Going into the studio can be stressful and tense, especially if you have never been in a professional environment. But following these 3 simple steps can ease your mind, and set you up for an enjoyable experience that will take your career to the next level.
1. Be Well Rehearsed
Let me preface by saying...
There is nothing wrong with needing more than one take to land your part. Every engineer expects you to need a few takes. In fact, most will ask you to provide extra takes to ensure everything that is needed for the perfect mix is available for the mix engineer.
That Being Said..
The studio is not a place to write songs, or "work out" certain parts. Time in the studio is very valuable. Whether you are being charged hourly, daily or by song, the time it takes to track sets the tone for the session. Holding up the day by not knowing you guitar part, or having lines of lyrics that are not finished will destroy the work flow, and kill the mood of your session. Not to mention, drain your wallet.
Be Prepared.
2. Properly Set Up Your Instruments
If your drums or guitars do not sound good, your skills won't matter.
This day and age good engineers can definitely work some magic, but we all live by an UN-debatable mantra: "Get it right at the source".
If your instrument has not been properly set up with things like fresh strings/drum heads, or not being properly intonated, you are setting yourself up for failure. If it does not sound good to your ear, how can you expect it to sound good on the record?
Change your strings and drum heads (if needed) at least 2 days before recording. Giving them time to stretch is vital to staying in tune, don't battle with tuning in the studio.
Your Voice is an Instrument
Taking care of your pipes is just as vital to a great recording as guitar and drum upkeep. Proper vocal warmup can solve so many problems before they happen. Not only will it affect your range and tone, but it will give you the confidence you need in the booth to ENJOY the process. The vocal booth can be a sad and lonely place, but it doesn't have to be. Come in warmed up and invigorated, and it will shine through in your performance.
3. Take Care of Yourself
In the music industry, we all enjoy the night life. I am not going to give my clients a bed time the night before recording, or give you diet guidelines.
What I do expect from my clients is to be respectful adults. You are spending serious money to work on something you are passionate about! If you go into the studio hungover, hungry or tired, it will affect your record.
I once had a one song session. The band only had one day to record, so we knew time was of the essence. About a half hour into tracking, the drummer was playing very weakly, and seemed as though he was timid. During one take he was actually FALLING ASLEEP! WHILE PLAYING!!! I never got the full story on what was going on, but as you can guess, that song never got finished. A ton of wasted time and money all due to one member not taking care of himself.
Get Sleep. Eat. Drink Water.
Comments