STUDIO FAQ

What is Incremental Studios?

Incremental Studios is a DIY recording facility in inner-western Brisbane. It is run by Cameron Smith (of various Brisbane bands).

What are your rates?

We offer a daily rate: $200 per day on weekends & public holidays, and $150 per day at all other times. One 'day' is about 8 hours, usually starting at about 10AM and finishing at about 6PM (with a break for lunch). This is for a standard recording session - we can do part days at an equivalent price, although preference is given to bands who want full days. Please contact us.

What sort of recording do you offer? Digital? Analog?

Currently we only offer digital recording - we can record 16 tracks at once, with many more tracks added as overdubs. However we are in the process of setting up facilities to record on 24 track 1" tape. This should be available REALLY SOON.

Do you have any preferences on the styles of music you record?

Nope. Most of the bands we record are various styles of 'indie', but that ranges from quiet acoustic folk and country music through to rock'n'roll through to noise-rock. We're quite flexible and versatile. The only thing that we're not all that well set up for would be more complex electronic music - however we can record live parts for you to take away and use in your electronic compositions.

Do you record 'live' or 'track-by-track'?

We can do whatever you want. Usually we prefer to record somewhat 'live' (usually with things like vocals being added as overdubs), mostly because it's the quickest and most comfortable way for most musicians to record - the reduction in sound quality is negligible when compared to the improvement in 'vibe' and ease-of-recording. However, if you have the time and inclination then we can certainly record 'track-by-track'.

What sort of quality can we expect?

We have had many of our songs played on radio stations such a Triple J, Nova, 4zzzFM, FBI and other Australian community stations. You can listen to some examples on our Myspace page.

Can I get someone else to mix the tracks you record? Or vice-versa?

By all means. We've recorded quite a few releases that have been mixed by other engineers. As for mixing recordings made by other engineers, we'd certainly consider it.

Do you offer mastering services?

Mastering is a fairly specialised element of audio engineering, so we would not try to portray ourselves as experts in this area. However, we can do mastering for you if you want us to. A lot of the bands who come to us can't afford 'proper' mastering, and so we end up mastering many of the releases we record.

What sort of time-frame would we be looking at to finish our recording?

Obviously this depends on the amount of music you want to record, the quality you're aiming for and your level of preparedness. A well prepared band wanting to record a 4-6 song EP recorded live can complete such a recording in an average of 2-3 days (including mixing). An album of similar quality could be completed in around 4-7 days. Of course, the amount of time spent on recording can vary wildly depending on the desired sound, rehearsedness of the musicians, complexity of the material, etc - these are generally good estimates for a fairly standard recording (ie: live basic tracks, overdubbed vocals, a few instrumental overdubs here and there). However, things could potentially take a much longer (or shorter) amount of time, so it's best to contact us to find out how much time and money you should budget for your recording.