Unless an unsigned band has been able to negotiate a spec deal with a studio for recording and mixing time in exchange for a co-producing royalty share, the costs incurred will be directly absorbed by the artist. Add in mastering and the costs increase even more. That’s why it’s so crucial to control expenses without compromising quality. It’s part of the business of music. One way to do that is to be well rehearsed before the recording light even goes on, especially if this is your first CD. You don’t want to waste precious time and dollars so before you go in here are some suggestions:
Pick a studio to meet your budget but don’t compromise on equipment and talent. If this is your first time recording, tour the studio with someone who’s been around them, preferably an experienced engineer, and inventory everything. It’s your money you’re spending and you want a suitable facility with the best board, microphones and bells & whistles. Ask about who they’ve recorded and listen to samples of the final products. If they have several engineers, get the one best suited for you. Find out who they’ve worked with and ask for tracks you can listen to. Shop studios and engineers like you’d shop a car or a good instrument. This is your CD, not theirs. Make sure the acoustics rock. You don’t want to stop your best take because the furnace goes off! And, if you’ve never recorded before get an experienced producer who can guide your recording with a critical as well as motivating third ear.
On the financial side, make a recording budget. Estimate the hours you’ll need to record and mix and allow for overage. Get someone with studio experience to help you estimate your costs. Calculate the hourly rate against how many hours you’ll need and negotiate blocks of time with the studio. You may be able to get price breaks by recording at times when the studio is lean on other bookings. And, most importantly, stick to your budget and know where the money’s coming from and when. You don’t want to get all your recording done and not be able to afford the mixing.
Make a list of the songs you’re going to record. Collectively, the songs should be diverse enough to give the best overall representation of your sound. Then rehearse the heck out of them. But not the way you’d rehearse for a “live” gig. You’ll be doing the rhythm tracks first and overdubbing the final vocal and instrumental leads at the end. Get used to performing your songs as rhythm tracks only. It’s a different experience altogether than playing on stage. And make sure your gear is in top condition and that you’ve got extra picks, strings, etc. There’s nothing worse than having to stop recording to drive to the local guitar shop to get a cord. Bring everything with you including your favorite drinks and snacks and plenty of them.
Some housekeeping rules: shut the cell phones off. There’s nothing worse than a singer laying down the best vocal track of the day and his mobile goes off. Agree to which non-band members are going to be allowed into the studio (eg, roadies, gearheads) and who’s not (eg, fans, squeezes). I’ve seen a lot of recording sessions fall apart because the girlfriends of the band members were arguing about things unrelated to the music tasks at hand. Rehearse and record without booze and drugs. If you do them, save them for afterwards. Laying the music down better than you’ve ever done should be the ultimate high. Get rid of any band disagreements before you record or at least agree to compromise. Don’t spend your recording budget settling issues that should have been settled pre-studio. And, show up on time prepared to work. Once your CD is out on the social media and you’re selling them at gigs, you can’t change things so go for the best performance your band has ever done.
It’s okay to allow some room for improv doing leads but at least have the basics figured out and rehearsed before you record. I’ve worked with lead guitarists who are totally unprepared to lay down a lead on top of which they get stoned to find inspiration. As an engineer and producer I don’t allow that on my watch and I stop sessions when it happens. The dynamic between the lead singer and the lead guitarist can make or break the instrumental solo. Capture those dynamics and encourage them by letting the guitarist play off the singer and vice versa. Record these together. On one take you might not get the ideal performance of the two individually but you’ll get closer to an inspired combined performance to if the emotion and interplay is there versus trying to construct it in separate performances.
Plan your rehearsals. Make an outline of what songs you’ll be recording in what order and stick to it. Do your harder, edgier songs separately from your lighter, acoustic ones so that you’re creating a recording “moodset” and minimizing your instrument and, for the engineer, mic’ing and set-up changes. Stay loose in the studio. Warm up playing some of your best tunes. Be disciplined but not uptight. Listen to each completed track before you decide what you’re keeping or not. Every member of the band will be focused on his or her individual performance so be sure you’ve got the band’s best ears listening to the overall takes and deciding which ones you’re going to declare final. This is especially important during the mixing stage when members are tuned-in to being sure their particular part is loud enough.
Rehearsing for a recording session and working in the studio are a balance between managing the band’s time and money (the business of music) and creating your best performances. It’s new learning for lots of bands and takes discipline, leadership and problem-solving skills. But, it’s part of the overall evolution of the band as a business as well as an artist. Make sure you allow yourself to breathe in the experience and pure enjoyment of recording. It can be exhilarating and incredibly fun if done right.
Tags: acoustics, band members, business of music, CD, gear, gig, instrumental, lead guitar, lead vocal, mastering, mixing, overdub, overdubbing, picks, recording budget, recording sessions, recording studio, rehearsal, rhythm tracks, royalty, songs, strings