Recording Studio “Policy”
Posted September 1, 2023

BOOKING STUDIO TIME
If you would like to book / schedule a date and a time with SmithTrax, you will need to contact us "by phone" and will be required to make a $60.00 non-refundable deposit (via PayPal, Cash App, Square, Venmo) to hold that scheduled time. If you are booking the day rate, a 50% non-refundable deposit will be required to hold your scheduled time. All deposits apply toward your studio session. If you do not wish to schedule an appointment and make a deposit, you will need to contact us the day before you would like to come in and we will see if we can work you into our schedule for the following day.

CANCELING or RESCHEDULING
You may reschedule or cancel a scheduled session with a 48 hour notice. If you call the day of the session to cancel your booked time, you forfeit your deposit. We block off time and make arrangements to be available for your scheduled session so please be considerate and be on time.
**Constant calling, cancelling and rescheduling causes us to turn down other clients for your time slot you have booked. So when you constantly change your time slot, you may have cost the studio other work. Constant rescheduling may also result (at the studios option) in only allowing you to call the "day of" to book a session. If we have an opening that day to work you in, then we will book you in. Otherwise if you insist on booking ahead, we will definitely require a non-refundable deposit.

NO CALL - NO SHOW
Not calling or showing up at all for any reason could result in the possible termination of any and all future bookings with SmithTrax Recording Studio.

SET UP TIME
We begin tracking studio time from the time we actually start recording or editing your project. For larger band studio sessions with drums where extensive microphone placement and preparation is required, there is a minimum of 4 hours of studio time required to cover our time spent for such extensive set up. So take advantage of that time and use it wisely once you start recording. Always remember there is mix-down time involved in that 4 hours as well... Again we are $60.00 per hour and if you run over 4 hours you are only billed for the time that you use if you should run over but if you run under less than 4 hours you will still be billed for 4 hours in this particular case...

MIXING & MASTERING
In the digital world we now live in, everything we do involves computer files and those files that we create are WAVE files, MP3's, M4a, etc... Well through the advancement in technology of the ProTools software that we use here at SmithTrax we use what is called "bounce to disk". We bounce your song down to the file format of choice. You need Wave files to burn to CD's and MP3's to email and so on... We used to "bounce to disk" in real time so that what you heard was what you got in those rendered out files. Every once in a while there would be a hiccup in the file but usually everything was okay. But now we can render those files out "offline" saving the client an exceptional amount of money in studio time. But the only problem with this is you cannot listen to these files until you are driving home or after you have left the studio. So if you discover a problem with the "bounced" file and there is a digital glitch or other issues you will not know until a later time. This being said, SmithTrax encourages their clients to be sure and listen to their final mixes "ESPECIALLY" the mastered CD and mastered files before uploading to iTunes, CDBaby or any other outlet to make sure everything rendered out correctly. SmithTrax will not be held responsible for any corrupted files or mastered CD's. It is the clients sole responsibility to listen to the mastered project and bring it to SmithTrax's attention to which we will gladly fix any problems with your masters due to computer glitches or corrupted files. But we cannot be held liable for any expenses incurred for duplications made of CD's, uploads made, or any other expenses incurred if you have failed to check the original masters and discover the defect after the fact.

PAYMENT
Payment in full is due at the end of each session unless you make prior arrangements with us. Please understand, NO recorded material leaves the recording studio until the balance is paid "IN FULL".

LANGUAGE
SmithTrax Recording Studio does not record or work with groups or individuals whose material contains vulgar or inappropriate language that is considered offensive to the general public. **We do record RAP artists but the material must be clean and non-offensive**

ENDING A SESSION EARLY IF BOOKING THE DAY RATE
If you book the day rate, we block off an entire day to accommodate you. Ending the session early for any reason, you will still be charged the entire day rate.

SMOKING
There will be no smoking in the studio. You may smoke outside as long as you discard of all used tobacco products in your car but not on our premises.

EATING / DRINKING
Eating is not allowed in the studio itself. We have an office area you can eat in but space is very limited. You can eat outside in designated areas provided you dispose of your trash in the supplied containers. Drinking is allowed but we require that all drinks be sealed and kept away from all electronics in the studio. You will also be expected to take your drink with you when you leave or dispose of the drink in the provided trash container. You will be responsible for any damage to electronic equipment if you spill your drink.

CHILDREN & FRIENDS
We highly recommend you only bring the people with you that will be recording. If you must bring children or friends to the studio, they must remain in the studio at all times. It is your responsibility to keep them quietly entertained especially during recording and mixing.

LIABILITY
We are not legally or financially responsible for items brought into or left on the premises. It is recommended that clients obtain insurance to protect against possible damage expense or loss of article(s) of value left on the premises. This includes master tapes, hard drives, or any media left at SmithTrax Recording Studio during sessions or before payment.

BACKUP POLICIES AND DATA STORAGE
In the new age of digital recording, audio file and session file storage has become a major issue for studios and clients. Due to this, SmithTrax Recording Studio does not guarantee the safe storage of these large files. During extended cd projects, SmithTrax Recording Studio will at the end of the day backup the latest session files to its backup drives until the completion of the cd project. After which it is the client’s responsibility to provide storage for all the session files to be backed up on. All short one day session projects, it is the clients responsibility to provide storage to be backed up on the day of your session. The options are as follows: 1) Bring your own compatible external hard drive or USB 3.0 thumb drive (32GB minimum is recommended, 16GB at least is suggested) to the session and request for your audio and session files to be transferred. File transfer/backup time is billable at normal studio rates. 2) Authorize SmithTrax Recording Studio to burn your files to DVD at a cost of $5.00. Failure to make arrangements regarding file storage will result in your audio and session files being deleted from our drives.

Once your audio and session files have been transferred to the media of your choosing, SmithTrax Recording Studio no longer assumes responsibility for the safe keeping of this data. SmithTrax Recording Studio assumes no responsibility and makes no representation either express or implied regarding safety and replacement of any hard drives, masters or other audio files, or any type of recordings. If you choose NOT to backup your data you know and understand, you have released SmithTrax Recording Studio from any and ALL liability of the responsibility of the care and safety of your data.

As stated above, NO recorded material or backups of your session data will leave the studio until your balance is "paid in full". We strive to keep your backups on hand but due to large files and storage limitations we have to delete your files for newer projects. We try to maintain your files for at least 2 years but there is no guarantee..

POLICY CHANGES
SmithTrax Recording Studio may make changes or additions to the above policies at any time without prior notification. You will be expected to honor these changes.

SmithTrax Recording Studio appreciates your business and regrets having to enforce these policies, but we are forced to do so in order to maintain the same high quality services and products that you are accustomed to while continuing to keep the cost low.

Thank you for you cooperation!