting that any studio is incapable of recording a certain style of music. My point was that someone considering recording should contact various studios for demos, and that they may be a chance that one studio betters suits their musical style. Please don't take my example too literally! On the issue of control, both methods can produce equally good results. It really depends on the band. Whenever paying to consult an expert, I personally subscribe to the 'why buy a dog and bark yourself' school of thought, but that's just me.At least we both agree that the Mill produces a good sound Flash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 Don't forget Flash, that what you hear will have been mastered. I have heard a lot of the pre mastered stuff, and the post. I know one of the guys who masters a lot of the local music scene output, and he has terrible trouble with stuff from exile especially..............A lot of the bands have to take their tracks to him as they are unhappy with the final exile product.Mill = good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gumpy Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 the foyer would be my number one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulDW Posted March 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 Has anyone got personal experience of the mill? And what it cost them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gumpy Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 Originally posted by Paul_CT:Has anyone got personal experience of the mill? And what it cost them? was it just me or did jamesy comment on his personal experiance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulDW Posted March 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 yes he did... quite a while back... I was meaning if there were any other folks.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gumpy Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 Originally posted by Paul_CT:yes he did... quite a while back... I was meaning if there were any other folks.. surely the quality isnt gonna get worse....take his advice...get your moneys worth go to the mill, the results speak for themselves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulDW Posted March 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 Depends on the price, I tried phoning Niall but the line is busy, but I shall try again.. I was just wandering if anybody had any ideas of the ball park that the Mill charges... I have no doubt that its a great studio, as Jamesy said. I've heard some fantastic recordings from there. Would be a great place to record... Its cost thats the sticking point.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 I think its something like 25 an hour or something at the Mill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torn Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 We recorded there back in febuary 2003 and then it was about 25 an hour. As far as experience goes i would say it's worth the money as long as you spend enough time there, we only went in for 5 hours or so and had to rush through everything (3 songs in that time may have been a bit optomistic) so we wouldn't have gotten as good a results as we could have had we that little bit extra time. Niall was a class guy all the way, tried to help when he could and was honest. Not to mention how he managed to fix my guitars intonation with a fork.Never been to exile before. Some of the stuff came out sounding good, such as the Alyssa's wish Opal demo. Your call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porter Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 Ah yes, the fork! The mill is a pretty cool place to record but i seem to remeber something about Niall prefering you to bring your own kit as supposed to the studio's kit, so if you have good transport then go for it! I'm still sticking with Exile but the mill is pretty sweet!xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewan U.N.C.L.E. Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 can anyone tell me a little bit about making an E.P. like roughly how much youd have to pay for good results etc. we did 3 tracks at exile before and that took 5 hours although it was slightly rushed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris h Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 5 hours?! Man, our last three track session took two days to record, another for the mixing and mastering, and then another for a remix. And that was us in a hurry. You maybe don't have to spend as long as that, but five hours is definitely not enough time!We payed 15 an hour at Split Level studios in Edinburgh, but for that we got a really good quality recording, much better than anything I've heard from either Tom's or Exile to be honest (I'm talking sound quality here, not music!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger Posted March 30, 2004 Report Share Posted March 30, 2004 You could probably hire out Studio One in CAVA (Glasgow) for betweeen 1k and 1.5k per day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ghost Of Fudge Posted March 30, 2004 Report Share Posted March 30, 2004 get ian simpson to engineer, record and produce it for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bob Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 Originally posted by Ewan U.N.C.L.E.:can anyone tell me a little bit about making an E.P. like roughly how much youd have to pay for good results etc. we did 3 tracks at exile before and that took 5 hours although it was slightly rushed. Budget for 16 hours at least. 16 x 25 = 400 at the Mill.... actually, I'd forgotten how cheep it could be. That's peanuts for what you'll get. Just remember that you'll need to get it mastered and pressed to release it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.