When booking a session at Derek Benjamin Music, we ask that you please read or review our booking guidelines below. For any questions you may have, feel free to contact us!
WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING TO YOUR SESSION
Any instrumentals, trackouts, stems or pro tools sessions that are necessary for the session. If you choose to send files online, please use Google drive or Wetransfer and see our File Prep Guidelines for more info.
The client is responsible for securing the necessary licenses, permissions and clearances for any instrumentals, samples or content BEFORE the session takes place. We will not be held liable for any type of copyright or legal claims for content that a client writes or provides.
An external hard drive to transfer files, as well as take any recordings or files when you leave
Any instruments or required gear (amps, pedals, drums/hardware, strings etc.). We have some instruments and equipment that can be used, but you need to communicate that to us before the day of the session
If you have a specific microphone preference or would like to look into renting from a selection of top of the line vintage microphones (U47, U67, etc.), let us know in advance!
PAYMENT & DEPOSIT
For billing purposes, we require an email address and full name (for individuals) or a business name
A 50% deposit is required for all bookings. The time slot will not be reserved or confirmed until the deposit has been received
Your session may be rescheduled without penalty up to 24 hours before the booking
Deposits are refundable at the discretion of management
Payment is accepted by e-transfer, cash, paypal or credit card. Payments can be sent to billing@derekbenjaminmusic.com. Please enter the project or song name in the transfer description
Recording session payment must be made either upon arrival or at the end of the session unless prior arrangements have been made
You pay for the BOOKED TIME, not the time you arrive. If you are late, the lost time will be considered part of the booking.
If you need more time, your session may be extended at the discretion of the engineer/management
File prep, editing, data transfer and file exporting time is considered part of the studio time and will not be done before or after the booked timeframe
There may be extra charges associated with videography and content creation within the studio that are beyond the scope of a normal recording session. Please notify us of any plans during the booking process.
FILE DELIVERY & EXPECTATIONS
When you book a recording session, you are paying for the time, equipment and staff to assist you in recording your project
The RAW audio files created during your session are part of that fee and are property of the client once payment has been made in full. Clients are responsible for bringing a hard drive and taking their audio files with them at the end of a session
We have a backup system and server that we store all of our work, which we do as a courtesy for our clients. However, we are not responsible and cannot be held liable for the loss of any recorded materials after the session is complete
PRODUCTION: As creative individuals, we have the right to decline production work on a project by project basis. If our individual engineers/producers do not deem the project suitable to their style or image, they are not required to take on a project. We will always try to find the best way to compliment an artists sound, even if an external producer needs to be brought in
MIXING & MASTERING: We generally provide mixing & mastering services for our clientele. Pricing is provided by QUOTE/ESTIMATE on a song by song basis. We need to see and assess the complete recordings (track-outs) before providing a quote. Similar to production, mixing & mastering are both creative services that are fulfilled separately from your recording session
ROUGH BOUNCES & REFERENCE TRACKS: Upon completing your session, we will generally provide a rough bounce of your song(s). These are uploaded to the online platform mixup.audio. These rough mixes are only a preview of your song. They are not complete, and any mixing, tuning and editing that is beyond the scope of the RAW audio files is owned by Derek Benjamin Music. These previews are not available for download and cannot be used or released in any manner
STUDIO RULES
Respect each other, your engineer, and other staff!
Guests beyond the individual booking need to be approved beforehand. This includes videography and other professionals
No smoking inside the studio, please smoke outside the front door
No overuse of alcohol or other substances; The majority of artists perform worse under the influence. Additionally, there are expensive and delicate electronics and microphones that are difficult to replace
Please keep food & open liquids away from the desk and equipment
