Rates & Booking
To book a session at Electrical Audio, just call or email us. No demos required.
The cost of most recording sessions at Electrical Audio is the simply studio’s day rate plus engineering. If you would like to work to tape, we sell tape at cost, or you can use a house reel for a small fee. We also offer lodging for a nightly rate. Use our session cost calculator to get an estimate of the cost of your session.
Engineering
Greg Norman — $ 400/day
Staff Engineer or Assistant
(Brian Fox, Taylor Hales, Lauren MacDonald, Jon San Paolo) — $225/day
*We welcome all freelance engineers
Tape, Media, and Other Services
2” tape — $375 per reel
or use a 2” rental reel for $50 (no restrictions)
1/2” tape — $150 per reel
Tape Transfers —
$100 per reel of multitrack material (3+ tracks)
$50 per reel of mono or stereo material
Tape Baking — $50 per batch (each 2-3 tapes)
What is a day?
We define a day as a good amount of time in which you, your band, and the engineer feel comfortable working.
Most sessions start between 10am and 12pm and continue until that day's work is done or everyone is tired. Sessions involving a house engineer or assistant—not including Greg or an outside engineer—can not run longer than 10 hours, though we encourage you to plan for closer to an 8-hour day. We want to make sure our engineers can offer you their best, and giving them some rest and time outside the studio will help assure that.
We charge by the day for your convenience, so you don't have to watch the clock and we don’t have to charge an additional “lock-out” fee when you use more than one day in a row.
Can I book a half-day?
We have gotten this question a lot, and we will now book half-days, but there are some caveats.
Half-days are appropriate for overdub sessions, to mix a song (or maybe two?), and even to do some live group tracking if the ensemble is small (and there isn’t a drum kit). If your session is a typical rock band, you should probably book at least a full-day session. Miking up a rock band and getting sounds is usually a half-day affair in itself.
If you want to discuss whether a possible plan for a half-day session is reasonable, you can always contact us.
When should I book?
We recommend booking your session 3 to 4 months in advance—especially for longer sessions. Feel free to contact us because there are always holes in the schedule we are looking to fill.
When should I pay?
You should arrive at the studio with the means to pay for your session. If your band is coming from a country other than the United States or if a third party is paying for the recording, we will require full payment for the session prior to the first day of work.
As of 2023, we require a 25% deposit for all sessions beyond a $2000 projected session cost.
Client Offices?
We have three client offices available for client lodging during their session at $250 per night. One room has one queen-sized bed, another has one queen and one twin bed, and the third room has two twin-sized beds. The price is the same no matter how many of the rooms you use per day. Please email or call the studio for more information and availability.