Q: I’ve never recorded before, how does the process work?

A: We love working with musicians who’ve never recorded before. We’ve been in your shoes and we know what it’s like to have a bad experience. We want to make to help bring your songs to life, but also have a blast in the process. We feel like dividing the recording process into 3 phases can be helpful. Preproduction is as short as us listening to a demo, or can be as in depth as helping to re-work chords or suggesting lyrical changes. Preproduction is much like laying the floor plan before the walls go up. Production is what’s probably familiar to you. During production we are getting you in front of the microphones and laying down tracks. In some cases, we’ll be bringing in studio musicians. Post-production is where our team tunes the vocals, edits the takes, and puts that final layer of polish on your project.

Q: How much does recording a song cost?

A: We have both flat rates an hourly rates at Blue Sky Studios. Our hourly rate is 85/hour with a 2 hour minimum. Our flat rates start at $1000 per song. You can also find our specific rate sheets on this page.

Q: Is hourly or flat rate best for me?

A: There’s no one size fits all, but generally simpler arrangements and projects done with an experience band are better at hourly rates. If you’re wanting a full production or a start to finish experience, the flat rate would be better for you. You can also find more information to help you make the best decision in this article.

Q: What does the collaboration and critique process look like so I can make sure I like the final product?

A: We’ve worked hard to design a process that gives you plenty of touch points along the way. This insures that when we reach the final product, every drum, guitar, or keys part has had your critique or stamp of approval. Because of the design of this process, the mixing phase is simply a more finalized version of what you’ve been hearing during the tracking process.

Q: Is it really worth it to hire a recording when I can spend the same amount and buy a home studio?

A: We love home studios. That’s how Blue Sky started all those years ago! There are a lot of choices to consider when weighing the option between buying your own DIY studio or hiring out a studio. The biggest question to ask is: In the end do you want to have your songs recorded or become an audio engineer? Recording your music in a home studio will pull massive amounts of time away from songwriting and performing. We wrote this article to help unpack this further.

Q: Do I pay for everything up front?

A: For smaller sessions (less than $500) you will pay most if not all up front. For flat rate projects we offer 2,3, and 6 payments that can be done with a credit card or cash.