Pricing

We offer flexible packages and pricing to fit any artist on any budget. These packages include:

Song Production Packages - the full production for a complete song. This package is designed for a band or artist who sings and plays all (or at least most) of your own instruments and vocal parts.
Vocal Track/Karaoke Recording Package - this package is designed for singers who want to record their voice with a pre-recorded backing track.
Hourly Rate - depending on your specific goals and needs as an artist, sometimes it makes sense to simply pay by the hour. We will be glad to negotiate an hourly rate after discussing your project with you.
Mixing - if you've recorded your tracks in another studio or in your home, we can mix them for you. Visit our Mixing page for complete details.
Mastering - we also offer dedicated Mastering services. Visit our Mastering page for complete details.

Song Production Package

Silent Sky's Song Production Package includes Recording, Editing, Mixing, and Mastering by owner/operator Jon Goad. An example package might include the following for each song:

Tracking: approximately 4 Hours
Editing and Mixing: approximately 2-4 Hours
Mastering: approximately 1-2 Hours
1 Duplication-ready Redbook Master CD

Note that if you want to record more than one song, simply multiply the number of songs by your customized package price to get the total cost.

Package Information

The Song Production Package is intended for a well-rehearsed band or artist that will be spending the majority of their time in the studio getting a great performance rather than learning or experimenting with a new song. If your songs are not complete, or if you haven't made final decisions about the arrangements, you should wait until you have done so before proceeding with buying one of our packages. It will be expected that your instruments will be in good shape with new or good drum heads and strings, no squeaks, buzzes, rattles, etc.

Packaged pricing is designed to meet your goals within a reasonable period of time. Sufficient time is allotted to give you a pre-determined real total cost. We cannot offer unlimited time at a preset price. If you want to re-record certain parts later (after the initial tracking session/s), it will be done at the additional hourly rate. This package and diligent preparation on your part makes it possible to produce a professional-quality product at a fixed price that won't break the bank.

With all of that being said, if it takes slightly longer to complete the Tracking, Mixing, or Mastering for your song than the allotted time, that's no problem. We (the studio) will absorb the cost, and you don't pay anything extra. If however, the allotted time is exceeded by a wide margin, we will need to renegotiate the pricing at that time.

PLEASE NOTE: Our Song Production Package includes only the specific products and services listed above, and DOES NOT include CD Duplication or Replication. Refer to the section, "CD Duplication and Replication", below for more details.

For a detailed explanation of the recording process, check out our article, An Overview of the Recording Process, as well as our list of Frequently Asked Questions.

Why choose the Song Production Package?

We offer a fixed-price Song Production Package for several reasons. First, when Tracking, the artist doesn't have to constantly watch the clock, feeling rushed, and feeling like the "meter's running". This gives them the freedom to take their time and do their best. What often happens with clients who pay by the hour is that they end up cutting corners to "save time", but then the end result just isn't that great, because they compromise. Instead of doing that one more take to really get it right, they think, "oh, that's good enough" and just move on in the interest of time. So they rarely capture their best performance with that kind of pressure on them.

The second reason is for the Editing, Mixing, and Mastering. At the end of a Tracking session, we usually do a rough mix for the client and burn it on CD for them to listen to in their car, on their home stereo, etc., to get a rough idea of what it's going to sound like. But there's a reason they call it a "rough mix"--it's rough! And it's never going to sound as good as a final mix should, because all of our ears are tired from hours of tracking, listening to playback after playback, punching in and out to correct mistakes, etc. One of the rules of recording that we've learned over the years is this: never mix with tired ears! Always come back to mix a day or two later when you're rested up, and it inevitably turns out better. These same principles apply to Mastering.

With the Song Production Package, we will revisit your song at a later time for the Editing, Mixing, and Mastering sessions, ensuring that you'll receive the best quality sound that's possible for your song. Surprisingly to some, in many cases, the amount of time spent on the Editing, Mixing, and Mastering will often exceed the amount of time spent on the Tracking! The problem with hourly clients is that they are rarely willing to pay for a proper, dedicated Editing, Mixing, or Mastering session, because they don't want to pay the extra hourly fee to have it done after the fact. So they're left with a rough mix for their final product, which again, is never as good as it could or should be.

In conclusion, if you want the highest-quality, most professional-sounding product for your money, and you intend to make your songs available for release on CD or via MP3 downloads, you should choose the Song Production Package. On the other hand, if you have an extremely limited budget, and will be satisfied with a demo-quality, semi-professional product, or are willing to pay extra for the Editing, Mixing, and Mastering, you should choose to pay by the hour.

How do you determine the exact cost of the package?

Every artist is different, and each has unique needs in terms of how many instruments are in the band, how many tracks are in a song, etc. Another consideration is whether you want to record the basic rhythm tracks together as a group for more of a "live feel" (which takes less time), or if you want to record each instrument completely separate from the others for more of a "studio feel" (which takes more time). For more details about this particular aspect, read this article from our blog, "Recording Bands - Together or Separate". All of these factors contribute to exactly how long it will take to complete your project, and therefore we can give you an exact Song Production Package cost after discussing it with you.

If you'd like us to send you a personalized estimate for your Song Production Package via E-mail, just use our online Song Production Package Estimator.

Vocal Track/Karaoke Package

The Vocal Track/Karaoke Package is designed for singers who want to record only their voice with a pre-recorded backing/karaoke track. This package includes the following:

Import of artist-supplied backing track into our DAW Recording Software
Recording of Vocal Track/s
Enhancement of recording using De-Esser, EQ, Compressor, Reverb, Delay, etc.
Tuning of vocal tracks using digital pitch correction ("auto-tune")
Mixing and Mastering
1 Duplication-ready Redbook Master CD

Note that if you want to record more than one song, simply multiply the number of songs by the package price to get the total cost.

IMPORTANT: If you are using pre-recorded backing tracks, there are some special legal concerns that must be addressed regarding copyright laws and paying the proper royalties to the copyright owner/s. You can read more on our FAQ's page.

Hourly Rate

In most cases, we recommend the Song Production Package for the reasons stated above. In other cases, it makes sense for an artist to pay by the hour. For example, if you want to record a rough demo, don't require the production for a full band, or simply want to record a "songwriter demo" of you playing guitar or piano and singing, it would generally be more affordable to pay by the hour. We can provide a negotiated Hourly Rate upon request after discussing your project with you. If you are unsure of which pricing option will be best for your project, please contact us. We'll be glad to further explain your options, and help you choose what's best to meet your needs and fit your budget.

CD Duplication and Replication

IMPORTANT NOTE: Silent Sky's packages include only the specific products and services listed above, and DO NOT include CD Duplication or Replication.