First time in the studio? Here's what to expect.

The studio can be an intimidating place if it's your first time, but everyone who has ever recorded has been in your shoes. Here's a step-by-step description of an average band recording session so you can be more prepared and comfortable for yours.

Greeting

There's always time to say hello. For many people, the first recording session is also the first face-to-face meeting between artist and recordist. There will be small talk and a brief tour of the facility. Expect it to be cordial, but brief. We're here to record, not chit-chat.

Setup

The recording process begins when the first microphone is placed in front of the first instrument. Each musician will have their own area to set up their equipment. Sometimes you will be in the same room, and sometimes you will be separated by thick glass and heavy doors. The recording engineer has to control the sound as much as possible to create the best possible end result. Some types of music sound great with everyone playing together in the same room and lots of mic bleed (when the sound from one instrument is overheard by the microphone of another instrument). This gives the finished recording a very "live" feel that's great for jazz, americana, or a raucous rock and roll song. If you tried to use the same recording setup for a pop, R&B, or metal song it would be very hard (if not impossible) to achieve the punchy beats and clean articulations that are expected of a well recorded song. Discuss with your engineer what kind of sound you are wanting and he/she will direct you to set up in the appropriate place.

While you are setting up your equipment, the recordist will be setting up theirs as well. Microphones, stands, and cables will be stretched all around the studio. We do our best to keep them neat and tidy, but there will be tripping hazards everywhere, so be careful when moving about. Microphone placement is extremely important to the sound that they capture so expect the engineer to spend some time putting them in just the right spot.

Soundcheck

Once everyone is in place, the engineer will begin to get levels and assess the sounds captured by the microphones. They will ask each musician to play their instrument how they intend to play it when recording. Microphones may be moved or switched out to achieve the best sound. After input levels are set, headphone mixes will be setup so the musicians can hear each other clearly, and so they can hear the click-track if one is to be used.

Recording

After everything is setup and tuning has been double and triple-checked the actual recording can begin. It is very important to be well rehearsed and know what tempo you want your song to be at. If a song is recorded too fast or too slow there is nothing that can be done to fix it. You will most likely be recording the song over, and over, and over, etc... Everyone makes mistakes, and while it would be ideal to get a perfect take, in reality the goal is to get a take with the fewest mistakes that can be fixed later. Sometimes the recording may take place in groups. Drums, bass, and rhythm guitar may record together first to get a good basis for the song and the other instruments can be added later. Often times a "scratch vocal" track is recorded. This is not intended to be used in the final mix, and is more for timing and feel so don't worry if you make a few mistakes, and you don't have to hit the high notes.

Overdubs

Now that most of the basic tracks are done any mistakes can be fixed by recording small sections, one instrument at a time. Guitar solos, lead vocals, and backing vocals are almost always done this way. As with the initial tracking, expect to do the same thing over and over as this will be your last chance to get it right.

Mixing

Mixing the recorded tracks can take place right after recording, or can be scheduled for another time. This is when the mixing engineer takes the raw audio tracks and combines them into a cohesive stereo pair of tracks. Effects are added. Compression and equalization are applied. Track levels are automated. There is a lot done during this time and the end result depends greatly on the amount of time and care taken during the mixing phase. Sometimes the engineer will do some mixing on their own and then ask you to come in for the final stages of the mixdown. It's very helpful to have a list of songs that have a similar sound or feel to what you want your song to sound like. As with everything else in this process, expect to hear the same thing over, and over, and over...

Break-down

When the session is finished, everyone is happy and excited, but it's not time to celebrate just yet. Studios do have other clients and engineers need to eat and sleep. As with the greeting there is time for talking, but please be packing up your equipment as you do. Remember that some microphones can be very expensive so be careful when moving them about.

Session Complete!

So there you have it. A lot goes in to making a recording and the more prepared you are, the better your end result will be. Make sure to be on time and well rehearsed. Make sure your equipment is in good condition (strings, drum heads), and in tune. Above all, make sure to take a deep breath and enjoy yourself!