Recording? Read This First

Are you getting ready to go into the studio and dish out some of your hard earned cash? Well, be prepared, cause it ain't gonna come cheap. But there are a few ways to make your dollars go further, and I'll offer you my best advice as a recording artist and a studio owner myself. Hope you find it helpful.

The first task at hand, before you even book any studio time, is to make certain decisions about what you want from your experience in the studio. Is it a finished CD? Or do you just need a demo to get gigs at the clubs? Each of those, and all the options in between, need a specific approach when it comes to planning and budget.

First, a word about "demo", which is kind of like the word "alternative" at this point in time. There's demos you do live for club gigs, songwriter demos usually meant for publishers who put the vocal and lyrics right up front, there's the kind of demo a record company might ask for, which is usually a lot like a finished master in the rest of our minds. And what it's going to cost you to record each of these "demos" can vary by a huge amount. So have a clue about this before you call your local studio and say " My band wants to record a demo, how much will it cost?"

If you want to record and release your own disc, you probably want to spend the cash to do it right. There are bands who do it on a shoestring budget and get great results. Make sure your fans would buy it in that form if you chose this route. Because I've met a lot of bands who did this, had a reasonable amount of success with it, and then came back saying they had a chance to get some radio airplay, but the station didn't think it was radio quality. Oh shit.

Still, an album can be done on a modest budget these days. Planning is the key. A lot of bands want to record "live" to keep the feel of their music on tape. This works best for punk bands, but even then, it's not a bad idea to overdub the vocals and lead guitar.

A reasonable and cost effective way to record is to cut the drummer and bass player together, with the bass lined in as opposed to having a miked cabinet. You can have the guitarist lined in, too, and either use his tracks or overdub them later. And the singer can even cut a scratch vocal at the same time. This gives you the essence of playing live, but with the cleanest tracks and greatest flexibility when mix time comes. You simply overdub the guitar and vocals, and it all sounds good and clean, none of that nasty bleed-through that can cause you problems in the mix. If you still feel compelled to do the whole thing live, you better be well rehearsed. One mistake means either a.) living with it for a long, long time or b.) cutting the entire song over ‘til there is no mistakes.-Barefoot can record drums bass and guitars all live  with the musicialns together in the same space, and still let you edit and replace guitars if desired  because the tracks will be seperated with little or no bleed!

On the subject of finished masters, definitely consider having some post-production, otherwise known as mastering (another word in this biz with too many definitions) done. A lot of studios offer computer-based mastering and editing. The results can be OK, but most times it is just as cheap to have a real live mastering engineer do it. Mastering is a step that adds an undefinable finished quality to your mix. These guys are usually mix engineers for at least 10 years before they even get a shot at learning mastering. The mastering engineer's job is to tweak the finished stereo mix so that it sounds good on any audio system it's played on. If you've invested this much, consider the relatively small amount needed to master it as essential. Trust me, it does make the difference between good and professional. I recommend Discmakers for best results though they don’t claim to be the cheapest.-Barefoot can now master your songs and we are the cheapest!

If you just want to do a demo, most of the rules from above still apply. Here at Barefoot Studio we can best help you figure out the way to go if you have a rough dollar amount in mind. That way we can decide the way to get the best tape for whatever money you have. Live cutting is still an option, but most times our clients are happier if they do at least a bit of over-dubbing. Also bear in mind that at the studios where the engineer has a reputation to uphold, he may not want to do a super low-budget project that he doesn't think will reflect well on his hard-earned image. Your best bet, again, is to talk to the studio personnel and give them as many details as possible about what you are trying to accomplish with your recording. They do this everyday and probably can help.

A few tips to save you money. Drums........they are the biggest expense when it comes to operating a studio or recording in one. The setup (EQ, mic placement, levels, etc.) can take up a lot of time. To save yourself in this area, make sure the drummer's kit is in top shape before your session. No rings, squeaky pedals, etc., and if possible, put new heads on. Make sure the drummer really does know how to tune, and listen to the engineer's advice on this one. The other instruments are easier to setup, usually. Again, talk to the engineer and tell him the sound you are looking for. If you have a CD or tape that has this sound, by all means, bring it along for him to hear. Be open to suggestion if you are new to the studio, and don't think you have to try a certain complex recording technique just because you read in Guitar Player that Smashing Pumpkins used it. Each song is unique and must be recorded in a fitting way. It's impossible to tell beforehand unless you're an experienced engineer yourself, in which case you don't need to read this article.

Other obvious advice is to have your music tight, down like the back of your hand. Each take means more money out of your pocket. And just as a suggestion, we usually have the best results when the recording and mixing are done on different days, or at least with a break in between. Ear fatigue is a taboo subject in the music biz, but it absolutely is a factor for everyone involved.

How much time do you need? Another tough question. Talk to your studio people, make a rough estimate, then double it. Sorry to say so, but it always takes longer than you planned or wished. Remember that you have to live with this for a long time. If you are just looking for a demo for clubs, or you are a songwriter trying to get publishing, you might get away with an 8 track, or even 4 track studio. The bigger jobs really require 16 or more tracks. So pick your studio accordingly. You can get some awesome stuff at smaller, less expensive digital studios. Ask to hear the engineer's work and make your decision based on that and cost, NOT on who has recorded there previously.

-Article provided by Suzanne Glass at Indie-Music.com  -a great musician's resource!

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