Best studio?

[vega]

The 30 an hour seems to really put a lot of people off as they are worrying about the time and not relaxing into putting in a good performance.The pay rate is something I'm hoping to be able to relax a little and give people a bit of freedom with. Maybe throw a few extra hours in just to get a track right. It does the band a favour as much as the studio.

I've heard folk like Nick Weapon use a "150 a song" (I have no idea of the actual figure, just say as an example) set-up. Would the Mill consider having a similar paying option? Having had some recording experience in previous bands (not much, but some...) , I could see this working out more economically for some bands.

Just from experience, which do folk prefer? The hourly rate or a per-song rate?

[RF Scott]

Charging per song is a bit weird, given that depending on your band, you might be paying over-the-odds for the amount of recording, or even putting the engineer out-of-pocket (imagine recording GYBE on a per song basis...). Daily rates seem to be the norm for most of the better studios, which works out well, as everyone knows how much time there is, which means minimum fucking around, as you're on the clock! I can imagine people being overly fussy if paying a per song rate.

[Stupot]

Out of interest, what are your rates? Got a website or owt?

Flash Page

Rates are 50 initial charge then 10 per track mixing and mastering. So you can work out exactly what you'll pay. Full CD manufacturing service too. Worldwide digital distribution if that's your bag. PPL, PRS, MCPS royalty registering and collection.

Recent successes..we've had two tracks we've recorded picked up for Manny Charleton's Nazareth tribute album. One from Aberdeen outfit The Unforgiven and one from our Swedish rock band Bones Of Freedom.

[GraemeC]

Generous? Ha!

The Mill is an absolute rip off and Neil is WAAAAY out of touch with modern recording techniques (and fucking slow at doing anything).

He is a man who is all too conscious about his 30 quid hourly charge and takes an age to work his outdated equipment, which he does inbetween day long tea breaks and tedious stories. I had to tell him to hurry the fuck up a lot. A lot.

So in conclusion - don't go to The Mill unless you happen to like REALLY expensive tea and biscuits.

I think I'll bring this to Niall's attention..... he'll be interested in the feedback and he may pass it on to his bass player who's a sollicitor and loves a good libel case....

[Hog]

I think I'll bring this to Niall's attention..... he'll be interested in the feedback and he may pass it on to his bass player who's a sollicitor and loves a good libel case....

Bit harsh Graeme?

[MTA]

If you want to look a at another good studio, have a look at the-byre.com It has a great room, desk, monitors all types of recorders and a good price for the quality you will get.

[Lemonade]

If you want to look a at another good studio, have a look at the-byre.com It has a great room, desk, monitors all types of recorders and a good price for the quality you will get.

That looks brilliant, however it's a wee bit far away. To far to travel for one day's recording. It's the kind of place I could see Radiohead recording in

[GraemeC]

Bit harsh Graeme?

I think you're being harshist....i'll check with my solicitor...

[Tooms]

Nick Weapon is based out in Banchory. Has his own small house/studio where bands can stay and record at the leisure without the pressures of an hourly rate.

that's where the advantage of a per song rate really comes in! If you want 4 songs done, you know you're gonna pay xxx. Because some songs may have a lot of extra hours work that most bands won't/don't appreciate! I would highly recommend Nick. As well as the bands i've already mentioned he also engineered (not produced) the latest Jonny Truant album when he was down in london helping out WellerHill. He has some great experience and is turning into a really good engineer/producer.

If you're interested i'd recommended getting in touch with some of the bands he's worked with or him himself. His myspace page is NSProductions.

Also, as for getting a good live drum sound - arsed. although yes it's good, you can give the kit that roomy sound without having to pay over the odds for a decent live room.

personally i think you should go one of two ways, either have a very good room for your recordings. OR just close mic in a dead room, and add any effects post production. I prefer the latter because although in one instance it won't give the best LIVE sound, you would want a different room for drums, than you would guitars, then you would vocals. OR have a VERY good room like a professional studio would have. But lets face it, using sound treatment on the walls and then adding any reverb you may want post production is FAR cheaper.

edit: i've seen no studios in Aberdeen area with what i would call a profesisonally built studio room. (isolated floor, asymetric walls etc)

[Stupot]

Nick Weapon is based out in Banchory. Has his own small house/studio where bands can stay and record at the leisure without the pressures of an hourly rate.

that's where the advantage of a per song rate really comes in! If you want 4 songs done, you know you're gonna pay xxx. Because some songs may have a lot of extra hours work that most bands won't/don't appreciate! I would highly recommend Nick. As well as the bands i've already mentioned he also engineered (not produced) the latest Jonny Truant album when he was down in london helping out WellerHill. He has some great experience and is turning into a really good engineer/producer.

If you're interested i'd recommended getting in touch with some of the bands he's worked with or him himself. His myspace page is NSProductions.

Also, as for getting a good live drum sound - arsed. although yes it's good, you can give the kit that roomy sound without having to pay over the odds for a decent live room.

personally i think you should go one of two ways, either have a very good room for your recordings. OR just close mic in a dead room, and add any effects post production. I prefer the latter because although in one instance it won't give the best LIVE sound, you would want a different room for drums, than you would guitars, then you would vocals. OR have a VERY good room like a professional studio would have. But lets face it, using sound treatment on the walls and then adding any reverb you may want post production is FAR cheaper.

edit: i've seen no studios in Aberdeen area with what i would call a profesisonally built studio room. (isolated floor, asymetric walls etc)

Obviously not been near us then. On the other hand, we are 60 odd miles from Aberdeen!

[Lemonade]

the last time i spoke with nickhe told me it was a 250 charge for a mastered multi-track recording, and the quality he provides is worth every single bit of it.

I think the reason nick might charge per song is because it does give the bands the impression they just go nuts with the recording and get an amazing quality recording out of it. but if you really were just taking the piss out of him i recon he would just show the door.

Personally unless your recording your debut EP or something exile is very good, i've recorded their and i was very happy with the quality, they're not as good as nick's recordings, but their not as expensive either.

so in conclusion, Exile Stuidos or NSproductions, and they both have myspaces where you can here the quality they provide. Hope this has helped.

We are recording our debut EP at Exile next month.... why is that bad?

[Stupot]

We are recording our debut EP at Exile next month.... why is that bad?

Nothing wrong with Exile. Pay no attention. Or you could re-mortgage your houses and have 15 minutes in Abbey Road Or Air.

[Guest treader.]

Exile is ace. We recorded there just recently and it was really pleasant.

a pre-determined cost meant we could just relax and not have to worry about running out of time etc.

the equipment is great and it's in a nice country location.

also, Mark gave me a guitar for free, which was nice.

[Alan Cynic]

Go to Hass's!

[Lemonade]

Go to Hass's!

I don't know if he's much good at recording.... except for 'sole'....

[Alan Cynic]

Chipper-type bands...

White pudding Stripes

Vinegar Joe

Black pudding Sabbath

Fleetwood Macaroni pie

Mock chop turtles

Saveloy Brown

Kid Rock Turbot

BB King rib

Billy 'Crash' Haddock

Veruca Salt

[Chris]

The Chicken Supremes

[Alan Cynic]

Deep-fried Purple

[MikeyEB]

Deep-fried Purple

Average White-pudding Band

The Vinegar Strokes (nearly works)

[davewarden]

im not saying that is bad, exile is perfect for an EP or whatever you want to do, im saying NSP just seems more worth it if you were recording a few songs at a time rather than just one song. but thats just my opinion.

One song demo?, what did you record at exile?

[TheTickingTime-Bomb]

I think I'll bring this to Niall's attention..... he'll be interested in the feedback and he may pass it on to his bass player who's a sollicitor and loves a good libel case....

Go for it son.

Considering I got an extra day of mixing free of charge after explaining my utter disgust at the extortionate price of said tea and biscuits/recording (and especially after his equipment broke down for 45 paid minutes...TWICE!), I'm not sure he would be in the best standing to dispute my case.

But I have still retained the receipts if his soon-to-be-skint bass player fancies a loss in court?

[Guest treader.]

in my eyes, 90% of stuff NSProductions has done has sounded totally guff.

he redeemed himself with the Enrapture CD though.

[Huw]

Do you have anything in mind?

everything i've heard by NSP has sounded pretty damn good! by far one of the best studios around here.

the only thing that i'm not that keen on to do with the NSP stuff is that the drum sound is really similar for pretty much everything i've heard. I think the reason the enrapture recordings sounded so good was that their sound suited the music as opposed to the music suiting the sound.

Mind you, this could just as easily be due to the bands he records not really knowing entirely what they want to record, meaning Nick uses his go to drum sound/guitar distortion etc. i can see a lot of people being like 'i want the weapon' drum sound too.

Don't get me wrong though, Nick's recordings are really great sounding pieces an' all, just think they lack a wee bit of character. I don't mean they have to sound crap though, just sound like REAL drums and REAL guitars if the song suited it. The Enrapture tracks got away with all the VSTs and stuff, and sefinitely wouldn't have sounded good 'natural', but i've heard tracks that he's done that would have suited it.

[Guest treader.]

Do you have anything in mind?

everything i've heard by NSP has sounded pretty damn good! by far one of the best studios around here.

the stuff he did for:

Allstationsdown

Your Fears

Yashin

Dana Walker

Buried In Vegas

Older Set Light Our Kingdom stuff

and 'Patches' by Flood of Red, or whichever one he mixed before what he's doing now.

I mostly dont like how the drums sound, being a fan of as natural a sound as possible. But in some cases, mainly the older allstationsdown stuff and the SLOK stuff, the drums just completely dominate everything else in the recording. Apparently when SLOK sent their stuff to Josh from Sylosis to be re-mixed/mastered he was utterly confused by some of the stuff Nick had added in. (3 or 4 cymbals playing at the same time, for example).

I mean, I think Nick's a great guy and all that, and I'm not saying I could do better, but that is just MY opinion of his recordings.

[Stupot]

the stuff he did for:

Allstationsdown

Your Fears

Yashin

Dana Walker

Buried In Vegas

Older Set Light Our Kingdom stuff

and 'Patches' by Flood of Red, or whichever one he mixed before what he's doing now.

I mostly dont like how the drums sound, being a fan of as natural a sound as possible. But in some cases, mainly the older allstationsdown stuff and the SLOK stuff, the drums just completely dominate everything else in the recording. Apparently when SLOK sent their stuff to Josh from Sylosis to be re-mixed/mastered he was utterly confused by some of the stuff Nick had added in. (3 or 4 cymbals playing at the same time, for example).

I mean, I think Nick's a great guy and all that, and I'm not saying I could do better, but that is just MY opinion of his recordings.

Having listened to some of Nick's stuff, I found it pretty good. I know what you mean about the drum sound. If you add in more hits and sounds than a human with two arms and two legs can possibly create then it can sound unnatural, but that type of sound does suit some types of music.

I have to say I prefer a natural drum sound myself.