Please contact us for bookings by the hour, day, week, or longer blocks of time for your project. We are committed to working with you to realize your musical vision. Our staff is on call to be as involved or uninvolved in your creative process as your circumstances require.
We can:
- provide you with studio time and an engineer to run your
session
- provide you with studio time and an assistant for your
engineer
- help contract musicians for your project
- arrange for piano tunings prior to your sessions, or for
a tuner/technician to be present during your session.
- help arrange delivery and pick up for or any unusual equipment
or instrument rentals your project may require (i.e. orchestral
percussion instruments, toy piano, vintage amplifiers, B3
organs, etc.)
- produce or co-produce your project with you (see Randy's
production credits)
- provide or help you with printed charts for your musician
(horn charts, string arrangements, etc...) or any other
arranger/copyist tasks
- arrange meal catering for large groups
- arrange local transportation for your musicians
- help you plan and budget your project
- recommend other service providers you may need such as
photographers, graphic designers, mastering houses, duplicating
houses, web design, etc...
We are currently offering a special independent artist rate of $80 per hour for Studio A with engineer.
For more information contact Carey @ (201) 696-0594
Can I stop by for a tour of the studio?
Yes, we recommend you check out the studio before booking a session. This way you can meet us, see the facilities, and make sure our studio is a good match for your project. Call us for more information (201) 223-2868.
What are your rates and policies?
Please call the studio or visit our studio policies section.
Do I have to make a deposit when I book studio time?
Only when booking block sessions (10 hours and more). If you are booking less then 10 hours, we don't require a deposit, but we would appreciate you being flexible about your session time.
Can I break up the 10 hour discount over two days?
No.
Will I be charged for overtime after a 10 hour booking?
Yes. Overtime will be at the same rate you were quoted when you booked your session.
Can we show up early or the night before to set up our gear?
No. Sessions begin at the time you schedule them.
Can I bring my own engineer?
Yes, just let us know ahead of time and have the engineer give us a call.
What should I do about meals during my session?
There are many restaurants that deliver to the studio, and plenty of restaurants within walking distance. You are also welcome to bring your own food which can be stored in the lounge refrigerator.
Should I buy the engineer lunch?
This is not expected, but it's a nice gesture, and your engineer will do their best to return the favor.
Can I smoke in the studio?
No. Kaleidoscope Sound is a smoke free studio. All smoking must be done outside.
How will I take my session home with me? Do I need to bring a hard drive?
Yes, buy a hard drive, and if you have the money buy two (one for a master drive, and one to backup the master). Since a majority of sessions are recorded digitally, we use external hard drives to store and backup session data. We encourage you to have a copy of your sessions and just to be safe we will keep a copy in our archives as it is always good to have more then one copy of your sessions. You can purchase an external hard drive from Staples, Best Buy, Tekserve, or online at NewEgg.com.
If you want to take your session home on DVD's please read this link.
Are there any additional costs?
Piano Tuning ($90), CD's ($3), DVD's ($5). We do not sell "external hard drives" or "analog tape". I you would like to record to 2" analog tape, you can rent one of ours for an extra $75.
Do you do Tape/Vinyl/Cassette/DAT transfers?
We can, but it all depends on the condition of the tape/vinyl. We recommend you take your tape/vinyl collection to a professional restoration company.
Do you do Mastering?
Yes. Call us for more information (201) 223-2868.
What's an engineer?
In general terms: An engineer is someone that knows how to operate the recording equipment in the studio, get sounds and accommodate the requests of the artist or producer. One would hire an engineer based on a recommendation from the studio, work they've done before and their familiarity with the studio being used.
What's a producer?
In general terms: A producer is someone who is heavily involved in your project, possibly attending shows and rehearsals, working on arrangements, checking your equipment, recommending outside musicians, deciding what songs to record and more. They will see your project through completion, and help you get the best takes. A producer doesn't have to be an engineer, and you may see sessions where a producer and engineer work together. One would hire a producer based on the quality of the previous work this producer has done, familiarity with their style and an understanding that they will be calling the shots and raising the quality of the album project.
What's a co-producer?
In general terms: A co-producer is someone who will engineer your album and make suggestions and subjective comments in order for you to make the best recording possible. They will be active in assessing takes and suggesting sounds, arrangements, etc. Usually they will jump into the session cold on the first day. Generally they will be the sole engineer as well. One would hire a co-producer based on work they've done before and their familiarity with the studio being used.
We found that making everything clear up front makes for a smooth and enjoyable recording experience. To this end, we have compiled this list of policies, which we hope will keep things clear, simple, fair, and friendly. If you have any questions or concerns about any of this, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Booking
-50% deposit is required for any block bookings or multiple day bookings and must be made 48 hours prior to your session. Reserved dates are not confirmed until deposit is received.
- Single day hourly bookings do not require a deposit as long as clients are flexible about session start times (call for details).
Cancellation
-Cancellation or re-scheduling of a session (or sessions) involving a deposit will be refunded less 10%, or fully applied to your next booking provided your time is successfully re-booked. Your deposit will not be refunded or applied to future bookings if the date is not re-booked. (please note that the later you cancel, the less likely we can re-book).
-Cancellation of or re-scheduling of single day hourly session will result in a deposit being required for all future bookings.
Rates
-Studio A books for $100 per hour with an engineer. We do offer a discount (indie) rate of $80 per hour for clients paying in full at the conclusion of each session.
-Studio A books out for a day rate (10 hours with reasonable sanity breaks for engineer) for $800. Please note we offer a discounted (indie) rate of $700 per day for clients paying in full at the conclusion of each session. If your session exceeds 10 hours, you will be charged overtime.
-If you require reference CD's at the conclusion of your session, we will burn the first 3 CD's at no additional material charge, but you will be charged for the time it takes to burn them. After the first three CD's a $3 per disc materials charge will be added to your final bill. DVD's are a flat $5 per disc.
-For Studio B or Randy's rates, please call the studio @ (201) 223-2868 or the Studio Manager @ (201) 696-0594.
Billing
-Billing begins from the scheduled start time that was agreed upon when the session was confirmed (please notify us if you wish to show up before the scheduled start time).
-Billing ends at the time when the engineer is no longer working on your behalf. i.e. ruff mixes are done, CD's are burned, DVD's are burned, etc. (Please be sure to leave yourself plenty of time at the end of your session for such things).
Payment
-To receive a discounted rate, payment must be made in full at the completion of each days work. Payments can be made in cash, check, or credit card.
-Masters will be released upon receipt of payment.
Archiving and Data Backup
-We recommend bringing an external firewire hard drive to your session. If you do not have one, or don't know what this item is, please contact us and we would be happy to advise you on purchasing one (we do not sell hard drives or tape in house).
-Kaleidoscope Sound's policy for active projects is to keep the project on our internal drive, and back it up to 2 additional firewire drives at the end of each days work. We are also happy to back it up to your drive at the end of each day as well. (We are so happy to back up to your drive, and will not bill you for the time spent doing it). Backing up to DVD's will be costly and you will be billed for the time.
-We believe our backup system is a safe and responsible practice, and as long as we have followed this, we are not responsible for any lost data that may be experienced while this practice is adhered to.
Damage of Property
-The client who has made the booking with us is respoinsible for any damage to our facilities or equiptment by anyone in attendance at your session (guests and musicians). It has never happened, we hope it never will.
Piano Tuning
-Piano tuning is a flat $90. We will schedule our piano tuner to tune the instrument prior to your session. We assume that if you are using the piano on your session, you will want it tuned. If you do not wish the piano to be tuned, please notify us at the time of booking. If you prefer to bring your own tuner, we ask that they be a member of the piano tuners guild to insure the safety of our instrument.
