Planning on starting a studio... Advice?

[chrisclick]

Hey everyone,
This is probably my first post on GS, but have been browsing around quite a bit for a while.

I am currently doing my a levels in music technology and music and almost near finishing, planning on going to university to continue studies in music technology, but with the requirements on university going up each year I am beginning to doubt it and am now planning on starting a studio if I cannot get into university.

So, enough with the back story behind this adventure!

Currently in Wales, where there aren't many studios, a mere two that I know of and they're each way, way out there. Now, there are a billion and one bands in Wales that probably want somewhere to record / rehearse... So I was thinking of setting up a studio in the outskirts of a very popular city say 25 - 30 miles away from me. I've been looking at properties and they're seems to be quite a few detached houses or commercial areas to rent out. The plan I had was to rent out one of these places, if it was a house I'd probably live up stairs and have the studio on the ground floor or something, with the space I would provide rehearsal space for bands and have a studio as well in a different part of the house.

Was talking to a couple of friends, and had the idea of doing instrument lessons too... Just to keep the studio running with a couple things on the side really...

what are your ideas on this, if any?

Don't be too harsh if it seems quite out there for the area! haha

Chris.

[joelpatterson]

Sounds like a great plan... sounds like a super excellently great plan if you're giving yourself a good long while before you need to make any money at it... these things tend to start out slow and build slowly too... anything worthwhile is that way, I guess.

[chrisclick]

Thanks for the reply and positive feedback!

I'm not expecting to make money straight off the bat. I'm pretty much willing to wait as long as it takes to make at least some profit! I'll be esctatic when the studio pays for the building itself, let alone making any profit.

[los marbles]

I would also give this plan a thumbs up.

Firstly it sounds like you have a place where demand exceeds the supply.

...and secondly you have a diverse plan that includes lessons and rehearsals. Obviously rehearsal space needs gear but if isn't the main attraction at the facility, just maybe one room or so booked a few nights a week, that's probably do-able. That could be rent right there.

I went from a big city that had a ton of work available, but 2 tons of studios, to a smaller place that had musicians but no studios and did OK for the first 2 years. I then began to struggle until I diversified into jingle writing.

In my mind, having a live in place could ideal too if it's set up right. I wish I had that set-up (My wife wouldn't go for that, can't say I blame her)

[chrisclick]

Thank you for even more positive feedback on the idea! Really an encouragement to actually start this thing!

I am hoping to cover a wide variety of instruments with the lessons from guitar to drums, and at cheaper prices than the specific teachers around the area (which, might I add, after 3 years with the same piano teacher... Added up to quite a large sum of money in the end)

The rehearsals and lessons were originally a "Oh no, what happens if it sinks" scenario... But I think now it will be the primary focus for the first couple months until the lessons provide for the building its in.

The only problem I would find with having a live-in studio is space... Which isn't a huge massive problem but it would be a small annoyance. As the place would be rented, I would be increadibly restricted on what I can do with the actual structure of the building itself... Suggestions on this?

Thanks for the replies so far!

[DanDan]

Worth looking at scenarios that have been or are successful.
I am thinking of one very successful one in Dublin which was very diverse.
It provided.
Storage space for bands, A PA hire company, and a Lighting Company. Cages of various sizes.
Different sized rehearsal rooms, up to tour production size, the latter suitable for video of course.
A recording studio, easily connectable to the bigger rehearsal rooms.
A canteen.

So a one stop shop. Speaking of which, one of the rehearsal complexes here has a vending machine which includes plectrums drumsticks etc.

I believe diversity is the key.

DD

[chrisclick]

Thanks for the reply,

I will deffinately look around at places to see what they offer. Obviously storage space for bands could be a bit difficult if the place I get isn't big...

Most of the services provided by the one you suggested are really plans that I would ideally put into action after a while of being successful at what it provides from the start, the canteen especially.

But they are all ideas I will deffinately think about! Thanks again!

[therealbigd]

Originally Posted by chrisclick

Hey everyone,
I am currently doing my a levels in music technology and music and almost near finishing, planning on going to university to continue studies in music technology, but with the requirements on university going up each year I am beginning to doubt it and am now planning on starting a studio if I cannot get into university.

My first instinct: You have not thought this through. It reads as "I'm reaching the end of college and panicking because the end of the line is near and I don't know what I'm going to do"

Questions about university:
• What would you go to study?
•*Why would you study it?
•*How would a degree in that help you in the future?
•*How can you justify the tuition fees next to what extra you can earn as a result?

Generally, in the UK, the 'Audio Engineering' degrees are pretty worthless. There are so few studio jobs that they cannot mass employ, and those who get work are experienced engineers, not grads. And almost everyone is freelance anyway. So if you're going to Uni it needs to be something like Westminster or Bucks New university, as their courses are focussed on making money out of music - which is what you're setting out to do right?

Currently in Wales, where there aren't many studios, a mere two that I know of and they're each way, way out there.

Good, on the supply/demand front.

However, could there be a reason why there are no studio in Wales? It's like, building a holiday resort in south Afghanistan. Sure, there are none there, and there are plenty of people who'd like a good value holiday in a hot sunny place with cultural diversity. So why aren't there more Afghan holiday resorts?

Now, there are a billion and one bands in Wales that probably want somewhere to record / rehearse

Oooh that doesn't sound like market research to me!

Lesson 1 in starting a new business: You need to research and assess the market, not guess it.

So you need to go find out, what to bands do for recording, where do they go, how do they choose the studios, what are the primary criteria etc; before you start building anything.

I've been looking at properties and they're seems to be quite a few detached houses or commercial areas to rent out. The plan I had was to rent out one of these places, if it was a house I'd probably live up stairs and have the studio on the ground floor or something, with the space I would provide rehearsal space for bands and have a studio as well in a different part of the house.

Planning permission is the big issue in the UK. In a rented house designed for living in, you would struggle to do ANY building work in it to make it into a suitable studio building. Most houses have kitchens downstairs, and a staircase, so you've already lost a good chunk of the house to things you can't change.

In a house you also have the issue of bands being in your personal space, which is not desirable for most studio owners.

Commercial facilities are much easier as they're generally open-plan, so you can build your own walls, doors and windows inside and it can all be removed if/when you leave. There is also less planning permission problems as you're not making noise in a place other people have to live. If you build a studio in a house you will find a lot of NIMBYs who reject your application just because it says 'music' and that means the street will be filled with crack*****s and naked groupies and you will be playing death metal with the windows open til 4am.

what are your ideas on this, if any?

A few other questions that strike me:
•*Are you actually, genuinely good at recording & mixing? As in, are you regularly churning out recordings that sound as good as the top commercial albums in that genre? If not, you need to spend some money in that area. We are in Cornwall and setting up some short courses if you're interested. I'm not trying to put you down but if it needs improving, recognise that and improve it before you dfegad all over your brand name.

• Are you professionally, financially and emotionally ready to run a business. I'm guessing you're about 18, that's very young to be running such a business. Do you have any experience in business management, finance, marketing, P/R, etc? Do you have the finance to build a studio, setup the company, spend on out marketing ($$$), business insurance, building insurance, gear insurance, PL Insurance, etc; and retain enough to pay the first few months rent and bills, and your own food and drink and clothes until you start earning? Do you have enough money to pay a year's rent even if you get no business? And finally, are you in a stable enough emotional state to take on the hassle of starting a business? Do you have people who can support you?

• Do you have the expertise to design, build, wire, etc; a functioning recording studio? Or will you have to hire in people to do so? Guerilla electrics have no place in modern building. Do you have the knowledge and experience to choose your equipment and budget for it efficiently? If not, again, get help. Don't just ask on here. Do you have the know-how and experience to effectively market your studio to it's best audience, and attract good paying business? Do you have the contacts to ensure the business can ever get off the ground?

• Have you identified a key market, identified what they are looking for, how they choose studios, what their priorities are, whether you can realistically offer a product to fit that criteria? Have you researched and planned for marketing materials and distribution, digital media, social networking, portfolio development, etc? Don't just open the doors and expect the bands to flock in, they will not.

• Have you identified a group of staff you can reliably take on and pay for the job? Realistically, if you want to turnover enough money to keep the studio going, for a multi-purpose facility on the edge of the city, it will not be possible to run it alone. Have you looked into contracts, employment laws etc, or contracting them as freelancers? You need to do this before starting up.

•*Do you have a First Aid @ Work qualification? It is a requirement that in a work place, there must always be a qualified first aider on site. So, little known fact, but before you can open, you need to attend a first aid course. They are about £300.

I'm going to leave it there for now, get answering them and I may ask you some more!

I'm not asking just to be a pain, but if you cannot comfortably and confidently answer the questions, you are not ready to start the studio.

[The Byre]

Originally Posted by chrisclick

Currently in Wales, where there aren't many studios, a mere two that I know of and they're each way, way out there. Now, there are a billion and one bands in Wales that probably want somewhere to record / rehearse...

Firstly Rockfield History

Secondly, I have sent you a PM with links to business models.

Thirdly, the project studio, combined with rehearsal space market is desperately overcrowded and the demand is just not there. Yes, there is a demand from youngsters that would like to have somewhere to play, but they do not have the money for a dedicated facility and make do with other spaces, like youth clubs and garages.

[therealbigd]

Originally Posted by The Byre

Firstly Rockfield History

Good link, but maybe more valid is a fellow GSer (TornadoTed) who owns Giant Wafer Studios in Wales, its a very good spec studio with certainly everything I'd want to do a mid-high level recording, and Ted is an experienced and credited engineer, yet the rates including accommodation are not 'high' - and he doesn't have the overheads you'd have.

Thirdly, the project studio, combined with rehearsal space market is desperately overcrowded and the demand is just not there. Yes, there is a demand from youngsters that would like to have somewhere to play, but they do not have the money for a dedicated facility and make do with other spaces, like youth clubs and garages.

This man may have worn a pink hat in his younger days ( ) but he does speak sense. There is a reason that there are no Porsche dealerships in the slums. It's nothing to do with the fact the showroom would get raided a lot, it's simply the fact that nobody there would buy a Porsche.

There is a difference between having bands locally who 'probably want' to record and having bands locally who 'definitely can' record. They both require market research as per my big post. You need to do that before you can progress.

[The Byre]

Originally Posted by therealbigd

This man may have worn a pink hat in his younger days ( ) but he does speak sense.

Is that the sound of my chain being jerked that I hear?

[DanDan]

It is my perception that the UK Rock n' Roll Universities are in general highly regarded. I am familiar with the facilities and staff at one in Cardiff. IMHO, pretty impressive.
The training in sound etc. provided broadly targets the workplace. Someone has to do sound for the News! There is plenty of activity in Film, TV, and Gaming. I am sure audio will become fundamental to websites or web broadcast shortly also. Some perspective here, football is probably bigger than music, and someone is mixing those matches in 5.1

DD

[therealbigd]

Originally Posted by DanDan

It is my perception that the UK Rock n' Roll Universities are in general highly regarded. I am familiar with the facilities and staff at one in Cardiff. IMHO, pretty impressive.
The training in sound etc. provided broadly targets the workplace. Someone has to do sound for the News! There is plenty of activity in Film, TV, and Gaming. I am sure audio will become fundamental to websites or web broadcast shortly also. Some perspective here, football is probably bigger than music, and someone is mixing those matches in 5.1

DD

They're highly regarded in terms of being well equipped and having good lecturers.

But they're poorly regarded because the entrance requirements are pretty low and they're full of ******s. Not to mention, thousands upon thousands of ******s, when there's about 5 jobs available.

If there was a degree in people skills it would probably suit you for the studio world better than learning some of the crap they teach at the universities. To qualify it as a degree they have to teach a serious amount of stuff, they can't just practice mixing for 3 years, meaning a whole lot of useless academic junk is delivered.

You can learn to be a sound engineer for much cheaper than losing 3 years of your life, and £3,000 (or, £9,000 next year) per year in tuition fees, at a university.

[therealbigd]

Originally Posted by The Byre

Is that the sound of my chain being jerked that I hear?

[chrisclick]

A few other questions that strike me:
•*Are you actually, genuinely good at recording & mixing? As in, are you regularly churning out recordings that sound as good as the top commercial albums in that genre? If not, you need to spend some money in that area. We are in Cornwall and setting up some short courses if you're interested. I'm not trying to put you down but if it needs improving, recognise that and improve it before you dfegad all over your brand name.

• Are you professionally, financially and emotionally ready to run a business. I'm guessing you're about 18, that's very young to be running such a business. Do you have any experience in business management, finance, marketing, P/R, etc? Do you have the finance to build a studio, setup the company, spend on out marketing ($$$), business insurance, building insurance, gear insurance, PL Insurance, etc; and retain enough to pay the first few months rent and bills, and your own food and drink and clothes until you start earning? Do you have enough money to pay a year's rent even if you get no business? And finally, are you in a stable enough emotional state to take on the hassle of starting a business? Do you have people who can support you?

• Do you have the expertise to design, build, wire, etc; a functioning recording studio? Or will you have to hire in people to do so? Guerilla electrics have no place in modern building. Do you have the knowledge and experience to choose your equipment and budget for it efficiently? If not, again, get help. Don't just ask on here. Do you have the know-how and experience to effectively market your studio to it's best audience, and attract good paying business? Do you have the contacts to ensure the business can ever get off the ground?

• Have you identified a key market, identified what they are looking for, how they choose studios, what their priorities are, whether you can realistically offer a product to fit that criteria? Have you researched and planned for marketing materials and distribution, digital media, social networking, portfolio development, etc? Don't just open the doors and expect the bands to flock in, they will not.

• Have you identified a group of staff you can reliably take on and pay for the job? Realistically, if you want to turnover enough money to keep the studio going, for a multi-purpose facility on the edge of the city, it will not be possible to run it alone. Have you looked into contracts, employment laws etc, or contracting them as freelancers? You need to do this before starting up.

•*Do you have a First Aid @ Work qualification? It is a requirement that in a work place, there must always be a qualified first aider on site. So, little known fact, but before you can open, you need to attend a first aid course. They are about £300.

I'm going to leave it there for now, get answering them and I may ask you some more!

I'm not asking just to be a pain, but if you cannot comfortably and confidently answer the questions, you are not ready to start the studio.[/QUOTE]



If any of the answers sound stupid, let me know... A little tired from a restless night followed by a Music exam , fun.

Most of the questions you posted did actually make me think about it, there's a lot I've overlooked it seems...


1) Are you actually, genuinely good at recording & mixing?
Well, I'd like to think I am... Probably a question that can only be answered with examples. I will get on that asap.

2) Are you professionally, financially and emotionally ready to run a business?
I read the word insurance so many times in that one haha, kinda daunting now when I think about it. Financially, I'm pretty much set... Now I'm going to come off as one of those kids who gets everything thrown their way, but I've got the support from parents as well as a large amount (£5,000+) saved up so far from various work and EMA payments. Emotionally, I think I've got what it takes... I've seen my father struggle and go through a lot of tough times with his company where he deals with people and training them for IT based jobs and construction skill learning qualifications (this is gonna answer another question later tehe) and what not, which I ended up doing work experience for about a fortnight there which I did some of the people handling side of things as wells as technical, I'll ask about some of the experiences he has had setting it up etc and see what goes from what I hear. My parents are behind me on this, and are willing to support me through it as well as my Music Tech teacher (who 'had' her own studio before she became a teacher but still does work in her studio for people etc) I could also pop by and ask her about it.

3) Do you have the expertise to design, build, wire, etc; a functioning recording studio?
I don't per say have the expertise myself, but I can sure find a couple people around here that do and I am always willing to learn about this as it goes on throughout the project, providing the fears of doing it don't prevent me. As I said in my previous question, my father does the construction skills leaning base where he also referrers people to work placements which I suppose could come in handy... Kinda milking it here though.
As to the electronics, they have electrician courses, but I'm assuming studio electrical stuffs is another route altogether?

4) Have you identified a key market, identified what they are looking for, how they choose studios, what their priorities are, whether you can realistically offer a product to fit that criteria?
This I'm still pondering, still haven't quite thought this one through properly yet. Like I said (or at least think I said) in my original post, it's still in the real early stages of planning so there's still a lot to cover.

5) Have you identified a group of staff you can reliably take on and pay for the job?
I have a group of people I can consider staff at the moment, they all graduated from the same uni I was planning (which to add, very nice university and considered good amongst others) and after the years out a friend of mine who I pretty much relied on through the course at high school, who is capable of producing top level work as he studied it throughout school, university and continued learning from then on with his own experience and outside experience in studios etc. Another who's willing to freelance, but yet to clarify this with him.

6) Do you have a First Aid @ Work qualification?
This I have thought about, and I have done a First Aid course, two in fact. One compulsory basic one with the school and then one outside of school along side the work experience I did at my fathers company.


I do realise some of the answers are brief, but we can assume that I either haven't thought about it, or don't quite know yet.

Thanks for the questions, really an insight on what I should be planning etc before starting really!

Thanks

[therealbigd]

I'm still not convinced to the point where I would invest in it, if I had the cash.

Originally Posted by chrisclick

If any of the answers sound stupid, let me know... A little tired from a restless night followed by a Music exam , fun.

Most of the questions you posted did actually make me think about it, there's a lot I've overlooked it seems...


1) Are you actually, genuinely good at recording & mixing?
Well, I'd like to think I am... Probably a question that can only be answered with examples. I will get on that asap.

Everyone likes to think they are. I thought I could about 5 years ago but I've probably only been mixing music to a standard where I could charge realistic rates for it in the last 2 years.

Feedback from people - on this site, at college etc; might be helpful. Maybe you'd be better asking a good studio local to you if you could get some help off them. I'm sure Ted at Giant Wafer (he's on here) would have you spend a weekend in his studio, to go through some of your work, help you identify what needs improving etc.

2) Are you professionally, financially and emotionally ready to run a business?
I read the word insurance so many times in that one haha, kinda daunting now when I think about it. Financially, I'm pretty much set... Now I'm going to come off as one of those kids who gets everything thrown their way, but I've got the support from parents as well as a large amount (£5,000+) saved up so far from various work and EMA payments.

£5,000 isn't going to get you very far. £5,000 might make a project studio, but a commercial facility is a whole different beast. Some key costs:

•*A commercial space, like the corner of a warehouse, is unlikely to come out any cheaper than £500/month. That means, £6,000 for the first year. So you need to have that money ready before you can even open the doors, as you need to be prepared to pay off all your liabilities (do you understand how assets and liabilities work?) that you're contractually obliged to, whether you get any business or not.
•*£1000+ on a decent mac for the studio, plus of course £300 on Logic or Pro Tools (you could use Reaper I suppose). Using your own never works out unless you are the only person using the studio.
•*£lots on all the types of insurance you need, as listed above.
•*£lots on tradesman for building, wiring, etc; and materials. Building a small window will cost you £100 in glass, a 6'x4' section of wall packed with rockwool will cost you in excess of £150. It adds up quickly. Additionally, when building the studio, you need to have available DOUBLE what you budget. It always spills over, usually substantially.
• £lots on marketing - buying cards, posters (for startup), flyers, a decent website, etc. It's more possible than ever to market for free, but it'll still cost you a fair bit to it properly. This is the main downfall of most studios, they have Neve/SSL/API/Pro Tools - the works - but nobody knows they even exist.
• £lots on furniture - a decent sturdy desk, office chair(s), sofa, coffee table etc don't come for free. You will find that a comfy studio actually attracts more bands than a better technically equipped studio of the same budget. Fact is bands would rather sit on a comfy leather sofa all day and have you compress stuff on 'The Glue' than have to sit on plastic chairs so you can use a 'Real' SSL compressor.
•*And it goes on - that's before you've even bought gear.

Also bear in mind that with that budget, a console won't be possible at all, and after building, acoustics, furniture and rent, there will be very little left for buying decent equipment.

Emotionally, I think I've got what it takes... I've seen my father struggle and go through a lot of tough times with his company where he deals with people and training them for IT based jobs and construction skill learning qualifications (this is gonna answer another question later tehe) and what not, which I ended up doing work experience for about a fortnight there which I did some of the people handling side of things as wells as technical, I'll ask about some of the experiences he has had setting it up etc and see what goes from what I hear. My parents are behind me on this, and are willing to support me through it as well as my Music Tech teacher (who 'had' her own studio before she became a teacher but still does work in her studio for people etc) I could also pop by and ask her about it.

Emotionally, I don't just mean you're not going to break down and cry about it. Be prepared to lose a chunk of your personal life (at a time when all your mates will be at uni getting wasted and shagging new people every other night), starting a business also has a habit of wrecking relationships. It's still starting a business, whether in music or not (in fact music is one of the most headache-some going), so you need to be in that mindset. Do you really understand business enough and have the correct mindset yet, anyway?

3) Do you have the expertise to design, build, wire, etc; a functioning recording studio?
I don't per say have the expertise myself, but I can sure find a couple people around here that do and I am always willing to learn about this as it goes on throughout the project, providing the fears of doing it don't prevent me. As I said in my previous question, my father does the construction skills leaning base where he also referrers people to work placements which I suppose could come in handy... Kinda milking it here though.
As to the electronics, they have electrician courses, but I'm assuming studio electrical stuffs is another route altogether?

This is rough ground area. The difference between building bass traps in your bedroom and building bass traps in a commercial studio, is that if at home a bass trap falls off the wall and breaks your toe, you make a mental note to use bigger wall plugs next time; whilst in the commercial studio, the injured sues you for loss of earnings with a broken toe (I would). If they work in a job that can't be done with a broken toe, (as I do), they have every right to expect you to cover their losses because you stopped them going to work. With my trade getting £140/day ish, your £5,000 would last about a month. With insurance, you'd be fine. But, the insurance might not cover you, if upon investigation, they see that fundamentally the fixings you used were unsuitable for the job. Had a carpenter done it, he'd have either a) used the correcting fixings, or b) become liable to be sued, not you. Either works for you.

Lesson: Either use somebody who is qualified to know what they're doing, OR use somebody who you trust to do a good job of it. The fact your mate put up some shelves in the garage does not qualify him to build a wall in the studio (you laugh, but many court cases are caused by people thinking they could do more than they could in reality).

Studio electrics - not really much different to houses in terms of what you can't do yourself. Mic lines, tie lines, speaker lines, etc; are fairly safe to do yourself, they don't carry high voltages and most studios do this themselves. But the mains electrics NEED to be done by a qualified electrician. There's far too many issues with doing anything else, it's just dangerous. In commercial facilities, the usual cause of fire is electrical, unless you want to watch all your money and effort from 20ft away as it glows bright orange and gets sprayed with water, you probably best get somebody who understands electrics to do that.

4) Have you identified a key market, identified what they are looking for, how they choose studios, what their priorities are, whether you can realistically offer a product to fit that criteria?
This I'm still pondering, still haven't quite thought this one through properly yet. Like I said (or at least think I said) in my original post, it's still in the real early stages of planning so there's still a lot to cover.

Well it's the first thing to do.

Building work, gear, electrics, marketing, everything, is pointless if you have nobody to pay you money. So the first thing you need to be doing IE right now, is doing the research to find out what business is available in your area. If you can't generate any interest, chase up another business plan.

5) Have you identified a group of staff you can reliably take on and pay for the job?
I have a group of people I can consider staff at the moment, they all graduated from the same uni I was planning (which to add, very nice university and considered good amongst others) and after the years out a friend of mine who I pretty much relied on through the course at high school, who is capable of producing top level work as he studied it throughout school, university and continued learning from then on with his own experience and outside experience in studios etc. Another who's willing to freelance, but yet to clarify this with him.

Just because people have been to university and done these 'music technology' qualifications, it doesn't mean you can instantly call them your staff. Remember they hold the reputation of your business in their hands, so you need good faith in them. University alone doesn't amount to much in the real world of studio jobs. Universities tend not to teach good business skills, good personal skills, soldering, hoovering, or making tea. When in fact, those 5 will get you further in the studio world than knowing your way round an SSL console.

6) Do you have a First Aid @ Work qualification?
This I have thought about, and I have done a First Aid course, two in fact. One compulsory basic one with the school and then one outside of school along side the work experience I did at my fathers company.

Is it a valid (IE last 3 years) FAAW Qualification. That is the only one that matters. All your staff need to have it too. Good luck getting them to spend their own money doing it. See where this is going? It all adds up!



I will find a post I made recently and add it here to add some more info.

Also worth noting that my business is UK-based and offers studio building, studio wiring, studio design, studio marketing & PR, as you're young and starting up we can probably offer a good rate to you if and when you decide to get this up and running.

[therealbigd]

From another thread:

Originally Posted by therealbigd

That's a great way to lose a big heap of cash buying things that your clients probably won't be able to tell the difference with or without.

I mean, at $4-5k, there's no point buying stuff just to go on the kit list. Because you're not going to have a very good kit list anyway. So you're better buying the essentials to actually get good mixes coming out of the studio on a regular basis. This doesn't mean distressors to lose half your budget on! This does mean:
• Good, fast, solid computer; with separate system and audio drives + backup.
•*Good, solid DAW with reliable and solid hardware.
• A pleasant and comfortable working environment, that sounds good (acoustically), looks good (IE paint, lighting) feels good (air con, mood lighting etc) and is secure. You are going to spend a lot of time in there.
•*Good, strong and comfortable working furniture. This goes from a comfortable chair, to a decent desk with the keyboard and mouse at a healthy working height, with the equipment in positions where you can easily use it without it becoming in the way.
• Reliable monitoring - in the form of your chosen studio monitors (choose based on your room size, your budget, and your favourite sounding set. Don't just go 'Focal Twins' because 3 people on here who don't own them say so); placed on appropriate stands / pads etc; a good pair of headphones, and a reference system - this could be a Sony boom box or something, need not be special.
•*Safe and Effective Electrical - surge protected sockets, good cabling throughout the system with good connectors, isolate everything from the earth (or earth it where required).

BEFORE you even start thinking about what gear you want. Many members of this forum will have better gear, shoved in a horrible sounding room that they hate spending their time in, and have to shove a book in the door to let a draught in in the summer. You would be surprised at how much your mixes will be affected if simply walking into the studio in the morning is getting you down before you even open the first file (because they ALWAYS get you down. You will NEVER open a session that doesn't have SOMETHING wrong with it).

Right, now that your personal stuff is done, we need to go to commercial.

First thing you need to do is IDENTIFY YOUR MARKET.

What are your strong points? Is your experience so far in recording 72-piece string orchestras, or 3-piece punk rockers? Work out your main audience based on your skills, and your enjoyment, and stick with it. That could be 1-genre specific, or more. It's up to you. But work it out, and write it down early. Then stick it up somewhere you can see it. So before pressing the 'Checkout' button on any online store, you can read it and ask yourself 'does what I'm buying fit that market?' If the answer is no - hit the back button!

Once you've put aside some budget to work in a good-sounding, comfortable, safe and reliable workspace; and figured out your target audience, next stop is:
• Website - Get a good website and pay some college student to fill it with stuff for you.
•*Twitter, Blog, Facebook, MySpace, etc. Get your presence up on the web, and start attacking your target audience with carpet bombs of news, special offers and stuff. Get a buzz going.
• Business Cards - you will get a huge amount of your work through meeting people in person. Swapping numbers will often result in them having a 'Rob' in their phone book who they have no idea of the true identity of. A simple, memorable, attractive business card is a far more effective option.
•*Contract - get a contract written up with somebody who knows what they are talking about. This prevents you later getting screwed in the butt by some arsehole band.
• Graphic Set - before finishing the above, you will need a PROPERLY DONE (not MS Word!) graphic set - a logo, font set, colour scheme etc. This can go on all of your documents (business card, website, social networking, invoices etc) and grow your corporate identity.

There is no point in buying gear before you do this. Why? A pair of distressor's does naff all good if there's no music to use it on. If you want a regular stream of music to put through your $5k of investments, you need to do all of the above to ensure that you're on top of the game. A lot of studios and engineers haven't done this, get ahead of the game whilst you have the chance!

Now, you've got a nice work space, a market, a corporate identity and marketing products. Before you carry on, make sure it's all legal. Get on the tax roll, become a proper company, and make sure you're all legit. I'm not familiar with the US System, but in the UK, it's register self-employed, register self-assessed, and you're going.

Once you're legit, get insured. That's gear insurance at the very least. Business insurance preferable. And if you've got clients in the studio, Public Liability insurance, so if a piece of 80s outboard electrocutes a client, you can pay their hospital bill.

Now that you've got a nice workspace, a market, a corporate identity, you're operating legitimately, and have insurance, start thinking about equipment. But I have a feeling you'll be low on funds. So crack on with what you got, there's no reason with that kit you can't be churning out good mixes in no time. Get some clients, get some good CV stuff, and do it right, you'll have a good set of clients coming through the studio on a regular basis - and you can use THAT money to buy the fancy gear people talk about on here.

But I can guarantee you one thing - EVERYTHING I've written on this page will get you more money than buying UAD cards, distressors or Pro Tools. And I'm not trying to say it's all about the money, but you didn't think that Abbey Road got it's numerous SSLs and Neves, and buckets full of U87s (chucked in like most studios have 57s) from it's startup money did you?

This is a pretty basic outline. If you're serious about this, drop me a line, and we can talk about putting aside a little bit of that cash into my bank account, and I'll sit down and do it properly, and we can get your studio rolling.

[The Byre]

Originally Posted by chrisclick

Financially, I'm pretty much set... Now I'm going to come off as one of those kids who gets everything thrown their way, but I've got the support from parents as well as a large amount (£5,000+) saved up so far from various work and EMA payments.

O-Oh!

That's like saying I can start a taxi company, by tying two bicycles together!

Some of my customers have ten times that amount (and some even more) invested in their home studios and those that do not use a home studio, are happy to pay to use a good facility. It is the room and large instruments, like a piano and Hammond, etc., that sells the studio, not the equipment.

[chrisclick]

Originally Posted by The Byre

O-Oh!

That's like saying I can start a taxi company, by tying two bicycles together!

Some of my customers have ten times that amount (and some even more) invested in their home studios and those that do not use a home studio, are happy to pay to use a good facility. It is the room and large instruments, like a piano and Hammond, etc., that sells the studio, not the equipment.

I am aware its the instruments and rooms that sell the studio, I did indeed read the link you posted quite thoroughly

Instruments aren't a problem either ... as of yet.

[therealbigd]

Originally Posted by chrisclick

I am aware its the instruments and rooms that sell the studio, I did indeed read the link you posted quite thoroughly

Instruments aren't a problem either ... as of yet.

What he's pointing out is that I've recently had a band in the studio recording their debut album and what they spent on HIRING the place was £5,000.

In other words, you really don't get much for £5,000.

My mobile system comprises of a MacBook Pro at £1500, a pair of MOTU 828/2s at £500 each, a pair of flightcased PMC DB1S+ at £1000/pair, an MC2 amp at about £500, a Blue Baby Bottle at £400, a Shure B57A at £100, Sennheiser 650s at £300 and Beyer DT150s at £150, totalling up £4,950 before software.

Add in Abbey Road, Brainworx, Softube, Waves, Slate Digital, and Nomad plugins, and it's easily another £2000

So I've already gone £1950 past your budget and I don't have to put them in a building (Rent, electric, water, insurance, security, furniture); I don't have other people using the kit (more insurance), I haven't included marketing, I don't have to record anything more than lone vocalists (where I expect you'll want to do drum kits etc) see where I'm going?

If I added in a year's rent, electric, water, insurance, marketing costs, furniture, installation, a comprehensive set of microphones, 16 pre-amps, etc; it's not going to get £1950 cheaper, is it?

[therealbigd]

Originally Posted by The Byre

Is that the sound of my chain being jerked that I hear?

[The Byre]

Here's part of an article I wrote some time ago for a business magazine. I think it is very relevant to many of the 'I Want to Start a Business' threads here and elsewhere!

How to turn your hobby into yet another failed business

One of my various business interests is a recording studio. Like most recording studios, it is somewhere between a hobby and a real business. I’d rather it earned a thumping profit, particularly when I remember the very high cost of the equipment. But as things stand, it is able to enjoy a symbiotic relationship with other interests, acting as a figurehead for equipment sales and generating a modest turnover at the same time. You could compare it to someone who owns a yacht for his or her own pleasure, but also charters it out to others to help with the costs. If that person also has a business, selling fittings for yachts and also carries advertising on the side of the yacht, you will see that the yacht may not be generating a profit in and of itself, but it benefits the business in other ways.

The problems start, when someone imagines that they can make a business out of yacht charter alone. To the outsider who may also be a keen amateur yachtsman, it seems like the ideal business. You buy a yacht for about the price of a small family home and use it for pleasure several months in the year, the rest of the time, it is earning you money. Of course, the reality is very different. Charter clients are picky, price sensitive and it is a market segment that is heavily over-subscribed. The would-be charterer soon learns the old saying, a yacht is a hole in the water for throwing money into. A professional charter company is light years away from the ideas and business model of someone who buys just one yacht and hopes to earn money from it.

Well, the same applies to recording studios. As the part of a larger whole, it may make sense, but as a single facility for hire, it seldom can be made to earn a profit. As part of a record label, music publisher, or as the private space for a successful musical act that needs a place to rehearse and record, it serves a similar purpose as a carpenter who needs a collection of machine saws, lathes and other tools to do his job. It is a tool to be used by a business. It is not a business in itself!

And yet, hardly a day goes by without some enthusiast wanting to turn his musical hobby into a business. Almost as one man, the would-be entrepreneur buys some amateur and budget equipment and seeks to convert a smallish space into a recording studio. Unfortunately for the new studio owner, professional customers have very high demands, such as very large spaces, a grand piano and very expensive equipment and are very unlikely to want to use his facility.

Other amateurs and musicians will not use his studio, because they have the same or similar equipment themselves.

There are certain hobbies that nobody in their right mind would dream of turning into a full time occupation. No sane person imagines that a business can be built up on brass-rubbing or train spotting. But there seems to be an unending supply of keen gardeners who imagine they can set up a garden centre or a landscaping business.

Similarly, there seems to be no shortage of youngsters who have entered into one of the too many courses in media studies or film making, who imagine that a couple of video cameras, some stands and a computer used for editing is all they need to set up in business as a maker of documentaries and corporate videos.

To think like this, is to imagine that you could start a taxi company, by tying two bicycles together!

There are several good reasons why hobbies seldom make good start-up businesses -

Competition

The biggest problem for all start-up businesses is all the other start-up businesses. At the budget end of the market, there is a great crush of other, similar enterprises, all competing for the same small market.

Know-how

The hobbyist seldom has enough knowledge of the practicalities of the business and the market in general. Someone coming from inside the business will know a great deal more about how to make a fist of things as a business, than a keen amateur. For example, a professional cook knows where to buy his food, which equipment gives the best results and how to organise a restaurant in a way that no housewife preparing the Sunday roast ever could. He will have all kinds of inside information about where to buy equipment and as a jobbing cook, will already have learnt from his or her mistakes and from the mistakes of others, lessons that the hobbyist still has to learn.

Capital

There is also the simple fact that the hobbyist is very often seriously underfunded and therefore does not have the ability to survive the start up period, which may run into several years of low turnover and does not have the funds to get the business off to a good start, with better equipment, advertising, good location, or whatever it is that the chosen industry requires, for a new-boy to succeed.

This underfunding is often born of the lack of industry knowledge. For example, hi-fi speakers are unacceptable in the recording studio, ‘prosumer’ cameras are unacceptable in a television studio and DIY tools are unacceptable in an auto repair shop. There are of course exceptions and there are plenty of good auto repair shops using budget tools for everyday simple tasks, there are many budget television programmes being made on the better 3-chip, hi-def video cameras that were originally targeted at the domestic market and one of the most popular recording studio monitor of all times began life as a hi-fi, bookshelf speaker.

But these are the exceptions. The core equipment of any facility that is to be used by the professional will cost many thousands or hundreds of thousands and it is vital for anybody entering a business for the first time to understand that what may be the most jaw-droppingly fantastic piece of kit to the amateur, is viewed by the professional as not being up to the task and totally unsuitable.

From cameras to electric drills, from dishwashers to cookers, from book-binders to chainsaws, the professional uses totally different tools to the amateur, looking for speed of operation and total reliability, all day, day after day.

[TornadoTed]

A couple of pointers from a guy in Wales.

I don't mean to be rude but you need to do a lot more market research first. I can think of at least 20 studios dotted all over Wales off the top of my head. I wouldn't be surprised if there are a lot more than 20 in Cardiff alone. It isn't saturated but I can think of at least one studio in every region of Wales without trying that hard.

A bit of advice, I struggled big time until I added accomodation to the studio. There is still the romance of coming to Wales to record an album from the likes of Zeppelin and Queen. This may not apply to you if you are close to a large City/Town but worth thinking about.

Wales is still a very poor Country, the EU consider parts of Wales to be alongside Romania, Bulgaria etc when it comes to development and infrastructure. Most Welsh bands I know are struggling for money, especially as there are so few venues where they can play and earn. I get 80% of my work from Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, The Midlands where there is more money to be made.

You could spend £5k on wiring and patchbays, I have! Don't underestimate overheads, I own the building and have no debt but still need £5k a year to cover insurance, business rates, heating, water, Electricity, repairing equipment etc.

It took me over 10 years to really start making any proper money.

Rehearsal space is a good idea, as are music lessons.

[therealbigd]

Originally Posted by TornadoTed

Rehearsal space is a good idea, as are music lessons.

That'd probably be my plan.

Build a rehearsal space with an adjoining but empty control room, and build it up whilst the rehearsal space is being used.

Running a rehearsal space is not bad money and requires a lot of time spent sitting on your hands supervising, so seems a good balance.

[therealbigd]

Originally Posted by The Byre

Here's part of an article I wrote some time ago for a business magazine. I think it is very relevant to many of the 'I Want to Start a Business' threads here and elsewhere!

How to turn your hobby into yet another failed business

One of my various business interests is a recording studio. Like most recording studios, it is somewhere between a hobby and a real business. I’d rather it earned a thumping profit, particularly when I remember the very high cost of the equipment. But as things stand, it is able to enjoy a symbiotic relationship with other interests, acting as a figurehead for equipment sales and generating a modest turnover at the same time. You could compare it to someone who owns a yacht for his or her own pleasure, but also charters it out to others to help with the costs. If that person also has a business, selling fittings for yachts and also carries advertising on the side of the yacht, you will see that the yacht may not be generating a profit in and of itself, but it benefits the business in other ways.

The problems start, when someone imagines that they can make a business out of yacht charter alone. To the outsider who may also be a keen amateur yachtsman, it seems like the ideal business. You buy a yacht for about the price of a small family home and use it for pleasure several months in the year, the rest of the time, it is earning you money. Of course, the reality is very different. Charter clients are picky, price sensitive and it is a market segment that is heavily over-subscribed. The would-be charterer soon learns the old saying, a yacht is a hole in the water for throwing money into. A professional charter company is light years away from the ideas and business model of someone who buys just one yacht and hopes to earn money from it.

Well, the same applies to recording studios. As the part of a larger whole, it may make sense, but as a single facility for hire, it seldom can be made to earn a profit. As part of a record label, music publisher, or as the private space for a successful musical act that needs a place to rehearse and record, it serves a similar purpose as a carpenter who needs a collection of machine saws, lathes and other tools to do his job. It is a tool to be used by a business. It is not a business in itself!

And yet, hardly a day goes by without some enthusiast wanting to turn his musical hobby into a business. Almost as one man, the would-be entrepreneur buys some amateur and budget equipment and seeks to convert a smallish space into a recording studio. Unfortunately for the new studio owner, professional customers have very high demands, such as very large spaces, a grand piano and very expensive equipment and are very unlikely to want to use his facility.

Other amateurs and musicians will not use his studio, because they have the same or similar equipment themselves.

There are certain hobbies that nobody in their right mind would dream of turning into a full time occupation. No sane person imagines that a business can be built up on brass-rubbing or train spotting. But there seems to be an unending supply of keen gardeners who imagine they can set up a garden centre or a landscaping business.

Similarly, there seems to be no shortage of youngsters who have entered into one of the too many courses in media studies or film making, who imagine that a couple of video cameras, some stands and a computer used for editing is all they need to set up in business as a maker of documentaries and corporate videos.

To think like this, is to imagine that you could start a taxi company, by tying two bicycles together!

There are several good reasons why hobbies seldom make good start-up businesses -

Competition

The biggest problem for all start-up businesses is all the other start-up businesses. At the budget end of the market, there is a great crush of other, similar enterprises, all competing for the same small market.

Know-how

The hobbyist seldom has enough knowledge of the practicalities of the business and the market in general. Someone coming from inside the business will know a great deal more about how to make a fist of things as a business, than a keen amateur. For example, a professional cook knows where to buy his food, which equipment gives the best results and how to organise a restaurant in a way that no housewife preparing the Sunday roast ever could. He will have all kinds of inside information about where to buy equipment and as a jobbing cook, will already have learnt from his or her mistakes and from the mistakes of others, lessons that the hobbyist still has to learn.

Capital

There is also the simple fact that the hobbyist is very often seriously underfunded and therefore does not have the ability to survive the start up period, which may run into several years of low turnover and does not have the funds to get the business off to a good start, with better equipment, advertising, good location, or whatever it is that the chosen industry requires, for a new-boy to succeed.

This underfunding is often born of the lack of industry knowledge. For example, hi-fi speakers are unacceptable in the recording studio, ‘prosumer’ cameras are unacceptable in a television studio and DIY tools are unacceptable in an auto repair shop. There are of course exceptions and there are plenty of good auto repair shops using budget tools for everyday simple tasks, there are many budget television programmes being made on the better 3-chip, hi-def video cameras that were originally targeted at the domestic market and one of the most popular recording studio monitor of all times began life as a hi-fi, bookshelf speaker.

But these are the exceptions. The core equipment of any facility that is to be used by the professional will cost many thousands or hundreds of thousands and it is vital for anybody entering a business for the first time to understand that what may be the most jaw-droppingly fantastic piece of kit to the amateur, is viewed by the professional as not being up to the task and totally unsuitable.

From cameras to electric drills, from dishwashers to cookers, from book-binders to chainsaws, the professional uses totally different tools to the amateur, looking for speed of operation and total reliability, all day, day after day.

Wow, must have taken ages to write all that in crayon !

Is genuinely a really good article though.

I think a great deal of posters on here could do with taking heed of that.

There is far more to running a studio than you can learn in a Music Technology A-Level and the recording / mixing of records is only the very bottom of it. As I'm usually the first to point out, if you don't have the marketing skills or people skills, you may never get the opportunity to record/mix a record in the studio anyway.

There is a reason sites like this are literally brimming with people who have modest recording setups (often in excess of £5,000 just in their bedroom) offering to record/mix for FREE. Because they know how to work an EQ or a compressor but have no idea how to effectively run a studio. And once mummy and daddy stop providing food and a roof, they usually have to sell all the gear to buy a car so they can drive to work in a normal office and never really touch music technology again.

OP - I'm not saying don't do it, because if you can properly do the market research, put together a good plan, and execute it well, you could be running a good studio in 1 year's time. But if you think that being unable to name a local studio means you can chuck £3000 worth of music toys in a warehouse unit and have clients 5 days a week until the cows come home, you're very misguided. Personally I see much naivety in your posts thus far.

[Dave C]

Originally Posted by DanDan

It is my perception that the UK Rock n' Roll Universities are in general highly regarded. I am familiar with the facilities and staff at one in Cardiff. IMHO, pretty impressive.
The training in sound etc. provided broadly targets the workplace. Someone has to do sound for the News! There is plenty of activity in Film, TV, and Gaming. I am sure audio will become fundamental to websites or web broadcast shortly also. Some perspective here, football is probably bigger than music, and someone is mixing those matches in 5.1

DD

Hi DanDan,

Who do you know in Cardiff? I wonder if it's the same folks I know? (first names are ok if you want to keep it off the google).

I'd mostly agree with you - many are doing a great job although some places are not and I think they give the rest of the Uni's a bad name.

Nice to see you on here!

Dave C (ex limk, now in Oxford).

[Dave C]

Originally Posted by therealbigd

If there was a degree in people skills it would probably suit you for the studio world better than learning some of the crap they teach at the universities. To qualify it as a degree they have to teach a serious amount of stuff, they can't just practice mixing for 3 years, meaning a whole lot of useless academic junk is delivered.

Useless academic junk like acoustics (for studio design), electronics (for equipment design, repair or modification), DSP programming (for making your own plugins when nothing on the market does what you want), computing and networking (for managing computer systems and network storage systems e.g. large broadcasting organisations)?

Surely that stuff is useful for professional sound engineers? Of course none of it matters much if your mixes are like cake mix. I'd expect that those that want to mix would mix until they get at least ok at it...

Originally Posted by therealbigd

You can learn to be a sound engineer for much cheaper than losing 3 years of your life, and £3,000 (or, £9,000 next year) per year in tuition fees, at a university.

This is where the use of the term 'engineer' is really a misnomer. You can learn to be a sound 'engineer' for much cheaper and quicker, but really this applies to sound engineering which would be technician's or technical operator's work in any other field. Many broadcast organisations still call their sound engineers 'technical operators', and pay them as such. The 'engineers' are qualified, skilled, and paid accordingly.

To be a real audio engineer (not a 'sound engineer' who operates the mixer and recording machines) you need to know the physics, electronics, acoustics, and computing; to degree standard (however it is learned, not necessarily at a university, although it doesn't hurt). A thorough knowledge of music from a theoretical and cultural standpoint doesn't hurt either for a mixer operator/sound engineer or a full-on audio engineer.

[therealbigd]

Originally Posted by Dave C

Dave C (ex limk, now in Oxford).

Where in Oxford are you?

[Dave C]

Originally Posted by therealbigd

Where in Oxford are you?

Oxford, UK. There's another couple in the US too I believe.

I live in one of the outlying villages... it's, um, ...quaint!

Are you a local too?

Dave.

[therealbigd]

Originally Posted by Dave C

Oxford, UK. There's another couple in the US too I believe.

I live in one of the outlying villages... it's, um, ...quaint!

Are you a local too?

Dave.

Yes, which village?

I'm in a local town too.