22
Apr
2009
Getting Ready for your recording session
Old Band
Getting Ready for your recording session
We understand these are difficult economic times and you are trying to stretch your recording dollars. Proper planning and being organized are two ways to help you succeed in getting as much out of your efforts as possible.
In preparation for your session, discuss what your needs will be in detail with the studio manager. Ask for suggestions on how to make efficient use of your recording time. If you know that the schedule is going to be tight, let the studio manager know. When the studio knows that you need to work fast, they can make arrangements to do so. However, you want to make sure you are well prepared so not to be the cause of the inevitable clog-up.
It is important to be well rested and well rehearsed. Don’t use studio time to rehearse and practice, time is expensive. If needed, have your charts written out, copied and ready to go. Give copies to the musicians beforehand, if possible. You don’t want musicians waiting around for copies to be made on your dime.
Organizing Your Time:
In order to maximize your time in the studio, come up with a rough plan on what you want to do in the session. Think about the order of the tracks, what instruments you’ll need on each track, if you’ll need additional musicians and singers, and when to break for meals.
Remember everyone needs a break even the engineers to get the best results.
Quality Control:
When the vibe is right, and you’re doing your best work it shows in the quality of the recording. Think of your recording as a beautiful art project and not just a piece of work that you’re slamming together.
Try to fix things on the track as you go rather then fixing it later, keeping the same emotion and tone quality in the performance. It might not seem obvious at the time, but this will also save you time and effort when you are editing and mixing it later.
Hiring good talent, whether it is musicians or vocalists, will save you time and money. If you don’t know any of the local talent, ask the studio manager to recommend someone for you.
Make sure the studio manager, your producer and engineer understand what you are trying to do and achieve, and consult with and involve them in your planning process.
