Before Going Into the Studio

Bring reference CD's for the engineer to listen to before the recording begins. The engineer can tailor the recording sessions to get the overall sound you want.

If you have made any previous recordings (at a gig, in your home, or at another studio), bring them with you for the engineer to hear. Even if you are unhappy with the recording, it's just as valuable to hear what you DON'T want to sound like as what you do want to sound like. Also, if you have recordings of other bands that you like, it can be worthwhile bringing them along, to point out any part of their sound that you want to achieve in your recording.

Give considerable thought to your end product. What you want the final recording to sound like has an impact on how it is recorded. Changing your vision towards the end of the project will often limit your options or cost you more money and time. A consultation with our experts can help you with these decisions.

Decide on your budget and plan to spend one-third to one-half of your budget on recording and the remainder on editing, mixing, mastering and producing CDs.

Recording always takes longer than you think it will take. A good rule of thumb is to plan for 1 hour per song for recording, and 1 1/2to 2 hours per song for editing, mixing and burning the CDs. A total of 3 1/2to 4 hours per song is not unusual. If you plan for less, you may find yourself settling on a less than ideal performance due to budget concerns.

Prepare one or two extra songs for your project. If you plan to make a 3-song demo, prepare 4 or 5 songs. Often artists find that a good live performance song does not translate into a great recorded song. Instead of forcing it, you can choose one of your alternates. You never know which songs will sound great on the final CD.

Most importantly, rehearse your material before you enter the studio. Remember, you are paying for time so don't pay the recording engineer to listen to you practice your material. It's natural to make a few mistakes, especially during your first recording session, but the better rehearsed you are, the less time and money will be spent on the recording session.

Have all of your vocal and instrumental parts worked out in advance. Make live recordings of your songs (even on a simple hand-held recorder) to reveal any weak parts of a song.

Drummers that have not played with a click track before are encouraged to do so before the recording session. Drumming to a click track can be difficult to do at first, but becomes easier with practice/repetition. Using a click track with expand your options and reduce the time it takes to edit tracks.

Eat well, sleep well and rest up before your recording session. You don't want to waste studio time because you are tired or hungry or thinking about how tired or hungry you are.

If you are recording a band, discuss each song with the engineer and plan to leave room on the recording device for any and all overdubs or additional parts which might need to be recorded after the initial session. Planning in this manner will save time later.

Make sure all of your instruments are in good order, and don't have any nasty squeaks, rattles or buzzes when you play - recording tends to highlight any imperfections that often go unnoticed in a live performance setting.

Check with local music stores to find out their hours--in case you need some strings, a cord or a new drum head. Better yet, BRING SPARES of everything.

Don't try new gear or equipment you have not used before. Remember, you are paying for time, so don't spend your money to learn how to operate new equipment......try out the new gear at home first.

When You Are in the Studio–

Be on time (if not a little early) to your session. Most recording studios start the clock at the appointed time, whether all of the musicians are there or not.

Remember that the recording process is very different from live performance. It may take some getting used to, so don't worry too much about your first recording session. A good studio will have a comfortable atmosphere and help you get past your nerves.

Try not to bring too many friends or observers. Although a friend or family member can help you feel comfortable too many distractions will slow down the recording session.

Emotion and feeling make the best song, not necessarily the best technical version, however, recording offers the advantage of "doing over" any parts not played or sung correctly.

If you miss a note or mess up a line, don't stop and start over. Doing so can lead to burn out. Instead, concentrate on the remainder of the performance. Often small mistakes can be corrected easily by overdubbing or "punching in."

It's always important to keep in mind the focus of your music and the end result you are seeking--if it's the vocals, plan to spend most time on those; if it's sweet acoustic guitar sounds, spend the most time on that.

Get the sound and performance you want while recording. Not everything can be "fixed in the mix" later by the engineer.

Be quiet before the record button is pushed and after the song ends. Editing out unwanted talking or other noises takes time (and money) later.

Recording with effects limits your choices later during the editing process. It is sometimes better to record a "dry" sound and add the effects later. Once effects are recorded, such as a delay or chorus, you can't take them out later.

Don't be afraid to give up on a performance if it is not coming out the way you want it. You might be tired or just not feeling the song at that time. It is better to move on to another song or quit for the day rather than to settle for a less than ideal performance. If you press on under stressful conditions, it will show in the finished product.

Tune up often during the recording process--after each song or even after each take if your guitar solo uses lots of string bending, for example.

Singers should always bring water (not ice water) to the session. If you use hot tea with lemon, or olive oil to relax your vocal chords, bring it to the studio with you. Studios will sometimes offer beverages, but don't count on them having what you need or want.

Decide who is going to "produce" your song or CD. The recording engineer's primary job is to get your music recorded. Although he or she may have some suggestions or advice, it is not the engineer's job to determine if your performance is acceptable or if the song sounds good. The producer's job is to do just that --decide if the song is strong, if the performance is acceptable (or, better yet, if it is "magic"), if the instrumentation should be changed, if backing vocals need to be added, if there are too many verses or if the chorus is repeated enough times, etc.

If you don't have a producer, decide on a band spokesperson so the recording engineer is not getting suggestions, opinions and directions from many different people. This will save you time and, of course, money.

Some mistakes can be artificially and inaudibly corrected, especially with today's digital editing facilities, and in some cases this can be a great time saver. However it should not be relied upon, and there's nothing worse than wasting hours getting bogged down in editing when it would have been better just to do another couple of takes. Nothing kills the musical atmosphere of a session more than staring at waveforms on a screen instead of making music!

After You Are Done Recording–

Do not expect to mix and burn a CD on the same day of your recording session. You (and the engineer) must let your ears rest before starting to make musical decisions. What happens sometimes is that your ears get used to hearing the same thing over and over and it starts to sound "right"but the next day you hear the same thing differently.

Listen to the rough mix on a variety of sound systems--home stereo, car stereo, computer, boom box, a friend's system, etc. --and at varying volume levels. Don't always pump it up to maximum. Listening at lower volume levels will not harm your ears, will not distort the sounds and allow you to listen closely.

If you have suggestions or changes to the rough mix, try to be as specific as possible so the engineer can easily and quickly fix it.