If you are a recording studio virgin, don’t be ashamed. Take heart, for you are not alone. Every musician or band sooner or later, bites the bullet, takes the plunge, and books time in a (gasp) professional studio (like SouthWest Sound!)

Just remember the golden rule of recording which is a two parter: Time is money and everything takes more time than you expect. Plan accordingly. Make sure your budget can accommodate extra sessions for overdubs, re-recording, mixing, re-mixing, and mastering time, and read the following article to avoid the most common pitfalls that bands can easily fall into.

The Studio Is Not A Live Performance
The first thing to keep in mind is that the studio is not a live performance. By it’s very nature, the studio is a special environment designed for precision audio work to enhance and capture the very best permanent record of your music and this is an important distinction. Live performance is not permanent, a studio recording is. In the case of live music on a concert or nightclub stage, the excitement level is high, adrenaline is flowing, fans are hyped up and nobody cares or notices a dropped note or an out of tune vocal. But, what works for live just doesn't’t cut it in the studio. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you will just be playing live in the studio and everything will somehow take care of itself. It’s not going to happen. So, what’s a neophyte recording artist to do? In a word: prepare.

How To Prepare
How exactly do you prepare? Well, for starters, practice the material you will be recording. Although this seems obvious, you’d be surprised at how many bands end up in the studio unprepared to play their parts (or not even sure which songs they will be recording). In fact, many musicians fail to really work out a part to record. They get by with “live energy”, but when it comes to the studio, they neglect to prepare a part suitable for recording. The simple solution? Do your homework and really work out the exact part that you will be playing for the recording session.

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What's That Noise?
Often musicians encounter a disturbing dose of reality when they hear for the first time what their instrument sounds like under scrutiny. Suddenly that exciting slap bass technique that worked so well in concert is now producing an annoying click as a result of a misaligned pickup or calibration error. What worked well live is now a disaster in the studio. Other example of this include noisy stomp boxes, ungrounded pickups, squeaky pedals, loose snares, etc.

Aside from preparing your gear, what can you do to prepare yourself? Be well rested. This is especially important for singers as your voice really gives away your mental and physical state. If you are tired, you will sound tired on the recording and who wants that? What about stress and pressure? When the red light comes on (the recording light that is) there is a tendency to panic. Resist this urge. Remember an individual part or section can usually be punched in if necessary. When you are playing live there is no second chance, but this is the studio so take advantage of the ability to get it right. It is not the end of the world if you flub a note here or there. The best performances have a natural, relaxed, spontaneous quality. This can happen on a second take after an acceptable “safety” is made. The pressure is off after a good usable take is “in the can”. This is why it is a good reason to record more than one take of each song. Once you are set up, recording a second or third take is just a matter of a few extra minutes and well worth it. And while you listen back to each take, have the engineer record a reference cassette at the same time. Even if the mix is still very rough, you can study this at home (at your leisure) and determine which take is the best for finishing up (recording overdubs, and mixing).

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Working with the Engineer

It’s a good idea to get the engineer on your side. Don’t pester him or her with questions like, “Are we the best band you’ve ever recorded?” or “Do you think this is a hit song?” Also, remember that the engineer is a human being and thus needs to eat and occasionally use the restroom.

If you are asked to play your instrument or sing, do the best you can even if you can’t hear yourself or other band members very well. Play at the normal level that you will be playing when you are recording. Don’t surprise the engineer by suddenly playing ten times louder than you did during the sound check. The engineer needs time to set levels and create a proper monitor mix. It doesn’t happen instantly, so have a bit of patience. Conversely, if you are asked to stop playing, then remain quiet until you are asked to play again. Sometimes not doing or saying anything is the best course of action in the studio. Talking has its place, but excessive talking can be a distraction and a major time waster especially if the conversation turns into a band discussion or debate.

Have that important band discussions before you enter the studio and are on the clock. Agree on a plan of action and stick to it. This plan should include what songs you are recording, the arrangements, the song tempos, keys, soloist order, the number of overdubs or tracks that will be required, whether or not you will play to a click track, and who exactly is acting as the leader and/or producer. If all these concerns are addressed prior to recording, you should have a smooth session.

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The Goof Offs vs. The Smarty Pants
Now, in the tradition of “Goofus and Gallent” from Highlights (don’t ask) let’s enter a fictional world of two parallel recording bands. In Studio A are the clueless “Goof-offs” and in Studio B are “The Smarty Pants”. Let’s observe each band’s progress, of lack of, (as the case may be) as they set out to record a three-song demo.

The Goof-offs show up 45 minutes late for their session with a photographer, the guitarist’s cousin, and the drummer’s girlfriend in tow. The guitarist starts disassembling his guitar to change strings that he bought on the way over. The photographer starts snapping photos and asks the engineer to pose with the band. The drummer’s girlfriend complains that she’s hungry and asks if this is going to take long. The keyboardist and singer begin a discussion as to what songs they will be recording and in what order. Soon, they are in a heated debate and ask the other band members to voice their opinions. The bass player asks the guitarist if he brought any spare batteries just as the guitarist snaps one of his brand new E strings.

Meanwhile across town, The Smarty Pants are set up and getting levels. The guitarist has new strings already worked in from the night before and the singer hands the engineer a neatly printed lyric sheet for each song that they will be recording. The lyrics sheet will prove to be invaluable in assisting the engineer later on when the singer decides to punch in some vocal corrections. The drummer connects a small drum machine into the board and announces, “The first song is 126 beats per minute and we would like the click for the first 12 bars or so, you can then turn it off at the chorus.”

Back in Studio A, the Goof-offs are still setting up. The girlfriend is ordering a pizza on her cell phone and keeps interrupting the engineer to ask directions and then a band discussion begins as to what toppings to include. The bass player leaves to buy a nine-volt battery for his bass and the guitar player leaves to go buy another set of strings for his guitar. As the engineer sets up mics on the drums, the drummer pounds out a loud beat. “Sorry, dude,” he says, “I didn't get a chance to practice. Hey do you have a spare snare lying around? This drum head is kind of shot.”

In Studio B, The Smarty Pants have run through their first song and prepare to record. They are recording without vocals as they rehearsed and will add the lead vocal and harmony vocals the following day.

The Goof-offs are eating pizza and the engineer is having problems with the drums. There are an assortment of rattles and squeaks which need to be corrected before recording can commence. After an extended band discussion as to what song to start with, the singer announces that the key of the song is too high and needs to be brought down. After several more rounds of discussion and protests they decide to record in a lower key even though it means writing out the chord changes for the bass player who can’t transpose on the spot. During the time out, the singer asks the engineer , “Isn't there a button or something on your mixing board that will change the key of the song?”

As the Smarty Pants pack up for the night, the Goof-offs are still trying to get a take of their first song. After several unsuccessful attempts, the keyboard player says, “We’re playing it too fast.” The drummer replies, “I think it’s too slow!” The girlfriend asks, “Is this going to take much longer? I’m bored!”

I could go on and on and on, but I think you get the picture. Remember the golden rule of recording? Time is money. And everything takes more time that you think! But just knowing this at the outset does little to help you unless you act on your knowledge. Since you are paying for time, don’t do anything in the studio that can be done outside the studio. When you are in the studio, you need to concentrate on the job at hand and not become side-tracked with issues not directly related to your goal which is getting the best possible recording made.

I hope these examples helped you get a better idea of how to make the best of your time in the studio. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us by phone or email and we will be glad to be of further assistance!

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