ABOUT DRIFT SOUND STUDIOS
Early Years
Drift Sound Studios was formed by the members of New London, CT-based rock band Revelaria in 1998. Bassist Rick Chapman had been working with computer audio recording methods as early as 1995, before it was a truly viable solution for creating a record from beginning to end. All the members of the band, including Drift co-operator Matt Pomerenke, were capable musicians with a good ear for audio engineering, and they soon started to feel the limitations of their old analog 8-track recorder.
With an album's-worth of material under their belts, Revelaria decided to look into recording a full-length album. Researching the studio options throughout New London County and neighboring areas, the band found that studio time was extremely expensive and didn't allow for the creative freedom they desired due to "being on the clock." Leveraging Rick's knowledge in digital recording, the group instead decided to focus their investment on the initial assets that were to become Drift Sound Studios: A few microphones, a couple pre-amplifiers, and some computer software. As the band's needs for more recording options grew, so did Drift.
Drift Sound Studios Expands
Over the last five years, Drift has migrated from a "basement recording" environment to a full "project studio" endeavour. Drift now has a three-room studio, acoustically treated and equipped to handle a full range of projects. Vocalists should feel quite comfortable in Drift's isolation booth. Bands sound great from Drift's live tracking room. The studio's control room has been acoustically tested to allow for accurate monitoring of your mix. Drift's engineers are intimately knowledgable with their equipment and are ready to help capture the sound their clients desire.
Helping Musicians
"The reason we opened Drift Sound Studios to the public," says co-operator Rick Chapman, "Is because we know what it is like to be a band struggling to make a recording. A group can choose to enter a professional studio and pay exorbitant amounts of money to record four or five songs in a day. At the end of the day, all you'll have is four or five mediocre-sounding songs, because of the time constaints involved with paying by the hour. Our goal is to remove that pressure on a band by being fundamentally different than other studios from a rate perspective."
Drift did a lot of research when attempting to create rate packages that were fair, based on the needs of their clients and the capabilities of the studio. Drift's base rate is $40 per hour, in-line with most small studios in the area. However, Drift caps the bill at $400 per day*. In addition, once the recording is complete, Drift will "tweak" the mix of your recording free-of-charge* to make sure you receive a quality product. If you're looking to do a full-length record from beginning to end, Drift will examine the scope of the project and can negotiate a price that works for all parties. Contact the studio for details.
Drift also strives to help bands understand the recording process. "When we first started recording, we began to realize that we all had some misunderstandings about how creating a quality record should be attacked," says Rick. "We made some mistakes, and we learned from them. A lot of bands have a sort of naiviety towards recording. This is natural, and we hope to help educate musicians on what their options are and what recording techniques we've found give the best results. We hope bands will leave the studio and be able to share their experiences with their peers."
This website is a good example of how Drift Sound Studios is helping musicians. The "tips" section of the site is constantly evolving, and most information offered there can be applied to studio time in any environment. "We really want to educate musicians to help them be the best they can be," states Rick. "A quality recording starts with quality musicians. The better a band sounds, the better their recording will sound, and a good record reflects well on all parties involved. There are simple things a band can do to be prepared, and I hope they find our site useful."
* Obligatory Fine Print
- The amount of time spent working on a project, past the initial 10 hours, is at the discretion of Drift Sound Studios. Drift will make every attempt to be fair and give your project the attention it deserves. However, the client must be realistic with what they expect from their recording and their time in the studio. (For example, it will probably take longer to record one song than you realize. Don't expect to be working in the studio until 3AM. The engineers need sleep. Realize that your equipment may not sound exactly the same on a recording as it does live, and no amount of mixing can change that.)