Recording and Mixing
Studio A
Crystal Clear Sound is a musicians’ studio - owned by musicians, and run by musicians, In fact, chief engineer, Kent Stump has a music degree from UNT. This means we understand the recording process from both sides of the glass. This also means, we can read and follow charts, make markers while recording so that bar numbers or verses, etc. are mapped out to expedite finding those points later for overdubs or punch ins. This greatly speeds up the session flow. And bringing a musicians ear to the engineering side puts the emphasis on the power of the music itself rather than the technical aspects. We strive to make your sessions transparent, smooth and efficient to keep you focused on the music Studio A features a vintage analog SSL 4040 E/G+ console and a large compliment of classic outboard gear including Neve, Manley, API, Universal Audio, DBX, Tube Tech and more. Our primary recording medium is Pro Tools with Apogee and Antelope converters and clocking. The room is an expertly tuned space for precision listening. Our large 1500 sq. ft. tracking room, which has two iso booths, is large enough for complete, simultaneous, full band tracking while still allowing enough isolation for re-tracking and punching in. This even means we can record a full big band with complete horn section simultaneously, which is actually one of our specialties. Being musicians ourselves, we know that musicians playing together can elevate the groove and vibe significantly and we are glad to be able to offer this option - something that most smaller and home studios cannot offer. We also have a 9’ Baldwin SD10 Concert Grand Piano that is arguably the best sounding studio piano in town as well as a Hammond B3 and Leslie 122. We have a multichannel headphone/cue system so musicians have the flexibility to build their own headphone mixes while tracking.
When it comes to mixing we’ve got you covered as well. Whether recorded with us or somewhere else, whether you want to be at the mix session or just send us the files to mix, we can give you a solid, punchy professional mix.
RATES
Unlike a lot of studios, who like to be very mysterious about their rates, we actually post our prices so that you know what to expect. While we do try to keep our prices low, we also know that we cost more than many smaller studios. However the value that we offer you, including years of experience and a complete knowledge of the room and gear, and the very efficient session flow that we are used to providing, will likely end up saving you money in the end by spending less time and getting things done quicker.
We have a few different rate options:
Hourly - Under 4 hour sessions - $85/hour
Sessions over 4 or more hours - $80 per hour
Day Rate - $575 for an 8 hour day (including Chief Engineer Kent Stump) - this kind of booking cannot be broken up and spread over multiple days.
Minimum booking - weekdays 1 hour, weekends - 3 hours
Mixing:
ATTENDED MIX sessions are billed at the hourly rate ($90 for under 3 hours or $80 for 4+ hours) or at the day rate of $575 for a day of mixing. Mixing and tracking can be done in the same sessions depending on the how the session progresses.
ONLINE MIXING (remote mix):
$150 per song for 1-32 tracks
$175 per song for 32+ tracks Online mixes include one free mix revision session after you listen to the initial mix and send us your feedback
For info about ONLINE MIXING visit the ONLINE MIXING page
A 50% deposit for the time booked is required to confirm/reserve the session.
Give us as much information as possible prior to the session regarding instrumentation, number of musicians/singers, number of songs, etc.. This will ultimately save you money because we will be prepared for your session before it starts.
The session/billing begins at the scheduled start time or when we start setting levels and getting sounds - whichever comes first.
Clients/musicians may arrive up to 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time to load in and begin setting up. This pre-session load in/set up time is free.
Cancellations of scheduled sessions must be done 7 days in advance of the session or the deposit will be lost.
While we do archive data, ultimately it is the client’s responsibility to provide a hard drive to back up your session data to when a project is concluded
