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Terms & Conditions

Crash Symphony Productions Terms and Conditions

 

Consultations

  • We offer a free one-hour consultation at the studio premises. This single hour is provided for potential clients so that they may view the studio and speak to the staff before they commence a project. It is provided in order to help the prospective client decide whether CSP is going to be a good fit for their project.
  • No recording of material that will contribute to the project will happen in this free hour. However, there may be instances where equipment (e.g. microphones, speakers, etc.) is used within the consultation time to demonstrate the quality and capability of the studio to the prospective client.
  • If the prospective client books a one-hour consultation and does not show up to the consultation, or cancels less than 24hrs prior to the appointed time, the studio will consider this a forfeit of the complimentary hour.
  • If the client wishes to continue the meeting past the initial free hour and into billable time, the extension will take place at the studio’s discretion based on availability.
  • This consultation is not designed for discussing matters outside of the prospective client’s future project. Such matters include career advice in the music industry and other topics that do not relate directly to the project. Consultations requested for discussing such matters will be billed at an hourly rate.

Studio Bookings

  • The minimum booking time is one hour.
  • Deposits are invoiced separately to the balance.
  • Upon requesting a booking, an invoice for a minimum, non-refundable 50% deposit amount is sent to the client. Payment of this deposit is required immediately to secure the booking.
  • The deposit may be higher than 50% if the project production costs from a third party are greater than the studio’s deposit requirement. For example, if the full invoice is $1000 in total, but $700 of that amount is owed to a third party, the deposit amount will be a minimum of $700.
  • A studio booking is considered confirmed only once the deposit is received in the studio bank account.
  • The studio charges clients by the hour, rounded up. Once the studio time enters the next hour, the studio will round up and invoice accordingly. We do not charge by the minute, quarter or half-hour. ADR clients are an exception to this (please see relevant section).

Payment and Methods

  • We accept all card, bank transfer, cash and cheque payments. We do not accept payments made via PayPal or any other similar online payment systems. Payment is not considered complete until cleared through the bank (e.g. If paying a deposit by cheque, the funds must clear and be in our account prior to the studio session taking place).
  • Card payments can be made in the studio or over the phone. A photo or scanned image of the receipt will be sent to you. If you require the original receipt, please notify us at the time of payment.
  • AMEX payments will incur a 5% surcharge.
  • All studio bookings (domestic and international) will include a goods-and-services tax (GST), which is 10% of the total amount charged.
  • Cash payments will still require payment of the GST.
  • All cheques must be made out to Crash Symphony.

Cancellations and Rescheduling

  • If the client cancels a session and does not wish to reschedule, the deposit is non-refundable.
  • If the client reschedules less than 24 hours before their session, they forfeit the original deposit and will be required to pay a new deposit for a new session.
  • Rescheduling with at least 24 hours’ notice allows for the deposit to be carried over and applied to the new session time.
  • If a client arrives late to a recording session, the time lost will not be refundable and the session may not be extended to make up for the lost time.
  • If studio time is lost due to technical difficulty, the studio will make every effort to make up for the lost time at the end of the session, or at later date.

Deadlines and Turnaround

  • For the sake of reference, all deadlines associated with a project must be communicated in writing to the studio by letter, email, or on the information sheet filled out at the first session.
  • It is the client’s responsibility to effectively communicate the deadline to the studio. If no deadline is placed on a project, the studio will default to other projects with a specific deadline, when necessary.
  • Deadlines can be discussed with the studio engineer(s), but any changes need to be made formally in writing.
  • When a turnaround time of 48 hours or less is required on a final product, an additional 20% surcharge will be applied. The invoice must be paid in full prior to commencement of work.

Studio Set-Up and Breakdown of Equipment

  • It is the responsibility of the client to clearly communicate what they hope to achieve during the recording session.
  • The studio will source and set up equipment according to the requirements communicated prior to the session, so that recording time during the session can be maximised. Details or requirements (involving further setup) that are provided at late notice, or during the session, may delay the recording time and may incur further charges, should the original booking need to be extended.
  • Equipment set up does not include sound checks, camera or microphone positioning, gain levels, or any other fine tuning of recording equipment that can only happen when the talent is present and ready to record.
  • In a situation where multiple instruments or talent will be recording in succession, the set up will take place within the billable studio time. For example, if an artist books the recording studio to first record a guitar, and then drums later in the same session, then the set-up time for the drums will be billable at the studio rate. If the hours in the session have been booked at the half or full day rate (allowing for 6 or 12 hours), then there will be no extra charge unless the 6 or 12 hour booking is exceeded.

Studio Etiquette

  • Please refrain from smoking cigarettes inside the studio.
  • Strictly no drugs or alcohol consumption prior to their session or while on studio premises. If clients do not adhere to this policy, the session will be cancelled immediately with no refund issued.

Editing and Mixing

  • Editing and mixing is charged at an hourly rate.
  • If the editing and mixing fits into the session time booked originally, then a further editing charge will only apply if the original booking time is exceeded. For example, if the client books the studio for two hours of recording, but all recording is completed in one hour, then the second hour can be dedicated to editing and mixing. There is no guarantee, however, that the editing or mixing will be completed in that time.
  • Any edits or mixes that are charged for at a flat fee must be assessed before a quote can be provided to the client. If the client agrees to move forward, then the normal payment procedures will follow.
  • A flat fee charge allows for three iterations after the initial mix. This means that the client may provide a list of multiple fixes that they wish to have applied. Once that list is complete, the client may provide two more such lists. Any further iterations will be charged for at the hourly rate.

Mastering

  • The studio will master a track for a flat fee. This is for a standard song up to 6 minutes in length.
  • If the track is longer than 6 minutes, a flat fee will still apply to the mastering job, but the amount will be quoted based on the length and complexity of the work.
  • The studio will allow for up to three iterations of the mastered track. This means that the client may provide a list of multiple fixes to the master. Once that list is complete, the client may provide two more lists for changes they wish to apply. Any further iterations will be charged for at the hourly rate.

Video and Green Screen Recordings

  • All video recording will be charged at an hourly rate.
  • All video equipment will be set up by the studio prior to the session.
  • Fine-tuning of focus, camera settings, audio settings, microphone positions, mark-up, and lighting will be done during the billable studio session as these aspects of the production can only be done when the talent is onsite.
  • The client will own the raw footage captured during a session once they have paid their invoice in full. This will not include any post-production, which is a separate charge and booking.
  • All material edited in the absence of the client must be done with a deadline clearly specified.
  • Green screen equipment will be set up prior to the session. This includes the green screen and necessary lighting.
  • The client must not wear green during a green screen recording.
  • The client must make efforts to minimise reflectivity during a green screen recording. This includes wet hair, glasses, reflective makeup or other objects, props or surfaces that may be highly reflective.
  • If the client does not adhere to the above two items, the studio will not take responsibility for any diminished quality of a green screen recording that may result.

Composition

  • Crash Symphony Productions offers creative compositional work for film, TVC and other video productions.
  • Depending on the specifications of the work, we elect to charge either a licensing fee, or flat fee for the project. This fee will be based on the scope of the broadcast, period of use, complexity of the production, and the cost of producing the creative work.
  • If the deadline is brought forward once the composition has been initiated, the studio reserves the right to apply a fee for the shorter turnaround (Please see: Deadlines and Turnaround).
  • The studio will pass on the cost of compositions that require expensive session work (like recording orchestras or other large ensembles). Recording a good orchestra in Australia can cost between $70,000- $100,000AUD. In these circumstances, the cost will need to be covered in full by the client.
  • The studio will, where possible, offer alternatives to expensive live session work.

ADR

  • ADR (Additional Dialogue Replacement) is charged at an hourly rate and in half-hour increments after the first initial hour.
  • The studio will charge a flat fee for ADR session setup. This is to set up and test the screen in the sound booth, as well as the lapel and boom microphones.
  • Source Connect sessions will incur an extra fee per charged hour, on top of the standard ADR rate.
  • The studio will charge a transfer fee for ADR sessions. This is because ADR sessions often require uploading and sending files that are greater than 500MB.
  • Source Connect sessions will require full payment to be made before the session begins. This is because the audio data will be immediately sent to the client over the internet as the recording happens.
  • The studio requires all the data (Pro Tools sessions, cue sheet, picture, technical specifications) to be sent to the studio at least 24 hours prior to the ADR session.

Offsite Recording

  • Offsite recording is when the studio transports and utilises the equipment at a location other than the studio location.
  • Offsite recording will incur a fee associated with preparation of equipment for transport to the location and setup at the recording location.
  • Offsite recording will incur a fee for the travel time to the recording location.
  • The client will be charged an hourly rate for the recording that takes place at the location.

Watermarking of Data

  • All material that is produced during a studio booking remains the property of the studio until full payment is received. Once the client has paid for the session in full, they have complete ownership of the raw data and anything else that was worked on during that session.
  • If the client wishes to leave with data before it is paid in full, the studio will provide watermarked content. This is an audio or visual marker indicating that the studio owns the content. Once the balance is paid, this watermarking will be removed and the files will be sent or given to the client.

Final Product Check

  • It is the responsibility of the client to check all the work that has been done by the studio before mass production of a product or release to the public. For example, when a music album is going through the final checks before mass duplication, it is the responsibility of the client to check the entire album and give the final sign off. Once the client has signed off on a project’s completion, they have acknowledged that they are satisfied with the quality of the work so that it may move forward to the next stage of production.
  • Any changes that are requested after this final sign off will be billable at the studio rate.

Sourcing of Third Parties (session musicians, voice over artists, actors, make-up artists, etc.)

  • Crash Symphony Productions can make recommendations for third party professionals.
  • We do not take responsibility for any business that takes place between the client and the third party professional that we recommend. They are ultimately independent of Crash Symphony Productions and the final decision to employ them rests with the client.
  • If the studio takes an agent fee for the booking of a freelance professional, it will be made clear to the client prior to securing the booking.
  • In circumstances where an agent fee is taken, the studio will take responsibility for the quality of the work provided to the client.

CSP Session Work and Creative Input

  • Crash Symphony Productions offers session work provided by our own producers and engineers. This does not include freelance session musicians that CSP has organised on behalf of artists.
  • We charge a flat fee per instrument, per track. This means that if a guitar part is played on a track by our team (even one with multiple layers), it will be charged at a flat fee. If another instrument is added to the song and played by someone on our team, for example a drum part, a second flat fee will be charged.
  • The studio may not charge for an instrumental part if the client ultimately decides not to use it in the final product.
  • Charges associated with session work at Crash Symphony Productions are in addition to the studio rate. The studio time is paid at an hourly rate, whilst session work is charged at a flat rate, or freelancer’s fee, as outlined above.
  • Crash Symphony Productions does not take responsibility for the creative decisions that are made on an independent project. We will offer ideas and opinions when requested, but the final decision lies with the client. For example, if the studio comes up with an idea within a project, and it is accepted by the client, the studio will not offer a discount or refund for the time associated with bringing that idea to completion, should the client later decide to do something else instead.

Use of CSP Instruments

  • The client can rent musical instruments and other specialised equipment at the studio for the period of the booking. This includes keyboards, guitars, drums, percussion, and other items that are not directly associated with the studio’s functionality.
  • If the client damages any studio property, they will be liable to pay the repair costs, or a replacement fee.

Completion of Projects

  • The studio will require a signature from the client to indicate that the project has been completed, in order to indicate agreement between all parties that the project has concluded. This is so that the studio can archive the project from the main hard drives.
  • If the studio does not hear from the client within 14 days, during the project timeline (particularly in response to a request for feedback/confirmation), it will be assumed that the project is completed or not going forward, and all related data may be archived.

File Transfers

  • Any data greater than 500MB to be transferred over the internet will incur a flat fee charge.
  • It is the responsibility of the client to provide the media (USB, DVD, CD, Hard Drive) to which data is transferred. If the client requires the studio to procure media for data transfer, a minimum of 48 hours notice is required. The cost of the media will be passed onto the client, as well as a flat fee for time required to obtain it.
  • All media that is posted to a client will incur a flat fee. This is for the time required to send the item. Furthermore, the postage fees for the item will be passed on to the client.

Retention and Archiving of Completed Projects

  • It is not the responsibility of the studio to retain data of the projects that were recorded and completed. All raw files, materials and data can be given to the client upon request, provided all invoices to date have been paid in full.
  • The studio will retain the data of a project for a length of one year after the last studio booking. After this, the project is considered “inactive” and the studio reserves the right to delete the data from the archives.
  • The only circumstance in which the studio is obligated to keep an inactive project after one year, is when the client pays a set fee for the studio to retain a backup of the project.

Recommencement of Old or Completed Projects

  • Recommencement of a project after archiving is treated as a new project and therefore incurs new charges.
  • If a client wishes to recommence a project after archiving, retrieving it from the archives will take some time. Furthermore, any upgrading of studio software that takes place while a project is idle or archived, may affect the project once it is reloaded onto the studio computer. In some circumstances, this means that old projects will not work at all on the updated system. The more time that has elapsed between archiving and recommencement, the higher the risk of such issues arising when reloading.
  • The studio will attempt to assist the client in retrieving and recommencing work on the project but, ultimately, is not responsible for issues that may occur after the archiving of a project.

Studio Surveillance

Crash Symphony Productions is under 24-hour video and audio surveillance 7 days a week. This surveillance is for the protection of our production equipment, staff, and our property. It is a condition that you, the client, agree to this surveillance to do business with our studio, Crash Symphony Productions. All surveillance footage is kept in perpetuity and is owned by the studio. We reserve the right to use surveillance footage, both audio and video, captured onsite in any legal dispute that may arise.