Our rate is $50.00 per hour, accepted in cash only. We do not take checks or credit cards. Payment must be made in full on the date of the session. For consecutive days of recording, payment must be made by the end of each day's session.
We charge per hour, so any time over an hourly unit will be charged as another hour. You will need to let us know whether or not you intend to take another hour.
$20.00 per hour is required as a non-refundable deposit for studio time. You will have to make a full deposit for the entire duration of your session. Without full deposit, we can NOT guarantee availability of studio after your reserved time slot. Your session may be terminated if another client has booked the studio time after your slot. If you need to reschedule, you may do it at least three days before the scheduled session. If you DO NOT cancel or reschedule at least three days before the originally scheduled session, your deposit will be forfeited. If you book a certain amount of time, but don't use the scheduled hours, the remaining unused hours will be considered a cancellation of reservation. Therefore, the deposit for unused hours will be forfeited. Reservations can only be made with full deposit in accordance with the afore-mentioned policy.
You will be charged from the time that you booked a session, not the time you show up, regardless of whether you come late. We don't care for your heart breaking excuses.
Rates:
Services:
Studio time: $50.00 per hour
Mastering: $60.00 per song
Massages: (for ladies only; performed by our 'expert' sound engineer)
Free!
Stock:
DA-88 tape (60 min. long): $25.00
DAT tape (60 min. long): $15.00
CD: $5.00 per copy
CD (mastered): $10.00
Audio cassette: $2.00*
*ask about CD and cassette duplication prices!
The hourly rate includes all equipment, instruments, and outboard gear, plus an engineer. You are welcome to use all of these, but if you break any of them you will be charged the cost of a replacement (i.e. drum heads, microphones, engineers).
Please do not ask us to estimate how much studio time will you need for your project. We CANNOT guess your studio time requirements. This depends on numerous factors, including, but not limited to, style of music, complexity of musical arrangements, number of performers, their skills and experience in the recording studio, etc. Our engineers will do their best to advise you and assist you in the recording process, however, ultimate decisions regarding the time you take to complete your project will have to be made by you. Our experience tells us that generally, it would always take more time than our client originally expected.
For digital recording, you will need to pay for the necessary tapes.
For multitrack recording, each 8 tracks requires one formatted DA-88
tape
for $25.00. We generally use Maxell P6-60HM tapes for DA-88
recording,
which allows for 60 minutes of recording time per set of tapes. We
learned
by experience that these tapes are more dependable and free of glitches
than other brands. Formatting requires recording time code on a tape in
real time, which means that for a 60 minute tape, formatting takes one
hour. We provide formatted tapes, but if you bring an unformatted tape
you will be charged for the time it takes to format. You will need a
DAT
tape to mix your music to a master tape. We generally use the highest
quality
Quantegy (formerly Ampex) 64 min. DAT tapes for $15.00. Once your final
mix is complete, we can perform mastering for your entire
project,
which will add final touch and ensure the consistent sound and
production
quality of your work. If you need audio cassettes, we provide the
highest
quality, Maxell XLII chrome tapes for $2.00 per cassette. We can make
as
many cassette copies as you need. CD duplication is
available, with direct printing on CD's (no paper labels). Prices depend on amount of the color on the printing surface of
the CD's and quantity of the order, so ask about prices!
All tapes you buy for a session are your property.
DO NOT Do Any Of The Following:
DO NOT drink or Eat in the recording area. There is a kitchen, and if you need to eat, do it there. The kitchen is fully equipped with refrigerator, stove, coffee maker, sex toys, plates and glasses, coffee and tea. You are welcome to use it, just clean up after yourself.
DO NOT smoke or do drugs anywhere in the studio. We can't stop you from doing what you want on your own time, but we do not want to be responsible for any possible trouble you get yourself in. Recording equipment is sensitive to smoke, ashes, and people with impaired judgment, so there are no exceptions.
DO NOT use the phone, unless it is an emergency. We will not pay for your long distance calls or gossip sessions. There is a pay phone on the corner.
DO NOT touch glass windows in the studio. The windows should be clean, and touching them leaves fingerprints that we have to clean up later. Just don't do it.
DO NOT give us hard time!!
Please feel comfortable and enjoy your time at Stardust Studio.
Sincerely,
Your cheerful management...