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Music Information Articles
Everything You Wanted to Know About Your First Studio Session, But Were Afraid to Ask
Mike Kerwin
Having worked a lot of sessions during the past four years with bands that were in the studio for the first time, I thought I´d compile a list of hints to make your first or hundredth session run a little smoother.
Pre-Production
The cheapest place to figure out your arrangements is at home or in your practice space. Make sure you know the structure of the song you will be recording. It is also helpful if you write out a form chart, just the structure (e.g. verse, chorus, bridge) and possibly cords, and an extra copy of the lyrics for the engineer, or for any session players you will be hiring. Make sure you write out the chorus fully each time, instead of just indicating "chorus", as it makes it easier to underline any lines that need to be re-sung.
There are many processes in the studio which can enhance the sound of your instrument, but it is much easier if you are achieving the sound you want from your rig. Don´t expect hums, buzzes, crackle, and bad tone to magically disappear when you get in front of a microphone; if anything, noise will be magnified, not diminished by a high quality microphone. Make sure that all your instruments are in good condition, and that you have extra strings, sticks, picks, etc. Guitarists and Bassists will want to make sure their axe has been intonated and that any flat frets have been properly filed or re-crowned. Put on new drum heads and strings a week before you are recording, so they will be properly broken in.
To sum it all up, it is essential to be prepared before entering the studio, to make your session an enjoyable one.
Tracking & Overdubbing
The first rule to remember about tracking is to show up on time. Although studios are usually lenient with regard to tardiness, most reserve the right to charge from the time the session was booked, not the time the band rolls in at.
While tracking, you are bound to get hungry so make sure you bring food or extra money. Bands often bring girlfriends, boyfriends, and groupies to add to the studio experience, however don´t get so carried away that it distracts you from the recording process, as it can become costly.
Mixing
It is a good idea, if you want a specific sound or effect on an instrument, to bring in a recording, preferably a CD, to play for the engineer. Like pictures, a sound-bite is often worth a thousand words. Playing mixes back on a cheap portable stereo or in your car is an excellent way to make sure they will translate into the real world. It is a good idea not to invite anyone other than band members over during the mixing process, as too many distractions can have disastrous results on the finished mix.
Mastering
There have been many excellent articles on mastering in this newsletter, so I will simply state that a good mastering job can really elevate the subjective quality of your project, and a bad mastering job can absolutely ruin it.
I hope that this article will help make your first or next time in the studio an enjoyable one.
Mike Kerwin is a producer/engineer who owns New Market Multimedia. His recent projects include Serial Joe, Tribal Stomp, Woodrow, and The Salads. He can be reached at (905) 895-1902 ext. 685
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