HERE ARE ANSWERS TO SOME OF OUR MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.
How much does it cost TO BOOK TIME? What ARE YOUR REFUND, DEPOSIT & CANCELLATION POLICIES?
You’re going to hate this answer but every project is different—it’s all dependent on the complexity of a project and how long it takes to track the parts. We try to explain in detail our fee structure and payment policies on our RATES page, however, we’re always willing to negotiate to meet your needs. Shoot an email to beartonestudio@gmail.com and we can chat.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO RECORD A SONG?
Another case-by-case question! The short answer is: it depends.
The long answer is more of an educated guess. Assuming your song is between 3-6 minutes, you have rehearsed it well, and there are no major hiccups in the studio (like the drummer gets food poisoning or the violinist suffers amnesia), we usually can track all of the elements for a single song in 1 to 1.5 eight-hour session. So think about 8-12 hours. Then we typically like a full eight-hour day to mix and master that song. We know that may seem like a long time. Other studios may crank a whole album out over a few days. Sure. But those albums are rarely good. Don’t lie, you know it’s true.
Remember, the music you love – the “professional” music you hear on Spotify or iTunes or wherever – is often done methodically and over long periods of time. Great sounding records aren’t magic. They are products of hard work and the time it takes to do that work.
We know this sometimes means that you cannot record as many tracks as you want to, or that you need to spend a bit more than you anticipated. Our philosophy is that you’re better off having half the number of songs out in the world if they sound amazing.
We never want to compromise the art. We don’t want to make bad sounding records. That’s one of the key reasons we adopted our unique RATES model.
Hopefully, this answers this question, but if you need more details, feel free to shoot us an email at beartonestudio@gmail.com. We’ll be happy to discuss your project, figure out a plan forward, and stick to that budget and timing. There’ll be no surprise fees or overages.
HOW DO I SCHEDULE 1 OR MORE SESSIONS?
You contact us. We don’t make our booking schedule publicly available, although, we will happily share that information if you SAY HELLO or email beartonestudio@gmail.com.
HOW DO I GET TO YOU? ARE YOU NEAR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION? IS THERE PARKING?
We have the answers to all of these questions (and more) if you SAY HELLO.
Should I bring my own gear or just use the studio’s? if we’re doing multiple sessions, is it OKAY to leave stuff there overnight?
First off, we have a ton of new and old stuff that’s available to all artists who use the studio. A full list of our gear can be found on our GEAR page. If you want to use one of our guitars, cymbals, synths, or our frog-shaped Güiro, go for it! That said, part of your unique sound comes from the equipment you use. If you have a defined sound or are simply more comfortable with your stuff, we’re happy to track it. Whatever works best for you. If you’re on the fence regarding using your own gear, we say bring it. Worst case scenario, we switch to something else during the session.
For more consideration, please read our PRE-TRACKING CHECKLIST, which will help you plan for your upcoming session.
In terms of leaving gear overnight, this just depends on the schedule and if someone is using the studio in between your sessions. Typically, this is not a problem and we are happy to store your stuff in a safe location.
CAN YOU PROVIDE MUSICIANS TO HELP ME REALIZE MY VISION?
Sure can! One of the advantages of being in this business for 15+ years is that we have a roster of capable, affordable, and chill musicians for most instruments you can imagine. (And maybe some you can’t.) Let us know you are in need of when you setup the initial booking for your session(s), and we can get it all worked out.
Do we need to pay for an engineer? should we bring our own? if i’m a freelance engineer, can i book the studio for my own sessions?
The studio is owned and operated by a duo who happen to be producers and audio engineers––they will attend every session and are included with the fee. We will coordinate with you well before your session(s) to ensure you are comfortable and can ask questions and whatnot to make sure it’s a match.
Because we are a busy studio with a small staff, we rarely allow outside producers to run sessions, and we do not offer the studio for private engineers. Having said that, there are always exceptions to the rules and we’re happy to chat about any extenuating circumstances. Send beartonestudio@gmail.com an email for more details.
HOW DO I GET TO YOU? ARE YOU NEAR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION? IS THERE PARKING?
We have the answers to all of these questions (and more) on our SAY HELLO page.
CAN I INVITE GUESTS TO THE STUDIO? YOU’RE IN AN OLD CHURCH? AM I ALLOWED TO SMOKE & DRINK WHILE WE RECORD?
Despite being a large space, when you get enough people, instruments, microphones, etc., it gets crowded quickly. We also work hard to make our environment an enriching yet focused-one, so while we will never tell you that you cannot invite non-essential guests to the studio, we don’t love it and may be slightly grumpy.
Yes, we are in an old church. No, we are by no means teetotalers. And we will probably use offensive language throughout your session, so apologies in advance. But we try to keep our sessions intoxicant-free because, frankly, when people record buzzed, their takes suck. So again, we won’t have hard rules on alcohol although we really, really do not want it there in excess.
Oh, and there is absolutely no smoking – of tobacco or newly legalized, medically necessary substances – anywhere in the studio. Too much expensive, old gear that responds really, really, really poorly to smoke.
CAN I RECORD SOME ELEMENTS AT BEARTONE, OTHERS ELSEWHERE (LIKE MY HOUSE) & THEN HAVE YOU MIX & MASTER? CAN I BRING YOU TRACKS RECORDED ELSEWHERE TO MIX & MASTER?
We try not to have sessions be tracked at various locations for logistical and sonic reasons that are pretty boring to read in a FAQ. Nevertheless, it does happen under certain circumstances. We often mix things that are tracked elsewhere though. In fact, our primary owner Devon Dawson consistently mixes projects that were tracked all throughout the world.
We do sometimes nix a project or increase its budget if it seems considerably more time-consuming than a song that was tracked at our studio (or one with a similar workflow).
We can give more specific information if you tell us more about your project by emailing beartonestudio@gmail.com.
I HEAR YOU DO THESE WEIRD REMOTE SESSIONS & PRODUCTION THINGS? HOW DOES THAT WORK?
We sure do. And hey! They’re not weird. For more details, check out our REMOTE TRACKS page.
I WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT RECORDING MUSIC. CAN I SHADOW A SESSION? DO YOU TAKE ON INTERNS?
Maybe. Shoot us an email at beartonestudio@gmail.com and let’s chat.
How are you managing COVID-19 during sessions?
We are trying our best. The safety of our artists, staff, and the community at large is incredibly important to us. We’re in this together and we want to do what’s right. We have implemented BearTone-specific guidelines by which we all abide during recording. You can check those out on our COVID-19 GUIDELINES page. We will also review the guidelines with you upon booking your session.