Will Clarke, owner of Prana Recording Studio Agency in Atlanta, GA has contributed to this article.
1. Practice your songs to a click
Unless you are recording a LIVE album, practicing and your music to a metronome is essential for the studio environment. Drum takes that are “on-the-grid” makes overdubbing or any sort of correction in Post-Production incredibly easy. I know many engineers that will not record without a click simply to avoid the headache. If your musical group has music (or a drummer) that fluctuates between tempos, you need to rehearse the music to per-determined BPM before showing up to your session.
2. Show up Prepared
My opinion is: A great studio session is one that runs quickly and efficiently. If you and your band mates are pressured into last minute songwriting issues or troubleshooting (such as vocal delivery, guitar melody, or rhythm section misalignment), it can be a real strain on the recording process.
If you are looking to become a session musician, remember this saying: You might not be the best player in the room, but you can certainly be the most prepared.
3. Take Your Time
The Recording Process is broken down into 3 parts:
Pre-Production:
Before you even arrive at the studio, you are going to spend hours designing and planning your session. This is the Pre-Production Phase. This process includes finding and communicating with your engineer about the expectations of the record and your budget. Some studios will want to do a day of Pre-Production in the studio to make sure that when it’s time to record final takes, every detail is hashed out. During this time you can put down the foundations of the song and provide context for the greater plan of the song. Foundational elements include final BPM, rhythms, instrumentation, and structure, as well as lyrics, chorus melody, lead lines, etc
Recording
- Scratch Tracks (guitar, vocals, melody, piano, etc)
- Drums + Final
- Lead Instruments (Vocals, guitar, keys, whichever instrument is playing the melody)
- Pads (Rhythm Guitar + Keys)
- Harmony (Horn section, backing vocals, etc)
- Texture (ambiance, percussion, overdubs, Solos)
Now that the foundation is established, it is time to start building some walls! Drums and Bass will be the first 2 instruments to record final takes. The reason for this is that every other instrument needs to record along with the drums for a cohesive recording. Bass will record next to establish structure, changes, and rhythm.
Now that these two rhythmic elements have been finalized, the rest can flow in accordance with the needs of the session and the genre. Hip hop groups would go ahead and record final takes for verses and choruses, while rock bands may elect to do guitars at this stage. In all cases, the next step is to record the main identifying characteristic of the song. After that, you add finishing touches — finer details that reinforce the greater creative goal of the song, such as vocal harmonies, horn lines, solo sections, time-based effects, percussion, and texture.
Production
- Time Based inserts (Reverb & Delay)
- Gain Based Inserts (Drive, Saturation, Compression)
- EQ
- Mixing (Panning, Fade In/Outs, levelling, etc)
The production stage is often referred to as the mixing stage. Many engineers do not want the artist in the same room as them while they do the majority of the mixing as it is a tedious and focus intensive process. However, you will have many opportunities to provide detailed feedback on the mixes during the “Revisions” process. Make sure you have communicated your expectations about the mixing with your engineer and your budget before you et started in the studio!
If you have the budget, or you are working with a dedicated producer on the song, you may have the freedom to do what I call creative mixing. Creative Mixing is taking a more intensive, creative approach to the production process. It can push your track to the next level, however it is very time consuming. Creative Mix techniques include: Delay throws, risers, vocal effects, practical effects, automated effects, drum triggers, amp simulation, and so, so much more. Just make sure you work with your engineer and give them a heads up that you want to do creative mixing because it really does take a ton of time… speaking of mixing:
4. No time-based effects while recording!
You can always add reverb and delay, but it is impossible to get rid of when recorded. Most likely, your mix engineer will add an amount of reverb and delay appropriate for your personal mixes while tracking (recording) to assist the performance. However, some artists are adamant that they know best and go into the studio with the intention of breaking this rule. Let's look at some scenarios:
Scenario 1:
Let’s say you are in a Dream Pop band that has vocals running through a highly saturated vocal effects pedal. Your singer nails a take of the chorus, except for one thing: they accidentally smack the microphone with their hand because of their *sick dance moves*. If you are only recording the vocal signal wet (with effects) as opposed to dry (without effects), not only are you recording the physical smack of the microphone, but you also are recording the 2 seconds of reverb that comes after. If you recorded Dry, you can easily edit out the hit and saturate the dry vocals with effects in Post. But if you recorded Wet, this becomes a brutal challenge for even the best engineer.
Mixing Engineers agree that it is IMPOSSIBLE to remove any amount of reverb or delay on a recorded instrument. Which is why we record dry signals and send the performer a wet signal in their monitor mixes. We make separate tracks for important, time-based effects like reverb and delay, and give those effects their own adjustable levels and parameters for real-time monitoring without affecting the integrity of the dry vocal track.
Scenario 2:
You are the keyboard player of an indie rock band and you are playing Rhodes. The built-in tape delay on your Korg SV1 Keyboard is pretty great! So, you slap it on. Turns out, your delay timing is too long and too prominent in the context of the mix. Everytime you play a chord, your delay triggers half a second too late. It is unsettling and it throws off the rhythm section for the entire mix. Unfortunately, in this scenario there is nothing the engineer can do to fix that because the tape delay is recorded on the main signal.
With any and all time-based effects, you want to start small and build big, or use none at all. You can always re-amp the clean signal or re-record the instrument with effects to taste:
5. Find your perfect Tone in Post-Production
Scenario 3:
You are in a Heavy Metal Band. Your guitar player take a 4 bar solo before the Pre-Chorus Breakdown. The amount of Gain and Distortion on this solo must be absolutely Perfect — and while your effects may be dialed in to your ear, the Engineer always has a different perspective. So the Engineer will split the recording process into two parts:
Re-Amping is a non-destructive process of recording a clean tone (usually through a DI box straight from the Guitar) and then re-recording that clean signal into a guitar amp & Pedal effects separately over top of the song at a later time. This gives the band and Engineer the opportunity to fine-tune the gain, distortion, compression and any other effects to perfection without compromising the initial take.
DI Box
Many engineers split the initial guitar tone and record both a wet & dry signal, especially in genres of heavily affected guitars (like Metal, Rock and Roll, Pop, & Psychedelic Rock). All musicians hold a bias towards the sound of their instrument as it appears to them while they play. Which is why when a guitarist hears their own wet take played side by side in context of the full mix, they many times choose the engineer’s.
6. Understand your position within the “Mix Space”
For many people, the first time hearing playback of yourself or your music on dedicated studio speakers in a sound-treated room is a shock. For our entire lives, we perceive music through “colored” stereo systems, as most consumer brand stereos adjust the audio that passes through them. Car Speakers, home stereos, Bose and JBL battery powered speakers, listening to music on your phone, through apple air pods, or Beats by Dre. The sonic characteristics are being changed and warped as the audio runs through each of these systems. Dedicated studio speakers, however, are designed to be flat, which means they add extra no characteristics to the audio source while amplifying it. The sound of studio speakers, or monitors as they are called (because they allow an engineer to “monitor” the audio in real time), can be off-putting or even described as harsh. The ears of the average listener are not accustomed to hearing the exposed and highly detailed audio of professional studio monitors. Our ears enjoy the warm and smooth sounds of a Bose or a JBL system, but for an engineer it is absolutely critical to working with the most accurate representation of the recorded audio, so that later in the mixing and production process of your music it will better translate into those other systems.
Audio is energy in the form of sound waves. The Mix Space is a representation of how that audio (energy) occupies a room. It can be represented in a 2-D graph ( like this one ) which helps us to understand the role of each instrument within a mix.
The mix space is based on a few different parameters: Panning (Left, Center, Right), EQ (frequency spectrum, or "height" in a 2D representation), & Volume (gain based inserts, levels, depth). So if were to refer to an instrument (such as the kick), I would refer to that as being "low" on the frequency spectrum, and centered in the mix space (no pan)
Here are some examples of how different instruments sit in the mix:
- Kick Drum — center bottom
- Snare — lower center, left side
- Cymbals — Shimmering over top, spread wide
- Pad — fills in the stereo image
- Lead melody — loud and proud, center center
- Rhythm guitar — center, panned appropriately
- Bass — sandwiched between the Kick Drum Low and High
Here is another graphic visualizer of a Mix Space. Hopefully this will help you make creative decisions about your music and your own parts by having a more cohesive understanding of the elements of a final mix.
Blues Band Mix Space — Globe Institute of Recording & Production
[Separation in the Mix]
7. Make a recording schedule
What days do we do this? What days do we do that? Making a schedule allows you to keep track of your timeline and your budget!
It also helps to keep the recording engineer prepared. Here’s an example:
- Monday = Pre-Production Day 1
- Tuesday = Pre-Production Day 2
- Wednesday = Load In, Set up
- Thursday = Drums, Bass, Rhythm Section
- Friday = Vocals, Melody
- Saturday = Solo Sections, Re-Amping
- Sunday = Textures, ambience, transitions, finishing touches
8. Agree on who wrote the song.
This is important for two reasons — 1. Publishing rights (who takes credit and royalties for the intellectual property of the songwriting) and 2. Who has final say on any creative and technical decisions in the studio, on that song. Knowing who wrote the song will help the Engineer appropriately direct questions and concerns in a 1 on 1 style, instead of towards the whole band (which can lead to time-consuming debate.) This is not a huge deal, but I personally like to be aware of the creative dynamic of whose input is more valuable than others. I’m really only adding this because part of being a recording engineer is working within the dynamic of a group of creative individuals, and you don’t want to accidentally disturb it. And I’ve seen some arguments for sure… moving on.
9. No family members or friends while tracking
Please leave your parents and siblings at home. I generally welcome significant others (because spouses/partners of professional musicians “get it”) but if your companions in the studio are distracting an engineer while they are working (or worse, distracting the musician while you are working), the Engineer might ask them to leave…. its not vacation time for your Engineer. Its get-work-done-time.
10 Leave the Drama (and the drugs) at the Door
As a general rule, keep your distractions away from the Engineer. Recording is a very stressful and methodical task. If you’ve got a joint, take it outside. If you’ve got beef with a band mate…
Yeah, thats gonna be a no from me, dawg
11. Don’t steal our Gaff tape, that stuff is expensive.
*guilty*
12. Most performance-related flaws can be fixed in post
Miss a note on the solo? Edit it in post. Vocalist didn’t deliver that line quite right? Don’t worry, there’s 12 other takes. Not enough Reverb? I Give it the ole’ Re-Amp treatment. Kick drum is off beat? Copy, Paste, baby! Efficiency is the name of the game in the recording process.
(also, click here if you don't understand the Troggs reference below.... GOLD)
The Troggs
13. However, two things must be addressed immediately: Time and Pitch
This is an objective issue that can foil the recording process. If your engineer tells you that you are either: Rushing/Dragging or Out of Tune, be cognizant that this small flaw can jeopardize the track later in the Recording Process (when you add elements like harmony, melody, and texture).
Which leads nicely into the next tip:
14. Tune your instruments in between takes
Please bring a tuner to the session. In general, you should be ultra-aware of your tempo (if you are a member of the rhythm section) and your tuning/intonation (if you are a member of the melody section).
15. Do some exercise/stretches in between takes
This is really important — Exercising in between takes can significantly increase everyone’s mood and energy going back into the studio. You can actually hear the difference in the takes. Not to mention it can help relieve all that stress and any pent up aggression you have towards your band mates. Not only is exercise good for not having a heart attack when you are 50, it’ll actually make the recording process much smoother and make the takes themselves better (in my opinion).
Relevant BoJack is Relevant
16. Show up prepared… to wait
The majority of your time in the studio will be spent sitting and waiting, listening to your band mates record, or working through the mix with the engineer. I recommend bringing something to keep you occupied but that won’t take you out of the zone or take too much energy away from you. I recommend a video game that you love but that is also something that you can put down in an instant and that you aren’t really invested in. Something simple, like Mario Kart or Super Smash Brothers, or even a Pokémon game. If you want to stay in a creative vibe, I recommend bringing something to draw or doodle with. Put on some headphones and go dance outside. (We have a Rubix cube that sees a lot of love)
The most important thing is not to bring something that will remove you from the mindset of the studio environment. I certainly do not recommend bringing your day job! I’ve heard many times: “I’ll just bring my computer and knock out some emails for my Marketing job while I wait for everyone to finish tracking”. This is a bad idea — it will remove you from the headspace that you need to be in to make the most out of your engineer’s time. Unless it is related to the Band (and this could be any amount of managerial tasks such as ordering merchandise, responding to Promoters, confirming show details, etc), I would leave it at home.
17. Beware of Burrito-itis
Pretty self-explanatory.
18. Hot tea makes a good coffee substitute for long recording sessions, but water is even better.
Staying Hydrated is super important, it’ll keep you focused for the longer sessions, not to mention being hydrated is just awesome in general. Also, make sure your vocalist knows about Throat Coat, that stuff is the mamma-jammas
Throat Coat
19. The engineer is not your enemy
The Recording Engineer has one job: Be the bridge that transfers the highest quality version of your music into the physical world. This manifests itself differently from producer to producer… some engineers are technical producers and some engineers are people producers. It’s a balance of therapy and tough love, tech savvy & emotional capacity, having the mental fortitude to keep going and the discipline to know when you’ve gone far enough. The bottom line — The Engineer is just doing what they believe is the best thing for the final product. So if your engineer delivers constructive criticism to you, such as “That take was a decent take, but I can hear the energy level dropping a bit. Let’s take 15 and regroup”… don’t take it personally.
20. Bring your A-Game
Aside from the mental discipline needed for an efficient and productive studio session, I argue that every musician should take their instrument to the shop to get “tuned-up” before you begin your session.
- Guitarists: a tune-up can address problems such as: Buzzing frets, Intonation problems, and Electrical noise, and will usually set you up with a set of fresh strings
- Vocalists: Don’t go partying the night before and lose your voice plz & thx — signed, everyone.
- Drummers: Put on new heads before the session and tune your drums every couple hours. Double check the chains on your kick and hi-hat pedals.
- Producers: Check that all your cables, sound cards, interfaces, controllers and adapters are working before coming into the studio. We may not have what you need!
- Everyone else: Don’t make fun of the drummer for tuning their kit, just be proud that they showed up at all (kidding :P)
21. The #1 goal should be capturing the energy of the performance
There is an indescribable rush of emotion and power that arises from well-performed and recorded music. It’s like tasting your mom’s signature dish, or watching a group of fighter jets dance in the skies. Where just for a moment, you forget about all the technical barriers and frustrations and troubleshooting… you forget to monitor the faders on your console or the dB levels on your mic pre-amps… and you sit back in awe at the musical masterpiece crafted in front of you. And you look down at your computer screen and watch with a smile as that energy is grasped from the ephemeral and poured like concrete into your hard drive. It’s the absolute best part about being an engineer — Capturing the joy and energy and… well, the magic.
22. Don’t suck, Have fun
I’m gonna get a tattoo of this one day.
Anyway, that’s the end of the article. If you have any questions you can DM me. I also have written a bunch of other super helpful (imo) articles on the music industry which you can find on Medium or on my website. A few other Articles I’ve written that might peak your interest: - A Comprehensive Guide to Booking Your Own Tour - How To Attract a Booking Agent - A Complete Artists Guide to Growth on Tik Tok - Royalties: How and When you Get Paid - Everything you need to Know about Going on Tour
Thanks for reading - Hope it helps :) Josiah Soren Beatmaker, Bass Player, Author, lover of Fresh Bread and LoFi beats
Submitted June 26, 2021 at 08:33AM by JosiahSoren https://www.reddit.com/r/Learnmusic/comments/o892o9/22_lessons_i_learned_in_the_recording_studio/?utm_source=ifttt