I Wish I Knew BEFORE Opening A Recording Studio

In this video, I'm sharing with you the top 5 things I wish I knew BEFORE opening my recording studio. From equipment selection to business planning, I cover everything you need to know before starting your own recording studio.

If you're considering opening a recording studio, be sure to watch this video! In it, I'll share with you everything I wish I knew about getting started, from equipment selection to business planning. By the end of this video, you'll have some of the info I wish I had to make the best decision for your studio!

Marketing yourself as a small business is OVERRATED. Treat your customers and clients like royalty and they will evangelize for you. Buy gear that inspires you. It's easy to just collect crap and let it pile around the recording studio. Sometimes buying the more expensive item IS the right answer.... file management is HUGE... get it right when you first start. Most of all... don't lose yourself in the business. It's important as a small business owner to be who you are. Be creative. Do the things that bring you joy. These things contribute to a financially successful business.

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[kelvinfunkner]

just like so many others here, that last point hit me square in the face. 20yrs running a facility and have only released a handful of songs...no time like the present to make a change 🙂

[SWATTECHNOLOGIES]

Yes, I'm a musician with an IT business. My WORST referrals were from Google. "Hey dude, how much you charge?" Best referrals are from collogues or other clients...Period.

[davidbadstubner]

Your last point hit home big time. And I appreciate you for saying it. At age 15 I knew I wanted to be a record producer and at age 33 it’s ~25% of what I do. The remaining 75% is live sound and just straight up recording engineering gigs. Which I love too, and it pays well, but I’ve often chosen the paycheck due to financial needs. I will say that these past two years have been the first time I am completely full time with music. So there’s progress. But hearing that last point really inspires me to get back into the initial spark, which is creation. I deeply appreciate that. Thank you.

[RhythmxRecords]

I can certainly say that the final statement was by far the most accurate! It is so easy to lose yourself in the business. Taking time for yourself becomes optional, which becomes nonexistent because of the monetary gain. I've learned to take time for myself and start to prioritize my happiness within. You will feel a lot better and that will ultimately make us better engineers!

[shadynook]

"Even if nobody shares what you create, create." ⚡👊🏾

[DiogoSarcinelli]

The last one is HUGE and is something that inevitably happens somewhere down the road. It certainly is something that's happening to me, though I'm fighting it. Remembering my tastes, my other hobbies, learning to make and manage time in my personal life. I love my job, bit I am not my job.

[TheChocDonk]

I want to hear about how you handle awful bands. people who are the nicest ever but just cant sing/play in time etc. Be good to get some insight into that

[OSTEODERMFL]

I’m in the process of getting a studio going and this video has helped me a lot. Thanks 🤟

[MaxwellEdison]

If your a musician a producer or anyone even interested in learning about music how can you not love Sweetwater and this guy! "People know when they're being patronized"

[ericpetersn]

Tough gig. Ran a production studio for 10 years, and it's a grind and staying in the black is challenging.

Best advice here is definitely focus on making your clients ecstatic and leveraging word of mouth. Definitely had meh and dicey "walk-in" clients and clients from marketing angles.... but also got some winners and opened new communities.

Best advice about being a recording engineer: "If you can do anything else, you should"

Best advice about the music industry: "The best way to make a million in the music insdustry is to start with two million." ;)

[alanrothrock]

You said Eraser Head, I subbed and liked. “Chasing the vibe”

[charleswelles]

Needed this. Thanks so much! Subscribed.

[didcomusic]

So true. Thanks for reminds us 🙂 And so applicable in other business as well !

[bradzillarocks]

File management is a big one for me. I come up with a method that seems good then a while later decide it isn't and come up with something else, and end up with a mish-mash of naming schemes and have to keep track of it all.

[CreativeMindsAudio]

Great tips! I am grateful I do all of these already. Though getting clients is near impossible right now due to my lack of a real studio situation the last few years. I know i have made every one of these mistakes early on and that's how i've learned these lessons. I would say the one I gotta do more, is play with audio and stuff more.

[M.Holland]

I‘m starting a studio business right now. So this videos are gold!

[Steakhuis]

Great video. One thing I struggled with was the side chain compression on the dialogue when the graphics popped up. The sound effect caused the dialogue to drop too low to be clearly heard.

[willisjefferson]

Chris Lewis is my Sales rep, great guy. Loved your video

[NoCoverCharge]

The greatest creative things …I dare say the most original ideas come from having limited resources and using those to push the limits…that’s why early punk rock was to me still the greatest art in the world because they made so much with very limited resources! Cheers bro

[timbranniganmusic]

Hi, this is the first video of yours that I’ve watched. I just want to say that your humanity compelled me to hit the subscribe button.
Best wishes - Tim