Prices

Note: These prices are a reflection of the affordability and extremely competitive nature of the studio, we are not aware of any studio under £500 per day that even comes close to the sound quality and services of Farmyard Studios.

Prices are:

£150 for 1 day.

£240 for 2 days.

£310 for 3 days.

4 days or more is £100 per day.

Special 1-day recording and half day mixing/mastering package is £200.

(All of the above include at least 2 CDs and engineer/producer.)

Hourly hire is £25 for the 1st hour and £20 per subsequent hour.

Overtime is £20 per hour.

Discounts are sometimes available on weekday bookings and solo artists or duos may also be offered a small discount (please enquire when booking).

Paying for your project

When paying by cheque your CDs will be posted to you once the cheque clears (unless you post the cheque so that we recieve it at least 2 weeks before the start of your booking).

If however you pay in cash then the finished CDs will be yours to take away at the end of your time here.

Apart from a small deposit most bands/artists etc will not be expected to pay anything until arriving at the studio.

How much time to book

When deciding how much time to book for your project it is important to consider the following:

How many tracks (i.e. songs) you are looking to record, how long these tracks are, how complicated they are in terms of both structure and the number of different instruments and vocals involved and how well rehearsed you are likely to be by the recording date.

Also consider what you wish to achieve from your time in the studio, if you are looking for a quick and cheap demo (i.e. to get a few gigs down the pub) then this can be achieved in a shorter space of time than a project requiring professional quality results (such as a Single, E.P. or Album aimed at attracting paid gigs and/or record company interest).

For professional results it is usually necessary to allow at least 1 day for the recording, mixing and mastering of each track.

For a high quality demo around half a day per track is sensible.

For a quick demo a day in the studio is often enough to record, mix and master up to 4 tracks.

A brief explanation of the above:

For a quick demo there is often little or no time available to spend tuning drums, perfecting guitar and bass sounds or doing numerous repeated takes of the various instruments and vocals involved, or indeed doing a thorough job of mixing and mastering the tracks to their full potential.

A project aimed at producing a high quality demo should have enough time make sure everything sounds good and that all takes are at least adequate. The mixing and mastering of the tracks should also be given a little more time.

However for a Release quality product everything needs to be just as desired, drums, instruments and vocals must all be spot on in terms of both sound and performance, time is taken to make sure the mix of each track is perfect and that the mastering process is fine tuned to give a consistent and professional sound across the entire finished product.

Using the studio drums can save a significant amount of time as they are usually already set up when you arrive (especially if you let us know in advance that you wish to use the studio kit). The kit is also well maintained and professionally tuned (essential for a good drum sound). If you bring your own drums you should allow around 45 minutes for unloading and setting up and allow up to an hour for tuning.

When hiring the studio drums it is useful for drummers to contact us to discuss their preferences and playing style as this facilitates more effective preperation of the drum kit before your arrival at the studio.

Additional Info

At Farmyard Studios we try to avoid hidden costs (such as the classic trick of charging extra for an engineer/producer or not including any CDs as part of the package), this said here’s a list of things that could increase the cost of your project.

1) Hiring all or part the studio drum kit. (see The Studio Drum Kit and pages for details).

2) Any overtime needed (£20 per hour).

3) Any additional CDs required (£1.50 each).

4) Damage caused to the studio and/or it's contents (charge would depend on the exact situation).

Please note that you use the Studio and Grounds at your own risk.