Using this basic guideline, the following information will help you maximize your time in the studio - while avoiding some costly mistakes and expenses.
1. Have all songs written, parts figured out and assigned before coming into the studio. Spend time to rehearse and experiment prior to booking time. Don’t waste valuable studio time and money on things you can easily do at home or in the comfort of your rehearsal space. This point cannot be stressed enough. Also, print copies of song lyrics & label the arrangments [verse 1, bridge, chours, etc.] so that everybody in the studio has a copy to reference. (dont forget one for the engineer and producer) 2. If you are sequencing tracks or using beats, have them ready to go (in seperate, individual files) on a CD or hard drive before coming in. This will save you lots of time and money! 3. Practice, practice, practice! The tighter your songs are in advance, the better the recording of them will be – and the end result. Pay special attention to the beginning and ending of songs. Study some of your favorite songs and take notice to details. This is the “First and Last impression” your song will make to the listener.
4. Prepare a minimum of 20-25% more songs than you plan to actually use on the final product. Allow yourself a few throw-aways for songs that aren’t up to snuff with the rest of the album. You never want to force a song onto an album only to reach a certain number of album tracks. Quality always out-weighs quanity in this arena.
5. Come into the studio well rested, clear headed, and ready to work. Recording is a physically and mentally demanding process. Bring plenty of water and food.
6. Change guitar strings and drum heads, etc. at least 24-48hrs before coming into the studio and bring extra sets of everything, including drumsticks. The pro’s use new head and strings, and so should you! Plus, the music store down the street may not always be open when you are in the middle of a session and need a replacement.
7. Bring in your own rig. If you are a guitarist wanting to capture the sound you get from the daisy chain of your guitar, pedals and amp, then be sure to bring your entire setup in. Experimenting with studio instruments, amps and pedals is fine if you’re not set on what you want for a sound, but put a time limit on it. Sometimes being a little creative with new/old equipment can yield some pretty amazing stuff! Let the engineer and producer, who are much more familiar with their own gear, assist you in finding the sound you are looking for.
8. If you are working with a producer, give them a demo of the songs you want to record in the studio. Also very helpful to include a copy of the lyrics and music arrangments for each song. Discuss production ideas ahead of time, and set aside reference CDs that serve as good examples of production styles you are striving for.
9. Make a budget of how much money you have to spend on your project. Estimate how many hours you think it will take to complete your project in its entirety. Most musicians grossly under-estimate how fast they think they can record their project. Variables to consider are how much recording experience the band has, how long the band has been playing together, and what do you want this album to do once it is recorded, mixed, mastered and duplicated. We hope this article has been a helpful resource and basic guideline to maximize your end results when entering a recording studio. Feel free to add a comment below.
-Luna Recording Studio
www.lunarecording.com www.myspace.com/lunarecording
P.S. We didn’t cover everything in this one blog and there will be additional tips / articles coming soon.
