having your own hip hop studio

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oohotcarameloo

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everyone i work with making music lives in an apartment.
there is no space for a studio so we are looking to rent out an office space or a room/basement at a house.
has anyone else done this before?is it a good idea?

my friend's father owns half a block in a commercial area but my friend doesnt want me to have a space because he knows about all the shyt would would go on in a place like that.there will be mad people coming in and out and problems would arise.


ps=professional studios are way too expensive and i want to be in control of my own music
 
My biggest concern is security. I aint comfortable leaving my equipment in an office or warehouse unsupervised for long periods of time. Unfortunately this is sometimes a sign of growth and expansion so just secure the place real good. Invest in a good security system. Many studios have people working there thru the morning so there's always someone there to monitor the equipment. That's why its so cool(but expensive) to have a studio in your house jumpoff. its expensive because you may not be able to afford a house like me. so you're forced to live in an apartment. I cant afford a house so I may eventually rent a house for the space although its not a smart business decision. Paying a mortgage is ideal.
 
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Unless you're going to be making money straight off to pay the rent, don't do it. You don't need a lot of space to make good music. All you need to have is a "dead" area to record vocals, a good sound card, some software, maybe a key board and a drum machine. That can be stuffed into the corner of your living room. If you're ever in Jamaica, studio time is about $30 per hour approx. on average. Come here and do your stuff.
 
You can do everything at home except for the vocals, there is no way your going to get good vocals unless you spend ALOT of money and have a "dead" room. I suggest you just do everything at home, practise the vocals and then hp into the studio and make the song without having to be in there all day because that costs so damn much. By the way it's really that cheap in jamaica? i'd move out there if I could lol
 
Check this out. I know New Yorkers use way cheaper methods(I started producing in an apartment in the Bronx)but I am gonna get this if I ever move into a house.

http://www.vocalbooth.com/(products)
 
i live in a 1 bedroom apartment with 3 women so i have no space to do anything and i cant play my music loud enough to hear what i am doing. my two sisters are very irresponsible if leave my mpc unsupervised im sure they will drop water on it or something.ive been sticking to fruityloops untill i get my own space.

having a studio will get crazy i know.at one point i had the crib all to myself and at times it would get crazy. there would be like 12 guys in my crib drinkin blazin and doing other stuff just wildin out, many were musicians but plenty were just there to observe and chill.so if i had a home i wanted want to rent a room to me either.i just need my own space to work my magic.


i could get 30 an hour in queens too butttt that does get expensive.theres pros and cons to my idea, the security thing is a con,paying everymonth would become expensive-figure i have to pay 500 every month-that would be 6gs for one year and that money could have been invested in something else.also the quality wouldnt be as good as if i went to a real studio, the pro is that i get the freedom to do what i please.
 
Props to you, oohotcarameloo

I'm planning to do the same thing.

Sure there are advantages working from home.

But There are certain people i just dont want in my house.

Some Artist arent the kinda people you bring home to meet the family, if you know what i mean.

I Was checking the Price for either Renting or Leasing a space here in Miaimi. This Way i can set up an actual company and advertise my services. The ideal Place would be in some sort of Executive Plaza or Private Office building. These Places tend to have good security and a minimum amount of traffic.Cuz i only want certain people, the paying kind, to know of my operation. I would add my own security system.

I looked @ a Place that was about 150-200 Sq. feet for $600/month.

But i dont have the funds to make it happen right now. The Cost of Sound Proofing and set up are abit much for me right now. But its a Goal to shoot for.
 
Are you just planning on using the "studio" as a place to keep your equipment (and of course work)? If that's the case, then don't do it.

However, if you're going to actually build the unit into a studio, then do it. Get a business loan and build out a couple of units, convert the space into a true professional studio (putting in proper sound reinforcement, a true workspace, etc). Hey, it can be a small joint, but still a good one. You can then also rent out studio time and make profit off of that.

Putting the time and money into it will also make you look more professional. As a producer, now you can actually tell an artist to come down to a bonafide recording area.

You also wouldn't need to worry about security. The loan should enable you to afford insurance and a security system.

If you are a good engineer and have some what of a track record, you can pay off the loan in no time...and meanwhile you'll be working on your own music as well.
 
I WOULD SAY UNLESS YOU ARE SEEING ENOUGH CHECKS TO COVER YOUR RENT AND EXPENSIVES IN THE SEPERATE SPACE DONT DO IT COMMERCIAL PLACES ARE DIFFRENT FROM REGUALR APTS THEY USUALLY HAVE LONGER LEASES AND TRICK CLAUSES IN THEM. ME AND MY BOY PURPOSELY GOT A 3 BEDROOM APT TOGETHER WITH THE THIRD BEDROOM BEING OUR STUDIO AND ITS WORKING OUT GREAT PLUS IT COST ME LESS IN RENT THEN WHEN I LIVED ALONE SO ITS REALLY WORKING OUT PLUS WE CAN WORK WHENEVER WE GET THE INSPIRATION RIGHT ON THE SPOT .................
 
I dont know what kind of apartments you guys live in. Folks aint complainin bout the noise??? You guys making beats off of your computer speakers or something?

And what if you have an artist coming in to record? Shove him/her in your make-shift closet/sound booth?

Be professional man. If you are currently making money off of your music, or you have a 9-5 that can cover expenses for a while...then go for a real studio. A studio is more than a spot to keep the equipment.

If you've got some what of a track record, like you have commercial releases and what not, that should help you get a loan from the bank.
 
Somebody said:
I dont know what kind of apartments you guys live in. Folks aint complainin bout the noise??? You guys making beats off of your computer speakers or something?

And what if you have an artist coming in to record? Shove him/her in your make-shift closet/sound booth?

Be professional man. If you are currently making money off of your music, or you have a 9-5 that can cover expenses for a while...then go for a real studio. A studio is more than a spot to keep the equipment.

If you've got some what of a track record, like you have commercial releases and what not, that should help you get a loan from the bank.
Click to expand...

That's the point. No one is making that much money yet. There arent too many aspiring producers that can qualify for a bank loan. Remember we're talking about musicians here who're usually not the most financially responsible stable people.
Many aspiring producers may not meet the criteria(job stability, positive credit history, etc...) to qualify for a bank loan.
Many New York apartments have something in the wall besides sheet rock that muffles the sounds. I grew up in the Bronx, never having to worry about disturbing the neighbors. As soon as I moved to California, I could hear everything coming from my neighbors apartments from having sex to hearing actual conversations.
 
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Ima abouts to move to outside alt next year with my best friend that lives there. we gona get a 3 bed room apartment for around 800 to 1000 dollars a month. we plan to use the third room for the mini studio this way i can be in my room and he can be in his room and people can always come in and out and not eve know we got something like that......he said the rent could be cheaper if we lived in atl but for the price out here you get that peace of mind and dont got to worry much the bull****....cause i love black people but i hate niccas and niccas will rob a blind man of his change in his cup.
 
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