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first time in studio - tips please

chickenJames

chickenJames

Guest
May 2, 2013
147
53
Wiltshire UK
#1
hello all

I play in a soul/R&B/pop/rock covers band. We do pubs and festivals, that sort of thing.
We're going into a studio for a weekend to record a 3 track demo cd to get more gigs with. We're a 5 piece: vox, guitar, bass/bv, keyboard/bv, drums. We'll have a studio engineer for the whole time.

Any tips on how to get the best out of it?

I'm interested in getting my sound good, but more importantly in getting the best out of the band.

Technical or social/musical tips much appreciated.

Tech - I play a Spector Legend 5, MIM 4, various FX and PF350 + various TC cabs.
I assume I'm best recording with DI, dry and wet, does that sound right?
Any ideas gratefully received. I don't have a DI box so I was expecting to use the DI output from the PF350 - is that sensible?

I have no experience of the sort of cut&paste stuff that can be done on recordings (although I understand the theory, I'm a pro video engineer).

Please, help me get the most of this!

thanks
 
#2
The engineer should be able to get a recording that sounds just like you. Just let him do his job. Same with punch ins/overdubs. He'll tell you which part to play, and punch in the recording.

As for your band getting the most out of the experience...

If you guys aren't tight, bail out right now. Few things in life cost as much as getting a good recording out of a sloppy band.

Don't get too caught up in viewing the details with tunnel vision. Remember that you're making a demo, and decide on whether it's worth it to hammer the little things into perfection.

If you heard that someone records with a certain signal chain, but the engineer doesn't do it that way, he's probably right. There's a bajillion ways to achieve the same result, andwhichever way tthe engineer is most familiar with will turn out best & cost the least.

In short, time is money. Go in well rehearsed with a business face on, and keep any drama outside.

...that sounded very dour.
Don't forget to have fun, it shows through in the recording.

edit- here's some great studio stories that are surprisingly educational, and may cause you to pee laughing several times...
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#3
cool, thanks, that's helpful. We've got about 3 of our regular weekly practices that we're going to put into just the 3 tracks for the studio to get them as solid as we can.

What's a good sequence? get a first take and then replace parts? or should we just expect to be guided by the engineer?
 
#4
chickenJames said:
cool, thanks, that's helpful.'ve got about 3 of our regular weekly practices that we're going to put into just the 3 tracks for the studio to get them as solid as we can.

What's a goo sequence? get a first take and then replace parts? or should we just expect to be guided by the engineer?
Click to expand...
generally try for a great take in one go, as that will best capture the live feel. I've seen some cover bands include crowd sounds and frontman banter, it came across great, because- really, as a cover band, you are hired to sell booze, right?

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also, please see the edit-addedlink in the above post. It really is a good read, and needs to be shared.
 
#6
1. Fresh strings! I like the bright roundwound tone and usually change strings every 4 songs or so.

2. When I can I do complete demos at home. The small recording devices like zoom h series are a great tool for that - just recording a song at a rehersal space can reveal a lot of stuff. Nobody hears everything going around them while playing and it`s quite common to miss some small discrapencies between instrumets. In my current band we record just the drums and add guitar and bass at home using simple line6 emulation.

3. Practice playing the exact songs you are going to recordd with a CLEAN technique. I once spent a week of playing them 10 hours a day right before the session. Painfully slow tempos, fingerings, dynamics - all of it.

It`s a good idea to check if you accidentally bend the notes out of tune durning passages that requie to move your hand a lot. Just stop at a random note, don`t move a thing and check with a tuner. It`s also important to be sure you mute all the unused strings - the method is pretty much the same. Happens to most of more often than you might think.

4. Bass is an instrument that needs a bit of finger noise, fret clack etc. to sound good. This might feel sloppy when isolated but makes the track much more alive even with drums alone. Some genres requie a lot, some very little but it`s usually there.

5. Have backup stuff like cables, strings etc. If you have a friend with gear MUCH better than yours - borrow it.

6. Few people can nail songs perfectly in a single take. I did it a few times but prefer to work on parts separately - I do the all the verses, then all the choruses etc. Makes things much faster and easier to change the tone/saturation level between the song parts.

7. Work as hard as you can BEFORE the session. But when it`s time to record try not to worry - just play and have fun. A good engineer will make you fell comfortable but nothing beats knowing that you did all you could to be prepared.

8. When I can I`m picky when it comes to the recording enginner - but when he is hired I let the man do his job. I trust his judgement and play whatever he asks me to play the way he suggests.
 
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#8
KISS. Don't overplay in the studio. Simplify your lines. When I record, I like to almost isolate everything but drums. I keep a vocals up a bit in my mix, less of everything else, but drums are always up in my mix. I make it my point to lock in with the drums. Excited vocals in your mix will help not overplay over the vocal lines. Again, [unless you're a seasoned studio pro] simpler is better in the studio (IMO)
 
#10
having made many demos over decades I just recently sort of figured it out

play through your set list in total several times without too much stopping and listening to details

when you present this 'demo' it will get exactly 1 or 2 minutes listening from the booker - they get a lot of demos and aren't REALLY all that interested in the music, just the vibe, style & general quality

so, after you have 6 takes of everything you edit it down to 3 or 4 minutes total staying on each song maybe 30 seconds - if you think that's too little time to get your point across it's the same length of time people pay big $$ for to sell their product on TV or YT

you'll find good chunks

as they say 'leave them wanting more
 
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#11
Studio will probably have a DI. If not, the PF350 is fine. Maybe you can split his and yours using the PF350 direct for dirty or even mic it if he has mics.

Less is usually a little more on recordings. Don't be afraid to speak up if you have an idea. Just go in there with enough sleep and the engineer will take care of the rest. Have a great time and enjoy the experience.

Let us know how it goes.
 
#13
if youve never been in a studio before, start playing over cans, most of your work will be done with headphones. Once your in the studio, your monitor mix (what you hear that youre playing too) is probably the most important part. things will sound very different than what youre used to. Ideally, see if you can get whatever song down without doing a punch. usually 3 takes of each track and take the best take. relax and have fun
 
#16
Make sure the intonation is good on your bass, and that your bass is set up with the action NOT being too low- this will eliminate unwanted string noise. Make sure strings are really broken in...so they stay in tune better. Steady, clean picking/plucking hand technique is very important. But above all, PLAY IN THE POCKET!! Lock in with the kick and make it 'feel' good and smooth.
 
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#17
...also, make good friends with the producer/engineer. Do whatever he asks without any fuss. This is how many pros get their start. Producer/engineers will remember a good bass player and pass your number along to his clients.
 
#18
I've been in the studio with bands countless times, and there are about a billion things I've learned and could share. A bunch of them have already been stated, so I'll put out the first and most general of things that come to mind.

Decide before going into the studio exactly what your expectations are. Do you want some solid demos, that show the vibefeel of the band... or are you looking for perfection and the best possible recordings you can get? If it's the latter, it can get very timely and costly.

The only track that has to be perfect on the first take is the drums. While drums can be overdubbed by really experienced engineers, it's generally not done. All other parts are easily punched in. If the drummer is nailing it, don't stop because you played a G wehn you were supposed to play an F.

Focusing on the drummer again, the drummer really needs to be solid. Some of the things you can get away with live, can't be gotten away with in the studio. I got hired once to record with a drummer who had really horrible timing. It was impossible to get even the simplest of 8th note grooves sounding listenable. If the drummer is off, you'll have to either follow him (quite a challenge, and everything will be off anyhow), or play in the right timing (while the drummer is off) and everything will still be just as bad. No winning combo to have there. If the drummer sucks, better to hire one for recordings before even hitting the studio.

While playing to a click sucks, and it's something I never really choose to do, if you can it can potentially take hours off of your mixing and editing time.

If you're looking to really nail "your sound", it will cost you a lot more than if you're willing to bend and roll a bit with the opinion of whoever is producing it.

The experience and talent of the producer/engineer is as important, sometimes more important, than that of the band itself. A great producer can turn absolute garbage into pristine perfect recordings. A horrible producer can make complete garbage out of the greatest band on earth.

However much time you're planning to put into this, tack on at least another 2 hours to every 5. If you have 15 studio hours booked, regardless of how certain you are that you'll finish it in that time, chances are it's going to take at LEAST 21. That's my experience with just about every band I ever recorded with, and it usually winds up being more than 2X the amount we hoped and expected it to be.
 
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#20
1.) Know your parts. Each member should know exactly what they are going to play, every bar and beat.
time spent wokring things out in the studio is money wasted.
2.) To that end, If you have access to any recording gear of your own, pick the songs and do a trial recording on your own. It will reveal much. Pay close attention to the what happens in the transitions between sections.

chickenJames said:
I have no experience of the sort of cut&paste stuff that can be done on recordings (although I understand the theory, I'm a pro video engineer).
Click to expand...

3.)sure you can cut/ paste parts and over dub x infinity, but know that The best way to sound good recorded is to already sound good live. Your mindset should be to nail it on the first take, or come as close as possible(see #5).
4.) Record parts together live rather than in isolated over dubs. Time is money, and it usually sounds better.
5.) recognize the reality that [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. Your goal is to get it Done, not Perfect.
 

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