Music career talk 4

So this week we're going to talk about picking the right recording studio for your project.
There are several kinds of studios to talk about. Lots of people have home studios which can work, but having a pro tool rig at home is not the answer. The few home studios I've worked in had more then pro tools i.e. great pre's, mic's, monitors so the recording chain was there. These studios are great for overdubs, guitars, keys etc.
Recording vocals, drums and mixing is a different world. I'm a pretty loyal client and when I find a studio I like and works for me I tend to nest, sometimes for years. You can either engineer yourself (if you can), bring an engineer with you or use the person who comes with the room a.k.a the house guy (or girl). The house person knows everything about the room so there is no wasted time in learning the in's and out's of that studio.
Here's how I have picked out studios for what seems like the last 100 years.
Lets start with the control room. How well is it tuned? How about the outboard gear and mic's? Most pro tool engineers like to mix everything in the box using all the plug in's which I must admit sound better and better, however I like to use some of the great vintage gear that makes tracks sound even better. How are the monitors, how are they placed, how many sets of monitors are there so I can here a mix in different systems.
I hate to say it, but size does count in control rooms. When I produce a band I put the drummer in the studio and the rest of the band stays in the control room with me so we can easily communicate. The glass allows the drummer to see the band for Q's if necessary (read my blog on rehearsal) or if he (or she) is insecure!
The control room has to be big enough for a few visitors like management or A&R peep's.
The studio must be a tuned room as well. The greatest mic's, pre's and performance's will still sound like crap (didn't want to say shit) if the room doesn't sound good .

Location plays a big part in my choice for finding the right studio. Do I like the area, parking is a BIG deal as well, food because when you have been working for hours and your energy is gone you must fuel up so I can work you for many more hours.
Finally the cost. Most studios like to block out time by the day, if you go to an hourly rate you might end up recording and looking at the clock all day. The more days you book should effect the rate, sometimes it doesn't. How a studio looks on the surface in most cases reflex's the condition of the gear. Most of the owner/operator's I work with are incredibly anal about their work and room, that works for me!!
In the recording world you tend to get what you pay for. Hope this helps.