Preparing to Enter the Studio
When you are about to enter the studio and record, there are some things you should take care of before you get there. In this article, I am going to list some things that we recommend you do to make the best of your recording experience and be very prepared so that your songs sound the best in the end.
1. Make sure the band members know their parts.
Some bands come into the studio and don't know what they are going to do in certain parts. This may be as little as being unsure of what to do on a solo or as big as the bass playing the verse riff the wrong way. Now, it is understood that there will be times where bands will change things in the studio or have a few lead parts they have to choose between but that should not stop you from being as prepared as possible before you enter the recording process.
Our Advice...
A few things can be done to fix this.
-Scratch record your songs. Some bands I have seen have set up a Radio Shack microphone in the room and recorded it onto their laptop computer; some bands have their own audio recording program. In any case, it is good to scratch record your songs so you, as a band, can go back and listen to the songs and figure out parts that may need to be improved. Also, these audio files will be immensely helpful to us at the studio so we can prepare to record your style of music, experience how your band plays together, and make any preparations we will need to make to accommodate your band.
-Have a long band practice a ways before you are scheduled to record and have each member play through a scratch track of the CD you are going to record while all the other members are watching. This way, you will know that the band approves of each other's parts and you can be sure that, when your band enters the studio, everyone will be fully prepared to perform them.
2. Record to a click track.
Almost every CD you hear that is professionally done has been recorded to a click track; even songs with tempo and time signature changes. Since CD's are so precise sounding compared to live sound, it makes it even more obvious when a band is fluctuating in tempo and it usually sounds like a mistake when it is happening. To prevent this, it is best to have your band record to a click track. To make sure you are prepared for the studio, it is best to get a tap tempo metronome and, while you are playing the song in practice at the tempo you want it to be at, have one of your members tap along to your song and write down the tempo so that you can use it in the studio.
Our Advice...
-It is best to have your band record to a click track. To make sure you are prepared for the studio, get a tap tempo metronome and, while you are playing the song in practice at the tempo you want it to be at, have one of your members tap along to your song and write down the tempo so that you can use it in the studio. Have each part of the song written down so the studio engineer can know how to program the metronome so that you will get the best result on your recording.
3. Make sure your Guitars and Basses have been taken in for a tune-up within the last 2 weeks and have new strings and you have new drum heads.
Imagine that so far your band has tracked drums, rhythm guitars, and bass, and now it's time to lay down the lead guitar tracks. You sit with the sound engineer, tune your guitar, and begin to record a tasteful layer of leads and you find that your guitar is amazingly out of tune and it sounds awful. Most likely the issue here is that your guitar's intonation is out and you need a tuneup with new strings. You may think that this doesn't happen much but I can assure you it happens about 1 in 3 bands; maybe more.
Our Advice...
-Take your guitars and basses to someone who is skilled at tune-ups and have them strung up and intonated. I suggest calling us and we can connect you with one of the best repair guys around.
-You will have to change your drum heads at some point and that point to be within 2 weeks of recording. This will give you time to tune them well, play them a bit, and be ready to re-tune them when you get into the studio.
4. Record with new drum heads.
It's not very motivating to listen to dull drums on your final mix; new and properly tuned drum heads can change this. Yes, this may cost a little bit but if you are already spending time and money to make this the best recording it can be, it is worth going the extra mile to get new drum skins.
Our Advice...
-Get new drum skins and put them on 3-5 days before you have enters the studio.
-Bring your set in the day before your band starts. That way, they will get used to the temperature and humidity in the studio and the drum heads will have time to adjust. This sets up an optimal situation to tune the drums the day of the recording.
5. Know when to take breaks.
Many bands have that one member who basically represents the drill sergeant of the band. This statement is for him/her. There are times when you record that your band will get frustrated and burnt out on all the concentration and tough work that is happening. It's good to know when to call it a day and come back refreshed.
Our Advice...
Try to make sure you are taking ample breaks for eating and relaxing so your members don't get upset or perform poorly because they are overloaded. We have seen this too many times; a stressful recording experience usually comes up with a worse product than one that is enjoyed and not tense. Also, your audio engineer and artists also suffer from fatigue while in the studio too and will need breaks so make sure everyone who is working on your recording is keeping refreshed and energized.
6. Know "your" sound.
Generally, musicians can name recording that have tones and styles that they want to work toward in their recording. A great way for the audio engineer to know what sort of sound you are going for is letting him hear examples form other CD's already recorded. Also, know that you will never be able to get the exact sound you hear on another CD but you should be able to get close. Also, realize that being unique is a good thing. If you can find a tone/sound you think matches your band's music and style, go with it regardless of how close it sounds to your favorite band!
Our Advice...
-Bring a burnt CD of production examples of styles you would like to replicate or take influence from on your recording. This way, your audio engineer can do his best to understand the style you are going for and get the best mix for you.
7. Know your limits.
Some bands think that, with the help of some studio editing and a whole bunch of takes, they will be able to play amazingly high speed solos and faster drums above their ability and make it sound great on their CD. This, almost always, is not the case. In fact, most things you will be performing on a CD will be more difficult to achieve perfectly knowing the clarity of digital recording.
Our advice...
-Know your limits! Make sure that the things you want tracking on your CD you can play at near precision level. That way, you have a high chance that things will go smoothly in the studio and you won't take a couple hours on one part and be overly stressed about it.
8. Consider other sources of multimedia to supplement your music.
This includes graphic design, a new web presence, photographs, video progress updates, and new merchandise. All of these things can highly enhance the release of your music and make it that much more professional and grand. During your time in the studio, you may have members who are just watching and waiting for their turn. These members could be taking advantage of the time to work with a graphic artist, web designer, and printing companies to get stuff done so that, when the music is done being mixed and mastered, you will be able to release all the forms of media at the same time and the release will be a much more noticeable event.
Our Advice...
-Read through the "Other Services" section on our Myspace page and you will find a list of people who we recommend to contact for their services. When you contact us, we can arrange the schedule so that other artists can be working on different types of media to support your CD's release. It works well if they are booked to do their work in the studio while tracking is taking place (making sure it won't interrupt recording).
9. Know what to do with your recording when you are done with it.
Sometimes, bands will put massive amounts of work into preparing for and recording an album and, when it's all said and done, they don't know what to do with it when they are finished. Do you plan on growing your web presence? Do you plan on having new merchandise designed and manufactured to go along with your new music? Are you hoping to get signed to a label? Do you want to tour? Do you need management?
Our Advice...
-Spend some time talking with your band mates about what you plan to do in the future. Many times, we can provide advice and help contacting people who will be able to help you, especially when it comes to multimedia like web design, graphics, video, photography, and of course, audio recording, mixing, and mastering
-Dan Gleason
