Okay, so you don’t always need to get paid up front, but there are a few general rules that I follow. 

1. If it’s an out of town band – get a contract/agreement signed.

2. If it’s a local band, I usually don’t ask for anything up front and don’t actually take payment until I have a finished product- but you have to pay me before I give you said product. That’s the real trick for all you guys new to the business. Make sure you get paid BEFORE you hand over anything (including demos, rough mixes, etc) If you hand that stuff over and they haven’t paid you, you will likely never hear from that band again.

Want to have dinner in NYC? 

I’m going to be in NYC between October 18th – 21st for the AES Convention. It would be great to grab dinner or meet up with some you while I’m in town! – Send me a message on Facebook and we’ll set something up! If you’re going to be attending the AES Maximum Audio Convention, come say hello.

 

WATCH THE VIDEO 

acoustic drums for metal recording manual
 

“What comes out the speakers matters more than your feelings, creampuff!”

I wrote the first edition of this guide way back in 2005, on the Andy Sneap subforum of Ultimate Metal. Little did we know, but the Andy Sneap forum was the breeding ground for what would become the next wave of Heavy Metal talent. Many of my friends from those days have gone on to have careers in the music business, whether it be recording, performing, or in my own case, hosting a successful Youtube show. Ask any number of modern day talents about where they learned and most of them will reference the Andy Sneap forum.

So I’ve learned a thing or two in the last twelve years, and after much dedication and hard work, I’m noticing a slight improvement in the sound of my records… and the foundation is the drums.