Studio Recording

Where to Look

If you decide that you want to go into a professional studio to record, there are many things to consider when choosing. Some factors which will influence your decision will be location, cost, atmosphere and the equipment used. Ask friend’s bands and listen to work recorded at different studios to help you decide always try to get studio time at a good value. Many studios offer cheaper ‘down-time’ rates for the times of day that other musicians wouldn’t usually want to record. Studios are usually listed in music industry directories such as The Unsigned Guide.

Producers

Probably the most important factor when choosing a studio will be which producer you want to work with. Producers help to transform songs into marketable releases. Working with a producer will often help to better capture the essence of your music and give you a fresh take on your sound. Producers are often well connected locally and national which can help to increase your profile.

Finding the right producer is key so research the producers available to you and listen to their previous work. When approaching producers, it is important that you feel you can work well together and are on the same wavelength musically.

If you are a signed band working on an album, you might have a shortlist of well respected producers you want to work with. Often the label or your management will deal with approaching and contracting the producer but the working relationship between producer and artist is crucial.

Once you have found the right producer for you, you will need to agree a fee and make sure you sign a deal to ensure all parties are happy with fees, royalty splits and rights ownership. Always seek legal advice before signing any contracts with producers. See our Contracts support page for more advice on contracts.

Engineers

A recording engineer is responsible for recording, mixing, and manipulating sounds in a studio. They are the ‘tech-heads’ who magically get great sounds from your instruments. In most small-scale studios, the producer takes on the roles expected of an engineer but there are professional engineers involved in most large recording projects and the engineer plays a vital role in capturing the right sounds. Most of the time, the producer, manager or label will choose the right engineer for the job.

Your Budget

The amount of money you can spend on recording will determine where you record, who you record with and how long you have to record. It is important to set realistic targets so that you don’t underestimate how much time you will need per song. Dylan recorded ‘Another Side of Bob Dylan’ in just one day but recording techniques and habits have changed since then and it’s unrealistic to expect to be able to complete many tracks in such a short period of time so you must plan and prepare before you go into a studio.

Preparing for Recording

Think about how many tracks you can realistically complete in your allotted time. It might be more beneficial to focus on one or two songs per day and getting great results than failing to get good results from recording three or four. It’s also worth planning how much of a track you want to complete in the studio and how much you can overdub later either in the studio or at home.

Ideally, you should record everything as a demo before you record for real in an expensive studio. This will minimise the chances of making mistakes and ensure you are happy with all the parts before you waste time and money.

Once your songs are fully prepared, you should make sure you can get the required sound out of your instruments and amps so that you do not waste time in the studio. Bring spare leads, strings, etc. and make sure all instruments are in tune before you go for a take.

Mixing

Once recording is finished, it’s best to give your ears a break before you start to mix your tracks. Mixing is a separate skill to recording but often your producer will offer to mix a track for you- though there are professionals who specialise in mixing and mastering who can make a track really come to life. It is worth spending a lot of time, effort and sometimes money on getting the mix right.

One integral thing to remember when placing sounds into the mix is to always think carefully about the type of sound that you are aiming for. It’s also important to remember that there is a certain ‘frequency band’ that certain sounds will sit in; If you have too many sounds in the same frequency range they will fight for space in the mix which can have a self-defeating effect of concealing or distorting other important sounds in the mix.

A good bit of advice is to build the track up from the ground floor, introducing elements one at a time instead of throwing, say ten sounds in and trying to make them work. It’s also important to have a clear picture in your head of what type of song you are doing and the possible range and palette of sounds that particular style usually employs.

Many people get concerned with making sure their instrument is loud and proud but a good mix concentrates on getting the appropriate levels, etc. to serve the song well. The song is king!

Listen to your mix on various devices such as headphones, computer speakers and good quality hi-fi speakers. This way you can get the right balance for the many different uses of a recording.

Mastering

Mastering engineers can take a good mix and make it sound louder and fatter so that it stands up to professional releases. They can also make sure sounds throughout an EP or album flow better. However, the mastering process can be very expensive so you should decide how much to spend on mastering based on your budget and your release plans. It’s worth considering making a separate master edit for different uses (e.g. radio edits vs. album versions). A separate edit might be needed for use online through sites like MySpace that vastly affect the sound of your recording.