Before you call the studio:Before you call the studio ask yourself what do I want from this. Be honest with yourself because studio time is not cheap . You can spend a little or a lot.
How do I get ready for recording:
Above all you should know your music , the studio is no place to practice, but hey if thats what you want then we can sit and listen for $35.00 an hour.
The best advice here would be to tell you to practice practice practice . And when your done practice it one more time and tape it on a boom box or whatever. You can tell if you are tight or there may be something you might want to change. Now is the time for that because it's your time .
What to expect from the studio:
The studio will take care of all the behind the scenes stuff so you can concentrate on your music. We allow 30 minute to an hour for drum setup depending on the size of the kit. The studio will have all the mics out ready to put up and all cable ready as well as headphones . If you plan on recording live as a band then it's a good idea to not expect a lot from the first session as most of it will be setup time.
Studio musicians :
Will you be needing studio musicians , if so have them ready and practiced . We have many fine musicians on hand if you would like to let us handle that part. They will need chord charts and a rough tape to follow so they will be ready for you . A good studio musician can speed up the recording process because they are familliar with the studio and how it works .
The Recording Session (Basic tracks):
First , you should decide who will be at the session . It's best to keep the friends at a minimum as they will more than likely disrupt the session by talking in the background while the engineer is trying to hear whats going on and ultimatley cost you money for time wasted . So on we go.
In a live off the floor session , the drums get first priority because they are the most difficult to get a sound on , then the bass guitar and followed by electric guitars . Vocals and acoustic guitars are usually handled in the overdub session but they can be done at the same time as the rest but usually just a scratch vocal is done so the band can get it's cue's.
For the most part the insruments are done seperately starting with a simple rhythm track with the rest following.
In most cases you will be playing to a click or metronome track to keep time . This will really help when it comes time for overdubs as ,trying to follow someone who is playing in time is easier than trying to anticipate the previous player slowing down or speeding up .
Something else to consider is a PRODUCER.The producer can be someone you know and trust with your sound who knows what you are trying to put out , he or she can also be an objective ear . The producer is usually someone that has been in the music business for a number of years and can ultimately steer you in the right direction (thay also get paid) something to consider when working out your budget .
Overdubbing :
This is usually handled on an individual basis , recording one track at a time until the part is done . Sounds simple but this can be time consuming . This is a good situation where you should know what you want to do . Playing a part in a live situation is quite different than in the studio . You can let little things go on stage that will show up on tape .
Vocals are almost always left till the last , the singer hears a really great mix of the song and can put his or her whole heart and soul into it .
Mix Down :
This is the final chance you have to change anything that you may not like . There is a term called (Fix it in the mix) although there are a few things that can be fixed during mixdown like a different sound on some instruments or effects , it is not recommeneded . This adds time and cost to the process . Take the time to fix things before the mix and it will go so much smoother.
There are 3 levels or stages to a mix and they are.
1.)The engineer has to listen to each track and get the best sound possible or the one that he thinks will sound best with the rest of the instruments . This is usually done by adding or taking subtracting EQ .
2.)This step is usually for effects and processing like compressors , noise gates , reverb , enhancement , etc . Some of this is done track by track such as noise gates and compressors and sometimes reverb or delay effects .
3.)Finally we are ready to make the song come to life by balancing all the tracks together in stereo ,hence the word mixdown , mixing from as many tracks as you have down to 2 .
Mastering :
The topic of mastering is best left up to the people who do it so click on the link and it will be explained far better than I can explain it. MASTERING