How NOT to advertise yourself...
 

In this thread, put up language from ads from bands/engineers advertising themselves that make you think they're no good. Don't give out contact info (including band names and other identifiers), but otherwise quote the source directly. Then explain what's wrong in your eyes.

Okay, Tape Op did this two issues ago, but since then I've actually seen an [I]increase[/I] in this problem on craigslist lately (maybe I've just been more receptive to the issues).

The point of this thread, much like the article in Tape Op, isn't to make fun of people, but instead to point out the pitfalls of self-advertising. So if you can't hold back your acerbic wit (I will probably be guilty of this as well), at least try to keep the comments clean.


Anyway, I'll start. I pretty much only pay attention to the engineering ads, so that's what you'll be seeing from me...


[quote]I'm a Top level Audio Engineer with latest digital software and technology[/quote]


Okay, that's nice: what does "Top level" mean? What's your measurement of the "levels"? Are you trying to imply you're experienced? Then you should probably say that. Are you saying you're famous (even locally)? Then you don't need to tell us: we should know who you are.

Also, the ad never specifies what is the "latest digital software and technology" and why that's good. He could be talking about Windows 7 for all we know.


[quote]My rates are cheap because I want to attract all the poor musicians that have to save up pennies and borrow money to get into studios, just to be disappointed with the end-result.[/quote]


I get where you're going with this, but check your grammar. You're basically promising artists that they'll spend money on you and then be disappointed.

[quote]contact me thru email only serious inquiries only apply[/quote]


Grammar/Spelling issues aside, this isn't terrible. Except he also gives his home phone number in the ad. If you don't want to be contacted via phone, don't give that out. He also refers to himself as the "H.N.I.C.", which doesn't come off as very professional.


[quote]Our vocal booths and live room have been designed for peak sound isolation and our control room has been designed with sound engineering in mind[/quote]


Well, it's good to know that sound engineering was in mind when you designed your acoustic space. Wait, maybe not for your vocal booths and live room...


[quote]#1 RATED recording studio offers tracking, recording, sequencing, quantizing, mixing and mastering on top industry synthesizer/keyboards

...

4 different microphones including the German made and industry most widely-used NEUMANN U87ai microphone[/quote]


I would hope the #1 rated studio offers recording, sequencing, mixing and mastering. Quantizing is a nice perk I guess. I assume because "tracking" is listed seperately from "recording" that this means you can also use software trackers (e.g., Skale Audio, Buzz Machines for examples)?

Also, that "#1 rated" bit leaves some questions: rated by who and on what criteria? I mean, I guess if you've got 4 whole mics, there must be something there (for the record, 4 mics, even if one of them is a U87, isn't impressive in a pro studio: actually quite the oppposite). They also boast that they've got "PRO-TOOLS, LOGIC STUDIO 8, REASONS 4.0, GARAGE BAND." Garageband, in general, not a high selling feature for a pro studio. Also, when you misspell the names of the software you use (twice no less), it doesn't give a good impression.


[quote] [B][name redacted][/B] is the best studio in the [B][location redacted][/B] area! We have state-of-the-art recording gear, a comfortable atmosphere, and an engineer that actually cares and wants you to have the best recording possible[/quote]


This is like the "#1 rated" bit, except it's harder to qualify. If you're going to call yourself the "best" studio in the area, you better have more to back it up than good gear, comfortable atmosphere, and an engineer that cares. For starters, that engineer needs to be objectively amazing at what he does. Second, you might want to list off your "state-of-the-art" gear. For third, your list of credits should be displayed prominently, since it should be probably be the most impressive client listing for 100 miles.


[quote]Multi-genre producer [B][name redacted][/B] will help you through the process of making your album at the super discount rate of 1000$. This includes having the recording equipment brought to your location and for four eight out days, recording, mixing. and mastering your album in the comfort of your rehearsal space or even your living room.[/quote]


Again, ignoring spelling/grammar here, if you crunch the numbers, you get $250/daily for 8 hour days. That breaks down to $31.25: which isn't a "super discount" rate, but is still pretty competitive with others in the area. It's actually pretty good since the rig is being brought to the client, but the math doesn't match the huge claim.


[quote]We have hundreds of VST plugins and many other software packages. If you have a particular plug-in you need, just let us know. If we don't have it we will get it.[/quote]


I don't know if this is what they're actually getting at, but the implication here is that they can get anything because they're using illicitly acquired software. Not only is this completely unprofessional, but also factually incorrect (e.g., UAD requires external DSP chips). On top of that, would you really want to trust your musical works with somebody who openly doesn't care about property rights? That could turn into a major headache down the road.


[quote]WE GOT 5 HOUR BLOCKS FOR A HUNDRED BUCKS I STUDIO CHARGES FROM 40-50 AN HOUR DO THE RESEARCH[/quote]


The title also declares "CHEAPEST STUDIO RATES IN TOWN." Unfortunately, I [B]have[/B] done the research: $40-60 isn't hard to find, but neither is $20-30. If budget is your primary concern, this isn't compelling. Maybe if you didn't boldly tell the potential clients to do your research for you, or if you listed excellent credits/gear this might be persuasive (plus, nobody likes all caps).


[quote]I got a good set up in my basement with logic pro set up. I have examples of my work and can get you a great sound, radio ready short of mastering. I kick the sh[SIZE=2]i[/SIZE]t out of most studios in the area as well...Remember half of the sound comes from the producer not high costs and fancy rooms. Trust me...[/quote]


Don't say "I kick the sh[SIZE=2]i[/SIZE]t out of most studios in the area" and then qualify your mixes but saying they're lacking something. If you make a bold statement like that, you should probably also have some samples on hand to back it up. Also, this isn't the time for a lesson in audio, the client is interested in results, not promises. Lastly, telling anybody "Trust me", especially anonymously using Internet text, is pretty much guaranteed to make you look untrustworthy.


That's what I've got for today...these are just from posts from the start of the October, by the way. I've actually got some records going back to January 2009, but I figured this was a pretty solid start.

Post your findings! And hopefully we can all learn from others' mistakes.

Yeah, there are a LOT of studios out there don't don't know what they're doing, and that's exactly the language they use.

A lot of serious bands will go to studios that don't advertise at all... because they don't need to.

If you want to find a good studio, ask other bands (and i don't mean the ones with 3 track demos, I mean the local bands that have the ***-kicking 5 track EPs and albums)

Dear God, I could beat Moseph's examples hands down with what we got in Portland.

About a year or two ago I was wanting to enter the commercial market, deciding to go with the budget mobile studio angle. Boy I'm glad I didn't, during that time the amount of studios advertising on Craigslist has doubled and the rates have dropped from "too low to support the business itself" to "even lower!" Its an over-saturated market up the yin-yang. I now have my Small business degree and already a good $5000 invested in my studio, and have even released a great sounding album with that gear, but I still can't compete with these guys. I don't own a Neumann mic, therefore I ain't cool.

I did just buy a UAD-1 card, its amazing!

[quote=Seafroggys;17604981]Dear God, I could beat Moseph's examples hands down with what we got in Portland.[/quote]

Well, if you find a spare minute, go ahead and share. That's kind of the point of this thread.

I could probably dig up some worse examples, I just skimmed through the October stuff for brevity/speed. I'll hold off on older stuff unless the thread really picks up.

I'll just do today's

[QUOTE]Now's the time to save hundreds on your next mixing or mastering project.

You owe it to yourself to visit our website and see what mastering will do for your music!
http://CDmusicMastering.com

* 10 Plus Year Experience
* Hundreds Of Satisfied Clients
* State Of the Art Recording Studio
* Mastering $13.95 Per Song
* Mixing & Mastering $64.95 Per Song

We promise high quality at a fantastic price!

http://CDmusicMastering.com [/QUOTE]

First off, what do they mean by "mastering", and why are they advertising a "State of the Art Recording Studio" when they're primarily a mastering house? Sure they also offer mixing (but only bundled with mastering...what does that even mean? do joe shmoes actually fall for this? why offer mixing AND mastering when they can just do a supposidely good job mixing so that it doesn't require much mastering, if at all) at a fixed rate. There is no difference in amount of time, amount of tracks, etc.

[QUOTE]If you're looking to recording your demo, EP, or full length album, you've found the right Craigslist posting! I have the experience, knowledge, and expertise to help make your next project sound awesome!

Whether you are looking to go into $600 a day studio or only have $300 total for the budget, I can help! I've worked in various local recording studios, (Crossroads Productions, Supernatural Sound, Creature Sound) and I also have a small mobile rig for recording on the budget. If you are interested, feel free to shoot me an email, and I will gladly try to set up a meeting time to discuss pricing, availability of studio time, and general organization of the upcoming recording project. [/QUOTE]

So we're limited to recording demos (which is vague in itself), EP's, or full length album (and what separates the latter two?). Can't record singles, can't record radio jingles, can't record film scores?

The guy states that he HAS worked in various recording studios, but doesn't state the ones that he currently works at, save for the fact that he has a small mobile rig for budget recordings. No links to anything.

[QUOTE]Record at the Magic Closet - SE Portland's best-rate recording studio. We're offering pro studio services at basement studio prices...our affordable rate is still $32/hour, including engineer! The Magic Closet is a multi-room studio, with space for a full band plus isolation rooms. With a great selection of high-end mic preamps (Great River [NEVE], API, Millennia, Sytek) and a fully stocked microphone closet (Neumann, AKG, Josephson,Beyer, etc.), we're ready to make your recordings sound great! For a full equipment list, check out our website at http://www.themagiccloset.net ... and please peruse the pics of our beautiful baby grand piano. Sound samples too!
503-382-9268[/QUOTE]

This guy I've been seeing for two years now, and seems like a competently run business. Got nice gear, and advertises what he has, and even offers his website for all sorts of info. Though bragging about the baby grand seems odd, though the fact that they do have a baby grand does offer proof that they're high end and have nice rooms.

That's just for today as of 2:32 PM Pacific Time.

Somewhat related, but I hate businesses that have names like [B]#[/B][I][B]1 Sound[/B], [B]AAA Studios[/B], [B]The Recording Guru[/B] [/I]or [I][B]The Sound Masters[/B], etc[/I]. Aside from being poor branding from a marketing perspective, it hardly seems professional to me to have a business name that touts your ability before the service is rendered. Really annoys me.

[quote=Seafroggys;17605492]The guy states that he HAS worked in various recording studios, but doesn't state the ones that he currently works at, save for the fact that he has a small mobile rig for budget recordings.[/quote]


I don't see this as all that weird. That describes me pretty well, actually. I think the better question is why he isn't working there anymore.


[quote=Seafroggys;17605492]No links to anything.[/quote]


See, that's probably an issue. I've never understood ads that don't provide rate info, a client listing, or a demo reel (or links to any of the above). I would expect at least an invitation to contact the poster for that info. There's nothing "wrong" with it [I]per se[/I], but it's certainly only [I]helping[/I] you if providing that stuff is only going to hurt your odds at a gig in the first place.

The biggest red flag for me would be that a studio was advertising on craigslist at all.

Who is Craig anyway?

[quote=gaslight;17607163]The biggest red flag for me would be that a studio was advertising on craigslist at all.[/quote]


That's kind of a loaded statement: care to elaborate?

Simple corrolarry: how do you feel about studios/bands with MySpace/Facebook pages? What if they've also taken out ads in the local paper and/or independent music mags?


[quote=Aaron;17607299]Who is Craig anyway?[/quote]
[COLOR=white][/COLOR]
[COLOR=white][/COLOR]
[COLOR=white][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Newmark[/url][/COLOR]

Probably should have included this yesterday...

[quote]$25/hr if you're looking to record (recording includes tracking and mixing) for less than 10 hours.

10 hours +, you've entered into block rate territory.



3hr block time=$65

5hrs block time=$100
[/quote]


There's no part of this pricing scheme that makes intuitive sense to me. You need 10+ hours to get the block rates, but the block times are less than 10 hours each. The best I can come up with is that you pay $25 up to 10 hours, then you can purchase additional blocks of time in either 3-hour or 5-hour increments for $65 or $100 respectively (I'd assume if you don't want the "blocks", you can keep going at $25/hr). In other words, you pay $250 to get the privilege of block rates?

Even if you think your pricing scheme needs to be this complicated (I would argue that it doesn't), you definitely shouldn't make it this difficult to follow.

Because craiglist is an incredibly low-rent place to post an ad. All it is a dump for personals and classifieds, not a noteworthy place to advertise proper businesses.

I would never think to myself "I want to find a reputable service provider, I know, I'll hop on craigslist, that's where the experts advertise".

[quote=gaslight;17607312]Because craiglist is an incredibly low-rent place to post an ad. All it is a dump for personals and classifieds, not a noteworthy place to advertise proper businesses.

I would never think to myself "I want to find a reputable service provider, I know, I'll hop on craigslist, that's where the experts advertise".[/quote]



You might be surprised. A lot of startup and mid-tier businesses do have ads on craigslist, many of them being replicas of print ads that they're running or other things that give a professional impression. I think it's especially true of low-traffic businesses that don't think the print ad is a good investment when 90+% of the readership won't be interested in their services and never will be.

This thread happens to be about the [I]bad[/I] ones, but there are [I]plenty[/I] of solid ads in those same sections.

It's just an avenue of free advertising/exposure. And users do go there looking for who-knows-what, so I don't see why it's any different than a MySpace page, flyer canvas, or other low-cost forms of advertising.

It's an alright place to drop a free ad, but that's all. If your [i]only[/i] presence on the internet is craigslist, then that's a terrible sign.

Very true, and due to the free nature of Craigslist, a slacker community has developed.

When making my album, since I no longer had any connections when it came to musicians (no longer went to the college where I got my Music Tech certificate) I was pretty much forced to use Craigslist, and there's a **** ton of slackers. What was supposed to be a 6 month project turned into an 18 month project, only because it took so long to not only find a musician, but keep him long enough to record the parts.

My mom bailed out of her newspaper classified job because it was going to flat-line...I'm surprised it still even exists. Why pay money to print when you can reach a more targeted market for free?

Here's one that I think is an excellent example of other services that can have bad ads...


For the record, the title is "CHEAPER Bass And Guitar Lessons (By Cutting Out The Middle Man)"

[quote]If I end up being your teacher you just saved yourself a lot of money finding me here! I currently work for two music schools and you would be paying about 30% more if we hooked up via a school.

I have no music degree (it's a different B.A.), no fancy web-site, can't do fretless or standup, can't do slap-pop, can't sight-read, now have 3 years (used to say "little experience") teaching it. And I don't want to do this full-time forever. Just a rocker and somewhat new music teacher who's played in numerous bands, studied books cover to cover, and had many a bass and guitar lesson.

I'm a high school teacher-to-be so teaching is my calling. And without getting into detail I can teach most all what the others will spell out in their ads. No big claims here like "learn to develop perfect pitch". We all know it comes down to your talent and effort facilitated by a good teacher's direction.

What I offer is my own pre-planned curriculum tailored for each student. my whole aim is to teach the tools that will get you into gooves and rhythms so you can have fun and be the best you can be. Your place (extra fee) or mine. Parents please check me out too. $15 intro (45 min) lesson, $23-half hour, $33-45 min, $42-hour, blocks of lessons cheaper. And feel free to compare me to others. References available upon request.

[B][location information redacted[/B]][/quote]


So let's first look at the title: actually nothing wrong there except the idea of the "guitar" part seems to be an afterthought, based on where the focus of the ad is. Not a huge deal, but if I'm looking for a guitar teacher (rather than a bass teacher), I definitely wouldn't put this one in the running.

Next, that whole 2nd paragraph makes me wonder: what exactly is he going to teach me? This isn't just a hypothetical question: I'm actually curious if anyone has an idea what would really happen in those lessons.

He's effectively removed 60+% of bass playing concepts from the table. Not because he [I]won't[/I] teach them, but because he says he [I]doesn't know it[/I]. That's not a good selling-point for a teacher. Makes me wonder where these schools are that hired him so I can avoid them. If I was his boss at one of those schools and stumbled across this ad, I would be pissed. It's probably not too hard to find out where he teaches and this ad makes those schools like terrible to hire somebody who doesn't know anything.

Also if you've "studied books cover to cover, and had many a bass and guitar lesson", why the hell can't you do fretless, standup, slap-pop, or sight-read? At least 2 out of 4 seem like pretty common skills to learn from books and lessons.

Also, don't tell us how you used to describe yourself. Tell us how you do describe yourself. 3 years isn't "little experience." It's actually quite a bit: many teachers/schools startup and go out of business in half that time.

Lastly, how is your curriculum both pre-planned by you, and also custom-tailored to each student? Those are contradictory ideas within a single sentence.

Yeah, if you can't read music it's hard to study books cover-to-cover ain't it? :lol:

Not being able to play fretless isn't such a big deal, though it isn't hard to become proficient on one once you have enough experience on a fretted. If "standup" means upright bass, then that's okay, it's a completely different instrument. If "standup" means playing while standing up, then holy ****, don't get lessons off this guy :lol:.

[quote=gaslight;17610176]Yeah, if you can't read music it's hard to study books cover-to-cover ain't it? :lol:[/quote]


Not if they're about economics or biology...

[quote=gaslight;17610176]Not being able to play fretless isn't such a big deal, though it isn't hard to become proficient on one once you have enough experience on a fretted. If "standup" means upright bass, then that's okay, it's a completely different instrument. If "standup" means playing while standing up, then holy ****, don't get lessons off this guy :lol:.[/quote]


Yeah, I'm really more amazed at the "can't do slap-pop, can't sight-read" stuff.

Wow that was the worst teacher ad I've ever seen

i deal a fair bit with pro audio companies, and my basic line is (unless for small bits) "if the price is on their website, take caution". i find a lot of the time the best people are those who don't need to advertise prices, as they already have a good customer base.

[quote=DrummerJonny;17616657]i deal a fair bit with pro audio companies, and my basic line is (unless for small bits) "if the price is on their website, take caution". i find a lot of the time the best people are those who don't need to advertise prices, as they already have a good customer base.[/quote]


That's interesting, because I'm generally skeptical of a website that doesn't have rate information, unless they've got a client list a mile long with lots of samples.

If they're not established in the area (or at larger regional level), then the price point probably shouldn't be held close to the vest (unless it's unreasonably high or something). I guess I'm making the assumption that the predominant craigslist postings are from posters without notoreity or a stable client base.

I think we may be in agreement on this: what do you mean by "small bits"?

I think its good to have rates, but rates are so variable. For example, "mastering" houses may say $25 per song. Okay great, but my CD is technically 1 song. Granted, it is sub-divided into 12 sections, but I could argue that they could master my entire CD for $25.

This one guy over at homerecording.com, Massive Master, does have variable rates for mastering. He charges more for the label backed cats, and for us home recorders he has a massively discounted rate that he will negotiate.

[quote=Seafroggys;17616907]I think its good to have rates, but rates are so variable. For example, "mastering" houses may say $25 per song. Okay great, but my CD is technically 1 song. Granted, it is sub-divided into 12 sections, but I could argue that they could master my entire CD for $25.[/quote]


Right, but they could always counter argue that they'd rather not accept your business on those terms. My point is that you as their client had a good idea of what to expect when you started working with them.


[quote=Seafroggys;17616907]This one guy over at homerecording.com, Massive Master, does have variable rates for mastering. He charges more for the label backed cats, and for us home recorders he has a massively discounted rate that he will negotiate.[/quote]


This also goes back to my original point: he's made his pricing structure known to you.

I'm not saying it's objectively good to have your rates known upfront. However, there is a certain segment of the competition out there who are doing it: why make potential clients do more work to find out what they want from you? Those that are freer with their info are probably more attractive to the first-time client.

I think this fact is exacerbated when there's such a glut of good (and bad) talent out there looking for work. If good customer service (such as being open about your pricing) gives a better image than the next guy, sometimes that's going to be the thing that gets you the job over him.

[quote=Seafroggys;17611571]Wow that was the worst teacher ad I've ever seen[/quote]

Okay, now this is too funny.

I saw the ad as I posted above virtually unchanged on CL about 2-5x weekly for literally the last 2 years.

The guy changed things up for the first time this week. I still get the "afterthought" impression for the guitar aspect of it (is there something wrong with being a bass tutor?), but it's quite a bit cleaned up along the lines of what was mentioned here.

I'm wondering if he's a Sputnik Forum user...

I swear I'm not making any of this up.

As a bass player who doubles on teaching bass and guitar I have to admit, having the ability to teach guitar as well is almost essential to getting by unless you are very well known because bass students as much rarer than guitar students. I would not be surprised if the ratio of guitar students to bass students is 50:1.

That is funny about him changing it though, may well have taken your observations on board.

Not a studio this time, somebody looking to form a band.

Title is "S[SIZE=2]EMI PRO/PRO MUSICIANS WANT TO START A PROG METAL/DOOM/SLUDGE BAND???"[/SIZE]

[quote]34 year old vocalist from [B][location redacted][/B] in search of musical brethren that share my passion for tunes with dark, nasty, bluesy, innovative riffs and hooks that would make even the most hardened death metal fan blush. Looking to slow things down in the style of doom/stoner/sludge/progressive metal.

No theatrics, no cheese, no gimmicks, no high pitched screaming like a girl, no lightning fast playing, no blast beats, no ballads, no artsy fartsy crap, no vikings, no pirates, nothing labeled "core", no death metal vampires, no cliches, no druggies, no "musician available" types, no amateurs, nothing mainstream, nobody younger than 25, nobody older than 35, no girls (sorry ladies), no emo, no copycats, no pop, no indie, no nu-metal, no funk, no folk rock, no college rock, no shredding lead players, nobody from the suburbs trying to play the blues, nobody without serious pro equipment, no horrible taste in music, and last but not least NO BULLpoop.

BANDS THAT ARE NOT CONSIDERED INFLUENTIAL: AMON AMARTH, BREAKING BENJAMIN, COHEED & CAMBRIA, GODSMACK, DISTURBED, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, DREAM THEATER, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, SLIPKNOT, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, GREEN DAY, STONE SOUR, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, WOLFMOTHER, 311, BLINK 182, MATCHBOX 20, COLLECTIVE SOUL, LIVE, DMB, U2, ARCTIC MONKEYS, COLDPLAY, RADIOHEAD, THE BLACK KEYS.


BANDS THAT ARE CONSIDERED INFLUENTIAL: METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH, DEATH, PANTERA, BLACK SABBATH, KING CRIMSON, YES, RUSH, ELP, THE RAMONES, BLACK FLAG, DANZIG, GUNS N ROSES, ALICE IN CHAINS, SOUNDGARDEN, NIRVANA, DAVID BOWIE, JANES ADDICTION, THE POLICE, MESHUGGAH, MASTODON, NEUROSIS, CLUTCH, LAMB OF GOD, THE MELVINS, TOOL, THE CARS, PINK FLOYD, LED ZEPPELIN, CREAM, THE WHO.


SERIOUS SEMI PRO/PRO GUITARISTS, DRUMMERS AND BASSISTS THINK THIS AD RESONATES WITH YOU? THEN LET'S GET TOGETHER NOW!!! [/quote]



Just in general, this isn't the kind of thing you want to post if you're looking for somebody to play with. Essentially, you go out of your way to eliminate as many possible musicians in your immediate area as possible, without really specifying what you [I]do[/I] want.

The age thing in particular is especially strange. Here's a tip, don't require that any applicant be between 25-35 when you yourself are 34. What, you're gonna quit the band in the next 24 months on principle?

Also, telling us who is and isn't influential is insulting, and in some cases completely wrong. At minimum, Radiohead have influenced a metric crap-ton of musicians. Clearly style wasn't considered in those lists either: The Cars are obviously pop; Megadeth is clearly a shred lead guitar band; about 80% of the "influential" list are easily called mainstream (which the poster said was a no-no).

[QUOTE]FREE MASTERING IN THE Portland AREA!!!! Hello all, I'm offering free Mastering with professional gear and over 10 years of pro audio experience to artists in the Portland area and there is obviously a limited amount as to the number of free projects I can take. Your albums will be mastered with top-notch tube and solid state OUTBOARD analog mastering equipment and high-end outboard converters by the likes of Crane Song, Weiss, API, etc - not some cheap plug-ins. I only have 4 stipulations and the cost is free to you: .

1. You MUST be the owner of the material you send me, as I don't want to infringe on anyone's IP rights.

2. If this is a commercial release, you MUST credit me in the CD liner notes.

3. You should have your album tracks already mixed – or at least, close to being mixed down, as I don’t do mixing, producing, or recording, just MASTERING. Also, I do not master singles, only albums that are already completed or on the verge of being completed – this does not mean 6 months away ;o)

4. You must have a website or links to where I can hear your tracks. This shows me that you’re serious and I can decide if its something I want to pursue.

Due to my busy schedule, I can only take on 2 projects a week, so if I don’t get back to, I preemptively apologize as I book up quickly and it’s first come, first serve. Look forward to hearing from some creative artists and have a great day! [/QUOTE]

If he's spent all that money on quality outboard gear, he'd be crazy to offer it free. Does he not have a name for himself? If not, then maybe investing in all that gear would be a bad idea.

1: Sounds like a good idea, although what about people who do cover songs that have mechanical licensing and shtuff like that?

2: Makes sense, although he seems to be an *** about it.

3: I like this, although he shouldn't say "close" as well...they SHOULD be mixed and sounding as good as possible before he gets them.

4: He asks for website, yet he lists none?

[quote=Seafroggys;17632529]If he's spent all that money on quality outboard gear, he'd be crazy to offer it free. Does he not have a name for himself? If not, then maybe investing in all that gear would be a bad idea.[/quote]


I think your assessment is accurate, but there's a minute chance nothing weird is going on here. You could make the same accusations about me and my setup (I haven't done a session since March), though my gear isn't quite at the same tier of expense as he is claiming about his.


[quote=Seafroggys;17632529]1: Sounds like a good idea, although what about people who do cover songs that have mechanical licensing and shtuff like that?

2: Makes sense, although he seems to be an *** about it.[/quote]


(01) I tend to hold the same stipulation, though in an official capacity. Generally speaking, it's a lot of legwork to make sure that the client has jumped through the proper hoops to make this legal. It's easier to side-step the whole situation entirely (though I'll generally record a cover so long as I have in writing that it won't be used for commercial release).

(02) This is another stipulation I maintain, and very strictly: when you're working for nothing or next-to-nothing, the credit is probably the biggest payment involved. Here's my question: how would you phrase it differently so it doesn't make you seem like an ***?

I didn't get that impression reading it, and I can't think of a more straight-forward way to say it (this isn't me arguing, it's a legitimate question).

the whole "MUST" seems kinda asshat-ish, that's all.

[quote]ProTools Certified recording and mixing engineer available! Currently booking sessions for recording and/or mixing. For the low rate of $40/hour you get access to a commercial recording studio with high quality equipment. Serious inquiries only please!!!!!![/quote]


[quote]Are you looking for somewhere to record your songs? Do you need Professional mixing and/or recording services? If so, then you need to look no further. I am a ProTools Certified engeineer currently booking studio sessions in a commercial recording facility. How much would such services cost me, you ask? Only $40/hour!!!!! Please e-mail to discuss further! Serious inquiries only please!....[/quote]


[quote]ProTools Certified mixing and recording engineer currently booking studio sessions!!!! For the low rate of $40/hour you can get your music professionally recorded and mixed to industry standards!!! Serious inquiries onlyh, please!!!!![/quote]


Though I cannot confirm, you've probably suspected as I have that these three posts are all put there by the same person. This is probably the case, and each ad was put in a different "neighborhood" section of my local Craigslist. Why is this a problem? Well, people get annoyed by that, especially those who [I]don't[/I] filter results by neighborhood. All three of these got flagged pretty fast.

Other than that nothing hugely wrong here, except if you're actually a Digidesign-certified Pro Tools operator, you probably shouldn't spell it "ProTools." Also, I'd advise giving more info for contact and/or studio: each of these quotes is the [I]entire[/I] text of the respective ad. We really don't glean any information from them other than a craigslist email contact, and after the ads are flagged, that's gone too.