1st time in studio... tips?

[47milesbarbwire]

Been playing live gigs for 30 years, but never have done any recording outside of amateur home-type setups. Any of you guys/gals that get to record a lot have any tips for a recording NOOB?

 

I don't really have any fears or concerns, and playing to clicks and sequences is no problem. I'm really looking forward to it, we have studio time booked for this Friday through Sunday.

 

And come to think of it, all members of the band are recording noobz.

 

Thanks in advance.

[RockBass]

Don't eat Taco Bell before going into the soundproof booth.

 

 

Seriously, though. Don't take it so seriously. Be relaxed and have fun. Enjoy the opportunity and savor it.

[the DW]

For what it's worth:

 

- Tune your drums before arriving at the studio.

 

- When sound checking, do exactly what the engineer asks, and nothing more. Play when he tells you to play, and keep playing until he tells you to stop.

 

- When it's not your turn, DO NOT play your instrument! (this means you, guitarists!)

 

- Bring your extra supply of patience!

 

- If you can buy more, definately buy MORE patience!

 

- BE PATIENT! (you see a trend here?)

 

- But when it's time to hit that 'record' button, relax and enjoy the ride, like RockBass said.

 

Bottom line, when you're in a pro studio, time really is money - YOUR money! So the more time you can save by not screwing around is more time to actually get stuff down on 'tape'.

 

Of course, it goes without saying that your band should be so well rehearsed that you can pull off any song blindfolded with one hand tied behind your back. That is the biggest money saver!

 

Sorry if all this was too obvious.

 

$0.02

[FitchFY]

Awesome tips by the DW!

 

My biggest problem is relaxing more. You need to be much more relaxed than you think to get the looseness in your playing; you can be techincally accurate, but it may sound like you have a stick in your bum.

 

I'd spend as much time as possible in the actual studio room to the point that it feels like your bedroom and it's natural. If you treat it like a church and a place where magic takes place, it's hard to really just do what you want on the kit to get the best take.

 

But have fun, and... bring some patience.

[sherman22]

You gotta know when to have a break, sometimes, I'm in the studio, for hours, and hours, mixing, recording, and what you don't realize, is your brain and ears can become fatigued. By avoiding this, by taking a break every hour or so, is crucial to keeping your ears in peak performance. YOu don't want to mix on fatigued ears. No joke, I onced experienced ear fatigue so bad that peoples words were actually slowing down, like a tape slowing, like I was tripping or something. Protect your ears, and rest them frequently, and they will thank you by continuing to provide you with the sense of hearing.

[gcdrummer]

Know your parts inside and out.

Tune drums before you go in. This isn't a time to try different heads either.

Know your parts inside and out.

Take care of rattles and squeeks before you go in.

Know your parts inside and out.

Bring extra everything.

Know your parts inside and out.

Don't be afraid to hit your gear hard. It will sound better and they engineer has a very expensive mixer that will bring the volume down.

Know your parts inside and out.

[the DW]

Oh, and know your parts inside and out!

 

 

+1 on what everyone else said also.

[FitchFY]

+100 on ear fatigue! That's awful! Been there, done that... definitely rest your ears and protect them!

[swilder]

Trust your engineer. Assume he knows what he's doing.

 

But at the same time; don't be afraid to say no if he asks for something you don't want to do.

 

Some engineers subscribe to the every-snare-hit-needs-to-be-a-rimshot school of thinking. if that's not your style then don't get pressured into it.

[Black Frog]

Be on time (or early).

 

Don't show up with old used heads.

 

Bring some Moongel (VERY handy if needed).

 

Ask permission for everything- as in "Just let me know when it's ok to setup my kit". When you're done setting up your kit and making final adjustments- leave the kit alone while the engineer and crew are micing the kit. They don't want to hear drums banging as they are running mics and cords. Unless they ask you to.

 

Be neat and tidy- don't just throw cases and lids anywhere. Pack the cases up nicely and ask where is a good place to store them during recording, or if you should take them back to your vehicle to keep the room clean.

 

Be open to ideas from the engineer on tuning- what the mic hears may sound different than what you hear while playing.

 

Time is money. Don't noodle around when there is a stop in the action.

Studios appreciate that stuff.

[sidereal]

As others said, listen to the engineer and do what he says.

Show up with new heads already tuned.

Bring a piece of thin straw, like from a broom. If your snare is buzzing and you can't get rid of it, weave the piece of straw in between the snare strands.

Don't be shy about asking for the mix you want.

If it's rock, HIT HARD during sound check.

Bring a pair of earplugs. I like to wear a pair of Etymotic plugs while I record and then have the volume adjusted accordingly. It gives me some piece of mind about not destroying my ear drums.

Bring a large bottle of water and drink it slowly throughout the day.

[manoeuver]

if you're paying real$$, studio time isn't the time to experiment. with ANYTHING. (this becomes flexible with experience.)

 

you'll be uncomfortable. that's ok. ok to be nervous, too.

 

If you drink alcohol at rehearsals or gigs, have your normal brands on hand.

 

Coffee addict? Have coffee.

 

eat as little as possible during the session.

 

wear your favorite socks. comforting.

 

If you have an humorous t-shirt, wear it under a black button-down shirt. if there's a tense moment in the control room, say you're hot and take off the buttondowner. cue thankful, relieved laughter. you da man.

 

have an adorable puppy on call, You'll also need a vet and a short order cook with flexible morals to cover any eventuality.

 

the day before your session, wrap your forearms in aluminum foil. this will increase absorption of beneficial TV broadcast signals while blocking those damnable communiques from the Hubble Space Telescope, which have been surmised to cause forearm splints, nasal fissures and delayed-onset shingles.

[1001gear]

Don't get anal. When the red light's coming up, it's too late. If there's any gold it'll be in the organization of the material.

Earn, learn, or burn ...

[manoeuver]

 

Originally posted by 1001gear Earn, learn, or burn ...

 

 

you forgot mern.

[1001gear]

Mern? I thought she died.

[the DW]

Originally posted by 1001gear Mern? I thought she died.

 

Naw, just in a prolonged coma.

 

[the DW]

Oh yeah, I forgot to add...

 

If you are recording one instrument at a time, or playing back one instrument at a time, you may find that your track doesn't sound "100% right on the money" to you.

 

DON'T PANIC!!

 

You'd be amazed (really!) at how those little inconsistancies disappear when all the instruments are mixed together. Yeah, if you try REAL HARD, you can hear your rushes and drags when everything is going all at once, but if you relax and try to 'unfocus' from your particular instrument, you may find that everything sounds just fine!

 

In fact, some producers that use drum machines purposely introduce some drags and rushes to fool the listener into thinking that they're listening to a real drummer.

 

More food for thought. Break a leg!!

 

[pjb]

Make sure you are present when the mixing is happening. It's a drag, but all your good work in the tracking could all come undone with a {censored}ty mix.

 

besides that, what everyone else said.

 

Interesting tip with the straw, sidereal. may try that one.

[sidereal]

 

Originally posted by pjb Interesting tip with the straw, sidereal. may try that one.

 

 

Yeah, an engineer on a session taught me that one.

 

And that goes along with something I've come to realize... Engineers deal with drummers as a career. We, as drummers, don't deal with other drummers very much. So I think that good engineers, the ones who have been around for a while, sometimes know more than a drummer does about what does or does not work. Many of them know how to tune better than me, and know tricks I don't know. They spend their lives solving problems. It's part of the makeup of being a recording engineer that in order to be good, you have to be constantly learning new ways to do things.

 

So I guess that would be my advice too... be open minded to what your engineer suggests. You may be the artist, but they are the technician. Very often, they know more about your drumkit/heads/sticks/cymbals/hardware than you do.

 

Having said that, don't rely on them to tune or do anything else for you. They've got a thousand things to think about and the more you can do on your own the smoother the session goes. I'm just saying that if they speak, you need to listen.