37 Recording Tips
A common-sense guide to making the most of your recording time in the studio. These 37 common-sense tips and techniques were collected from some of the country's top studio and mastering engineers - courtesy of Disc Makers and Slaymaker Studio. We hope you find them useful.
Before you go in:
1. Record your songs during live gigs and pre-production rehearsals. Even a simple cassette recording on a boom box may reveal weak parts of songs.
2. Have all the musical and vocal parts worked out. (Know your solos!)
3. Using a computer or sequencer? Prepare all sequenced material before the session.
4. If you plan to use a click track, make sure your drummer is comfortable playing to it. (To get "tight", practice to a click track at a very slow tempo.)
5. Rehearse more songs than you pan to record. You never know which songs will sound strong on the final tape. (If you plan to have a four-song EP, prepare six songs just in case.)
6. Take care of your body before and during your recording sessions. Eat well, get enough sleep, and keep your ears rested and clear.
Setting up:
7. Be early! At some studios, the clock starts running whether you're there or not. Find out about their cancellation policy as well.
8. Make the studio a comfortable and relaxed place. If it's not it will show in your finished product.
9. Make sure you and the engineer have the same "vision" - go over your songs with him/her before recording. Before booking your studio time, ask to hear other material the engineer recorded.
10. Depending on whether your studio has 8, 16, 24, 32, or 48-track capability, plan out how you will leave room for all of the essential parts. This should simplify the mix and eliminate the need for bouncing tracks later.
11. Use new strings, cords, drum sticks and heads - and bring spares! 12. Find out the hours of the local music store just in case... 13. Don't use new gear of different equipment that you haven't used before, even if it's "better than what you have." Surprises can cause problems.
12. Find out the hours of the local music store just in case...
13. Don't use new gear of different equipment that you haven't used before, even if it's "better than what you have." Surprises can cause problems.
The Recording Process:
14. Remember, it's emotion and feeling that make the best song, not necessarily the best technical rendition.
15. If you mess up a part while recording, don't stop and start over. That can easily cause you to burn out. Instead, check to see if the engineer can punch in the correction.
16. You don't have to fill all the tracks on the tape - don't try to force something that won't fit.
17. Always keep in mind the focus of your music. If it's the vocals, plan to spend the most of the time on them. Don't waste time on things that don't highlight the focal point.
18. Get the sound you want while recording. (Never assume that you can fix it in the mix.)
19. Unless you have unique effects, record individual tracks clean and add effects later.
20. Don't necessarily double track everything. Doubling a lead vocal can hide all the subtleties that make a song personal and likable (although if can work well for a chorus).
21. Know when to quit for the day. If you're tired it will show.
22. Keep guests out! It's your recording. Guests will distract you and may sway your opinion of how the music should sound.
23. Make backup copies after every recording session.
24. Tune up often.
25. Singers: always bring water but don't use ice! Ice constricts your vocal chords. Hot tea with lemon and honey works just as well.
26. Always get a track listing and accurate time log from the studio.
Monitoring the mix:
27. Listen to your music at moderate levels in your car and/or on a boom box. This is how most of your fans will listen to it, and mixing at loud levels will fatigue your ears and distort the "true" sound.
28. Sometimes it's good to take a day off and come back to listen. The same applies for mix-down. Ears don't last very long in the studio!
29. As you review each mix make sure you can comfortably hear all of the instruments. Tweak the mix on a small pair of speakers at an extremely low volume. Headphones are also very valuable at this stage but don't base your final decision on them. You should be able to pick up each instrument even at this level.
30. Know when to quit for the day. Your better off quitting a session early when you're tired than wasting time making a bad mix that will have to be redone anyway.
Mixing:
31. Listen in the studio to CDs you're used to hearing on your home stereo to get an idea of how the studio's system sounds.
32. Determine a band spokesperson ahead of time. An engineer getting five different opinions of how to mix will grow tired and try to rush through the job.
33. Once you have selected an engineer (or a producer) to mix your recording, have them do the first mix. Their ears are better trained than yours. Try to keep an open mind.
34. Think about the songs as a whole and not just the individual instruments. Otherwise everyone will want their instrument louder in the mix.
35. If mixing somewhere other than the recording studio, make sure you use the same speakers. If not the mix will sound completely different. 36. Decide which format you want the finished mixes to be on: DAT, one-off CD, PMCD, reel to reel, or 1630. (Your studio may not offer every option.) Use the format that is most practical and economical for you.
37. Count on and budget in unforeseen delays.
Extra Bonus Tip:
38. Always, always, always make a safety DAT or CD-R. It preservers your recording investment should your original master tape get damaged.
The Next Step:
Thought about what to do with your recording once it's done? Disc Makers has partnered with Slaymaker Studio to combine the best in recording with CD manufacturing for true major-label-quality product. You have a lot riding on your recording. Only Disc Makers offers you the following advantages:
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Award-winning graphic design
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Major-label quality Proof Positive ® Reference CDs
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Fastest turnaround times in the industry
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Money-back guarantee
Ready to start planning your manufacturing? Ask your engineer for information.
$35 per hour
Or,
$350 for a twelve hour block.
That's just $29.17 an hour!*
Price includes an engineer. *
Twelve hour block can be
broken into two consecutive days.
Mastering:
$30.00 per song
Includes:
Equalization
Compression
Limiting and more
Bringing your audio up to today's amplitude standards.
12 Hours of studio time,
use it for Recording and Mixing.
After the 12 hours the price per hour is $35.00.
Up to Ten (10) songs Mastered,
each song after the 10 songs is $30.00 per song.
And 4 CD's,
one for each of you in the band,
unless of course there are 5 of you in the band,
in that case the next CD would be $5.00
Only $640
Saveings = $100.00
8LB Pressure have been in the studio tracking for there upcoming EP;
No More Lies. All recording, mixing and mastering was done here at Slaymaker Studio.
Slaymaker Studio has been closed to the public for a few years now. Giving the head engineer / owner time to get his band off the ground, but we will be back open soon with limited slots for existing and new clients.