the rate for an hour recording session?

[le_poete_mourant]

There's this recording studio I just noticed downtown, and I was thinking of maybe going in and cutting some tracks.  But I don't want to seem unknowledgable and get overcharged or anything, and I'm not really sure what it would generally cost for an hour of recording.  What are the going rates, in your experiences? 

[pianistimo]

my hubby guesses at least $80. an hour.  i told him we could cut a cd in an hour.  he laughed.  i said -we're not perfectionists.  if we've praticed three months or so - it'll be good enough.  it's when u want perfection - that's when it gets expensive (imo).  i wonder, if u want a really really good recording - do u think three hours is the norm and do u get a better rate for that?

ps  for the cheapest way - i found that when u do a performance degree and have ur recitals - they offer free recording (u just have to ask and bring a video tape) at most uni's - right?!  not sure if they offer it in different formats.  do they? 

[jlh]

Being a former record engineer, my experience has been that places generally charge between $80-120/hr, depending on a number of things (how expensive is the equipment you're actually using, the experience of the engineer, etc.).  If they charge more than $120/hr, I'd go somewhere else.

If you want the best recording you can, I'd split the recording over a few days, so you don't get tired.  Maybe 2-3 hours a day for a few days?  You don't get a better rate if you have multiple hours at a recording studio.  Remember, they deal with rock and jazz bands all the time who pay for like 14/hr days for weeks at a time to get their sound just right.  We pianists are small-time jobs for them.

Most uni's offer a recording, I would think.  The uni's I have been at have offered a "free" recording.  I say free because the recording service was included in the price I paid for the hall reservation.  If you want a better recording, hire a professional to record your recitals.  They'll have better mics (and better mic placement as well) and will give you a better product than the run-of-the-mill product you'll get from the amatuer students working on your CD at a uni.

[quantum]

So what would someone charge for an on-location recording?  Where the engineer has to bring their equipment to a concert hall. 

[jlh]

So what would someone charge for an on-location recording?  Where the engineer has to bring their equipment to a concert hall. 

Again it depends on the equipment you will be using and how much prep the engineer has to do.  I'd say probably $50-100 with a minimum of 2-3 hours.