Going into the studio for the first time

[Dababy]

I've done some home recording on my computer just to capture a song's feel and it doesn't sound too bad, but I'm going into a real studio with pro equipment in the next month to record a CD for our church's worship band. We play some slower stuff but mostly up-tempo rock sounds. I'm stoked about it (especially since we're doing one of my original songs)

What I'm wondering is: Can anybody give me pointers to prepare myself (other than practice) for this? I'm stoked about it (especially since we're doing one of my original songs)

[woodman]

there are a zillion things to prepare for, but most of them will shake out just fine as long as you and the band are well-rehearsed and go in there with the intent of nailing every tune on the first take. of course that won't happen, but if your confidence level is high and you know what you're about, a lot of the other stuff will take care of itself. stay loose as a band, don't get uptight about it ... play like you play, and all will be groovy.

haha! sounds easy, right? i'm sure others will chime in with more specifics.

[Big John]

Make sure your equipment works, take a few spare cables, batteries and strings etc, check in any 'attitude' at the door and enjoy.

[tele salivas]

take a little time and walk around the place to really get a feel for your environment, this will help demystify things a bit as when you start working time goes fast! It can be a lot of fun, especially if you and the band get along. And don't forget to take pictures for posterity, look at all the great pictures Big John has of all his (mis?)adventures...It's always great to look back and smile....

[Dababy]

Originally Posted by woodman

stay loose as a band, don't get uptight about it ... play like you play, and all will be groovy.

Originally Posted by Big John

Make sure your equipment works, take a few spare cables, batteries and strings etc, check in any 'attitude' at the door and enjoy.

Originally Posted by tele salivas

take a little time and walk around the place to really get a feel for your environment, this will help demystify things a bit as when you start working time goes fast! It can be a lot of fun, especially if you and the band get along. And don't forget to take pictures for posterity, look at all the great pictures Big John has of all his (mis?)adventures...It's always great to look back and smile....

Sage advice, all. Thanks!

[wangdangdoodle]

It's going to be a long, hard, and tiring day with very good results, so make sure you take lots of breaks. The amounts of times I've been in a studio trying to get that take that just isn't coming, taken a break, had some coffee and then "wham" it just suddenly happens.

[Big John]

Originally Posted by tele salivas

.... at all the great pictures Big John has of all his (mis?)adventures...It's always great to look back and smile....

Thats a good idea but not really mine, someone else brought a camera that first time and really it was to help de-stress the situation should any arise and it was a great idea, when you are chasing the clock sometimes things can get a bit 'fraught' and to just spend a minute grinning at a camera seems to lighten things up.
Since then i always take one even if i don't use it, as a record for me in old age if nothing else ......... "Hey Gramps. did you ever go to Studio 'B' in Nashville ?", well actually .......



Now, get off my lawn !!

[tweeet]

Make sure you know your song parts and arrangements backwards and that you have your guitar sounds,keys,bass more or less sorted.If the engineer is good he'll tell you if the amps need tweeking here or there.
If you are recording real drums and you play as a band and will record as a band then as Woodman said you need to nail takes which in turn will give you extra time for overdubs and any experimenting you want to do.Spend some time getting a good sound at scource first (engineers job again) as even a badly recorded snare or guitar will still sound bad later on....and make sure the drummer hasn't got 10 year old crappy skins on his kit.
Finally...if you need to book extra time to mix then do so.There's no point in spending time getting a good recording done then only having 30 mins left to mix the tracks and rushing it...chances are after a few listens over the next couple of days you might want to remix anyway so be prepared to spend a bit extra.

.....and enjoy.

[klasaine]

Be in tune. Seems obvious I know - but so many musicians are not meticulous about their tuning. In the studio it matters - and it's forever.
If there are any issues or questions about something (or someone) being out of tune, check everybody on the same tuner. If you're recording acoustic piano(?) - tune to the piano - or at least check it's "A" with your tuner.

Whenever I do my own thing or am the MD or defacto MD for somebody else, I generally do 3 takes of each tune. Even if the 1st take seems rippin', I'll still do two more. My reason is that if there's a blown bass note, guitar chord, etc - usually (in this digital age) you can grab the note or chord from another take. If your meter and tempo is really consistent from take to take, you can even fly in a solo from another take with a little time tweaking. I would suggest at least starting each take at the same tempo. Use a metronome to get the tempo.

If the studio has guitar amps you 'may' want to consider using one - the engineer probably knows how it sounds and how to mic it up (unless it's a Marshall and you're a Fender guy - do what's comfortable).

As mentioned DO NOT WATCH THE CLOCK - it will always beat you. The 1st tune will usually take the longest - set up, re-align some mics, headphone levels, goofing around with the inevitable technical problem, etc. Don't stress about it - it takes the time it takes

*extra credit : do any 2nd guitar parts or overdubs (not 'fixes' - different parts) on a different guitar and amp if possible ... or even direct. It adds more sonic 'landscape' to your tracks. If a different guitar and amp is NOT an option? ... change pickups, change amp setting and mic placement (change mic?) roll off your tone control a bit, etc.

Have fun and may the force be with you.

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by klasaine

Have fun and may the force be with you.

Thanks, Obi-Wan!

You're our only hope ...

Great advice so far from some deep experience points.

My $0.02: Trust your Engineer(s) - it's their house, they know how it works.

HAVE FUN!!!

mud

[Dababy]

Thanks so much everybody! I'm going to try and have fun with it, focus on what my job is and play my heart out. I've already decided that I will listen to the engineer (unless he wants me to play a BC Rich through a Randall stack). I'm taking all 3 electrics in (P-90 hollowbody, tele, and my tele deluxe). I'm going to find out what he wants for amplifier before I show up. I have a modded Blackheart Little Giant that sounds good to me but if he has something better I'll use that.

[T Prior]

Who is Producing the session ? This should be a person or the person very knowledgeable about what the end product should sound like. The Engineer may be very foreign to what you are doing, he may be the best technically but may not be the best go to guy for "sounds". Someone needs to be directing the activity from an arrangement point of view, who plays, when not to play, what works what doesn't etc, generally that is not the Engineer, that's a different job. If you are going in to cut tracks and there is nobody in charge , hence, Producer, you will have a very long day. In this case, be sure all ego's and attitudes are checked at the door.

It's always best to use your own gear, your own guitars, your own amps etc, sure they may have a 1964 AC100 sitting there , but if you have never played thru one before you will spend all your time searching for "tone". Drums would be the exception here.

Be sure to put new strings on each of the guitars you plan to use.

A sit down discussion with the praise team as a unit before hand, discussing the sessions will also be valuable.

Studio's are great fun and they can be very revealing as well. Think simple, try to kick back and just enjoy the time.

Have a goal, plan what needs to get done, stick to the plan.


Your session should be low stress as it is about praise songs that you already know, you will have a great time.

let us hear a track or two !

t

[tele salivas]

Originally Posted by Big John

Thats a good idea but not really mine, someone else brought a camera that first time and really it was to help de-stress the situation should any arise and it was a great idea, when you are chasing the clock sometimes things can get a bit 'fraught' and to just spend a minute grinning at a camera seems to lighten things up.
Since then i always take one even if i don't use it, as a record for me in old age if nothing else ......... "Hey Gramps. did you ever go to Studio 'B' in Nashville ?", well actually .......



Now, get off my lawn !!

Damn Big John, how much time Have you spent in the States? This an the Muskogee picture are like country guitarist holy points, awesome..

[Big John]

I just figure a moving target is much harder to hit (even if it's as big as me) so i like to keep ahead of them as best i can!!

I've been through Tulsa too, on the way up to Osage Co. to stay with friends in Hominy.

Truth is ....... i would need at least another lifetime and a bank account full of money to see everything i want to see that side of the pond, just keep watching your back door, you never know.

[backalleyblues]

1) Make sure your strings are fresh, or at least decent, and tunable. Also make sure your intonation is good, that all jacks, pots are clean (especially if you like doing volume swells!)... and don't forget a strap or 2...

2) Check your amps for cabinet buzzes, blown (or dying) speakers, wiring, etc. Make sure all your effects, cabling, etc. are in good working order. Small amps are definitely preferred in studios, especially in a band-tracking session. Your Blackheart will fit right into that very nicely, so I'd use it first before anything else...

3) Make sure that everybody has the same copy of the lead sheets for each song-btw, I'm not talking about full-on charts, just something that shows the changes, order of sections (verse-verse-chorus, that kind of thing), just so everybody knows where they should be. Don't be afraid to use a music stand, either! That's what they're there for!

4) Unless it's vital to the track (think U2's Edge and how he uses echo) don't use any time-based effects while recording guitar-the studio will have better sounding gear, and it will blend a lot better with the other tracks. Overdrive, distortion, etc. is a different animal, so don't be afraid to experiment a bit there.

5) As mentioned above, the first song will take forever-oftentimes, it will take the engineer at least an hour to get the drum mics setup! Just be patient, it will get done... go ahead and get your guitars in tune and your amp setup, but don't be loud while the engineer is testing other mics... make sure you have some bottled water handy, you'd be amazed how dehydrated you can get in there...

6) Have FUN!!!!

Good luck,
Franc Robert

[Radspin]

This might be an obvious one, but since no one's mentioned it yet--no drugs or alcohol allowed! I've worked with musicians who insisted they had to get "loosened up" to get the right "feel" and the session turned into endless guitar tuning; retakes and sometimes vicious arguing with headphones and other assorted objects being thrown or knocked over.

[backalleyblues]

Ummm, radspin, the OP is playing with a praise band... no alcohol period...

Franc Robert

[Radspin]

"Ummm, radspin, the OP is playing with a praise band... no alcohol period..."

Oops, sorry, forgot I'd read that by the time I got to the end of the thread!

[Dababy]

Thanks again! Some stuff I have thought of - and plenty I didn't!
Tprior: We just had a band meeting this morning and our worship leader is producing - he actually has his ducks in a row. We received sheets with what our responsibilities are, what our goals are, etc. He's also had quite a bit of studio time with various bands and as a solo act so he knows what to expect.
backalleyblues: Hadn't thought about time-based effects. Hmm, I do use a lot of different sounding delays so we'll see what needs to be added in after the fact or at the time of recording.
Radspin: Yeah, backalleyblues said it - don't think we'll have any of that going on, but I can see how it would wreck a session!

[Geoff738]

Lotsa great advice here - but remember, even though you're under a bit of a microscope, it can all be erased and/or done again if it doesn't meet your goals. Knowing this actually does help me, although I still get a bit of red light fever even in my modest home studio.

I think it's kind of a normal reaction though - I don't record myself that often and, well it sometimes doesn't sound the way I think it should.

Have fun, enjoy it. It's a very different environment than what most of us are used to. The first few playbacks may be humbling - we don't always get to hear how we really sound, but hopefully inspiring as well. Listen for what you're doing well, especially as a group. It's easy to dwell on the little mistakes we each make as a player - to focus on our own little flubs. But if you keep the bigger picture in mind, I think that helps. So, try and keep the bigger picture in mind if you can.

There's probably lots of stuff that only you will notice. I think it's ok to point out to the producer the parts that you think you might be able to do better (if time, budget allows - but doing overdubs for the first time is also another whole thing), but at the end of the day, that's his or her call. Be supportive to your band mates, play the best you can. Have fun.

If the group has a regular warmup ritual. make time for that. If you have a warmup regimen, make time for that. Show up at the studio early so you can get your gear set up early (if they'll allow that) so you can do your warmups, if that's what you need.

How many people? Are you going to want/ need headphones? That might take some time - not sure what to suggest other than be prepared for that. On the other hand, it's really important that everyone can hear each other - especially if you want to be in tune with each other.

Please let us know how it goes.

Cheers,
Geoff

[Dababy]

Originally Posted by Geoff738

Please let us know how it goes.

Cheers,
Geoff

I will definately do that! I'll probably even post a song.

[ganttmann]

Lots of fine advice. Mostly all I'm doing is reiterating and elaborating. Absolutely make sure your guitar plays in tune. If it hasn't been set up in a while do it! If you don't do your own setup work take it to the doctor. Get your other guitar players and your bass player (most ESPECIALLY get the bass player!) to all do the same. I can't tell you how many times I've taken client's guitars and basses into my workshop to do a quick setup just so I don't have to record them out of tune. Had a guy once with a fine Ken Smith bass. He'd owned it for 7 years. It had NEVER been set up. It played almost a semitone sharp at the 12th fret on a couple of strings. Don't know how anyone could play that way but it happens! Make sure all the guitars and basses play in tune!!! Get your drummer to play his drums and listen closely for rattles and squeaks. Squeaky bass drum pedals (the notorious Ludwig Squeak King comes to mind!) and loose lugs might not bother you so much in the heat of a performance but studio microphones will pick up and exacerbate ever little extraneous noise. If the studio has a drum set it might be very wise to use it. Studio drums will almost certainly have had all those little gremlins eliminated. Finally - record your band practices and scrutinize them in painful, minute detail. Listen for parts that step on vocals. Listen for parts that step on each other. The more I record music (21+ years now as a professional) the more I've become convinced that great recordings are 10% great sound and 90% great arrangements. Study some of your favorite recordings to hear how the arrangements work and how the instruments interact with each other. If there are two guitars make sure the parts are distinct and complimentary. Keep instruments that live in the same sonic range (guitars and keys, for example) out of each other's ways. Decide who plays where and when! In particular, church groups can have the issue of "well, we have to let him play this part because he's been with our worship band for years and that's what he always does!" or "well, we have to let everyone be a part of it, don't we?" It's a delicate balancing act to find a way to allow everyone to be a part of the project but to also find a way to serve the music. A one mic cassette recording can teach you an awful lot about how your music will sound in a real studio. Listen and discuss what you hear.

Finally - HAVE FUN! If you're not having fun you won't play good music. Make sure you're set up so you can see each other. Take the time to get the headphones set so you can hear each other. Pay attention to the engineer's advice but don't let him/her push you around. Us engineers sometimes get so wrapped up in achieving technical perfection that we forget that iso booths are NOT necessarily conducive to the creation of great music. Sometimes a little leakage is even a good thing! Putting a guitar speaker cab in a closet might be a good idea. Putting the guitar player in the closet might not!

Good luck!

Gantt

Originally Posted by Dababy

I've done some home recording on my computer just to capture a song's feel and it doesn't sound too bad, but I'm going into a real studio with pro equipment in the next month to record a CD for our church's worship band. We play some slower stuff but mostly up-tempo rock sounds. I'm stoked about it (especially since we're doing one of my original songs)

What I'm wondering is: Can anybody give me pointers to prepare myself (other than practice) for this? I'm stoked about it (especially since we're doing one of my original songs)

[Old Cane]

Originally Posted by Dababy

I've done some home recording on my computer just to capture a song's feel and it doesn't sound too bad, but I'm going into a real studio with pro equipment in the next month to record a CD for our church's worship band. We play some slower stuff but mostly up-tempo rock sounds. I'm stoked about it (especially since we're doing one of my original songs)

What I'm wondering is: Can anybody give me pointers to prepare myself (other than practice) for this? I'm stoked about it (especially since we're doing one of my original songs)

Pray.

[woodman]

Originally Posted by Old Cane

Pray.

hahaha! yep, you need every edge you can get!

[ganttmann]

I've had more than a few worship projects. They frequently pray before they play. Why not?

Originally Posted by woodman

hahaha! yep, you need every edge you can get!

[woodman]

Originally Posted by ganttmann

I've had more than a few worship projects. They frequently pray before they play. Why not?

why not indeed? my comment was meant good-humoredly, not sarcastically (though i can understand your sensitivity to it.)

[ganttmann]

Nah - I wasn't being sensitive! No offensive even considered, much less taken. I actually edited out the second part of the post - about the time Danny Gatton turned up on one of my gigs and how I said a quick little prayer and headed straight for the bar! Playing in front of Danny was always my test of musical & spiritual fortitude. When I quit drinking (24 years ago!) I went to a jazz jam he hosted to see if I could stand to sit in with him stone cold sober. I didn't play great but I didn't die!

Originally Posted by woodman

why not indeed? my comment was meant good-humoredly, not sarcastically (though i can understand your sensitivity to it.)

[woodman]

Originally Posted by ganttmann

I said a quick little prayer and headed straight for the bar!

now that's a roadhouse rock 'n' roll classic!!!

[Old Cane]

I have done these kinds of sessions and I make sure they pay before they pray and pray befrore they play. The truth is anyone and everyone has tried to get over on me in a studio and music store situation. I guess when I mention my affiliation they think I won't take their money, especially as they show me their high end gear. Not trying to start a fight here but I've had more luck getting paid by guys that call me "dude" than guys that call me "brother". Just so you don't misunderstand, I am an only child.

dababy, just make sure everyone knows their parts and the drummer can play with a click. In the christian rock settings I have done, I have worked with some of the best players I have ever had the pleasure to play with and some of the worst.

Also, if oyu have someone in the band that has trouble either showing up or being on time, have someone responsible go get them and bring them.

Try not to start any fights. The more passionate you are about what you are doing the easier it is to cause a problem. Trust me, you'll find not everyone shares your enthusiasm and this may be the first time they express that to you.

Remember, it'll be ok no matter what. Sometimes you have to stop and tell yourself that in the middle of things. Just enjoy it for what it is. If you get usuable material out of it great. If not, just do it again. You should get better and get more comfortable the more you do it. Don't let it be a once in a lifetime thing. It doesn't have to be a career either. But it should always be fun. If it ain't, you're doing it wrong.

[Dababy]

Pray! Yeah, that would be a good starting point. I'm really sensitive to pitch so you can rest assured that all my guitars are intonated and will be in tune - Now as for everybody else? We'll see.
We are by no means pros - we all have day jobs. The only way I could become a session musician is if terrorists took out Nashville, L.A., and every other major "music" city with nukes! However, we have some decent original material and the congregation has been asking for a CD for quite some time, so we're going to do it.
Old Cane - that's a shame that you have had problems getting paid by christians. There should definately be a higher level of integrity when dealing with "brothers". We are getting a reduced rate but the studio owner/engineer approached us with that offer (he's a member of the church).

[Old Cane]

That's all excellent news. Just be sure you have fun. You guys should be just fine and have something for those that will appreciate it. Be sure and let us hear it when you get done in the twanger central forum.

[WisconsinStrings]

Good luck. When are you scheduled to go in?

Stay loose and have fun!

[Dababy]

I'm going in May 9th. Just found out I'm supposed to lay down almost all the electric guitars in one sitting! The whole band won't be going in together, so I'll be playing to an acoustic scratch track and the final recording of drums. See if you guys think this is possible or even probable: I have 8 songs to do the electric tracks on (most of them multiple tracks), I have 1 song to do the acoustic for, one for mandolin, and two for pedal steel.
I think that's a lot for 8 hours, but I guess I'll do what I can and go back in the next week for anything else. We're not paying by the hour, so going back in shouldn't be too big of a deal.

[ganttmann]

Sounds like a pretty ambitious agenda to me! My advice would be to relax and see how long the first couple of tunes takes. That should give you an idea how long the rest should take. I don't think I've ever done much better than an hour per tune and, in my experience with the session players who have been in my studio (and we have some great players around here) it usually takes between one and two hours to really nail an overdub. Don't sweat the clock, take your time and make sure you're happy with the parts you do. Also, it's a common practice in this digital age to collect tracks and sort them out later - i.e. get 4,5,6 or more takes and comp them together after the talent goes home. It's not a terrible way to work for some kinds of projects/parts but, speaking as a guitar player (and as an engineer too!) I'd rather leave a studio knowing what my part is going to sound like in the final mix. It's a false economy to think it saves time to throw paint against the wall in hopes that later on you'll be able to make it stick. I'm a big proponent of getting it right before you move on. But the big thing to remember is this - relax and HAVE FUN!

Gantt

Originally Posted by Dababy

I'm going in May 9th. Just found out I'm supposed to lay down almost all the electric guitars in one sitting! The whole band won't be going in together, so I'll be playing to an acoustic scratch track and the final recording of drums. See if you guys think this is possible or even probable: I have 8 songs to do the electric tracks on (most of them multiple tracks), I have 1 song to do the acoustic for, one for mandolin, and two for pedal steel.
I think that's a lot for 8 hours, but I guess I'll do what I can and go back in the next week for anything else. We're not paying by the hour, so going back in shouldn't be too big of a deal.

[Dababy]

Originally Posted by ganttmann

I'm a big proponent of getting it right before you move on. But the big thing to remember is this - relax and HAVE FUN!
Gantt

I will try to do just that!

[T Prior]

I am thinking it will be difficult to lay down guitar tracks without a bass track .
first came the chicken, then the Bass, then the guitar. I also think the agenda is pretty steep, especially if one of two if one the tracks turns ugly, which I hope it doesn't.

good luck

t

[Geoff738]

Hey, sounds very, very ambitious to me too.

But, go in with a good's night sleep and a positive attitude and see how far you can get.

I'd suggest tackling the easier tunes or the one's you are most comfortable with first.

Cheers,
Geoff

[woodman]

i'm with T ... i would ask the producer(s) to shuffle the schedule so the guitar tracks go down after the bass is down. the interlock between drums and bass forms the groove, and the rhythm guitar is supposed to enhance the groove. you'd be flying blind, then the bassman would be forced to work the groove around your part ... i realize i may be old-school in this attitude, and the music biz has changed since my heyday. but IMO, someone at the top hasn't really thought this project out.

[ganttmann]

I have to agree about having bass before guitar if it's at all possible. In fact, I always prefer to have at least a scratch vocal track to play to. Otherwise you don't know where the spaces that need filling live. In fact, (I'm thinking out loud here!) I'd hesitate to track either lead OR rhythm guitar without whatever keyboards or other lead instruments are going to be on the track.

On the other hand, if you go first you get to bogart the groove!

Gantt

Originally Posted by woodman

i'm with T ... i would ask the producer(s) to shuffle the schedule so the guitar tracks go down after the bass is down. the interlock between drums and bass forms the groove, and the rhythm guitar is supposed to enhance the groove. you'd be flying blind, then the bassman would be forced to work the groove around your part ... i realize i may be old-school in this attitude, and the music biz has changed since my heyday. but IMO, someone at the top hasn't really thought this project out.

[Robbied_216]

Everyone has given some really good advice here. I've been fortunate enough to be involved in some very professional church recording environments, doing guitars and also some producing. I won't re-state what everyone else has said, but my throw in my 0.02 cents in addition to the above :

* Stay focused - Its real easy to get distracted. Get in, get your gear setup swiftly. Even if people that you respect are "wasting time" just keep your finger on and get things back on track. At the end of the day, they are going to be the ones frustrated at you if you don't get as much done as they expected.

*Don't get precious - Whether it be about your songs or even your parts. At the end of the day, the producer / exec. producer / worship pastor / whoever it might be in this instance has the final say. As much as in a church setting everyone wants to believe that its a group thing and everyone is carrying it, you need to recognise who is the head of the arrow. Who's shoulders the project falls on. If they say they aren't pumped about a part that you think is the bees knees, change it. Be diplomatic about it. Say "OK, how about we do the part that I am thinking, and then we'll do your part and come back in a little and decide between the two."...but be prepared to submit. Leadership is leadership whether it be your pastor on a Sunday, or the producer in the studio....(sorry, just had previous experiences that kinda make me a little passionate about that point ;)

*Ask the producer / engineer if your sounds are allright. - What might have sounded awesome in your bedroom or at church might not record that well. Might not sit in the mix well. Don't get proud. If someone says "That sounds bad"...smile, and ask them for advice on what they'd prefer and make the changes to make it work. And thank them for their help.

* Be professional - All the stuff about gear that everyone has said. Have a professional attitude. Remember its not about you. Have fun. Take photos for the scrapbook. Enjoy the company of your friends and people you do life with. Spending hours in the studio does change your relationship with people...

Thats about all I can think of right now. I am sure there is plenty more, but we could all go on for ever. If anything I have said helps you....fantastic. If you don't agree, I don't mind, just don't take it on board.

-Rob