Protecting your "tricks" when returning the hard drive back to the client?!?

[mwikkid]

Originally Posted by stan li

It would seem harmless except in one instance the drive made it's way to a "competing" studio/engineer and they copped my tricks, man!

There are no tricks. Techniques develop, evolve, get copied, spread around, develop, evolve, etc. etc. That's just how it goes (and faster now than ever thanks to the magic of the internet).

In another instance, the band didn't want to spend money on having me mix the next project because "we can just copy what you did on the last one ourselves"...

Perhaps you should work on making yourself seem more valuable to your clients. Let me suggest:

IF you give your clients their session files without fear, IF you take the time and explain your workflow, technique, etc. to the clients that are interested and ask you about it, IF you genuinely try to help them not only make a record but learn and grow and gain a better understanding of what you're doing, here's what happens: you send the message that YOU are the most important asset in their recording process, you will be perceived not only as an expert but a benevolent one that is personally trying to genuinely help them on their musical quest (not just make a buck), they will want to employ your expertise to enhance their records, and the clients will come back again and again.

IF you think of what you do as some set of secrets to be guarded from the clients, if YOU really believe that the primary value YOU bring to a session is a handful of audio parlor tricks and you act accordingly, if you come off as aloof and indifferent towards their wants and needs (this is THEIR record, remember?!?!?), here's what happens: the client buys the story (that you seem to believe yourself) that if they just rehash the so-called "tricks" you used they don't need you. I'll point out again that in such a case YOU are actually the source of this concept and YOU fed this idea to them. Also, the client fails to notice all the other things you bring to the table because of all the hoopla over the "tricks". The client feels like you're just trying to bleed them of cash by withholding information and will probably not return for the next project.


In less extreme cases, maybe someone in the band does have some protools knowledge and they want to save some cash. That's legitimate. Do you go pay a mechanic to change the bulb in your headlight?

Working WITH clients to meet their needs is much better than trying to corner them into having to hire you for work they'd rather do themselves. Sure, you might make more money in the short term once, but that client's going to feel swindled and is probably never coming back (and isn't sending anyone else your way, either). On the other hand, working WITH them (even if it means they're doing a chunk of the work at home that you wished they'd be paying you for) will pay off in the long run and you'll develop loyal repeat business: "Oh, you're gonna do the edits on these at home? Ok, awesome! If you get any questions shoot me an email and if it's simple enough I'd be glad to help. If you totally get stuck or if it gets too complicated, we can set up a session and I can help you knock it out, too. Just let me know what you need, we'll get you taken care of."

I mean, who would you rather work with again and again for years to come - the engineer who's running around behind a secretive curtain of "tricks" like some kind of sonic Wizard of Oz, or the engineer who's trying to help your band learn about the recording process, who's willing to adapt to your preferred workflow, who can be sensitive to budget concerns, and who is just generally being nice and helpful?

I'm all for the spirit of education and passing knowledge down, but to potentially lose work from it is something else!

I think you'll lose more work in the long run the other way.

Think of the big picture. Think of the vibe you're curating and whether that's a comfortable one for musicians to create their art in. I guarantee you the musicians will be thinking about this when they decide how to go about recording their next project.

(For the record: YES - I do this for a living. Engineering is my primary source of income and it has been for years. Business is flourishing for me. I've never run an ad - almost all of my business has come from client referrals. I give people their complete session files and any other info that they ask about. I actually care about helping people make the best record they can, however they choose to do it. As such, I have an amazingly loyal group of repeat clients that continues to grow even as my rates are drifting upward.)

[Wilburguy]

Wow. Are we all so worried about someone stealing our secrets? IMHO- They pay me to provide a service. I record and mix their stuff. If they want their stuff to take home, I copy the project folder to their drive. They may or may not be able to continue from where I left off due to plugins or sample rate issues. If they take my work and run with it and put their name on it, what do I care? I got paid for the work I did.

Now if they mess up my mix and put MY name on it, then we have a problem.

my two cents.

[Wilburguy]

I totally agree with mwikkid.