Here's the deal. A friend invited me over to check out his home studio setup. Went to the house, met the fam, and headed downstairs to where the magic happens. Let me just say this, first impressions are a booger! Yes, he had the mixing board, mics setup, and a few keyboards and drums ready to go, but the setting was terrible! Baskets of unfolded clothes in a corner, paint cans and toys tossed off to another corner, dead roaches flipped upside down, and an unfinished wall with exposed wires and pipes in the background. Am I tripping on what is possibly the norm for most home recording folk----not at all. If your goal is to record as a hobby and simply jam with your friends---you have the perfect setup! But in the day and age of serious entrepreneurs moving into making home recording a profession, the hobby mentality must flee! If your end-game is to be a professional home recording producer, then some serious changes have to be made.
You need to first start thinking like a business. You work your own hours, so set your own hours. Even if you are only working from four to six in the evening, that time needs to be honored by you, your family, and your clients for business purposes. You need to be thoughtful in your craft. Start scheduling your sessions on a spreadsheet or notebook. You will be surprised at the creative time spent with writing, singing, arranging, mixing, and making final copies of your work. You also need to work the phones, social media, make flyers, etc. to promote what you do in your studio. No one will no anything about what you offer, if you are constantly wearing headphones.
Secondly, and probably most noticeably, you need to clean up your space. If you want that singer who needs a demo tape to run up out of your studio with the quickness---let them see a messy space or a dead rodent lying on the floor! Not cool! A fresh coat of paint, some carpet or hardwood flooring, and some decent furniture go a long way in making your space workable. You don't have to spend a lot of money, but you do need to make sure your space is clean. A clean space is inviting and makes your customers feel welcome. Get a listing of recording producers in your area from the white pages or the internet, and schedule an appointment to see their setup. You will be surprised to find that many are working from home just like you, and are using a neat space to work with clients.
Lastly it is important to use a proper dedicated space for your business and interaction with clients. Many home recording enthusiasts are fortunate to have a separate room or basement for their recordings. If the space has it's own separate entrance, then that's a bonus. Make sure your clients understand boundaries when entering your business. Is there a separate bathroom? Is there a place to smoke? Are there neighbors really close to where you are recording? Just a few questions that many recording producers fail to think about. A big one is What are the zoning laws for noise in this neighborhood? You could be shut down very quickly if neighbors start to complain. This is especially important for those with small spaces, studio apartments, or lofts. Investing in a good set of headphones can provide some privacy and noise reduction. Also, to separate your private space from your business space, you can easily use a curtain or folding wall panel.
How you treat your business will reflect on the kind of opportunities that come your way. There are many factors out of your control with success, but make a choice to do those things necessary to show your professionalism in the home recording field. Become business-minded! Stick to a good schedule, keep your space tidy, and use a dedicated space separate from your personal space. See you on Day 3!
Dray