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Originally Posted by blackened  Band X goes into Studio Waste A Lot to record said album. Band X spends five thousand dollars in studio time tracking, and after mixdown they are unhappy with the results. Studio Waste A Lot says the mix is great, and the recording is great. What recourse does band X have. Court? Na probably not. |
Maybe the problem was that Band X tried to cut a 14 song album with a $5,000.00 budget and expected it to sound like something released on Sony Records. They probably hit the studio totally unprepared/unrehearsed with a drummer that hadn't changed his heads in 5 years (not that it mattered since he doesn't know how to tune them, hit them properly, or hold a groove anyway), a bunch of crap gear, and poorly written songs containing poorly written (and executed) parts that they expected the engineer at Studio Waste A Lot to "fix in the mix".
Other than Jazz musicians I have had exactly 1 band in the last 5 years (not including major label clients) that has come in and actually been able to set up live and play AS A BAND and make it sound killer on the spot. These guys probably COULD cut a whole record for $5k if they wanted to. The funny thing about them is that they don't want to rush through a record like that since they actually work on their craft, rehearse, and are capable of releasing a real record if they put the time and money into it.
As far as engineers sucking, a lot of them probably do. In order to be a great engineer you have to be born with SOMETHING (I believe). You can train your ears and get better over time but all of the engineers I truly respect seem to have been born with something special to begin with. From there, it's years and years of perfecting your craft and always knowing that you have more to learn (no matter how many awards you win or how many people kiss your ass). In addition, you need to help keep the band on task and the project running smoothly. Gear and rooms are very important but still secondary to an engineers ears and ability to communicate with his/her client.
Oh.. And taking the time to learn and understand/care about what your CLIENT WANTS instead of just going through the motions? That's invaluable and the #1 reason I'm not only still in business but booked pretty much non-stop through the end of December at my place.
There is still a need and a market for quality built rooms with quality gear. If you can couple that with excellent engineers who "get it" and offer it all at a reasonable price, there is plenty of work to be had.