Studio Musicians

Studio musicians are a staple of every big name recording studio. Whether it be the most amazing oboe player you’ve ever heard of or just a really solid drummer, there are many occasions in which a studio musician would come in handy.

Opportunities to acquire the services of a studio musician most often pop up during projects for singer songwriters or other solo artists. Luckily there are several sources out there to find reputable musicians. One such tool is eSessions. The great part about that website is the audio samples so you can hear the work they’ve done before handing over a check. You also get to compare the rates they charge to the multitude of similar musicians on the site all charging different amounts. You can find some really great musicians to play on your stuff that will charge very reasonable rates. The studio and or producer you are working with should also have a list of players they rely on to do great work.

The only real issue with hiring studio musicians becomes budget as good players will generally cost money. It's completely understood that even "very reasonable rates" can push a budget over the top, but this is where the old and always true adage, “you get what you pay for,” comes into play. This holds true in every aspect of the recording process with very few exceptions. For instance, if you have your friends (or someone a friend knows) play on your record, you might have saved a couple hundred bucks but usually they’re free for a reason. There are the aforementioned exceptions to the rule. If you happen to be good friends with some really great players, then you’re in luck. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for most artists. Or, many times, there are delusions of grandeur for their friend’s ability or skill level, which does nothing but make the situation more difficult.

Then there’s the all mighty editing. Remember that couple hundred dollars you saved in the last paragraph. Well, if your sub-par, unpaid, studio musician didn’t do a very good job, then you just created a lot of work for your engineer in editing. A lot of work takes a lot of hours, and usually that translates in you paying a lot more money than the couple hundred you saved by going with the freebie.

If you have any questions or are looking for some studio musicians for your project, feel free to contact me.
kyle@artisanslabel.com