Studio's in the Bush

[David W]

Hi
Just wondering how many successful studio's lie outside our capitol cities and what type of work they do.
I've always fancied the idea of leaving the big smoke and building a nice little ceader cabit (Kit type home) just for recording but how far would people be willing to travel.
ATM I am kinda on the outskirts in Geelong and have had several bands travel as far away as Albury but what if it was the other way around and I was out Albury way or even Wagga Wagga.

[jkhuri44]

imo...

that would be the best setting for a serious project....small bands doing demo's and what not...might find it a pain...(transport, etc) When i say serious project...something that is around a weeks worth of tracking...etc.

I suppose the quality of the studio will also dictate how far ppl are going to travel for it too...

[TimS]

My partner is originally from the bush and she keeps saying "would you move to a regional area?". i know she'd like to move back to the country (at some stage)...
I keep saying yes I would, but as far as music/recording/production goes, I think work would as dry as the Darling Downs! ;-}
I think you'd really need to keep a good studio within a 100-150km radius of a metro area if you still wanted to get folks to record there..
Unless you had something like SAE in Bryon that had accom, etc... (which I guess would be very unlikely)
Would be a nice place to work (track, record, post-production tho) in the country..
T..

[Milo]

I'm 150 Kms from the centre of Sydney. up in the Mountains. The area can offer a lot of accommodation options, and I've had a couple of groups stay for a week, (2 of them stayed at the studio, and I moved out to my sister's, as a result they had the run of the place for 24 hours a day). The studio ran full-time for 5 years, but these days has fallen victim to the "do it yourself at home" syndrome. There are at least 2 other studios here, though, that are still doing quite well.

[Chris H]

There are studios everywhere. Of those that do ok very few would pull in a full time wage for the owner. One of the first was the Music Farm near Mullambimby. I visited it in 1980, a great studio then. Is it still working? There are a few around Warnambool i know of, they all get a smattering of work. Shane Howard has a small studio there but has been doing a lot of his recording with a mate of mine, Phill Butson. One is, or was at a dairy farm 20 miles inland from the coast. David Briggs helped to set it up. Howling Wolf the flautist had a studio near Apollo Bay with a Harrison console. There are a few between Castlemain and Bendigo, one with a nice little Neve. Then there is Wombat studios in Gippsland who was doing ok a few years ago. Just a few that come to mind.

[NYMo]

Hi there,

You could say my studio is in the bush !(but near the coast)

I had a band from Melb tracking up here for a week with producer Ken Sheppard a couple of months ago, but I usually do singer/songwriter types (don't really like bands !)

Cheers

N
Y
M
O

www.myspace.com/redberryrecords

[Roy]

I had a studio here in the lower Blue Mountains for the last few years. I was cheap but good (so I was told by numerous clients) but it never made enough money to live off. I've shut it up now (about a month ago) due to having two kids and only being able to do it on the weekends or nights so I never saw the family. The day job (mechanical and electrical technician) makes 10 times the money so I couldn't give it up. I can't imagine making a reasonable income running a studio 'in the bush'. You'd want some other avenue for income. But hey, you'll never know if you don't give it a go! Good luck if you try it!

[Howard Jones]

Why were you cheap? Especially if you were good?

[davemc]

Why were you cheap? Especially if you were good?

Where to price yourself is a real problem.
If you do not have a name you cannot price yourself like name studios.
Under that you start getting way undercut by the weekend I have a day job studio. (You know 002/rode mic).
They are dropping prices down to basically beer money as a shops are selling bands the idea they can spend the money buying gear instead of using a studio.

I thought of setting up a studio up bush before as well. I got a lot of bands from gippsland, bendigo, ballarat etc. Who basically said the local studios were not much.

[Roy]

Well Howard, I was only cheap because I wanted lots of work (cos I was passionate about it and wanted lots more experience) and wanted to be known for being excellent value. I had an income that would never be equaled by studio work so I figured I wouldn't try. I actually put my prices up a couple of years ago solely because I had several people ask "What's wrong with your studio? Why is it cheap?". So funnily enough it back fired. Haha! And I'm not saying I was incredible or anything but I did achieve the 'good value' thing I was aiming for. I recorded some really cool performances and achieved what I was after so was OK in giving it up for the family. Still miss it though.

[David W]

[quote="davemc"][quote="Howard Jones"]Why were you cheap? Especially if you were good?[/quote]
Where to price yourself is a real problem.
If you do not have a name you cannot price yourself like name studios.
Under that you start getting way undercut by the weekend I have a day job studio. (You know 002/rode mic).
They are dropping prices down to basically beer money as a shops are selling bands the idea they can spend the money buying gear instead of using a studio.

I thought of setting up a studio up bush before as well. I got a lot of bands from gippsland, bendigo, ballarat etc. Who basically said the local studios were not much.[/quote]

That's an interesting point you make and one which I used to follow. I always felt I had to be competitive with other "Local Studio's". What I found was that I was putting myself in the same category as those (be!@#$%^&/Digi LE) studio's by doing that.

Eventually I changed that philosophy and am charging a little more as to what I think I am worth while keeping in mind the Artist's budget. I have now found that while doing less work I am working with artist's who are a little more serious about what there doing and getting far better result's. I am much happier with this idea.

Only thing is I've always wanted to have a studio on a rural property away from the city. I guess I may need to make a bit more of a name for myself before I can start doing that, I guess it's just a pipe dream at the moment.

[PeteB]

Warrnambool has a terrific music scene, that's for sure.
I've operated a studio here for years and have had the pleasure of working with great artists like Shane Howard, Neil Murray, Kavisha Mazella, Oriel Glennen, Andy Alberts, Blueheat, Marco Goldsmith, Skyrockats etc.
Just finished an album with roots artist, Rhys Crimmin, and today mastered a Moonee Valley Drifters live album.
It's always been more about the music and acoustics than gear for me I must say. Use a Protools LE system.
Have produced/engineered a couple of albums of the year and some ARIA nomination albums.
There are at least three studios here and they all seem to have stuff on.
I get a fair bit of National work which I really enjoy but the depth of local talent is amazing too.
Not bad for a small regional city.
Cheers,
Pete Bird. :)

[mfdu]

[quote="PeteB"]Warrnambool has a terrific music scene, that's for sure.
Pete Bird. :)[/quote]

yeah - you gotta go where the love is. the central vic highlands have lots going on, but they seem overserviced by minor studios as it is. north-coast nsw is always going to be in competition with the academy in Byron Bay. Tassie's too cold.

but oh how i long to return to the bush some day.

dreams of mud-brick structures
reality of a day-job

c.mfdu

[chris p]

Neil Young's ranch isn't exactly in the city.

Oh, I forgot, he doesn't need to advertise, does he?

Well guys, there's the answer - get the name for yourself first and THEN hit the bush. Or maybe call your studio Stamped Addressed Envelope.

[rick]

my advice is
do want every you want to with your studio dreams - go bush when you want to , charge what you want to
record when you want to buy what you want to ......
that will leave just one person to answer to when your head gets a bit troubled !

but to answer you question from the turtlerock point of view
we get a hell of a lot of work from places that can only be described as "the bush"
so there are surely a stack of guys doing exactly what your thinking of
they are nearly always the easist jobs because there is never a rush , they understand the costs and time involved and they do their homework quite literally ! with the master files
know if i could just get the overworked innercity crew to do the same :)

[David W]

[quote="PeteB"]Warrnambool has a terrific music scene, that's for sure.
I've operated a studio here for years and have had the pleasure of working with great artists like Shane Howard, Neil Murray, Kavisha Mazella, Oriel Glennen, Andy Alberts, Blueheat, Marco Goldsmith, Skyrockats etc.
Just finished an album with roots artist, Rhys Crimmin, and today mastered a Moonee Valley Drifters live album.
It's always been more about the music and acoustics than gear for me I must say. Use a Protools LE system.
Have produced/engineered a couple of albums of the year and some ARIA nomination albums.
There are at least three studios here and they all seem to have stuff on.
I get a fair bit of National work which I really enjoy but the depth of local talent is amazing too.
Not bad for a small regional city.
Cheers,
Pete Bird. :)[/quote]

Hi Pete that's great to hear.
Sound's like you've established a name for yourself and are doing some great work.

I like where I am at the moment but in the future I am aiming to do what you are doing .

[PeteB]

Hi Pete that's great to hear.
Sound's like you've established a name for yourself and are doing some great work.

I like where I am at the moment but in the future I am aiming to do what you are doing .

David W.

Thanks Mate.
I reckon studio work is real hard yakka.
I find I can only apply the myself to the intense process in short bursts.
Dunno how the full time guys go.
Then again I'm no spring chicken.

Cheers,
Pete.[/quote]

[graemeh]

Well I'm gonna have to chime in here and give a thumbs up for the bush.

I've been supported by my studio at around about the poverty line for getting on for 3 decades now, so it can be done, but like Pete Bird says (hi Pete :-)), it's more about the music for me.

That said, I get quite a lot of commercial-type work, interspersed with singer/songwriters, bands, country stuff, etc and it seems I'm either flat out or going broke, but it takes me 5 minutes to drive to work, and I park for nothing behind the building in the CBD of Ballarat (that my wife and I "own" ie: are paying off the bank) that contains the studio where I work 10 til 6 Mon-Fri.

You have to wear a lot of hats to survive fulltime in the bush I think- you can't afford to specialise too much, and thus I know a bit about all sorts of recording/music/technology/engineering/acoustics/live/av etc. - but some of you other forum guys leave me for dead on specifics of gear/techniques etc.

I try, along with all of us I guess, to give my clients the best possible results that I can give them - I'm not cheap but I can work pretty fast, I know my limited amount of gear inside out, it's kept in good nick and I reckon I give good value for money.

So it can be done, David W, you just need to do it!

Graeme Hodge
Redwood Recording Studios

[PeteB]

Cheers Hodgey,

"so it can be done, but like Pete Bird says (hi Pete :-)), it's more about the music for me."

You've been kicking goals up in Ballarat for a long time now.
I've heard your product and have always been very impressed.

Pete