RECORDING I - PRE-PRODUCTION
By huskybones
Going into the studio for the first time is a nerve-wracking experience for everybody. I'm going to give you some information and some things to consider that will hopefully give you a little bit of an edge on the situation. The recording process can basically be divided into three phases; pre-production, the recording session (production), and post-production. Since there's a lot to talk about, this time I'll just focus on the first phase.
Pre-production is all of the stuff that you do to get ready for the studio. It includes the whole writing process, picking a studio, estimating budgets of time and costs, and establishing the purpose of the project.
The writing stage is in my opinion the most important step. You and your band owe it to yourselves to make your songs the best they can be, not necessarily commercial but as solid as possible. The first step is to make a recording of your material to listen to before you start spending lots of money. Make it cheap, easy and as clear as you can. 4 tracks and boom boxes work well. Listen to it away from the rehearsal space-sometime when you're not busy playing, singing or recording. How do you like it? Are the instrumental parts in conflict or are they working well together? Do the lyrics make sense? If you want to change anything, the time to do it is now before tape rolls. So make changes, record again and listen again. Don't rush it! Another step, not for the thin of skin, is to get an outsider's opinion. This OPINION can help to point out potential improvements that you may not have thought of, or maybe reaffirm what you already thought.
Take this tape and dub a copy for each band member as a tool to tighten up their parts. Know what you intend to play and don't get into the studio before you really listen to each others parts. Define the hooks so that they stand out. Decide on the arrangements (does the chorus go once or twice?). Everything can change of course but the more clearly you see the goal-the closer you'll get to it. Once you've made these decisions, the next three steps are as follows 1. rehearse 2. rehearse and 3. REHEARSE SOME MORE. The idea is to go in the studio and play, not count measures. One final pre-pro note taken from Billy Corgan's memoirs, "Don't fall in love with your demos." If you've made an immaculate demo of your song, don't expect the studio version to sound exactly the same.
Questions to ask and things to consider before setting foot in a studio:
What am I doing
here (seriously!)? Are you making a demo to get some club gigs or are
you producing a master for a CD? This one question makes an enormous difference
in the time you spend in the studio.
Do you want to
end up with tapes, CD's or a combination? A friend of mine remarked that
he was surprised by how many people don't have CD players. Keep it in
mind.
How much will it
cost? Can I pay in installments or is it due all at once?
How long will it
take (related to question above)? This is a tough one to answer because
it mainly depends on the band. How prepared are you? Do all the band members
have the same goal in mind? If not, they may spend valuable time arguing
or being pissed off about this conflict. Is the purpose behind the recording
clearly understood by everyone? Does your group have a leader? Someone
has to be the decision maker or the tie breaker in any group. How you
select this person is up to you but my advice is do it and do it early.
If you don't you'll get bogged down in arguments over the most petty details
you can imagine, it's just human nature. Go through all of these questions
and make an estimate of time. Once you've selected a studio, then sit
down with the engineer and ask for their input on how much time it will
take. Go through the questions again and revise your estimate. Don't skimp
on the mix either, it's an absolutely critical step in getting the final
product. Don't work your butt off recording and then rush through the
mix. Ask the engineer what he recommends realistically.
How many tracks
do you need? A singer/songwriter demo with guitar and vocal may only need
4 or 8, but your 7 piece swing band may want 24 or 48. A drum kit can
be recorded with only 2 mic's or with 1 mic on each drum and two overheads,
so figure that into the equation. If you want stereo guitars, then you'll
need two separate tracks. Massive overdubs obviously require more tracks.
If you want to make a video later, you'd better give a track to SMPTE
(digital time code).
What about artwork?
Many studios offer this in-house as do many CD manufacturers. Compare
prices and samples.
Digital, analog
or combination?
Will you need digital
editing capability?
Where will you
do the mastering? If your making an album and not a demo then you'll need
to have your songs mastered. This is also a budget item.
What kind of effects
does the facility have (also known as outboard gear)?
What kind of microphones
do they have?
What's the engineer's
experience level? You're hiring him/her to work the equipment. Are they
up to the task?
Do you want this
person to act as a producer or just run the machines? In case you didn't
know, a producer may do many things including making suggestions about
arrangements and parts and hiring additional players if needed. If you
find a good one, they'll make your music better. If they're not that good,
well that brings me to my last point.........
Do some research
on the reputation and product turned out by the person running the place.
Ask to hear something they've done that's in your style. Do yourself a
favor, and talk to other musicians in town about the quality and ethics
of the studio. See ya next time.
-hb
By huskybones
Going into the studio for the first time is a nerve-wracking experience for everybody. I'm going to give you some information and some things to consider that will hopefully give you a little bit of an edge on the situation. The recording process can basically be divided into three phases; pre-production, the recording session (production), and post-production. Since there's a lot to talk about, this time I'll just focus on the first phase.
Pre-production is all of the stuff that you do to get ready for the studio. It includes the whole writing process, picking a studio, estimating budgets of time and costs, and establishing the purpose of the project.
The writing stage is in my opinion the most important step. You and your band owe it to yourselves to make your songs the best they can be, not necessarily commercial but as solid as possible. The first step is to make a recording of your material to listen to before you start spending lots of money. Make it cheap, easy and as clear as you can. 4 tracks and boom boxes work well. Listen to it away from the rehearsal space-sometime when you're not busy playing, singing or recording. How do you like it? Are the instrumental parts in conflict or are they working well together? Do the lyrics make sense? If you want to change anything, the time to do it is now before tape rolls. So make changes, record again and listen again. Don't rush it! Another step, not for the thin of skin, is to get an outsider's opinion. This OPINION can help to point out potential improvements that you may not have thought of, or maybe reaffirm what you already thought.
Take this tape and dub a copy for each band member as a tool to tighten up their parts. Know what you intend to play and don't get into the studio before you really listen to each others parts. Define the hooks so that they stand out. Decide on the arrangements (does the chorus go once or twice?). Everything can change of course but the more clearly you see the goal-the closer you'll get to it. Once you've made these decisions, the next three steps are as follows 1. rehearse 2. rehearse and 3. REHEARSE SOME MORE. The idea is to go in the studio and play, not count measures. One final pre-pro note taken from Billy Corgan's memoirs, "Don't fall in love with your demos." If you've made an immaculate demo of your song, don't expect the studio version to sound exactly the same.
Questions to ask and things to consider before setting foot in a studio:
What am I doing
here (seriously!)? Are you making a demo to get some club gigs or are
you producing a master for a CD? This one question makes an enormous difference
in the time you spend in the studio. Do you want to
end up with tapes, CD's or a combination? A friend of mine remarked that
he was surprised by how many people don't have CD players. Keep it in
mind. How much will it
cost? Can I pay in installments or is it due all at once? How long will it
take (related to question above)? This is a tough one to answer because
it mainly depends on the band. How prepared are you? Do all the band members
have the same goal in mind? If not, they may spend valuable time arguing
or being pissed off about this conflict. Is the purpose behind the recording
clearly understood by everyone? Does your group have a leader? Someone
has to be the decision maker or the tie breaker in any group. How you
select this person is up to you but my advice is do it and do it early.
If you don't you'll get bogged down in arguments over the most petty details
you can imagine, it's just human nature. Go through all of these questions
and make an estimate of time. Once you've selected a studio, then sit
down with the engineer and ask for their input on how much time it will
take. Go through the questions again and revise your estimate. Don't skimp
on the mix either, it's an absolutely critical step in getting the final
product. Don't work your butt off recording and then rush through the
mix. Ask the engineer what he recommends realistically. How many tracks
do you need? A singer/songwriter demo with guitar and vocal may only need
4 or 8, but your 7 piece swing band may want 24 or 48. A drum kit can
be recorded with only 2 mic's or with 1 mic on each drum and two overheads,
so figure that into the equation. If you want stereo guitars, then you'll
need two separate tracks. Massive overdubs obviously require more tracks.
If you want to make a video later, you'd better give a track to SMPTE
(digital time code). What about artwork?
Many studios offer this in-house as do many CD manufacturers. Compare
prices and samples. Digital, analog
or combination? Will you need digital
editing capability? Where will you
do the mastering? If your making an album and not a demo then you'll need
to have your songs mastered. This is also a budget item. What kind of effects
does the facility have (also known as outboard gear)? What kind of microphones
do they have? What's the engineer's
experience level? You're hiring him/her to work the equipment. Are they
up to the task? Do you want this
person to act as a producer or just run the machines? In case you didn't
know, a producer may do many things including making suggestions about
arrangements and parts and hiring additional players if needed. If you
find a good one, they'll make your music better. If they're not that good,
well that brings me to my last point......... Do some research
on the reputation and product turned out by the person running the place.
Ask to hear something they've done that's in your style. Do yourself a
favor, and talk to other musicians in town about the quality and ethics
of the studio. See ya next time.-hb
