I got a call from a desperate band manager yesterday. They were recording in another “new” studio in town. Great, another shitty studio to compete with…
They wanted to pull the project and finish it somewhere else because the band “didn’t like the engineer.” It’s hard to get a quality album or recording done when there is tension between the engineer and the musicians.
I inquired about what the status of their recording was and what format it was recorded in. He couldn’t tell me what format so I couldn’t be sure if I could help them. Then he said something that shocked me: “All we have left to record is the drums.”
It was at this point that I realized their recording is probably bad. I informed him that typically the drums were the first thing to be recorded and you’re putting the cart in front of the horse. I pointed out that I had doubts about the studio and engineer they’re working with if the last thing they need to do is the drums.
He said “yeah, and he’s now saying the drum tracks are going to cost another $1200 than he originally quoted us.” These poor guys. They not only spend a bunch of dough for an obviously shitty studio and engineer, now they’re bait and switch victims that will have to fork out another $1200 to get their bad recording done…
Then again, it may be their fault for trying to save a buck by going to the “cheaper” studio to begin with…