"What are your rates?"
The Panda Studios has two rooms: Panda East and Panda West. Rates at start at $400 per day. Sessions are a max of 10 hours with a lunch break squeezed somewhere in between.
All budgets are welcome - I understand that recording can be a costly process and things can add up quickly. Whether you're booking one day or one month, get in touch and we can work something out.
A non-refundable deposit of the total recording cost is due in order to book your session(s). The remainder is due at the start of our first session. Important note: deposits are linked to the dates you book - not your project or band. The deposit goes towards reserving the studio and gear for your sessions. So if you postpone or move dates around, you'll most likely lose your deposit.
"How much time should we book?"
This all depends on how prepared you are. I've had super locked in bands track 15 songs in 2 days, and some bands take over a week for a few songs. I can give you an estimate on how long it'll take depending on how many songs you're trying to do. My advice is to book an extra day - it's better to not be under pressure to finish everything and be distracted by the clock.
"What gear do we have to bring?"
See the full list of equipment ready for use at The Panda Studios here. If you don't want to haul anything too big, the minimum you'd usually need to bring are guitars and basses, cymbals and hardware, and anything out of the ordinary (like any wind instruments, synthesizers, or percussion outside of a standard drum kit). If you still aren't sure what to bring, have any questions regarding gear, or just want to geek out over gear, use the contact form to get in touch!
"Can you mix a record that we recorded at a different studio?"
Yes! Check out the guidelines for mix prep here.
Do NOT send a Google Drive link - those are a pain. Please upload your files here.
Once I receive your files I can give a quote for mixing. Mixing times vary, but singles typically take a day to mix, whereas an EP or longer can take anywhere from 2-5 days - it all depending on the complexity of your record and how much editing I have to do prior.
As long as you don't have me start from scratch, mix revisions are free until you are 100% satisfied.
"We're from out of town - Can we sleep at the studio overnight?"
Yes, Panda Studios have bunk beds and a shower available on site for an additional $50/night.
"will you master my record?"
Yes! If you prefer to have a separate set of ears master your record, here are a few great options:
Some great mastering studios are Audio Siege, Rogue Planet Mastering, The Atomic Garden, Timber Studios, West West Side Music and Chicago Mastering Service.
"Can we record our stuff live?"
Yes! I love working with live bands. Luckily for you, Panda Studios has the equipment and setup to capture great live sessions. Please note that before we book the session, since we'll have to reserve the larger room to do so. Just be sure it's appropriate for what you're trying to do. If you're a technical death-metal band wanting a totally quantized record, I can't go in and edit each note to a grid if you're all playing live at once.
Remember: the tighter you are, the better your record will sound!
"Do you do post production work like Voice over recording and/or post mixing & sound design?"
Yes! I have experience doing sound design, voice over recording, audio editing & restoration, and post mixing. For a credits list for other media/post production credits, click here.
"Can I invite my friends to hang out while we record?"
I'm all for having friends around, but I ask to only bring people who will contribute to the recording process. The less distractions the better!