by Jackie
in Studio Tips
on 03/09/10
at 01:37 pm
(2) Comments

First Time Studio Recording for Bands

by Jackie Lin Werner

Hi.  I manage Headgear Recording Studio and often end up answering a lot of questions for bands utilizing our studio.  I figure this is a good place to address some concerns and questions I’ve heard from bands that have limited studio experience.

Here’s some quick advice for a band or artist that’s recording at a studio for the first time.

BEFORE STEPPING FOOT IN THE STUDIO:
1.  Do your research.
Check out different studios.  Check out different engineers and producers.  You want to make sure your engineer is competent and capable of getting the sounds you’re looking for.  Hopefully, you have a good rapport with your engineer and studio.  You want to feel comfortable.  (Remember: if you’re trying to track and mix 10 songs in 2 days, you’ll have to sacrifice quality for quantity.)

2.  Practice, practice, practice. 
You don’t want to waste precious time on personal band conflicts and song arrangements while you’re paying the big bucks for a studio.  Practice to a click track as this makes edits and overdubbing infinitely easier for the engineer and you at the session.

3.  Treat yourself well. 
Sleep well, eat well and treat your body well before entering the studio.  It’s long hours in a confined space.  You want to have energy and clarity of mind for your session. 

4.  Double-check.
Check in with the studio to make sure they have the gear you’ll need.  It’s always good to bring an external firewire drive (7200rpm) to back up your files at the end of each night.  You never know when a drive will crash.  Don’t learn that lesson the hard way.

TRACKING:
1.  Expect to spend time on set up.
Typically, set up takes longer than first time bands might realize.  Your engineer is trying to get the best sounds possible from all instruments and will often use numerous microphones on drums and even guitar amps.  Make sure your drummer tunes the drums or hire a drum tech.

2.  Make sure you’re in tune.
You’d think this is a no-brainer, but I’ve heard some out-of-tune tracking. Oh yeah, and be in tune with each other.  You might have perfect pitch and tune by ear, but your band mate might actually be tuning with a tuner.  Your engineer or producer should catch this, but you should cut it off at the pass.

3.  Don’t change your strings.*
A lot of musicians make the mistake of changing their guitar strings the day of a session.  Instruments often sound brighter and go out of tune more often because the strings are stretching.  If you want to change your strings, do it at least a few days before tracking and make sure you play your instrument on the days leading up to studio tracking.  (*I expect people to disagree with me on this one.) updated: 3/12/10 I mean, if your strings have been on there for a year, change them, but I still say change them a few days before your session. 

4.  Don’t be timid.
It’s your music.  Speak up if something sounds off.  Let your engineer know.  They want you to have a good experience.  If you’re not happy, no one’s happy.  On the other end of that, be open.  Your engineer records bands for a living and should have extensive knowledge of gear and mic techniques.  If you’ve done your research, you are familiar with their work and what they’re capable of.

5.  Stay nourished and hydrated.
Bring snacks or know your lunch order early.  You don’t want to crash and burn. 

MIXING:
1.  Keep your ears fresh.
You will be listening to the same song over and over and over and over.  Step out of the room every now and again to give your ears a rest.  How can you judge a mix with ear fatigue?

2.  Understand your engineer.
Some engineers need space to start your mix and get things going and they’ll want you to give a fresh listen when the first mix is mid-way through.  Other engineers are good with you sitting in the room and chiming in every 10 seconds about adjustments.  In the end, you are paying them, so you should feel free to chime in, but understand that it takes a little time to get that first mix going.  (Generally, engineers I’ve been around like to mix a song and a half a day.  On the other hand, I’ve seen someone mix 10 songs in a day.)

3.  Listen on other speakers.
Before saying yes to a mix, make sure you give a listen on other speakers and listening devices.  Take a CD out to your car, run the mix through a shitty boom box or listen on headphones.  All monitors and speakers are biased differently or colored in their own way (i.e. bassy, roomy, tinny, flat, etc).  Your engineer will likely have a listen on other speakers as well.  Some engineers know their room and monitors so well that they can presume it translates to other environments, but you can’t be sure unless you listen.

4.  Listen at low levels.
I know the studio has big, loud speakers and you should definitely listen to your mix loud, at times.  Keep in mind the Fletcher-Munson curves (or Equal-loudness contours) and overall ear fatigue.  You want to make sure that your mix sounds good at low listening levels, as well.

Please share your tips and experiences in the comments section!