COVID-19 Update:
Due to Omicron, proof of vaccination including a booster is required for in person recording. All services, except for in person recording are available online. Checkout our online beat store.
Artist Package
Payment required on the day- Studio Hire (full day - 8 hours)
- Recording
- Mixing
- Music Production
- Beat Making from scratch
- Graphical Mode Manual Auto Tuning
- Mastering
Artist Hourly Rate
Payment required on the day- Studio Hire (per hour)
- Recording
- Mixing
- Music Production
- Beat Making from scratch
- Graphical Mode Manual Auto Tuning
- Mastering
Private Lessons
Pay as you go or per term- Piano Lessons
- Beat Making Lessons
- Piano & Beat Making Combo Lesson
- Recording & Sound Engineering Lessons
- Composition & Songwriting
- Improvisation
- Ear training & playing by ear
Artist Hourly Rate
Payment required on the day- Studio Hire (per hour)
- Recording
- Mixing
- Music Production
- Beat Making from scratch
- Graphical Mode Manual Auto Tuning
- Mastering
Private Lessons
Pay as you go or per term- Piano Lessons
- Beat Making Lessons
- Piano & Beat Making Combo Lesson
- Recording & Sound Engineering
- Composition & Songwriting
- Improvisation
- Ear training & playing by ear
About
When you book a session at Current Sound in Hollywood, you’re not just getting studio hire. Included in every package an hourly rate is Music Producer & Sound Engineer, Tom Watson. That means in addition to recording studio hire, you’re getting the skills of a sound engineer, beat maker, music producer, keyboardist, vocal tuning expert, recording, mixing and mastering engineer all in the one competitive rate. For Major labels, we can include a topline writer with A-list artist credits at an additional price.
Label Rates
Major labels: The rates for signed artists are $80 per hour or $650 per day (8 hours) including the sound engineer and music producer, Tom Watson. All available services are the same as above. Invoices are due 14 days net. We reserve the right to take 50% of the publishing/songwriting for custom production and beat-making if we’re making the full instrumental from scratch. Top line writers are available upon request.
Indie labels: If you pay on the day via cash or credit card, you may receive the artist rate, otherwise, rates default to the major label rates of $80 per hour or $650 per day (8 hours).
Corporate Rates: To view our rates for voice-overs, ADR, Syncs and post production click here: Corporate + Vos
Online Prices
Un-attended prices for those outside Los Angeles
With optional live stream from our studio
Online Mastering
Online Vocal Tuning
Custom Hip-Hop Beat
Looking for fire hip-hop beats?
Label quality beats by Tom Watson at Current Sound, 19 years experience, are available for lease right now at the Current Sound beat store.
19 years of experience, custom melodies played from scratch on the piano and synth. Drums played on Maschine or the MPC. All beats are mixed and mastered, ready for your vocals.
These are not the sort of beats you normally find online!
Services
Pictured: Current Sound Recording Studio, Hollywood, Los Angeles
Recording Studio Hire
Recording studio hire at Current Sound in Hollywood Los Angeles comes with sound engineer and music producer Tom Watson included in the rates. This means mixing, music production, beat-making, vocal tuning and all of the services listed below are included in the rates and prices above. Unattended sessions by Tom Watson are available at the same price as the online prices.
For freelance engineers interested in booking a space to work from, we have acoustically treated and furnished rooms available in Hollywood at either monthly lockout or per day. Please contact us for availability and pricing.
We create music from scratch!
All the songs you hear on this website were produced by Tom Watson at Current Sound. Tom Watson produces all the music from scratch. To put it more simply, everything except for the vocals in these songs was created from scratch and finished by Tom Watson so you have to do it come in and sing or rap your idea either by itself or over an existing beat/backing track and Tom can create new music to suit your song or style completely from scratch, record, mix and master the song. If you play guitar or piano we can use your chords and/or your musical contribution and collab.
We Can Hook You Up!
We can’t set you up with a hot date for Saturday night but we have something even better…. Tom Watson works with songwriters behind A-list artist such as Rihanna, Lil Wayne, Usher, T-Pain and many more. Are you a rapper in the need of a killer hook/chorus? Or are you a singer in the market for a songwriter that can write a song to suit your style and voice? Not only can Tom Watson create and produce all the music for your song from scratch but he can also bring in a songwriter/top line writer to create the vocal melodies and lyrics for your hook or full song. Inquire for prices and availability.
Happy mic, happy life!
We’ve got an awesome selection of mics and preamps to put a smile on your face. We can select a mic that sounds great on your voice and instruments. Current Sound is both soundproof and acoustically treated. With fiberglass acoustic panels, bass traps and a large iso booth, we’re recording just your voice, not the room or noise around you.
Manual vocal tuning
Available Online and in person
Auto-Tune isn’t just made to make T-pain sounding vocals or to be run in auto mode. Everyone that says they don’t like Auto Tune has never heard the before and after of it being done properly in Graphical Mode. Graphical Mode Auto Tuning is the industry standard tuning method. Every time you hear your favorite singer on the radio, if the song was made after the mid 90s, it’s likely that you are hearing Auto Tune in Graphical Mode.
Graphical Mode Auto Tuning is the audio equivalent of air brushing/Photoshopping a photo. In Graphical Mode, Auto Tune does not tune anything automatically. It is up to the user to tell Auto Tune what to tune and when. We manually pitch shift every single note up or down by ear to be 100% flawlessly in tune. Listen to some examples of before and after Graphical Mode Auto Tuning on the left. Manual Vocal Tuning is included in our hourly and day rate.
Custom Remixes
Recorded a song but the production isn’t cutting it? Or would you like a remix for the club? Supply us with just an A Cappella only and we can create a custom remix, new chords and melodies to fit by ear. Revive your songs with a custom remix.
Custom Hip-Hop Beats
It’s pretty hard to stand out as a rapper if you’re just rapping on the same generic beat everyone else has. At Current Sound, we make unique, one of a kind custom hip-hop beats/instrumentals from scratch to suit your style without using any loops or samples. All melodies, synths and sounds are played in on the keyboard and custom drums and played in on the Maschine Studio or MPC.
What every rapper & singer has been looking for!
Most rappers and singers dream of the day that they will sign to a major record label. They know that when they sign, the label will make them great songs and give them talented people and studios to work with. However, this was only completely true in the 90s when Artist Development Deals were the norm. These days, since music sales have declined, labels want completely finished songs and for the artists to have a strong following before they will sign them. Most singers and rappers usually just find beats to write over and then book a studio to record the vocals over that beat.
What’s different with booking a talented music producer and beat maker such as Tom Watson is you can literally turn up to the studio to create a song from scratch. Tom Watson will make the beat/backing track to suit your ideas and style. You can write in the studio with the energy of having a producer making your ideas come to life on the spot.
It’s like signing to a record label in the 90s, except that you can fund it yourself and that the music style is that of today hence the name of Tom Watson’s studio, Current Sound. LA is full of recording studios, yet there are very few music producers available for hire that are of such a high caliber. You don’t need to sign to a label to sound like you signed to a label. You just need to book a session with Tom Watson at Current Sound.
Piano, Production & Beat-Making Lessons
Available Online and in person
One on one, hands on piano, production & beat making lessons with music producer Tom Watson.
LA is full of music production courses yet they all just teach you how to use a DAW or a piece of software. That is kinda like learning to operate a stove or an oven without learning to cook. To us that sounds crazy! If you really want to learn music production, we offer one on one lessons with music producer, beat-maker and pianist, Tom Watson.
One on one lessons are just $50 for an hour lesson and $25 for a half hour lesson. We recommend one lesson per week and to practice at home in between lessons. Hour lessons are the best option for those wanting to learn both piano and music production/beat-making as Tom will often teach a half hour piano lesson and then use the 2nd half of that lesson to show you how to use your newly learnt piano skills and theory to create an instrumental/beat.
We often both lessons for adults as well as children and we also often advanced music production lessons and sound engineering lessons for professional and up and coming producers and engineers.
Compared to most other piano teachers in Los Angeles, California, Tom specializes in teaching in modern genres such as Hip-Hop, R&B, Pop & EDM as well as teaching improvisation, learning to play by chords, learning to play by ear and songwriting. Go beyond the sheet music & understand music.
Mastering
Mastering is available at $120 per song or in person.
If you book the studio, mastering by Tom Watson is included in the day rate and hourly rate at no additional cost. You just pay for the studio time for us to do it.
All the songs on this website were mastered by Tom Watson at Current Sound.
Mastering for iTunes, Vinyl & CDs.
We do mastering for radio, CDs, iTunes/Steaming services and Vinyl. We can master any genre but we are particularly good a mastering Pop and bass heavy genres such as Hip-Hop, EDM/Club and Urban/R&B.
DDPi, CDtext and ISRC tagging
For physical album and EP masters, we can supply a DDPi direct to your physical distributor and/or pressing factory tagged with CDtext and ISRCs.
Online mastering submission form
Note: This form is for mastering inquires only.
IN A BAND OR JUST WANT A RECORDING WITH DIRECTION?
Available Online and in person
Update: During COVID-19 ‘Safer at Home’ Mandate and forced closure of non-essential businesses, you can record in your home studio and Music Producer – Tom Watson will help direct your performance Via Skype, or via Source Connect, VST Connect or ISDN. He can even remotely record your performance via VST Connect so that you can just focus on performing.
No problem. The definition of a producer is not just someone who makes beats. The producer is the guy who has the vision for the song. A good producer can picture the finished song in his head and knows what the artist(s) and musicians need to do to get to the end goal. He has the ‘vision for the song. He is basically the director, like a director of a film except for a song.
Tom Watson actually started his professional career as a recording engineer and producer for bands. He can help the musicians and singer (or rapper) perform in a way that enhances the meaning and style of the song and will get the best performance out of everyone. He will find that one perfect take and cut up all the best pieces to help create your master piece. He can tweak your amps and guitar tones, double track, re-amp, add drum triggers, tune and mic your drum kit and help get the best sound out of your gear to suit your song. Of course he can also do your typical editing and make sure everyone is always in time.
Do you record full live bands?
Tom has his own studio, Current Sound in Hollywood, for recording vocals, editing, mixing, post production and mastering which you can use for free, you just have to pay his hourly or day rate as priced above. However, for tracking a full live band you will need to pay the studio time at a studio of your choice within the LA area in addition to his hourly rate. He can also travel to a studio of your choice outside of LA at an additional price depending on the location. If you don’t have a studio in mind for tracking your full band, contact us as Tom can get discounted rates at selected studios.
Tom Watson and Miriam Margolyes (Harry Potter/Happy Feet/The Guilt Trip/Family Guy/)
Voice Overs, Post-production & commercials
Music producer Tom Watson actually started his professional career at the age of 18 working at Fresh FM in Australia producing commercials, hosting his own radio show and interviewing celebrities. Since then he has recorded many celebrity actors and voice over artists at Current Sound in Australia and he is now available at our LA studio for all of your recording, production and post production needs. Please visit our corporate recording page to learn about our corporate recording services and prices.