HITS Act Saves Independent Artists Big on Recording Costs in Chicago

Raw files are always available, even if I mix and master most projects here. What you actually get, when to ask for it, and the one condition on using the studio’s name if someone else finishes the mix.

Four hours is the floor for a recording session here, not an arbitrary policy. Here’s what that time actually goes to, and why a good song doesn’t come together any faster.

You can self-master an audiobook for ACX. Here’s what it actually takes, where it tends to break down, and what changes when the room, signal chain, and mastering workflow are built around the same target from the start.

ACX specs sound complicated until you break them down. Here’s what RMS, peak level, noise floor, and file format actually mean, why files fail, and why three of the four are already decided before you hit export.

Cost is a question almost every musician asks me. So I built a calculator. Select your session type, add mixing and mastering if you need it, and get a real number before you ever pick up the phone.

Cost is a question almost every author asks me. So I built a calculator. Enter your word count and get a real estimate — recording, editing, and mastering broken out separately — before you ever pick up the phone.

It’s one of the first questions musicians ask when planning a session — and the answer is: it depends.

If you’re new to recording, the terminology gets confusing fast. Producing, mixing, and mastering are three separate phases of music production.

Chicago has hundreds of recording studios. Here’s what to look for.

Walking into a professional recording studio for the first time is exciting — and for most musicians, it’s nothing like they imagined.

If you’re a musician in Chicago getting ready to record, cost is usually in our first conversation.

It’s one of the first questions authors and narrators ask when planning a project — and the honest answer is: it depends. But there are reliable benchmarks that make it easy to estimate your timeline before you ever book a session.