RECORDING AT CIDERNALIA STUDIOS
Cidernalia Studios has been in operation since 2024. It is located inside a 19th C. residential farmhouse located at 1606 Bendersville Wenksville Rd., Aspers, PA 17304.
It is located on a working farm. This means our studio space has both a unique character and unique challenges. For instance:
In preparing the performance space, we have focused on achieving the best room sound possible, not on complete sound isolation from the outside world.
The studio is on the second floor, so it is only accessible by a flight of stairs.
The studio space is not hypoallergenic (the house is very old, and a dog and a cat live here and frequently “participate” in sessions).
There may sometimes be farm work going on nearby.
BOOKING / PAYMENT FOR TRACKING
Studio rate is $45/hr for all services. This includes tracking, on site overdubs, editing, mixing, and mastering. We can discuss your budget ahead of time and work to hit your marks.
As a general estimate, an 8 song album can be tracked in 12-20 hours, depending on desired arrangement and skill of the performers. Each song will likely require 4-6 hours of editing/mixing and 1-2 hours for mastering. Assuming 50 hours total start to finish = $2250.00
By making the deposit and scheduling a time and date for the session it confirms you have read our policies.
Studio time is booked by appointment only via email at contact@guernseybeat.com or by FB Messenger to Guernsey Beat Records. Walk-ins are not accepted.
We are not currently a full-time studio. At this time, daytime sessions are available on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Weeknight sessions (6pm-12am) are possible every day except Wednesdays. Editing, mixing, and mastering sessions may occur outside of these hours.
It is not our responsibility to call or contact anyone prior to a session to make sure you are coming or to find out where you are if you are running late/no show.
In the case of a bigger production session/band, please be in touch a few days before to coordinate set up and a plan.
We can assist in finding you session musicians, but they are your responsibility. Individual session musicians’ rates and payment will be negotiated by you, and are separate from the studio’s fee.
In some cases, our trusted session musicians will provide overdubs off-site in comparable studio settings. Integration of these parts into the master session will incur editing & mixing time, but will not incur tracking session time.
A deposit equal to half of the desired studio time is required to book a session.
We are happy to book one date at a time for 4-6 hour blocks. So, booking a date for 6 hours will require a $135 deposit, with $135 more due at the end of the session. If you want to book a second date at the end of your session, an additional $135 deposit will be required to book that second date, etc.
Any unused time from a session will be credited toward editing & mixing in 30 min increments.
Make sure you are able to pay for the extra time in full at the end of the session (including any unused time). If the artist and studio need to go longer than the projected end time for a session, additional studio time will be charged by the quarter hour.
Payment is required upon completion of each session.
Payment may be made by Cash, Pay Pal, Venmo, or Debit/credit card.
Fees: 4.0% convenience fee added to credit card, debit card, Pay Pal & Venmo payments for all services. There is no added fee for cash payments.
The billing of a recording session begins at the start time agreed upon during the booking. We recommend getting here 30 minutes early to load in and set up.
Session cancellations must be one week in advance of the day scheduled.
In this case your deposit can be applied to another studio date.
Deposits for cancelled/rescheduled sessions will remain valid for a period of six months.
Once this six month time frame has passed, the deposit will be considered void.
Cancellations less than one week before your scheduled time renders deposits non-transferable/refundable.
Once a deposit is made it is not refundable.
In the case of snow, bad road conditions, or studio site problems (such as power outages) exceptions will be made to reschedule.
PRE-SESSION SETUP
Tech setup and studio prep will occur before the session provided we have the information on what is needed. We will do our best to have everything set up and ready for the performers to walk in and get started with very little additional set up. You may arrive 30 mins early to begin setup.
EDITING, MIXING, MASTERING, & PACKAGING
For overdubbing, editing, mixing, and mastering sessions where you are not present, we will provide a log of how time was spent with an invoice every two weeks, due within two weeks.
Once invoiced, work will stop on the project until the invoice is paid in full.
Streaming, serialized versions of COMPS (i.e., edited takes), MIXES, and MASTERS can be provided (via Soundcloud or a similar service) upon request for comparison and evidence of the work taking place.
No copies of recordings (raw takes, edited stems, mixed stems, or masters) in our possession shall be released to the client until all open accounts have been settled and all payments have cleared, including any other obligations that may be unresolved.
Recording passes through several stages: tracking, editing, mixing, mastering. We will move onto the next only when the previous is completed. In the event that the client quits in the middle of one stage, only files from the last completed stage will be delivered, and only once payment for services rendered has been made.
So, for instance, in the event that the client quits our services in the middle of tracking, nothing will be provided. In the event that the client quits in the middle of editing, only the most complete raw stems (i.e., best unedited takes) will be provided. In the event the client quits in the middle of mixing, only unmixed stems (i.e., comps) will be provided. In the event that the client quits in the middle of mastering, only final mixes will be provided.
Multi-track sessions will never be provided, as they contain proprietary working methods.
In the event of any refusal to pay for services rendered or other obligations failing to be met, ownership of the recordings in whatever state will default to the studio as its sole property.
In all events, Cidernalia Studios will retain copies of recordings in whatever state for archival, portfolio, and other non-commercial purposes.
Until the recordings are finalized by the studio staff (i.e. as final comps, final mixes, or final masters), any versions shared with the client should be considered working drafts and not for outside circulation (e.g., shared only with bandmates or session musicians in preparation for tracking). Finalized versions of recordings may only be distributed in keeping with our agreements, including, but not limited to, proper attribution of the work completed (e.g., “Engineered, mixed, and mastered by Robert Leib at Cidernalia Studios, Wenksville, U.S.A.”)
We can assist in developing your finished tracks into a fully packaged product for self-release. We can help develop your album art and packaging layout, as well as give advice on putting your finished record into physical production and/or digital distribution with all major streaming platforms. We can direct you to freelance designers, or we can do this work in house. Proper attribution for all artists, technicians, producers, and studios involved is required on the final product. Fees negotiable depending on the situation.
ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Sessions tend to work much more efficiently when there are fewer people in the space. Though large for a residential house, our spaces are still somewhat restrictive. The control room comfortably seats 4-6 people. The more people you bring with you, the more distractions there will be.
Charge your electronics before arriving at the studio and bring a charger with you.
Phones and ipads you are going to use in the performance room should always be in airplane mode. Cellular signals can audibly interfere with the microphone signals. If possible, bring typed lyric/change sheets for everyone involved.
If you can provide basic demos of the songs (a phone recording is fine) to the engineers/producers beforehand, it will speed up the sessions.
Practice and know your songs well ahead of time. This includes knowing the key, the preferred tempo, and the structure of the song. Make sure all supporting musicians have done the same.
Song tempo is a decision best made beforehand. Practice the songs with a metronome so this process is not foreign or disconcerting to you if we find it necessary to use one while tracking. If you have no tempos for your songs, we will have to figure these out on the clock before tracking any of them.
It is certainly possible to track instruments and vocals at once, but the recording will almost always be better by overdubbing vocals. This means being able to play the song correctly without singing it at the same time. It is possible to track combined instrument and vocal scratch tracks in the studio, which are then erased via individual overdubs, but this adds significantly to your time commitment in the studio.