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Preparing For A Session Recording
A comprehensive guide to preparing for your session at one of
our recording studios.
The following guidelines come from years of experience working
with artists in a professional studio environment. These are
by no means concrete rules but our goal in presenting these
guidelines is to make you familiar with the process so you can
concentrate on your performance and creativity. We're sure the
list will unearth some unanswered questions, so feel free to
call us to discuss your specific situation.
Always plan to do fewer songs rather than a lot of songs quickly.
There is nothing worse than having lots of songs on a cd that
you are embarrassed to play to people, and nothing more satisfying
than listening to one song that you are completely happy with,
remember, if there was a magic formula, everybody would be using
it. Quality takes time.
Focus on tight bass and drums. It is critical that these two
players have a "locked" performance. During the initial recording
session, view all the other tracks as support for an energetic,
tight drum and bass pass. If the other instruments play a "keeper"
part, consider it a blessing. Have a drummer and bass player
extra rehearsal before the studio. Plan to overdub other parts
so that we can focus strictly on their performance, if possible.
Analyze your song structure. Look for spice and other elements
that will make the track more interesting. This could include
percussion, background harmony parts, sound effects, guitar/key
fills, etc. Be sure to ask the engineer for input.
Gear checklist. Bring with you:
All amps/fx pedals/processors you could possibly use. Remember,
the "best sounding" instrument/sound may not be the best for
the track.
All guitars, keyboards and their stands .
Tuner, Batteries, Capo, Picks.
Percussion (shaker, tambourine, congas, bongos, etc.)
Drummers: Favorite snare drums or cymbals
Keyboard: stands, rigs or setps
Guitar: stands, rigs or setups
Guitar and bass players:
NEW STRINGS (at least a day before your session).
Drummers: NEW HEADS (break them in a little before the session),
clean cymbals. TUNE YOUR DRUMS. Our engineers may be able to
help with this process.
Typical session log: Although it's NEVER the same for every
song or band, here is a typical scenario:
Take 1: Levels for engineer - check headphone mix, players recall
parts and generally "warm up."
Take 2: Parts are there but not as tight as necessary.
Take 3: This one is picked over by the producer, engineer, and
band members and suggestions might be offered to players. Try
and keep an open mind.
Take 4: Performance is usually there and tight.
Take 5: Try to top take Compare these two, keep best take.
Movin on to the next song...
We have recorded everything from "live" to two track recording,
to extreme production multitrack mixing. However, here is the
average we see clients spend on their per-song projects. Again,
every project is different...(times are approximate per song)
1 -1.5 hours for main instruments (piano, bass, drums, gtr)
1 -2 hours for overdubs (second and third gtrs, keyboard overdubs,
etc.)
1 -2 hours for vocals (lead vocals, secondary vocals)
1 -2 hours for background vocals (ensemble vocals, choirs)
5 -1 hours for adding spice (percussion / fx, strings, extra
instruments)
2 -4 hours for mix
Be prepared to spend time allowing the engineer to "get sounds",
including changing microphones, microphone placement, drum tuning,
player placement, etc. Our engineers are quick and knowlegable.
Remember, they are trying to hear the whole sonic picture and
are taking care of many details you may not think of. Time spent
in a tracking session getting a great sound helps speed up mix
time, reducing time spent attempting to "fix" poor sounds. Never
"fix it in the mix" unless absolutely necessary. Be assured,
the session will go very quickly once he is satisfied with all
the sound and technical issues.
Practice and perform to a click track or metronome when possible.
Practicing to a metronome can really tighten up a band. Start
practicing with a click track now. The studio reveals, in extreme
detail, any tempo inconsistencies. The studio will provide you
a click track if necessary.
Take 5-minute breaks often. Some of the best takes happen directly
following a short, refreshing break. Don't work yourself to
the bone and expect your best work. A relaxed easy-going atmosphere
will inspire those around you to better performances.
We recommended you do not bring friends to the main recording
session. This is a time when the band needs to focus on each
other. This is not the time to shoot your next music video or
show off to your girlfriend especially when she see's it takes
you 2 hours to get that Osološ just right. This is teamwork
time.
Give the engineer a break If you're not actively involved in
the recording and mixing, donšt socialise in the control room,
allow the engineer to fully concentrate in the critical listening
environment, he canšt do that if you are being noisy.
Headphone mix. Your engineer will work with you on your headphone
mix. However, you will not hear your instrument in the headphones
as you're used to hearing it live, headphone mixes are a unique
world and it may take some getting used to. Try lifting a headphone
off one ear to hear yourself better. This also helps with tuning
when recording vocal overdubs. Please do not ask the engineer
to mix at the end of a tracking or overdub session. Unless absolutely
neccesary, try and schedule a separate mixing session. Approach
a mix session with fresh engineer ears and ideas.
Provide the engineer and all band members copies of the lyric
sheets for notes and reference. This will be more helpful than
you will ever know.
Be prepared to be in the studio for a certain amount of time
and to spend a certain amount of money. Discuss your expectations
with your engineer so everyone's on the same page. Be realistic,
Music is work and costs money. A good business attitude will
help you all along the way. The engineer will work with you
to keep the project within the time goals you have set. This
prevents the distraction of worrying about how much it's going
to cost. During the session, your primary goal should be to
keep your focus on the creative process, not the administrative
and financial and remember, making copies for the group is still
engineering, so it's still on the clock.
Start recording easy songs first. As you begin to relax and
fall into a groove, the more difficult songs will come easier.
Tuning OFTEN is essential. Even if you think you're in tune,
check it -- especially after leads or songs requiring a CAPO.
Tune before EVERY take
Allow the engineer to make suggestions concerning your sounds.
For example: You might love the sound of your guitar cabinet
with the bass EQ cranked, but the engineer is trained to listen
how the sounds fit into the mix and to hear sounds competing
for the same frequency spectrum. He may explain that the bass
boost in your cabinet will compete with the bass guitar in the
mix and recommend a more neutral bass setting. This could apply
to any instrument. The goal is not to make each instrument sound
great by itself but to sound great in a mix with many other
elements.
Finally, at all cost, keep it fun. It will translate into the
best finished product. The more prepared you are, the more fun
the session will be! Work through creative differences outside
the studio and if tensions rise in the session, take evasive
action. Move on to the next song and come back to the one you're
having trouble with or take a break.
Terms are 50/25/25. 50% at least one week in advance to secure
dates, 25% at beginning of mix, balance due upon delivery of
masters. No masters released until payment in full. Overtime
will be billed at the quoted rates.
Cancellation terms are: 1 week notice = full refund, 48 hours
to 1 week notice = 50% refund, 24 to 48 hours notice = 25% refund,
24 hours or less= no refund. Please understand that once we
accept your deposit, we stop trying to sell the allotted studio
time. If you cancel we still have to cover our costs.
Time Booked Is Time Billed You are invoiced for all time booked,
even if you finish early. The clock starts at the booked time
and normally stops for a 1 hour lunch, an hour for tea and a
15 min break every 4 hours to keep our ears fresh. All billing
is on an hourly basis. Cancellation policy in effect throughout
sessions. Load-in is scheduled 1 hour before session start time.
Rescheduling of sessions at the discretion of engineers.
Special thanks to Dan Mckinzie. |
