How much of you run your own studio?

[anne_paranoid]

I mean, you do everything, with no external help, second engineers, staff.....?

How did you started recording? What was your first gear?

I started years ago with an old Fostex 4 track to tape, i was impressed of the possibilies!!!!!!! ( multitrack recording for me was like neuronal surgery or atomic equations, world apart )

[Sigma]

NOW I DO..

but my first engineereing emploment at my families studio had 20 odd people on staff


now I am home bound

[emkay]

Originally Posted by SIGMA

NOW I DO..

but my first engineereing emploment at my families studio had 20 odd people on staff


now I am home bound

Wow! Studio family business, that's great!

[NathanEldred]

You are talking specifically about a commercial studio available for the general public to use?

[studilaroche]

I run a small overdub PT mix room wholly by myself - no assists, runners etc. I share a suite with another studio, so we borrow gear back and forth, which is nice! I have, however, done everything from assisting to studio management at larger facilities that had interns, assists etc.
I started out on a Vestax 4 track in high school; now i run a PT HD2 system. Pretty sweet.
Ben

[Protools Guy]

I started in the '80's with a Tascam 244.

I now have a PT HD3 rig. I run everything myself.

I only take on certain outside projects as I'm mainly writing and recording my own music.

I'm not open to the public, but I have recorded a few albums for bands and solo artists.

[amishsixstringe]

I do, I suppose. As in, I own all the gear and nobody helps me out. I keep myself fairly busy, but it's not my own source of income. I have another job, plus I'm a college student. It pays for itself to grow. I do plan to own/run my own small place when I leave here though. I would rather record small local projects and be barely getting by than to to make coffee for some big wigs.


Neil

[TornadoTed]

I run my place totally on my own, from engineering to cleaning the toilets and everything in between!

I started on a 4 track too, I got sick of the politics of bands and wanted to record my own stuff without the hassle.

I built a studio totally based on synths and samplers doing techno stuff. I then got a Fostex 8 track when I teamed up with a singer.

This led to a few local bands asking me to do demos for them and it just kind of grew.

I've built the place myself too, did pretty much everything, block laying, carpentry, first fix plumbing, first fix of electrics, wiring. It's taken me 12 years now but I'm getting towards the end, I have maybe 2-3 months work left on the accomodation.

[bdmctear]

My girlfriend and I own and operate our studio in Philadelphia.

I started it when I moved here in 1996, and though it was humble (and may even be considered so now) I was working full time in 1998.

In the beginning we had an Allen and Heath Saber 24 x 8 and a Tascam TSR-8 1/2 inch recorder. By '98 we had an MS-16 inch machine, and shortly after that, in '99, I partnered up with a friend with the MCI console I use to this day (though it has been rebuilt once, and another rebuild is on the way).

In 2000 we bought our 2 inch Ampex MM1200 machine, in 2001 a Pro Tools LE system.

In 2005 we built a new studio right in our neighborhood (walking distance!). We have ProTools HD, the Ampex, the MCI... I record anywhere from 7 - 10 records (EPs and LPs) per year, and mix a handful of projects as well. All along, I have been equally focused on being a musician (I play in two bands), as I am an engineer and producer.

I credit the city of Philadelphia as the reason we are still afloat. It's an inexpensive city where artists, musicians, bands, etc, can afford to live and work at their craft full time. WE can afford to live here and work at our craft. It's not the lap of luxory, but its enough for me! And every year gets better and better.

[ISedlacek]

Me
No assistants ...

But (apart from mastering, of course), I am also my only client Very difficult and demanding client to say the truth ...

[Bassmec]

All of me does and quite a lot of me that I never knew existed does too.

[SNJ Studio]

I ran a large coverted warehouse gtracking & mixing space for 8 years, all by myself and while I had heaps of fun and made some classic recordings I closed the doors last December, and have taken a mix suite home and gone freelance, hiring commercial studios when needed.

There were more disadvantages to running my own place than advantages... And a lot more money to be had by not having to pay rent on a space 24 / 7.

Things are much better now, freelancing in several great studios around town, don't do the "1 day demo's" anymore, if I'm not in the mood to produce an album I just say no (amazing feekling), I'm networking with other engineers and producers and musicians, I have a huge amount of gear at my disposal for tracking (kept all my gear from my studio, and take this into sessions, and of course the studio has a killer mic cabinet and rack), I usually get an assistant, and do not have time constraints when I am mixing at home.

Having said all this eventually I am going to open another studio (several years down the track) but I will have a lot of hindsight to do it right. I wont be doing it alone. I will not skimp on acoustic treatment or aesthetics. I will save a "cache" of finances so when bookings dry up it is not SNAFU.

I do miss having a studio in some respects - it was my bands rehearsal space so now we have to pay for that and recordings. I also loved the vibe - a lot of bands booked in because it was such a relaxed studio - and now I am taking them into some pretty sterile rooms - they sound amazing but they are like a science lab compared to my rocknroll converted warehouse studio....

Adam B

[AllAboutTone]

Just me, sometimes other engineers rent the space to record, they use all my gear except recorders, also mastering.

[bobwarren]

I own all my stuff, too. Budget permitting, I'll hire a local mix engineer with an SSL 4000E with G mods.

[stevep]

Just me......

[Musiclab]

me too

[Sigma]

Originally Posted by emkay

Wow! Studio family business, that's great!

nepotism can be a wonderful thing

[Push845]

Originally Posted by TornadoTed

I run my place totally on my own, from engineering to cleaning the toilets and everything in between!

I started on a 4 track too, I got sick of the politics of bands and wanted to record my own stuff without the hassle.

I built a studio totally based on synths and samplers doing techno stuff. I then got a Fostex 8 track when I teamed up with a singer.

This led to a few local bands asking me to do demos for them and it just kind of grew.

I've built the place myself too, did pretty much everything, block laying, carpentry, first fix plumbing, first fix of electrics, wiring. It's taken me 12 years now but I'm getting towards the end, I have maybe 2-3 months work left on the accomodation.

Dude, You just nailed what I was going to write!

[BJohnston]

Count me in on this topic... I've owned 2 other studios before I opened my own place. With the exception of having help from the occasional friend and family members I built everything myself. Owning your own place definitely comes with it's own complications...ie studio maintanance, budgeting, and bills. I own another company with my father. The "Family Business" if you will. That's the "real" job. I do mostly weekends and evenings as needed to work on projects. The studio has become a thriving entity unto itself. Word of mouth has been very good to me. I built it with idea of being able to pursue projects with artists that I believe in. I'm able to go above and beyond the call of duty with individual projects because of the flexibility of having my own place. However, I'd love to take in a counter part to help expand the clientele and business opportunities. I simply do not have enough time in my day to run 2 full time businesses to their fullest capacities. It's about doing quality work and providing a creative environment for artists, as far as I'm concerned. I feel like I'm fortunate to not have to open the doors to the public in order to support my habit.

B

[drBill]

Let's see.....do I run IT, or does it run me........



I'll have to get back to you on that one.

[catfish11]

built and operated by myself, used to have some other producers
but now it its just me

thinking of just concentrating on my own stuff and taking in even less

I have to give a heads up to gearslutz and all the great contributions by everyone here, without the input of folks around here i d have alot more money and alot worse studio

[studjo]

woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot?
what's up - question?

must run - soldering

[Drumsound]

It's all me!

[tcause]

It's just me... though of late I've recorded a couple of people. It is actually very cool how much easier it is to get in to an objective head space when you are just engineering... Your personal performance doesn't distract you as much

must say that the one essential item is my apple wireless keyboard that allows me to sit at the piano or my vocal booth and press the metaphorical big red button.

It is just frightening how I got to where I am now gear wise...

A few years ago I had a Locic, motu 828 mkII with an 01V96 and Genelec 1029s + 1091 then 7070 at the heart of things... then I got the Wunder pre-amps... but I always felt there was a blanket over everything... not as open and detailed as I wanted... so I did some math and decided that if I sold stuff, and spent about 30K AUD I could fix it no holds barred...

bloody hell... ok, I sold some of the stuff.. ok not much but ended up with the Lynx AES16, Spider, Mytek ADDA, Wunders, STC-8, NSEQ2, Mackie Control Universal, Grace 906, Adam S4CAs... I've spent at least 60K... I keep telling myself its nearly done but in reality, there's probably no end in sight...

but its fixed the blanket over everything problem

[idylldon]

Built (the building, the acoustic treatment, and a lot of the gear) and operated by me. It's also in my backyard, so I don't have any lease to worry about as I walk to work every day, and all my gear is free and clear.

Cheers,
--
Don

[Gravity8058]

14 years from Mackie to Neve. 5 employees at this point, plus me.

[TornadoTed]

Originally Posted by Push845

Dude, You just nailed what I was going to write!

Yeah it's nice to come on here and realise you aren't the only one suffering

[David Robinson]

owner/operater since 1977.
not open to the public.
selected clients only.
spent 7yrs prior at the largest Sydney studio, doing arrangements and production.
everything from pop to classical, including my own releases.

[Elof]

I do work at a place where I do not own the facility, but all gear is mine and I have no assistants.

Started out with MIDI recording in mircologic 1.3 when I was nine years, thats eleven years ago. Now I´m on motu HD192s and a 28ch TAC channel console.

I have never been into tape machines and that sucks, I´d love to know more about it.
I also work at a bigger studio with HD3 from time to time.

[Dog_Chao_Chao]

Originally Posted by drBill

Let's see.....do I run IT, or does it run me........



I'll have to get back to you on that one.

yep. I think thats the real question. I know I like to be run by my studio

One more lonely guy here. Im studio owner, house engineer and musician. Comercial studio, opened to anyone. A lot of work lately...

I think I can here "All by myself" playing as ambient music here at gearslutz.

hum..not good I always thought that music was about somebody that was so depressed that prefered to stay home playing with himself with itsthumbsup (lets call it that...not sure about GS tolorence to less pure concepts!!!)

Lets face it, if you worked in a very busy studio with a lot of other people you woudnt be here so often!!! Hehe.