Quote:
Originally posted by sadworld
my studio is small time but i wonder this....
do you guys charge clients for only the time that they are there? what about the hours of homework that is done when they don't need to be there. edits and stuff, ya know? do you charge for time spent on homework? thanks... |
I don't mind going the extra mile because in the long run it will pay off. My thinking is the better the work I put out the higher the change of new clients/work.
I once read a quote in a Guitar Player article where they asked a famous studio musician what the most important factor in doing sessions is and he said 'Time consideration'. What he meant was that you have to consider the time spent on setup, gear, experimentation, etc in regard to the time allowed/paid for your job. Limit the options/don't do too much experimetation on a big scale session and there might be the feeling that your rushing or don't really care. Spend a long time setting up, 'Let's try that small amp over there' on a tighter session and there might be the feeling that you're dragging everybody and not be up to the task.I think the same is true for engineering/mixing. Besides a certain 'standard' that you establish for yourself (in my case this means mixing on my own up to a certain point and a rough estimation of the setup time before recording) it's really up to you to get a feel for the client and plan accordingly.
I think that with today's technique the line between different tasks gets blurred. One example is the difference between mixing and mastering. A client might just expect a 'finished' CD without realizing the process and again it's up to you to make this clear up front. With experience you'll be able to plan better, so I wouldn't worry about 'homework' now but rather consider it for the next job.
Andi