If you are a musician, playing music has to be something you love to do. However, every serious musician wants to have their music professionally recorded in studio at some point. There are many ways to go about this. You could go the ancient route and get a tape recorder for that live setting or you could pay hundreds to thousands of dollars for an eight track recording studio. You could even pick up one of those computer programs and mix all of your tracks that way, but lets face it, unless you are some kind of engineer who has a knack for that kind of thing, your recording probably will not sound that good. But if you are serious about recording and you want to have a professional-sounding mix, lucky for you, Rick Szybowski is an engineer and does have a knack for that kind of thing.
Szybowski, a student here at West Chester University, has the answers for your every need. Szybowski is a graduate from Temple University with a degree in music theory and piano and now attends West Chester University to receive his certification to teach music to all ages. What does he do to keep busy in the meantime? Besides teaching private guitar and piano lessons, he runs his own studio with state of the art equipment. “Anything is possible,” says Szybowski when referring to his Digital Performer software which is the database for the whole studio. And anything really is possible. In fact, you may even get more than you bargain for.
Since Szybowski has been a musician for 19 years, he tends to know a little something about music. He is an experienced guitarist, pianist, bassist and vocalist, and the instruments that he does not play, such as strings and drums he can handle right through a synthesizer. With all of these tools at your disposal, you can go into the studio with a guitar in your hands and walk out with the sound of a full band behind you. Any arrangements of other instruments that you can think of are possible.
On top of this, Szybowski is not just an engineer, he is a producer as well. Unlike many producers, Sybowski will not try to change your music. He will offer constructive criticism, which is always needed, but in the long run you call the shots on your music. At the same time, if you have original music that is not fully written and you need the guidance, he can help too.
And if you are looking for a relaxed environment to write your music and record it in, that is exactly what you will get. And if you do decide to give Sound Cove Music a try, everything will be handled in the most professional of matters. After a brief collaboration with Sybowski, if you decide the place is for you, the start and finish date will be set right there and then. “I usually like to set the finish date from day one because it gives us something to shoot for,” said Sybowski. “Without a finish date set, there is no motivation to get things done.” And more often than not, you will be done well before the finish date, but it serves as a good force to drive you. Hours are completely flexible, so you can pick the times that are most convenient to you.
Szybowski also offers the most affordable rates around. Studios can range in price from $30 to $100 per hour, though the $30 may sound appetizing, you must consider the amount of time that goes into professional recording for you to be happy with it. After 30 hours of recording, that number does not sound so cheap anymore.
The most nerve-wrecking thing about hourly rates in recording is when your time is up, it is up. If you pay for six hours of recording time, your music will be whatever you have after six hours. At Sound Cove Music you are charged a flat rate for each song, and you work until you are happy with them. “A personʼs music is just as much of a project to me as it is to the artist,” says Szybowski.