First Studio Session With a Signed Band

namraj · #1 01-04-2011, 05:47 PM

Hey Guys,

I've done a lot of recordings with small amateur bands, but for the first time a signed band have asked me to play on their records.

Their first single is out on jan 17th and I'm playing on the next single and EP.

Band is called elephant: www.myspace.com/elephanttheband
Signed on memphis industries: http://memphis.greedbag.com/

They sent me the demos of the tracks so that I could write bass lines for them and I travel into London tomorrow to record.

Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated.

tangentmusic · #2 01-04-2011, 05:53 PM

If you're in the States traveling to London, be aware of the dreaded "Jetlag". It can really mess you up.
Congrats on the recording gig. Have a great time

Blacksack · #3 01-04-2011, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tangentmusic

If you're in the States traveling to London, be aware of the dreaded "Jetlag". It can really mess you up.
Congrats on the recording gig. Have a great time

not to mention the violence and street crime that matches iraq

tangentmusic · #4 01-04-2011, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blacksack

not to mention the violence and street crime that matches iraq

London can't be that bad...(I havent been there in years)

Blacksack · #5 01-04-2011, 06:06 PM

ok ok its not THAT bad but its not far off
apparently a lot of americans still think us english all talk with a spiffingly posh accent and that london town hasnt changed since dick van dyke was there with mary poppins it might be a bit of a culture shock

congrats on the signed jam though its pretty sweet hope it works out well for ya

namraj · #6 01-04-2011, 06:20 PM

I'm in the Uk already, born and bread. And our impression of new york is similar to your opinion of London, and completely wrong. Also we don't have guns so that helps keep the murder rate down.

Also I do talk with a good proper British accent, but it's not 1930's posh (see "independence day"), but it's still one that gets the foreign birds :P

Traveling to London for me is just a short train journey.

pklima · #7 01-05-2011, 01:00 AM

Signed bands aren't big or scary. They just have one 7" recorded so far? You might have a lot more studio experience than they do.

I did one "real studio" album for a signed band, it went smoothly. Got all the bass tracks recorded in one evening after work. It was interesting how different I sounded recorded on expensive equipment and with a "real" producer mixing, but the process was really no different than recording at home.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

namraj · #8 01-05-2011, 04:08 AM

Thanks, I've known the guitarist for a while (hence why he knows how well I play), so I'm not scared, just wondering if anyone had any EQ tips or anything last minute. I've heard boost the mids for the bass to cut through, but on these tracks that seems too much (I normally play with a boost mid EQ live).

And props on the smooth studio album, what band was it?

bass349 · #9 01-05-2011, 05:00 AM

Most studio engineers will tell you to set the bass flat.. and for good reason. Any half decent studio will have outboard EQs that will do a much better job than an (comparatively) cheap onboard eq on a bass.. not to mention that EQing is usually done in the mixing process, not as common to see someone hit an EQ on the way in (for obvious reasons).

Don't worry too much about your gear, just make sure your basses are setup well (and perfectly in tune, check before each take), play simply, concentrate on time, and you'll be fine

Also;
- take the time to get a good monitor mix in your headphones, and don't be afraid to speak up if you want your mix tweaked.
- take a notepad, and jot notes in between takes
- keep it simple
- stay hydrated
- be open to suggestions on the day.. and considering you already have the demos, work on a few different groove ideas for each tune.

thats about it, good luck! i love studio gigs, can be a lot of fun.

pklima · #10 01-05-2011, 05:12 AM

Yeah, recording flat is the safe thing to do.

The studio album I did was with Południca! I'd been in the band for a few months at that point so I pretty much knew what I was going to play, but there were a few parts we decided to change after recording the initial version. Oh, and one take was lost because the producer pushed the wrong button or something - no big deal, just something that can happen.