Pondering the viability of a mobile recording service:

Posted on Feb 13, 2012 07:55 pm
J-bot
Byte-Mixer
Member Since: Dec 04, 2007

So, long story short, I may potentially have some money coming my way to pad my checking acct. a bit.

I'm pondering getting some mic kits (like a drum mic kit, some shure vocal and instrument mics, some headphones for tracking, etc.) and possibly offering a mobile recording service.

This is something I'd be willing to do for free (possibly setting up stuff on weekends for local folks who are willing to have a good time jamming/laying down tracks/learning, and willing to let me mix it as well) so that I can improve my understanding of setting up and micing people/instruments at their rehearsal space/home/location/whatever.

I would not necessarily be guaranteeing a professional experience (no idea what the space/location would be like or if there's even any kind of treatment at the locations) and I would be essentially teaching myself and further cementing my understanding of recording concepts. But this could help further my goals for setting up a studio someday, and get my name around locally, maybe get some word of mouth helping me out (assuming I manage to do a good job and get a good recording at least)

I'm just pondering how viable this route would be. I think it could certainly be an educational experience for all folks involved. Something to do to get me out of the house, and play around with different mic setups/techniques/etc. And provide some hands-on experience for myself. I mean, I don't have a recording space myself, so I figure, why not take my laptop around, and record them at their locations.

I figure, the only thing they (and I myself) have to lose is a bit of time, and if they're not up to it, or decide to bail out one weekend, that's fine, we can always set up another time. I'd like to keep everything friendly, fun, and low-stress, and no pressure. :)

My laptop is pretty good, certainly capable for the job, and I'd be hauling my echo audiofire interface with me as well. Though, I might need to consider a mixer, since my echo only has 2 xlr/universal phantom powered inputs and 4 line inputs. So I could get everything tracked through the interface and Reaper, then bring it home and work on it further in the main DAW, get it mixed, and burn some CDs for them for handing out at local gigs and whatnot. It wouldn't be mastered, and the sound would be pretty raw, albeit mixed, but it's something I could do for people willing to spend some time with me.


Maybe it's a pipe dream, but this could turn into something that could get my name around (hopefully in a good way) and maybe at a later point, if everything goes smashingly, even turn into a potential means of income.

[ Back to Top ]