I'm not aware of any other form of crack....sounds to be a thinly veiled attempt to sell drugs.

You know, it does occur to me that "one of the best producers in the country" might be referring to "one of the best producers [I]of crack[/I]" and not "of beat" or "of music."

I don't even know that I'd call this a veil, however thin. If that's the case, the post blatantly says, in all caps, "BUY COCAINE HERE."

This might be the weirdest ad I've seen. Well, maybe not for that one from the DJ talking about his fear of delivering pizza for a living...

[quote] [B][business name redacted (twice)][/B]



Founders:

[B][founders' names redacted][/B]

[B][business name redacted[/B]] Started in 2009.
[B][founder's names redacted][/B] are here to help upcoming artist accomplish there goals.
Some artist don't have the right direction on how to get to the next level as far as artist development and getting into the music business.
We can provide everything you need to get started!! Music video,Studio time,Artist Development, Writing and Promotion on our website [B][website redacted][/B]
So if you need help, please contact us on our contact page on the top of the Website or you can email us at [B][contact info redacted][/B]






[B][business name redacted][/B] is offering a great package for a great price.

In this package you will get everything you need to get started with your music career.

Here is a list of things that you will need to get started as a upcoming artist.

We provide the following

1. Beat Production (Exclusive rights to the client of all production)([B][founder A's name redacted][/B] Production)
2. Artist Development
3. Music Video ( Music video directed and produce from [B][founder B's name redacted[/B])([B][business name redacted][/B])
4. Studio Time for recording your project
5. Help with wordplay,writing and delivering
6. Promotion on our website.([B][website redacted][/B])

For 2,000 dollars you get all
Client will have to pay 1,000 Deposit to get started . Half of deposit up front,
And when work is completed we will recieve the last half from the client.
This is 30 day Package only for our services,anything over 30 day period will be a extra fee.
30 days should be enought time to get everthing you need to get started on your new career.

So when you look at the great deal you our saving 10,000 to 20,000 dollars.
You can not find a better deal then this!!


Thanks
[B][name info redacted][/B][/quote]Okay, the first thing that jumps out at me on this one is that they're offering you help with writing, when they clearly have a poor grasp of the English language ("recieve", "enought", "our" instead of "are", "then" instead of "than"). The other thing I'm noticing more and more (and beyond this particular ad) is the use of "artist" as a plural, rather than the proper form "artists." This is apparently a very easy and common mistake to make that looks [I]really[/I] bad: it shows you don't know the very basic lexicon of the business you're trying to run.

The next big thing for me on this one is that the package they're offering is comprehensive, but time-limited. 30 Days "should" be enough time to record songs, make a music video and get some basic promotional stuff done, but who's to say it actually [I]is.[/I] This is particularly true of clients who might have a less than flexible schedule (students, weekend warriors, etc.).

But also consider the pricing plan. They're asking for a huge amount of cash compared to others, though they purport to provide more extensive services. 2,000 should probably go a long way, but when dealing in cash, it's not smart to give 1,000 up front on a 30-day waiting period. If you can't finish your stuff within that 30-day period, you're probably out at least a grand. This is a particularly ballsy offering from a company that started in 2009, which for all intents and purposes could be less than 2 months ago.

Also, when you look at it closely, what is the client really supposed to pay? It says this costs $2000. But then it says the deposit is only $1000. Then it says that only half the deposit is due upfront (i.e., $500?). Isn't the definition of "deposit" something that's paid in advance to keep the client on retainer? What do they really expect out of the client here? What happens if the company fails to deliver the goods within 30 days (or at all)?

They do a good job of plastering their names and website all over the ad (the title includes it as well), but this doesn't mean that promotion on their website is worth anything (and it's given as one of the 6 basic services they offer). You'd need to be aware of the website already, and regularly visit it to get any exposure to a new artist on the website. This is probably not very likely given the "newness" of the company. In fact, it's probably less effective than going to music-oriented message boards like this one and posting links (and we all know how effective that is).

Basically, the big flaw with this ad is that the business is trying to jump into the big time without paying any particular dues to get there first. You can't command large sums of cash up front when you have no track record, and you probably shouldn't expect professional clientele when you can't bring a professional demeanor.

Here we have an example of an ad that is "almost" what you might want it to be...

Title is "Looking for all local artist"

[quote]Hello, are you looking for a studio to record at, but your on a tight budget? Well i Have a Mobile studio and a team of producer that can help you with your dalimer.
We have inexpensive all original tracks Mastered professionally. Plus we Charge by the sections
1 section equals 8 hours
.5 section - $80 (4 hours or less)
1 section - $120
2 sections - $160
4 sections - $300

Sections can be broken down to help save you money and are never rushed so there is less pressure so your creative juice can flow
any questions or for more information contact [B][name/contact info redacted][/B][/quote]Basically, this guy is shooting himself in the foot with the terrible spelling and grammar.

The lack of plurals ("artist" in title, "team of producer") is rapidly becoming a pet peeve of mine. I'm assuming "dalimer" == "dilemma" as well. My advice: if you're unsure of the spelling of a word, either look it up or don't use it at all. Case in point, I actually thought it was spelled "dilemna" but wasn't sure, so I did a Google search and found out the proper spelling in less than 10 seconds.

Here's the big one though: what exactly is a "section?" Could you mean "session?" Even if you don't, it [I]appears that you do[/I], and quite frankly if we think you can't spell the primary method of setting up a recording project (i.e., a "session"), why on Earth would we think you have any clue as to what you're doing?

The rates are a mess as well. The economy of scale is blown way out of proportion. It's essentially not worth your time to work with this engineer for less than 8 hours, and if I'm reading this correctly, 7 hours will cost you the same as 16 hours (A full "0.5 section" and then less than 4 hours versus "2 sections"). That's just a bad pricing scheme.

EDIT: A reposting of this ad does in fact confirm that "sessions" is the proper interpretation (it was corrected in the repost).

Man some of these are so bad!! This is how i advertise myself. 200 bucks a song, 400 if you want me to produce it. Get it mastered by Mark Chaleki, he's a genius and will make your album explode. You decide how much you want to spend, I'm non negotiable since each song is a set price.

[quote=Xomblies;17812066]Man some of these are so bad!! This is how i advertise myself. 200 bucks a song, 400 if you want me to produce it. Get it mastered by Mark Chaleki, he's a genius and will make your album explode. You decide how much you want to spend, I'm non negotiable since each song is a set price.[/quote]

Are those your exact words? Because there's kind of muddy language there:

Specifically, the client can't decide how much to spend if you're non-negotiable.

[QUOTE=Moseph;17812078]Are those your exact words? Because there's kind of muddy language there:

Specifically, the client can't decide how much to spend if you're non-negotiable.[/QUOTE]

well if you want to do a song, it's 200 bucks, 400 if i produce it. If you want to do 10 songs it's 2 grand 4 if i produce it. The non negotiable part is how much i charge per song

[quote=Xomblies;17812109]well if you want to do a song, it's 200 bucks, 400 if i produce it. If you want to do 10 songs it's 2 grand 4 if i produce it. The non negotiable part is how much i charge per song[/quote]


Yeah, that's what I figured. My point (and the point of this thread) is that you need to be careful about word choice. You managed to be a little confusing in only 2 sentences. Clearly, it's not a hard trap to fall into.

[quote=Moseph;17808897]Here we have an example of an ad that is "almost" what you might want it to be...

Title is "Looking for all local artist"
...

The rates are a mess as well. The economy of scale is blown way out of proportion. It's essentially not worth your time to work with this engineer for less than 8 hours, and if I'm reading this correctly, 7 hours will cost you the same as 16 hours (A full "0.5 section" and then less than 4 hours versus "2 sections"). That's just a bad pricing scheme...[/quote]



Okay, another reposting says

[quote]***FYI Other studios charges between $20-$50. Now ask your self is it worth going to the over priced studios for the same quality[/quote]


Lousy grammar aside, I just want to respond to this ad like "YOU CHARGE $80 FOR A 1 HOUR SESSION! That's not a deal!"

The lesson here: don't talk talk smack about your competitors.

Did engineers and musicians fail high school or something?

I mean, I'm not the greatest at grammar, but this **** I see on craigslist reminds me of stuff that fourth graders write.

[quote=Seafroggys;17816091]Did engineers and musicians fail high school or something?

I mean, I'm not the greatest at grammar, but this **** I see on craigslist reminds me of stuff that fourth graders write.[/quote]


Funny you should mention this, because here's another one I saw today...

[quote]
[B]Music VoiceOver Audio Recording[/B]


HI,
I am a professional audio engineer,
I have been in the scene for over 15 years.
I have available a space for simple audio recording projects
or i can come to you for on location recording.
if you are a single musician or small group that needs a high quality demo for distrubution or a professional voice over artist,
i would be able to help get things started..

my equipment is very high quality and professional.
an Ashly Audio 8 channel analogue mixer with premium microphone pre amplifiers,
a great selection of microphones from a vintage RCA ribbon microphone to Large diaphram condenser to the ubiquious Shure SM57.

all master recording are done in 24bit depth on a MOTU 2408Mk3 interface.
you will have complete copyright to all finished works.


contact me with any questions
thanks [/quote]


It makes think, "seriously?" The gear listed is esoteric enough (but still reputable equipment) that I believe this is somebody who actually does this, but the fact that so much of it is disjointed English, with such terrible spelling also gives me the impression that this is somebody who [I]doesn't[/I] do this. So that's kind of weird.

[quote][B]need a f***ing guitarist[/B]

hey, you know what it is.

ive been playing drums for 12 years and piano for like 8

only thing i dont play is guitar, but i make guitar riffs on the keys

looking for someone into playing alternative rock, metal, nu metal, and s*** that creates mosh pits

i have some practice space[/quote]


[NOTE: obscenities censored by me to ensure meaning is obscured by auto-filter]

Okay, let's start with the beginning

[quote]hey, you know what it is.[/quote]


Um, [I]what!?[/I] Does this mean anything? Is this really a good way to open up your ad?

That's kind of the problem with the entire ad. It's just sort of abrasive and vague. I read through it three times (the intial time, the time copying it here, and again proof-reading it here) and I still don't know if this person is looking to form/join a band, get a regular jam session together, or just write and record music with somebody. I'm also unsure what "some practice space" could mean: is it only available sometimes, or is it part of a larger space that you don't have access to, or...well, I really don't know what else this could mean?

[quote]
[B][SIZE=2]Get Your Mixtape made & music mixing and mastering[/SIZE][/B]

I put together mixtapes for artists, Basicaaly you would need to send your music i would level it all out put the mixtape together in the order you want finalize it for a cd add the sound effects or provided drops. and send it back I charge $25 per hour the usual 15 track mixtape takes about 8 hours , if interested email [B][email redacted][/B] or text [B][phone info redacted][/B][/quote]


Two giant things leap out at me here. As always, ignore the sub-literate writing of the post.

First, it's my understanding that a "mixtape" in the hip hop world is a compilation of recordings from multiple artists used as a promotional tool (if I'm wrong about this, let me know), whereas an "album" would be a collection of songs by a single artist. Assuming I'm not wrong about this distinction, this poster seems to confuse to the two concepts. This gets back into the "confused lexicon" problem I've been seeing/talking about lately. There's no reason we should expect you to be any good at what you do if you can't reasonably conveny to us that you know what you're talking about.

Secondly, the ad explicitly requests a text message rather than a phone call. Though I know it's the hot thing amongst the young people these days, this is not a good method of making first contact. For starters, it's not considered a form of "professional" form of communication yet by the general commercial public. But the really big reason is that for your first contact, you're bound to have a huge amount of questions going back-and-forth between service provider and potential client. Texts are inherently limited forms of communication (140 characters I think for SMS). A phone call or email message would be dramatically more efficient in getting info exchanged between both parties and would also help break the ice because you're forced to introduce yourself and what your plans are, rather than forced [I]not to[/I].

I don't think texting will ever take off in a commercial capacity, especially for first contact situations. Its too limiting.

Actually, i'm going to have to disagree with you guys about the texting thing. Texting is a great way to communicate if you are a pretty busy engineer who doesn't have a lot of time off to take calls.

the engineer my band went to for our last cd is a very high-demand engineer who has sessions 12-8 five+ days a week, months and months at a time.

he basically gets a new client or two every day, and he can't just stop a session and answer a phone call, but he can text a quick "okay that day is open, sounds good thanks" in between vocal takes or while talking to us about a part in our song or whatever.

[quote=comptonassrobert;17831457]Actually, i'm going to have to disagree with you guys about the texting thing. Texting is a great way to communicate if you are a pretty busy engineer who doesn't have a lot of time off to take calls.

the engineer my band went to for our last cd is a very high-demand engineer who has sessions 12-8 five+ days a week, months and months at a time.

he basically gets a new client or two every day, and he can't just stop a session and answer a phone call, but he can text a quick "okay that day is open, sounds good thanks" in between vocal takes or while talking to us about a part in our song or whatever.[/quote]


Maybe, but there's a big difference between sending texts between clients you know and making new contacts. It's probably smart to do a little bit of basic footwork to make sure that a first-time client isn't an obvious waste of your time. For instance, if you happen to determine that they can't pay, will be miserable to work with, or just need to discern what sort of setup will be required. If you can do all that in 140 characters, I'd like to know how.

While I'm on the subject of phones, leaving cell phones on during a session is a [I]terrible[/I] idea. Even if they're set to vibrate/silent mode, a lot of phones will create E/M radiation that is audible in speakers and long cable runs (they basically act as amplifiers and antennae in the right conditions). You could very easily ruin the perfect take not only because of an incoming call, but because your phone lost cell tower contact momentarily and switched to a different mode of operation.

This is to say nothing about the professionalism that is impressed upon the client if you divert your attention from their project on their dime without permission.

[QUOTE=Moseph;17831667]Maybe, but there's a big difference between sending texts between clients you know and making new contacts. It's probably smart to do a little bit of basic footwork to make sure that a first-time client isn't an obvious waste of your time. For instance, if you happen to determine that they can't pay, will be miserable to work with, or just need to discern what sort of setup will be required. If you can do all that in 140 characters, I'd like to know how.

While I'm on the subject of phones, leaving cell phones on during a session is a [I]terrible[/I] idea. Even if they're set to vibrate/silent mode, a lot of phones will create E/M radiation that is audible in speakers and long cable runs (they basically act as amplifiers and antennae in the right conditions). You could very easily ruin the perfect take not only because of an incoming call, but because your phone lost cell tower contact momentarily and switched to a different mode of operation.

This is to say nothing about the professionalism that is impressed upon the client if you divert your attention from their project on their dime without permission.[/QUOTE]

honestly, all of that is just "in theory, in a perfect world.." talk. he wouldn't stop our session when he got a text, and it certainly wouldn't mess with the recording seeing as all of the tracking was done in a completely separate room than the one we were working with him in.

and yeah for the "getting to know each other" part, we talked over AIM. which in theory sounds unprofessional but in reality was really a lot easier for him, and for me too. and if you're as good as he is and have recorded as many big acts as he has, you don't really need a life story to know whether the client is going to be worth your time or not. and he requires half of the sessions deposit before you record, for the first session so the money thing isn't a problem.

he asked me for rough recordings of the songs, asked me how well we knew them to a click and that's about it. and really, that's all it took and the product was phenomenal.

before you record with somebody like that, you say "OMG i didn't pay for him to ANSWER TEXT MESSAGES" but then you get there, and it takes about 10 seconds, and he does you the service of making your band sound a lot better than they really are, and that small text doesn't really bug ya. answering a phone call would be a lot more unprofessional and distracting

[quote=comptonassrobert;17831685]honestly, all of that is just "in theory, in a perfect world.." talk. he wouldn't stop our session when he got a text, and it certainly wouldn't mess with the recording seeing as all of the tracking was done in a completely separate room than the one we were working with him in.[/quote]



I guess it's good that it all works out for him, but I stand by my statement. In particular the bit about not having cell phones on during a recording session. The "separate room" thing, btw, is a bad argument. The audio cables that move between the rooms are spots where problems can happen. You don't need a microphone to screw your performance when E/M radiation is involved. If you need proof grab an AT&T phone that's running on their 2G/"Edge" network and use it near active speakers in an area with dodgy reception. The interference can get [I]really[/I] bad [I]really fast[/I].


[quote=comptonassrobert;17831685]and yeah for the "getting to know each other" part, we talked over AIM. which in theory sounds unprofessional but in reality was really a lot easier for him, and for me too. and if you're as good as he is and have recorded as many big acts as he has, you don't really need a life story to know whether the client is going to be worth your time or not. and he requires half of the sessions deposit before you record, for the first session so the money thing isn't a problem.[/quote]



As for the AIM thing, it's unorthodox, but you'll notice my original point was that to gather information you need more than 140 characters. AIM provides that. Phone/in-person meeting is preferable (it's easier to get an idea about somebody's MO and intentions that way), but I've also done a lot of stuff where it was setup by email only myself. The one thing where AIM actually beats out phone/in-person is that you can set it up to automatically log the conversation, and get a written trasscription of any "verbal" agreements.


[quote=comptonassrobert;17831685]he asked me for rough recordings of the songs, asked me how well we knew them to a click and that's about it. and really, that's all it took and the product was phenomenal.

before you record with somebody like that, you say "OMG i didn't pay for him to ANSWER TEXT MESSAGES" but then you get there, and it takes about 10 seconds, and he does you the service of making your band sound a lot better than they really are, and that small text doesn't really bug ya. answering a phone call would be a lot more unprofessional and distracting [/quote]



Not disagreeing about phone calls. You'll notice I didn't say he should interrupt the session with a phone call either. Either way, he's slowing down [I]your session[/I] to attend to [I]another client[/I] on [I]your dime[/I]. No matter how you slice it, that's unprofessional. Texts and emails make it very easy to communicate outside of real-time: there's no expectation for instantaneous response, so you can afford to wait until after the session to respond.

If you don't have a problem with it, then that's to his benefit. I'm somebody who does. I'm actually one of those people who hates it when somebody doesn't excuse themselves to handle text messaging in private conversation as well (like they would/should for a phone call). There's a lot of folks out there who still are, and not just the elder crowd (I see it pretty commonly with Gen X'ers, too). I've read articles that there's kind of a "social gap" about this between the Digital Natives and older generations. When dealing in a professional environment, it's always good to be a little more conservative about how you handle interpersonal communication for this reason. If it happens once in a professional setting, I'm irked (of course I'll politely ask for it not to happen again); twice, I'm unhappy; three times, I'm looking for somebody else for the next session. I don't care how good he is, there's somebody else out there just as good (if not better) who can play by my rules. This is particularly true since I already mentioned that cell phones should be [I]off[/I].

[quote][B]Can Anyone Reach Ginuwine?[/B]

My daughter's turning sixteen on the the 21st of March and I wanted to know what he'd charge to just call her and wish her a happy birthday during her party. I don't have very much due to me having kidney failure and being on disability but she's got to be his number one fan he's the first thing she plays in the morning and the last thing before she falls asleep. I'm also a very talent songwriter/producer and could offer him a song or a couple of tracks if he was interested for doing this. - Thank you, E'nia's dad. [/quote]


Okay, so if this is a legitimate posting on CL, then it really doesn't need to be talked about, since it's not a commercial venture. If that's the case, then it sounds like a nice thing a father is trying to do for his daughter, and I don't see any problem with it.

However, it does sort of have a "con artist" feel to it. It really comes off as somebody trying to get their foot in the door to the industry by trying to utilize potential contacts to a big-name artist.

For starters, I'm not an expert on Ginuwine, but there's no reason to assume he has any relevent contacts in a given area (I dunno, maybe he used to live in my area or something), or if he does that they'd be reading craigslist.

Not really too weird so far (craigslist has all kinds of weird stuff posted), but my spidey-sense really starts tingling when the ad sort of tacks on at the end that "I'm a talented songwriter/producer and I could offer him a song."

This angle is downplayed by mentioning that there's no money for this desired favor. I guess the poster is sick. But in the event of a legitimate post of this nature, we don't actually need to know this: all he supposedly wants is to get in touch with somebody. Money doesn't necessarily need to exchange hands (just yet, anyway). But if I had a nickel for every time somebody used the "failing health"/"I'm broke" plea to try to get something for free out of me, I would probably need a wheelbarrow to take them to the bank (and I'm only 25 and a nobody: imagine how often this crap has been tried with actual industry people).

Realistically, getting in contact with Ginuwine (or his management) probably shouldn't cost you anything more than a phone call. The favor that's being requested isn't a huge deal, but you should probably[I] let him tell you[/I] that he won't do it for free (or at all). What this really smacks of is either (a) a pretty lame attempt to get listeners to this guy's music, or (b) an incredibly [I]far-fetched scheme[/I] to try and get somebody in the industry to give him a foot in the door.

So, back to my original point. If this is all true, and the poster is a sick, maybe somewhat misguided dad trying to do something for his daughter, I feel for him and hope things work out for him. However, if this is in fact the wool pullover my gut says it is, it's pretty transparent. More importantly, you don't want your professional contacts being made under false pretenses. That's just bad business: how can anybody trust you if they know they can't...well, [I]trust you[/I].

[quote][B]Affordable Recording. I will work with your budget[/B]

Like the title says, I'll work with your budget no matter how much it is. Just email me for more details!

[B][contact info redacted][/B][/quote]


You might be thinking, "what could possibly be wrong with an ad this short?" It's subtle, but the pricing.

Basically, the implication (which I'm pretty sure is unintentional) is that he'll work for any amount of money (which in my book does include "free"), but he'll happily take you for all you have. That doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in me that he knows what's up. He might as well say:

[quote]I'll work for whatever you can pay me. Irrespective of quality or effort involved.[/quote]


That's more or less what I'm pulling from this ad.

I cannot read these. The blatant disregard for the English language makes me furious. Maybe I should start charging money to write effective Craigslist ads...

[quote][B]Singer songwriter needs producer[/B]

I have enough material for an album.
The album will have mass appeal.
I need recording & marketing.
Can you make this happen?

Don't email me if you live in your mom's basement, are less than 25 years old, are going to charge me, etc. What you get with me is quality material unseen in this area. What I expect from you is the same.[/quote]
Basically, it looks like the poster has sought craigslist in order to try and hit the big time. This would be mistake #1. How many other unknowns got huge off of an indie-made record they put together by finding support on craigslist?

Then there's the abrasion factor. If you're trying to put out an album that "will have mass appeal," then it's understandable that you want somebody who's relatively experienced and successful. However, there are certainly more diplomatic ways to address the issue. The ad basically insinuates that anybody who doesn't meet those criteria is a loser and not worth the poster's time (even though the poster clearly doesn't have any better leads or this ad wouldn't exist).

If you want to completely dismiss a talented, young unknown based solely on the fact that they're young and unknown, then you probably shouldn't also need to resort to anonymous advertisements on a free Internet site. You should probably have somebody in mind already.

But really, the big kicker that tells me this person doesn't "get it" is:

[quote]Don't email me if you...are going to charge me[/quote]

Let's break down what you're looking for here. You want recording [I]and marketing[/I], presumably from somebody relatively successful and experienced. They need to provide "quality material unseen in this area," which I take to mean "awesome skills and creative output." That's a big order. It'll take a lot of work. Can I do it for you? [I]For free[/I]? No.

Even assuming that this album becomes the next big seller (we're talking [I]Thriller [/I]big), there's nothing in the ad to suggest that whoever does all this leg work gets [I]any payment whatsoever[/I]. Honestly, if the services rendered didn't have value, you probably wouldn't need somebody else to do them.

Either the poster has an ego that could fill the Grand Canyon, or they're genuinely, completely, and hopelessly clueless about how the modern world works. Either way, I don't see a lot of the target audience (i.e., good producers/marketers) taking this ad seriously.

Jesus, that ad just pissed me off. If I saw that on my craigslist I would just e-mail him telling him to piss off.

[quote][B]Amateur Recording Expert[/B]

Hello,

I have a Rode NTK Compressor Mic, M-Audio Preamp, Behringer Compressor, Yahama Electric Keyboard, Lexicon Lambda with Cubase, AKG D 88S dynamic mic and several other dynamic mics, a Fender Blues Deville Amp, a SG Gibson, a Fullerton Bass, A Yamaha acoustic guitar, set of harmonicas,Boss Drum machine and a studio quality set of headphones and a couple of couch cushions to build sound forts. In short I have all the rudimentary basics of a crappy home studio without the drums. That being said, I have a lot of experience with this amateur set up because I have been and still am creating a total album of my own work from scratch (hundreds of hours). If any bands, rappers, etc ts in the [B][location redacted][/B] area want to put some tracks down of their music or what ever let me know and I would be glad to help record for a meager cost of $10.00 per song or session-which ever comes first. I live in the [B][location redacted][/B] area.

[B][name redacted][/B][/quote]
This one isn't particularly bad, but there are two things that jump out at me. The first and more obvious one is that you probably shouldn't call your equipment "crappy" when you're trying to attract clients (paying or not). Nobody really wants to work with an engineer if said engineer doesn't think a good sound can happen.

The other is more subtle. The poster purports to be an expert with the amateur rig, based on "hundreds of hours" of working with it. The problem is that these hundreds of hours have apparently all been spent working on a single project. And more tellingly perhaps, is that said project is for the engineer's personal works, which presumably can be worked on at his discretion in his free time (i.e., there's no scheduling or logistic issues slowing him down). What this says to me is that any project I would start with this guy as a client is probably never gonna see the light of day.

Granted he's charging next to nothing, and even by the song rather than by the hour. But that's all irrelevant if the project never gets finished. The point of recording music (paying or not) is so that people can eventually hear it.

[quote][B]PROFESSIONAL QUALITY PROTOOLS RECORDING STUDIO! ONLY $35 per hour[/B]

TOP QUALITY SOUND PROTOOLS RECORDING HOME STUDIO! ONLY $35 per hour!
Protools, Top end mic, Everything you need for radio quality sound.
Specializing in hip-hop, R&B & Gospel.

Book your session today at:
[B][SIZE=5][contact info redacted][/SIZE][/B]
and will get back to you within the hour. [/quote]
Other than misspelling "Pro Tools," which is common but clients may not realize, and the sort of weird issue with "R&B & Gospel" which looks awkward and like it's own genre in the listing, this isn't a terrible ad overall.

The contact info redaction is at the same font size as the original email address listing, and you could debate whether this is a good or bad thing.

However, the "will get back to you within the hour" thing is a subtle problem to me. They only post an email address, which if you read earlier in the thread I've already noted was not a time-limited response medium. Unlike a phone call, wherein they'd need to respond to you immediately, an email can sit around for a day or two and still be considered a timely reply.

However, [I]promising[/I] to return emails [I]within the hour[/I] of receipt (or possibly delivery, but that really can't guarantee that because it's beyond their control) sort of suggests to me that they are sitting at their computer workstation waiting for business emails to come in, rather than doing other things. Important things. Like other sessions (they are a working studio, aren't they?). Or sleeping (what if I send my email at 3.45am?). Or even relatively innocuous daily tasks, like spring cleaning or grocery shopping (which typically take more than an hour).

It's good to make yourself seem available to new clients and eager to take on projects, but it's bad to make it look like nobody else is choosing to work with you (or possibly that you're a malnourished insomniac living in disheveled squalor).

Kinda OT, but how do you feel about commercial studios specializing in specific styles? I've been traditionally of the thought that any studio should be able to accommodate any style, within reason (a home studio can't record an orchestra, for example). But is it better to have an engineer more familiar with your type of music, or more geared to that sort of production? For example, my home studio is geared toward live sound recording, not electronic music production. I have some VSTi's but they're more for in the context of live sound recordings. So hip hop, electronica, etc. will not be easy for me to accommodate, but anything from jazz, rock, soul, indie, etc. could easily be done.

[quote=Seafroggys;17896166]Kinda OT, but how do you feel about commercial studios specializing in specific styles? I've been traditionally of the thought that any studio should be able to accommodate any style, within reason (a home studio can't record an orchestra, for example). But is it better to have an engineer more familiar with your type of music, or more geared to that sort of production? For example, my home studio is geared toward live sound recording, not electronic music production. I have some VSTi's but they're more for in the context of live sound recordings. So hip hop, electronica, etc. will not be easy for me to accommodate, but anything from jazz, rock, soul, indie, etc. could easily be done.[/quote]

I think you just sort of answered your question for me. I think it's just the nature of the recording arts: the engineers need to decide whether or not they want to pursue certain styles and determine if their equipment is sufficient for the cause.

It's pretty natural that engineers, presumably also being music fans, will have a greater interest in working in genres they enjoy as music fans. So from the engineer's perspective it's a choice of saying "do I want/need to work on styles I'm less familiar with?" From the client's perspective, you probably most certainly want a specialist, since your style will best be served by them. Of course, the advertising doesn't tell the whole story, a "generalized" engineer might be more experienced and talented than a "specialized" engineer, resulting in a better product.

However, in general, I don't really take issue with claims of specialization.

[quote][B]Guitarist looking to start a HARD ROCK band[/B]

I'm a guitarist wanting to START a band. I like HARD ROCK (btw if Shinedown or Kings of Leon are in your definition of Hard Rock piss off). I have samples. I drink, I smoke, I use bad language in mixed company.

My rules:
1. I am not trying to make it "big." If it happens, fine.
2. I like chicks, so if you are a screamer, please note that I am not into playing to a room filled with nothing but sweaty stinky dudes. (Chicks don't dig it man, sorry.)
3. I don't know what hard"core" or post punk modern whatever is and I don't care.
4. Guitar solos are cool.
5. Have some experience.
6. Hip Hop rock/metal always has and still does suck...and its over.
7. If you do drugs, stop.
8. Beer good.
9. I will not pick you up.
10. I hate Slipnot.

I guess these are more guidelines than rules. Please include links to your samples. Do not send me anything.[/quote]


Two basic things about this one jump out at me.

The first one is the elitism. The poster basically goes out of the way to deride certain bands or styles at least 3 times (probably 5, depending on how sensitive you are). That's not a good way to get somebody interested in you as a musician. That screams ego and narrow-mindedness. What if you happen to like Shinedown/Kings of Leon/"Slipnot" [I]but also[/I] happen to like a lot of other music? You're probably not interested in this poster. By the way, nice going slamming a band's name and not even spelling it right.

The second is the juxtaposition of "no drugs" type stuff with the "I am going to smoke tobacco and drink alcohol and you better like it" stuff. In case you're curious, a [I]lot[/I] of the people who are anti-drug are also anti-alcohol and anti-tobacco. [I]Those are drugs too[/I]. They just happen to be legally permitted in the right scenario.

The whole "i smoke and drink but don't do drugs" thing stood out to me too.


I don't understand his reasoning for including "I use bad language in mixed company." remark. Does he want people to think of him as more badass because he curses? And the point about chicks doesn't make much sense to me. He doesn't want a male vocalist because they scare away the women?

Also, don't you think he should be able to find a band in his local area talking to his [i]friends[/i]? Maybe this implies that he's an unlikable person.

[quote=fishbulb;17908345]The whole "i smoke and drink but don't do drugs" thing stood out to me too.


I don't understand his reasoning for including "I use bad language in mixed company." remark. Does he want people to think of him as more badass because he curses? And the point about chicks doesn't make much sense to me. He doesn't want a male vocalist because they scare away the women?[/quote]


To be fair, the ad seems to imply that he doesn't think women will be interested in genres of hard rock that feature screaming. He's not opposed to a male vocalist in general, but more specifically to a "screamer."


[quote=fishbulb;17908345]Also, don't you think he should be able to find a band in his local area talking to his [I]friends[/I]? Maybe this implies that he's an unlikable person.[/quote]


I would say you're reading too much into it there. It's completely possible that the poster is new to the area. However, the ad itself does sort of suggest this is an unlikable person, between the derisive language toward bands/genres, to the proud proclamations of anti-social behavior ("piss off", "I use bad language in mixed company" etc.).