Quote:
Originally Posted by Navigator  And the fact is, for what I do in my place, I deliver quality results. |
that's a good start. can you also deliver a memorable experience, one that will guarantee good word of mouth and return business?
is the process going to be smooth, professional, and productive for everyone?
do you know how to coax a killer performance out of a tentative singer?
can you convince the guitarist to tweak his tone, and maybe the rhythm of the part in the 3rd verse, without setting off his defenses or killing the vibe?
can you track down the problem without delay or losing your cool when it's 2am, everyone's overtired and spent, and something inexplicably goes wrong, as it always does?
will the bassist and keyboardist have a way to occupy themselves while your doing the third pass of the high harmony in the second chorus?
what do you do when the bassist wants more bass, the drummer wants more kick, the singer wants more reverb and less vocal, and the guitarist can't seem to hear how painful the 2k is coming off his rig?
this, believe it or not, is a very short list of the kinds of things that come up every ten minutes in the process of recording a band i'm not in any way implying you can't or haven't dealt with them, i'm just calling attention to the fact that hanging your shingle out as a paid professional changes everything and bears only a passing resemblance to recording your own band.
so quality results are the bare minimum; get ready to be guru, magician, psychotherapist, parent, referee, and entertainer to people who will expect all that and more, no matter how much (or how little) you charge. in fact, the amount you charge is often directly proportional to the amount of deference and respect you receive, as well as how 'on it' everyone is motivated to be, so be careful about cutting huge favors with your price.
i say $35 an hour, tally your hours ruthlessly, and cut breaks on the time rather than your rate. the former will be appreciated, the latter will be taken as a sign that you aren't worth what the competition is.
best of luck with it!
gregoire
del
ubk
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