Preparing Your Band for it’s First Recording Studio Session

A recording studio can be a scary place for a first time band. It’s a new environment, the engineer and assistant engineer will be listening to every note you play, it will be the first time hearing what your band really sounds like, and well, your music is being recorded and it will be critiqued repeatedly for mistakes. It’s not like a live gig or practice...at all. In fact, most recording studio engineers will want to place the guitar amps, drums, and vocalists into separate rooms. Then there are the dreaded headphones! When you and the band are used to playing in the same room and listening to your instruments through amps getting used to hearing the band on headphones can be very overwhelming. One thing that drives many new bands crazy is the click track. That little tick - tick - tick in the headphones will seem to speed up or slow down every time your band begins to drift away from steady time, reminding you that more work is needed on your songs to ensure the tempo of each song is rock solid. The worst part, the recording studio engineer will want every rattle, buzz, and hum eliminated from your drums, instruments, and amps before recording one single note. This means the engineer will be pointing out any issues you may have with your instruments or amps making you feel like crap!

Don’t panic! All of your fears are real, but they can be overcome by understanding what you need to do to be 100% prepared for your first recording session. The following guidelines will help you prepare your music, your instruments, and your state of mind to ensure you have a smooth and fun first recording experience.

Decide What You Want to Accomplish
Recording studios are expensive. Spending time trying to decide what songs you want to record, what guitar parts will be included in each song, or what songs will have background vocal parts takes time. Since most recording studios charge by the hour it makes sense to know what songs you will be recording and what parts will be included on each song before you go to the recording studio.
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Practice Your Songs
Once you know what songs you will record and what parts will need recorded for each song it is time to practice. For two weeks leading up to your first recording session you and the band need to concentrate only on the songs that you will record at the studio. While you are recording your songs you may have to do certain sections of your songs over and over to ensure they are recorded as good as possible. Your goal is to know each section of a song without having to spend time thinking about it or having to play it from the beginning to know what or how the section is played.

Find the Tempo of Each Song & Practice with a Metronome
Recording to a click track is tedious. Especially if you are not used to it! While you are practicing your songs you need to use a metronome and find the tempo of each song. You can buy a metronome at a music retailer for under $30. This will be one of the best investments your band will ever make. Once you find the tempo of each song you need to use your metronome durning practice and get used to playing with that little tick - tick -tick. If you notice the band’s tempo start to drift away from the metronome you need to stop and start over. Simply ignoring the metronome will not help you get used to playing with a click track once you are in the studio. It does take practice, but it is doable and you will fast see that with a bit of work you and your band will be able to stay on tempo with the metronome.

Learn the Words of Your Song
A lot of vocalists feel that since they are in a recording studio instead of a live gig, and no one can see them, that it is ok to use cheat sheets for their lyrics. While it may be true that no one can see they are cheating, it is guaranteed people will hear they are reading. Sounds strange, right? It’s not. When a vocalist has the words to a song memorized they can put emotion into each song recorded. When they read lyrics from a page there is no brain power left to add emotions. You simply hear the words, not feel the emotions of the song. Make sure all song lyrics are worked out and memorized by any member of the band that will have to sing during your recording session.

Learn the Solo Section of Each Song
Many musicians in a band that perform solos feel that improvising is the best method for entertaining a crowd. They get their “energy” from the crowd and they feed off the moment to deliver a powerful solo the audience will feel. For live gigs this is great it’s not recorded, and who is going to remember a missed rhythm or an off key note. However, the recording studio is a whole different story. The solo will be recorded and played over and over. It will be reviewed and critiqued for mistakes, flow, and feel. Make sure you know who will be playing each solo in a song and what they will play for the solo section. Have the solos prepared and practiced before your first session.

Find The Perfect Sound or Settings for Your Instrument
A lot of time can be wasted in the recording studio looking for the “right” sound of an instrument for each song. While you are practicing each of your songs make sure you pay attention to the sound of the guitars, keyboard patches, and other instrument settings. When you are in a recording studio sometimes it is necessary to record the dry sound of an instrument and add the “effects” during the mix down process. It is best to know what setting you use for your sound before going to the studio so you can tell the engineer and let him/her make the decision what “effects” need to be turned off to get the best recording you can.

Write It All Down
Trying to remember the what, who, where, or how of each song you intend to record may get clouded under the stress of your first recording session. Use a spiral notebook and list each song on it’s own page. Under the song write down the tempo, key, who is doing what on each song, how the song will end, instrument and amp settings, and anything else that may be contained or used on the song. This way, when you are under the stress of recording you can simply take out your notebook and refer to your notes leaving nothing to chance!

Record Your Band
While you are practicing the songs you intend to record it is good measure to record your rehearsals. This will allow you to hear how the songs sound and work out any parts that may not sound as good as you thought while playing them. It is very common that you may not really know how your songs sound while playing and the recording will reveal parts that may need to be adjusted. By recording and listening to your music before you go to the recording studio you will save yourself a lot of money working out parts a head of time. The recording does not have to be “CD quality.” A simple micro-recorder will do the job and can be bought at Wal-mart for under $20.

Change Heads & Strings
When you are going to record your music you want your instruments to sound their best. This means changing strings and drum heads is of the utmost importance. Do not show up to your first recording session with strings or heads that have been on your instrument since the first day you bought it. Remember, stings and drum heads do stretch. Do not wait until the day of the recording session to change them. It is best to change your strings and heads the day before the session to allow time for them to stretch. Make sure you take extras to your session incase you break one during the recording process!

Eliminate Buzz, Rattle, & Hum
Recording engineers are freaks about buzzes, rattles, and hum coming from your instruments or amps. These types of sounds can ruin a recording. The engineer on your session will take as much time as needed to make sure there are no sounds other than what is being played coming from your instruments and amps. Remember, recording studios charge by the hour. This means you will be paying to get your instruments and amps noise free if you wait until you reach the studio to take care of any issues. Take the time before you reach the studio to fix rattles on a drum set, noisy pick-ups on guitars and basses, and by all means replace cables that create buzz!

Get Your State of Mind in Order
This is your first recording session. You are going to want to celebrate the event. Do not do so the night before your recording session. Stay home, get a good dinner, and go to bed early. You need to make sure your body is ready for a long, frustrating, and tedious day. Hangovers and sleepless nights will kill your creativity. Instead of going to the club for a few drinks with your band mates plan a dinner instead. Find a place you can all sit down, have a good meal, and discuss the recording session. Brainstorm and make sure you have everything ready and everyone knows what they should be doing durning the session. Now is a good time to make one person in your band the spokes person for the recording session. The worst thing you can do to a recording engineer is have four different people tell him/her four different things. Do not wait until you get to the studio to appoint the spokes person for your band. This could cause an argument that is better left for the privacy of your band!

Pack the Day Before
Do not wait until the day of the recording session to pack your instruments and gear. Do it the day before the session. This way you are not scrambling around causing you to arrive at the studio late. Arriving late to a recording studio will do two things; make the engineer upset and cost you money. Recording studios start charging at the scheduled time of the session. If you show up late, realize you are still going to pay for the time you were not at the studio. Plus, arriving late tells the engineer you do not respect their time. Do not start your session off on the wrong foot with the person who is in charge of ensuring your session runs smoothly. Packing the day before recording session will help eliminate forgotten items. By taking your time to pack, load, and go over what you packed you may catch an item or two you forgot! Do not forget to take extra batteries, sticks, strings, picks, and other “must have” items to your session. It is also good measure to pack a “goodies” bag with snacks for your session. Most studios will have vending machines but you can save a lot of money by bringing your own.

Conclusion
As you can see, preparing for your first recording session is not hard, it just takes planning, time, and effort. Once you begin to spend time planning you will see that the fear you have about recording will start to diminish causing you to get more and more excited. The more prepared you are for your recording session the less nervous you will be and the better your recording will turn out. Good luck, have fun, and remember...

“Love the Music in Yourself, Not Yourself in the Music!”

Peace,
Jai
©2009 Jai Hutcherson. All Rights Reserved.