Recording In A Professional Studio Soon

[Phaedrus]

My mate is booking three days recording time in a studio for the end of this month.

He's been writing songs for years and recently my covers band have committed to helping him out with any recording and gigging work that will be involved.

We've been rehearsing his songs on the off-nights from the covers band and things are going really well.

So he's booking these three days with the aim of "laying down" three songs. He's already got some really good quality demos which he recorded on his Roland VS-2400CD multitrack. [url="http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.aspx?ObjectId=543&ParentId=110"]http://www.rolandus.com/products/productde...mp;ParentId=110[/url]

This is not a plug, but there's a link to his myspace site in my signature - there's a few of his songs on there to get an idea of the type of sound he has.

So he wants real drums (not programmed) and real bass & guitar - that's where my band comes in. He's looking after vocals and keyboards.

We don't know what format the recording should take - take us all together playing the songs and patching in any imperfections afterwards? Lay down a guide guitar & vocal to a click and then add everything in separately afterwards?

The songs sound really good (IMO) on his demos and while they aren't sterile or cold, they've really come alive as we rehearse them, so we're really keen to nail the vibe that we're getting in rehearsals and we're thinking that the all together idea might better capture that (to a click presumably).

I suspect my Hartke VXL Bass Attack will perform DI duties for my bass - any comments?

I/we'd really apreciate any advice or tips from any of you good folk who have experience recording in a hired studio - on sounds, mental approach, nerves, technical tips, ideas to most effectively use what time we have - anything you've got.

The studio uses Cubase 4 and some whizz-bang computer stuff.


Thanks,

Mark

[silverfoxnik]

Great news!

The best advice I could offer for when you're recording is to try to overcome any nerves you have, relax and enjoy it!! The time in there goes so fast it's unbelievable, so make the best you can of the day.

When it's not time to do your bit or you've finished making your contribution, always try to listen and learn from what the other people around you are doing, especially the engineer and/or producer.

It's a fascinating environment - very different from rehearsing or gigging - and has it's own rhythm.. Things can be slow at times, but it should always be a chance to learn..

Hope it goes well for you!

[JakeBrownBass]

If your recording to a click, make sure your drummer is comfortable with is and doesn't even have to think about it, theres nothing worse than a drummer saying they can, and when you get there theyy just can't do is and the drums come out sounding all tense.

Another tip, know the songs inside out! Don't want your mind going blank when the red light goes on.

I think the crappy thing to say is that time is money, every little mistake you or the band make, costs whoever is paying, less time so more money wasted.

Me and my band recorded Drums, Bass, Scratch Keys & Scratch vocals together.

We then deleted the vocals and keys, then re recorded them over the top, then added guitar. You can hear the outcomes on www.myspace.com/tenfloors

In the end though, the main thing is to enjoy it, and don't let tension build up, you cant record when your all tense and having friction with other band members.

-Jake

[zapp]

I guess the obvious one but probably the most important is 'learn your material' inside out. As silverfoxnik said the time can whistle by if you're trying to 'nail' a particular section of a song and keep getting it wrong. If you're all well rehersed you can go in and record all your respective parts and let the Engineer do his magic. A good Engineer may also have some valuable advice on how you might make small changes to your arrangements which can be very productive. Good luck and enjoy it!

[jakenewmanbass]

As Nik says, there are times where you need patience, and then you need to be able to perform when called upon.
I can't stress enough how important it is to know your parts before you go in (unless you're are a really proficient improvisor)
Not only do you need to know them, but you also need to know you can play them well and be sure they sound good in playback, it can be shocking to find you don't like what you've been playing for ages.

If you get those things in place then I agree with Nik, its a fascinating environment, I've been lucky and recorded in some of the worlds best studios, mostly in the UK too which tells you something about our industry here, rivalled only by the U.S*.
The first concentrated effort should be getting solid drum takes that can be succesfully played over, I think its best to play together to get the performances and groove, but everyone apart from the drummer should remember that their parts can be fixed later if necessary, so don't stop because you heard a fret buzz or a wrong note. Stopping and starting can sap the energy from the takes so its good to get a few down uninterrupted.

If you are using a click allow for the ebb and flow of human time keeping and if you find yourself off the click than don't make drastic adjustments, just aim to 'breathe' your way back to it. Also aim to place your notes at the back of the click as it's massively easier to catch it up than to adjust from in front of it, that ethos also brings with it a feeling of fatness.

When I started writing I thought to myself 'I don't want to make this sound daunting', but reading through I've gone in to a bit of detail, the main thing to remember is that you're making music and the song comes first, so it will benefit enormously if you are all having a good time.

Jake

* a quarter of hollywood film scores are recorded in London which if you consider the size of the industry over there is a massive accolade to the standard of musicianship of Londons players.

Edited April 1, 2008 by jakesbass

[jakenewmanbass]

Update:
just had a listen to the MySpace, the material is not particularly techinical, so what is required is a good feel, it's arguable that to achieve a good feel you need to feel good (cheesy I know) It's not an absolute but I'm sure it helps.
Jake

PS Pirsig is a genius

Edited April 1, 2008 by jakesbass

[Adrenochrome]

Yes, the DI from your amp will probably be okay. All the recordings I've done were from the DI on my amp. I'm not one of those people that get giddy about the effect their cabinet has on their sound so others may disagree with this.
I'd suggest recording a few practices (preferably with a multi-track recorder) and really listening to each individual part and checking that all the parts really DO sound as good as you thought they did (you often can't tell while playing them live).
When we did a 'proper' studio recording of an EP we recorded the whole band first take but with the full intention of doing the vocals, guitar and bass (if needed) after and using the original guitar and vox as guides. Luckily I didn't need to re-do any of my bass so we spent the best part of 2 days layering the guitars and vocals. Our guitarist ended up using his 3rd choice guitar as it was the only 1 that had good enough intonation up the neck - we'd never noticed before! He also had to simplify one of his riffs as the quirky timing that sounded great live just didn't sound good at the desk.

[jakenewmanbass]

[quote name='Adrenochrome' post='167469' date='Apr 1 2008, 10:20 AM']Yes, the DI from your amp will probably be okay. All the recordings I've done were from the DI on my amp. I'm not one of those people that get giddy about the effect their cabinet has on their sound so others may disagree with this.
I'd suggest recording a few practices (preferably with a multi-track recorder) and really listening to each individual part and checking that all the parts really DO sound as good as you thought they did (you often can't tell while playing them live).
When we did a 'proper' studio recording of an EP we recorded the whole band first take but with the full intention of doing the vocals, guitar and bass (if needed) after and using the original guitar and vox as guides. Luckily I didn't need to re-do any of my bass so we spent the best part of 2 days layering the guitars and vocals. Our guitarist ended up using his 3rd choice guitar as it was the only 1 that had good enough intonation up the neck - we'd never noticed before! He also had to simplify one of his riffs as the quirky timing that sounded great live just didn't sound good at the desk.[/quote]
+1
some examples here of what I was talking about.

[warwickhunt]

You'd be amazed how much time you'll have to allocate for mix-down!

Assuming the recording goes swimmingly and the engineer knows his stuff the biggest let downs can occur in the final stages and though this guy is paying for it and has every right to things being his way, you can give valuable insight to the balance in the final mix.

To this end take along a CD / tape recorder and try to listen to the mixes on a bog standard machine through 'normal' speakers rather than the super-duper studio reference monitors, as that is how it will sound when you get it home.

[jakenewmanbass]

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='167566' date='Apr 1 2008, 12:57 PM']You'd be amazed how much time you'll have to allocate for mix-down!

Assuming the recording goes swimmingly and the engineer knows his stuff the biggest let downs can occur in the final stages and though this guy is paying for it and has every right to things being his way, you can give valuable insight to the balance in the final mix.

To this end take along a CD / tape recorder and try to listen to the mixes on a bog standard machine through 'normal' speakers rather than the super-duper studio reference monitors, as that is how it will sound when you get it home.[/quote]
another +1
A jingle studio I used to work in put all their final mixes through a sh*tty old blaster before they went out to make sure everything could be heard, as this was what most people would hear their mixes on.
If you can't get your hands on one with a phono input the same thing can be achieved (hearing everything that is) by listening really really quiet.

Edited April 1, 2008 by jakesbass

[P-T-P]

+1 on knowing the material inside out before you get there
+1 on click track practice for the drummer, comfort here is essential

If you're using a click track, everyone (vocalists especially) should be able to play/sing with it to a reasonable degree.

If you can, put a bit of time aside before the record button is pressed each day/session to just play together - get yourselves warmed up and comfortably in the groove.

Singers generally don't deliver well if they have to do take after take after take so have the words printed out in clear type and in easy view, even if they know the words perfectly as that will hopefully eliminate one of the main causes of having to do a re-take. Make sure there's a plentiful supply of water/tea/strepsils/honey or whatever it is works for them on hand.

Think through potential problem areas of songs and how you'll address them when it comes to recording, make sure everyone is on the same page as to the solution.

If someone keeps making the same mistake, just step away from the process and forget about it for a few, try not to pressure them by going over what they should be doing, chances are they know already, you pointing things out isn't going to help.

Always be positive, especially when it coems to the vocal takes. Confidence is key here. If someone delivers a crap take, they'll know, just ask them how they felt about it and give them the opportunity to redo it if they aren't enthusiastic about the take.

[charic]

On the otherside of things:
-Avoid wearing zips/bracelets/necklaces (anything that can rattle)
-If you tap you foot while you play and you are overdubbing bass it may be worth removing shoes (although others may not appreciate this )
-Be enthusiastic, be psyched up... your playing to an audience... possibly your biggest yet (it comes through on recordings)
-Listen to what the engineer says and make sure your band do the same, also make sure NOT to get on the wrong side of him obviously
-Know all your songs inside out BUT dont be afraid to improvise spur of the moment if its there use it
-Be cool, be relaxed (but keep the enthusiasm)
-If you take a few beers with you offer one to staff (always makes a good impression)
and finally
-Dont be afraid to ask questions! Majority of studio engineers LIKE talking about what theyre doing and just dont want to bore people!

Rik

[tauzero]

As a general organisational thing - know exactly where the studio is and where you'll be parking. Make sure you have all the equipment you need and don't go overboard taking lots of extra stuff. You want to have a nice stress-free setup so you're in a calm frame of mind for the actual recording.

Consider refreshments. Non-alcoholic ones... Have somewhere planned for food or take it in with you.

The studio work I've done has been demos similar to what you'll be doing - one was done live straight to master (it was never intended to be more than a demo of us playing live, so that was fine). Everything else followed the formula of whole band playing to lay down drums and guide instrument and vocal tracks, then bass, then keys and guitars in whatever order seemed logical, then vocals and backing vocals. I've always DIed the bass (except for the live one), generally using some flanger or chorus on it.

Enjoy it and try to relax. It's fun...

[chris_b]

Rehearse your numbers until you can play them in your sleep.

Only the drummer needs a click. It doesn't actually have to be a click; he can have a whole percussion section if he wants. Some drummers work better
with this.

You will probably get a better sound from the studio DI. The engineer will let you know. If you want the sound of a speaker, try the DI and a mike on the cab to 2 separate channels and mix them together later.

Don't worry about timing errors. They can all be fixed later. Ah, the joys of digital recording!

[99ster]

+1 to all the good advice already

If you're not used to playing through headphones it can take a while to adjust...as it's a very different sound to playing together in a room.
So if you can, maybe try & spend a bit of time playing your bass along to some sort of backing track listening only on headphones.
I've done sessions where I had my bass rig right up next to me - just to get the 'feeling' of some low frequencies together with the headphone mix - & it adds a bit of ambient bass sound to the room which can be cool (though this may not be possible/desirable where you're going if they want to isolate the bass completely).

[stingrayfan]

Relax but don't relax so much that you end up having a chat every five minutes about everything. Keep an eye on the time and keep a momentum about the session so you're aware of what you've still got to do. Allow *loads* of time to do the vocal track. It's the single most important bit you'll do but can be the rushed thing at the end.

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='stingrayfan' post='167784' date='Apr 1 2008, 04:04 PM']Relax but don't relax so much that you end up having a chat every five minutes about everything. Keep an eye on the time and keep a momentum about the session so you're aware of what you've still got to do. Allow *loads* of time to do the vocal track. It's the single most important bit you'll do but can be the rushed thing at the end.[/quote]
+1 about the vocals!

Gotta say that there's some fantastic advice posted here that applies to everyone in the band.. If you can, try and share it with your band members too so they know how you're thinking and how you would like everyone to approach the recording session...

[BigRedX]

Having worked a lot with click tracks the best practice is just for the drummer to have the click and everyone else plays to the drums. However unless you're looking for a super-tight feel or you envisage patching mistakes from other places in the the song where the part is right I wouldn't consider playing to a click essential. However if you are going to use one use whatever the drummer is most comfortable with - some like a straight click with a n accent on the first beat of the bar others prefer a loop with some sort of groove to it. Whatever you decide practice with it until you're happy that it's right before going into the studio.

Allocation of time - I would consider giving the same amount of time to each section as follows:

1. Backing tracks (including recording guide instruments)
2. Lead vocals
3. Instrumental and vocal overdubs including harmony vocals (ie anything extra to 1 and 2)
4. Mixing

Mixing is always better if it's done at least a week removed from the recordings with a rough mix to listen to in the mean time so you can get a feel for how the songs are sounding and what extra 'production' is going to be required.

[urb]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='167855' date='Apr 1 2008, 07:19 PM']Having worked a lot with click tracks the best practice is just for the drummer to have the click and everyone else plays to the drums. However unless you're looking for a super-tight feel or you envisage patching mistakes from other places in the the song where the part is right I wouldn't consider playing to a click essential. However if you are going to use one use whatever the drummer is most comfortable with - some like a straight click with a n accent on the first beat of the bar others prefer a loop with some sort of groove to it. Whatever you decide practice with it until you're happy that it's right before going into the studio.

Allocation of time - I would consider giving the same amount of time to each section as follows:

1. Backing tracks (including recording guide instruments)
2. Lead vocals
3. Instrumental and vocal overdubs including harmony vocals (ie anything extra to 1 and 2)
4. Mixing

Mixing is always better if it's done at least a week removed from the recordings with a rough mix to listen to in the mean time so you can get a feel for how the songs are sounding and what extra 'production' is going to be required.[/quote]

+1 on the click track being an option not a necessity - if you (as a band) have a tendency to drastically speed up or slow down then fine - but even if the tempo shifts a little it often adds to the authenticity of the feel. I've done recordings with and without, both with reliable and consistent drummers - and the ones without definitely feel better. It can be off putting and distract you from playing the music as best you can. If you have a decent engineer they can normally work wonders when patching up the odd duff note or slipped kick drum... all I'm saying is be open to not using it - the music will sound more 'human' without it - it can really stifle a good performance IMHO.

Good luck and try to enjoy it - but also see it as a job of work and you'll get the most out of the time you have booked - time really is money in the studio. And also +1 on mixing the sessions at least a week later - your ears will be toast, and your mind a mushy mess when you have finished recording... .

Mike

[SpitfireXXII]

This might sound stupid, but every time I've recorded (or played live), I am thankful I've done it.

Since there is a lot of sitting on your arse doing nothing, before you start recording, take
yourself to the bathroom, and run your dry hands under the hand dryer for a couple of minutes, warm
everything up, that way the muscles in your hands will be nice and relaxed...

like I say, sounds silly, but you'll avoid any cramps, or tight muscles that might slow you down.... Try it!!!!

[Breakfast]

Bring some way of keeping yourselves entertained while you're not actually doing anything. A pack of cards is a versatile way of entertaining a bunch of musos while you sit around waiting for the next opportunity to be useful.

[P-T-P]

On the click track not being essential...

...yes and no. If there are parts of a song where there is no rhythm to follow, unless you all have a very solid internal clock, overdubs can be tricky or end up needing to be chopped about a bit which all takes up time so it's good to have a reference.

And that kinda leads neatly on to playing with a click/metronome. Personally I would never advocate thinking of it as a strict measure of time anyway - though obviously it is - it should be treated as a framework, a skeleton that the body of the song is built around. Maybe the song is a taut and nimble little minx, maybe it's a big fat momma, using a click well prevents neither from coming into being.

[Phaedrus]

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='167822' date='Apr 1 2008, 05:18 PM']If you can, try and share it with your band members too so they know how you're thinking and how you would like everyone to approach the recording session...[/quote]

E-mailed the thread link to them yesterday.

There really is some good advice that I can see will be important for us.

Thanks a lot guys,

Mark

[jakenewmanbass]

A few people have said only the drummer needs a click, while I wouldn't seek to just say people are wrong (because people should do what works for them) I can think of a few potential pitfalls if you follow that advice.

1. Only handing the click to the drummer can place a psychological burden on the him/her/it as it implies he is solely responsible for the timekeeping. If he's up to that task then no problem, but one to consider.

2. In the event that you have little time for overdubs, by each member having the click and sticking to it you will have more useable material from the the original passes and (dependiding on the recording format) can save valuable studio time for other aspects eg vocals.

If you can create a good feel and the drummer can sit on the click no probs, then the above points become irrelevant. but they are points that could save you time if things are not going easily.

Jake

[cheddatom]

IMHO If you're recording live drums, and you're a rehearsed band, there is no need for a click track at all.