dB Sound Factory - Helpful Studio Tips

Music Composition - Music Production - Recording & Sound Engineering Services

Helpful Studio Tips for the Session

The studio is always there to assist you in any way it can to get the best sound and performance from your session. We provide a supportive environment and demeanor so do not be afraid to ask for what you need and if you are not sure what you need we can provide you options. But here are some things to know ahead of time:

• Having the technical parts of your voice or instrument down will allow for you to focus on emotion and a great performance. Too many times people want to go with their heart and gut but their technique or lack there of gets in the way.  Have the technical part down as second nature and you can rise emotionally to the occasion and get a great performance.
  
  
• Be on time to your session or come just a little early.
  
  
• Make sure your instrument is a quality one and is in good shape. Recording will faithfully produce the sound of a good instrument as well as a bad instrument  so you will have a good recording of a bad instrument. Attempting a bad instrument sound in the recording is not the road you want to go down. So put on new strings for the stringed instrument players. Drummers if you have to use your own snare or cymbals make sure they are of studio quality (new heads) and sound as good as or better than the gear that has been dialed in at the studio. But by all means if you have something with a unique or signature sound please bring it in.
  
  
• What sounds good “live” may not sound good in the studio. Your amp head and cabinet may be great live but not great in the studio. Sometimes that great patch on your guitar, bass or keyboard you use live may sound to thin, too distorted or very foreign in the studio. Listen to your sounds objectively or record them and find what works best. Then when you come into the studio we have half the work done and can go from good to great instead of fixing things. 
  
  
• Make sure you are playing what you are comfortable with. Sometimes people want to play above their current ability in the studio resulting in multiple takes, money and time wasted and really annoying the other band members as they wait.    
  
  
• The use of a click track is necessary for almost all music so be comfortable and effective with a click track or a metronome beforehand.
  
  
• If you are always rehearsing or playing live with a band, listen to your part in isolation from the band so you do not get any surprises in your recording session.
  
  
• Write out the arrangement of the session so there are no surprises.
  
  
• Have the bass player and drummer practice the session together without the other instruments. Laying a strong foundation will get the session off to a fabulous start.
  
  
• Most new artists struggle with timing and intonation. Rehearse, be in tune, be in time, and have your arrangement down. If you have the capability just record yourself at home if possible and critique your playing and arrangement before spending bucks on a studio.
  
  
• It costs nothing to call the studio and ask questions and get information but it may cost you if you are not prepared. If you are new to recording it is ok we were new at some point as well. This industry will keep evolving so call and ask us anything. We learn from every session and every person as well and we want a great outcome just like you. 
  
  
• Be realistic about what you can accomplish and afford since you may have to pay for both recording and mixing. Set specific goals about what you want to accomplish in a session, have an ear for what you want and stick to that. It is tempting to continue to add more and more but make sure you have solid foundation you can always add later.
  
  
• It is highly recommended to find and provide a reference mix for your session
  
  
• It is highly recommended that after listening to a rough mix and once the engineer has the mix “under control” that the artist, producer, manager or band leader sit in on the remainder of the mix session to make sure that you get what you want.
  
  
• Bass and Guitar players please get new strings a few days ahead for the session.
  
  
• For bass players it is often better to go through a direct box. Micing a bass cab can produce interesting results but can take time and you are not always guaranteed a better sound.
  
  
• Consider using a Variax guitar for an acoustic guitar that is in the mix (They also sound great alone). It saves time on setup.
  
  
• Vocalists please bring lozenges, lyric sheets for reference and record yourself if possible to pick out what nuances you want for the song and listen of course for intonation. Warm up before getting to the studio.