GETTING READY

Welcome to Refraze Recording Studios

What You Need to Get Ready

Recording studios operate within the service industry, meaning our facilities and personnel are here to serve you. When you rent our studio, we work for you, not the other way around. Rule No. 1: Don’t be intimidated by the high-tech environment. Focus on creating your music, and we’ll ensure it’s recorded properly. Our goal is to help you realize your artistic vision as closely as possible. If you have special requests, we’ll do our best to accommodate them.

Certain services incur additional costs. Extra charges apply for the rental of the Baldwin grand piano to cover tuning expenses, and for any equipment not usually available, such as extra samplers, keyboards, or special effects gear. Additional fees also apply if an extra engineer or technician is required.

Knowing what you plan to do during your studio time helps avoid unplanned costs. You don’t need to understand all the technical details to produce great work today, but a basic knowledge of the recording process and what’s possible at each stage can help you avoid wasting time and money. The saying “Time is money” is especially true in the recording studio, where you pay by the hour. Once you’re musically and mentally prepared, secure your booking date with us.

Studio Musicians

We can provide studio musicians or you can contract them privately. Rates vary by musician, typically ranging from $20 to $40 per hour, with a two-hour minimum per session. Additional services we offer include composition, session production, and mobile digital recording.

Role of the Producer

In most sessions, one person has the final word on the music: the producer. A producer decides the song’s tempo, selects the best take, determines the general sound of each instrument, oversees mixing, and ensures the project stays within budget and on schedule. Hiring a producer can greatly enhance your project, offering an objective, fresh perspective and focusing on the big picture to create the best end product. Refraze can provide producers for hire on selected projects.

There is a difference between an engineer and a producer. Your engineer is not expected to produce your project. If you want an engineer to produce, discuss it with them beforehand and agree on any additional fees.

Load-in & Set-up

Load-in is through the door at the far end of the building. Refraze offers various musical instruments, including bongos, hand percussion, snare drums, and guitar and bass amps. Electric guitar players should bring their guitar and amplifier, as the instrument’s sound is a combination of both. Bass players don’t need to bring their speaker cabinets as they are usually recorded directly into the mixing console. Keyboardists should bring their keyboards and stands, although we offer a wide variety of synthesized and sampled sounds. Drummers need to bring their own sets, ensuring the heads are in good condition. We provide about half an hour of free setup time.