The Admiral Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 I was asked a while back to give some advice to a young band going into a studio for the first time, for a weekend recording session, and my plea for suggestions as to what to advise brought out some corkers from BC'ers. I captured those and sent them over to the band - who then decided that they probably weren't ready! I like to think that maybe I saved them some money, and made them think about their goals. Anyway, having put it together, I thought it might be of use to fellow forum members. Many thanks to all those who contributed to the thread where I was seeking your wisdoms. Here it is : [center][b]Getting the best from your first studio session[/b][/center] Using a professional recording studio and the services of an engineer/producer are a significant investment. The single most important thing for musicians to remember is : Time is money, and the money is [u]yours.[/u] If you want to spend 2 days getting the drum sound or nailing a solo structure, you can, but whilst that’s going on, there is nothing else happening, and the studio clock is ticking. The engineer gets paid whatever you do. The key to getting the most from your studio experience is the least rock and roll of things – planning, and in detail. Any plan should start with a goal in mind, and for most bands that about how much they want to get recorded within their studio time, and it’s very easy to set unrealistic targets, which are counter-productive to the project. The Beatles might have popped into the studio for an afternoon in 1964 – between gigs, to knock off four tracks – but, they had spent 2 years playing for 6 hours a night, 7 days a week in Hamburg and could not have been more prepared. A ‘weekend’ booking of studio time is generally 20 hours, which sounds a lot, but a maximum of 3 tracks should be the target in that time, and that will require a solid plan. [b]Recording rules [/b] [b]Be prepared[/b] Arrive with the songs and arrangements agreed, and well rehearsed, with everyone able to play their part proficiently. Working out solos and arrangements in the studio is time consuming and should be avoided. Be ready. Most bands rehearse until they don't make a mistake. The great bands rehearse until they CAN'T make a mistake. [b]Arrangements – record, before you record.[/b] Before you go into record it’s very worthwhile analysing your songs and ensuring they are absolutely right. Are they too long/short, is the solo in the right place, is it a good solo, are the backing vocals right, are the guitar/bass/drum parts effective in the song, does the lyric fit the song : it should always be about what serves the song best, not what shows of your chops. Adam Clayton, the bass player from U2, has made a lot of money from playing root notes for 4 minutes at a time, but – it suits the songs, and the band, which is the most important thing. Be self critical too : have you really got your parts nailed? A simple part played well is always better than a complex part played badly. If you are struggling – simplify. There is no shame in it – every musician learns every day of their life, and you want to be able to listen to your tracks in 30 years and still be proud of what you did. If you are recording in a month's time, it's useful to do a few rehearsals and record them in their entirety so you get used to being recorded constantly. The helps reduce 'red light anxiety' when you get in the studio. Post rehearsal, listen to the recordings as a band. There is nothing worse than getting the rough mix back from the studio session and finding that something someone has been playing for months is actually wrong, or a drum fill sounds awful. It’s very hard to concentrate on more than your own part of the arrangement when playing and quite often after a recording someone will say "I never noticed that the bass played that.", or, as I have seen, the two guitarists realise they’ve actually been playing different chords in the chorus! Make sure you have endings sorted too. Nothing worse than a great track which ends badly. You don’t need any fancy kit : just a laptop or iPad and a stereo microphone on a stand. The laptop can record CD quality stereo and you can download a copy of ‘Audacity’ for free. It’s easy to use and great quality. For iPad, you can use Garage band. Thomann sell Superlux stereo microphones for about £21.00 ([url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/superlux_e531.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/superlux_e531.htm[/url]), and cheap boom stands for £7.00 ([url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/millenium_ms2005_mic_stand.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/millenium_ms2005_mic_stand.htm[/url]). [b]What to record in the studio?[/b] Pick your three best songs, and record them in order, from 1 to 3. That way, if you do run out of time after 2 tracks, you have the two you most wanted. [b]Look after your tools[/b] If your instrument is in crap shape, you are just making your job harder. [b]Guitarists[/b] - Ensure your guitar is well set up, with no crackling controls, and with new strings. However, don’t change them just before your record, as new strings have a habit of taking a day or two to bed in, and brand new ones means lots of tuning problems. Bring your pedalboard to the session, with mains supply, or change the batteries before the session. Invest in good cables and bring plenty of picks and spare strings. Don’t forget a comfortable strap. Most studios will have great amps, which they are used to recording, and will have taken an age to ensure sound great, so, unless you absolutely have to – don’t bother lugging your amp [b]Bass players[/b] – generally string changes are less frequent than for guitarists, but, you’ll still get better tone if your strings have some zing in them, so if they have been on your bass since you bought it, you may want to invest in a new set. Again, no crackling pots, and if you are playing an active bass, change to a new battery for the session. Low battery power can massively impact the tone of an active circuit. The points on pedalboards, picks, amps, straps etc are the same as for guitarists. [b]Drummers – [/b]Many studios will have a kit set up, which they have taken to time to ensure sounds great in the room, and setting up your own kit and micing it up can take 3 hours on its own, so, check with the studio prior, and unless you have to – leave your kit at home. You may want to take your own snare and cymbals, but be mindful of the need for speed. If you are using your own kit, make sure the heads are in good shape, the drums are tuned well, and all your accessories are in good shape. No-one wants a squeaky drum pedal spoiling a session. Don’t forget sticks, brushes and a towel : you may well be working hard. [b]Vocalists – [/b]Your voice is your instrument, and you need to ensure it’s in as good a shape as possible. It’s going to be a long weekend. If you smoke – try and give up anyway, because a) it will kill you, and before it does, it will make you sound sh*t after a few takes. If you can’t give up, at least cut well down in the week before the session. Also, make sure you warm up properly. Professional footballers spend 10 minutes up and down the touchline and stretching before going on from the subs bench : why would you go straight into a song without ‘stretching and limbering up’ your vocal cords? If you don’t have a warm up tape, seriously consider getting one. If you don’t have one, at least do some scales and breathing exercises – there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube. As with the cigarettes, drugs, drinking and late nights will also kill your performance – so look after yourself, eat well, sleep well the night before and stay hydrated – with water. Leave the JD and coke to the Rolling Stones. [b]Using a click track[/b] What is a ’click track’ and why use one? [i]“The click track may be used as a form of metronome directly by musicians in the studio or on stage, particularly by drummers, who listen via headphones to maintain a consistent beat. One can think of a click track as essentially being a kind of metronome except that it is fed through headphones to one or more of the musicians during a recording or performance.”[/i] The reason for using a click track is to keep the music in time, and also make it far easier to ‘drop in’ overdubs etc. to cover the odd mistake or bum note. Drummers shouldn’t take it personally : all drummers speed up, and if you don’t think so, witness the fist fights Sting and Stewart Copeland of The Police used to get into backstage post gig over this issue. If you have never played to a click track, it’s a very good idea to download a metronome app to your phone, or set up a basic beat on a drum machine and learn to play in time at home. Particularly important for drummers, but useful for [u]everyone in the band[/u]. Agree the BPM tempo of the songs you are going to record, so everyone practices them at the right speed! [b]Play with the same passion as a live show.[/b] If you are meek and reserved, it will show in the recording sounding flat. Be focussed and, when getting sounds together, play what you are going to be playing and at the volume you'll be playing it. Like a soundcheck, it's pointless if you immediately start thrashing after a nice measured level check and overload the desk input. [b]Solos need to be thought out, well practised and ready.[/b] Inspiration and improvisation has no place in the studio when time is premium. Also, don’t ‘noodle’ in the studio – it’s annoying for the engineer if he’s trying to do something whilst the guitarist is practicing his best Eddie Van Halen tapping technique. Play when directed. [b]Save the beers for Sunday night after it’s all over.[/b] Alcohol affects your ears and your perception of frequencies, so, despite what you’ve read about the rock and roll lifestyle, boozing in the studio is a bad idea. That said, don't drink coffee all day- a dark noisy room full of wired musicians is a recipe for a tough session. Drink plenty of water and have lots of healthy food and soft fruit to hand. This keeps you hydrated, focused and doesn't stink the room out : studios are not known for their ventilation, as, if the air can get out easily, so can the sound, and that’s not good for the neighbours. [b]Be nice[/b] Do be nice to each other- patient, positive when listening back and constructive with any suggestions. Recording, particularly if you are new to it, is very stressful : sitting in a quiet room, wearing headphones, looking through glass at a control room full of people listening to every note and judging your performance is not easy. If someone is struggling to really nail something and getting stressed about it; get them to go for a walk in the fresh air. Five minutes "wasted" could save half an hour of constantly re - taking the same part. [b]The engineer/producer[/b] Let the engineer/producer do their jobs. No matter what you think you know – it’s their studio and their living is built off the back of making clients sound great. They will know how to do this in their studio – so take advice. The engineer is experienced . . . listen to them. He or she knows when the levels are wrong, when there's sloppy playing, how to improve cohesion/tightness, etc. If there`s anything specific you want in the mix, such as prominent hi-hats, or emphasis on a lead solo, bass run etc, write them down and give them to the engineer, along with approximate times/positions in the songs. For one, that way they won`t forget, and secondly, it will make things easier for the engineer to get the result you want quickly. [b]Be realistic[/b] Your first time in the studio is not going to go perfectly. People who have been doing it for years go to record, and still come up short. Use it as a learning curve and try and enjoy it. If you can look back on it in a few years time and not cringe you'll have done very well. [b]Most importantly[/b] Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Most admirable, Admiral! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 I love that, well done indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LayDownThaFunk Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Good advice but I would say it's not 100% essential to record to a click if you've rehearsed enough and know when things are speeding up. Sometimes the recording can sound a little too robotic when played to a click. I've always found drums and bass live gets the best results for me IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswareham Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 A little tip of my own. If you're recording a track or comping one together from parts where you don't use all the strings on your bass, then tape the unused one(s) down to stop them vibrating in sympathy with the other strings. Can make for a cleaner take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Excellent piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Great post. Top advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 also no farts in the control room... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle psychosis Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Top work. The only thing I'd say is that you don't always need a click track, depending on genre and how tight you are as a band. Sometimes you get a better "performance" without one. That said, if you can't keep time with one you probably shouldn't be recording at all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seashell Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I'd say this was worth pinning. What d'you think , mods? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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