Putting
U in a ST_DIO
things to
consider before you start recording
-
by PDG
To
the aspiring rock-star who is blissfully unfamiliar with
the recording studio, music is undoubtedly a lot of fun
– until the idea of recording materializes. This natural
transition from a general and “liquid” perception
of a live sound to a “solid” and set in stone
recording often proves to be an unexpectedly serious benchmark.
To complicate things further,
today’s rapid diffusion of home recording gear is
giving artists many options for recording their music and,
as a consequence, musicians often seem quite confused about
how to approach this essential stage of their career.
Start Saving
Even though the DIY route
is becoming more and more widespread, many artists seem
to realize that delegating the process to a sound engineer
or a producer might yield more productive – albeit
more expensive - results. Unfortunately, said artists usually
arrive at this painful realization after a few attempts
at recording on their own.
The reason behind this choice
in most cases can be explained with one simple word: over-involvement.
It proves to be very hard and time consuming to write, arrange,
perform, edit and mix a dozen songs without falling short
in any of these stages or losing focus because of chronic
overexposure to your own music. An external pair of “ears”,
can help address issues and make crucial choices when needed,
and help artists overcome situations that otherwise can
undermine their confidence and inspiration.
But how do you choose the
best studio and sound engineer/producer for your music?
We’ll have to start
with something you don’t want to hear: your budget
will be the primary “option filter.” Once you
know how much money you can spend, you will know what you
can afford and be ready to start shopping around.
The budget is – for
any artist – the biggest limiting factor when approaching
the recording stage, and even though the rule of thumb is
that more expensive options normally bring more professional
results, there are e few things musicians should know in
order to get more out of their stretched budget.
People vs. Studios
When looking for recording options, our first advice is:
don’t start looking for studios – look for people
instead (a great place to start are the Deli's Listings
for Recording
studios and Engineers and Producers).
What artists should try to
find is – primarily – somebody who truly enjoys
their music and who has experience in recording that particular
genre (you can find that out by checking out the engineers’
credits and listening to their CD samplers). All sound engineers
are passionate music fans: give them a project they believe
in and they will go the extra mile, be more enthusiastic
and dedicated, and – what you want to hear –
might be available to charge less.
Ideally the producer/sound
engineer should become an extra element of the band, but
a selfless one: somebody who is capable of understanding
the artist’s vision and develop it rather than impose
his/her own. This member should be a musical person who
has both the technical knowledge to lead you and your band
mates through the recording process, and the ear to advise
the band about issues related to song structure, songwriting,
arrangement, and delivery.
Once you have found some
candidates - the best ones you can afford - be very clear
about your budget and ask them what they reckon can be achieved
with it. What you will get at this point are options, and
you better start considering all of them carefully.
Rooms
Engineers often use different studios for recording: some
more expensive, some more affordable. Ask to see the rooms
where they would record your songs. As a rule of thumb,
be weary of small rooms with parallel walls and ones with
almost cubical dimensions. Those kind of rooms should have
a lot of treatment on the walls to absorb wall reflections
and are probably not the ideal places to record loud and
bassy instruments like drums. Bad rooms can affect the sound
of your music in several ways (boominess at certain frequencies,
excess of reverb, excess of harsh early reflections). Good
rooms instead will give your recordings the flattering dressing
of “real reverb” and avoid coloring your instrument’s
tone with unwanted frequencies.
Equipment
Quality and expensive recording equipment (to a certain
extent and when handled by professionals who know how to
use it) contributes to better sounding recordings. But this
kind of equipment is not indispensable to make great records
– in particular if your band plays punk, indie rock,
or lo-fi. However, cheaper equipment in the recording chain
(primarily mics, mic preamps, and analog to digital converters),
will give your music a less flattering quality: harshness,
lack of depth and focus, and the ominous “coldness”
so often associated with digital sound.
Rates
The first thing that musicians should be aware of is that
the era of set studio rates is over. If spending $75 per
hour for recording drums in a top-notch studio makes sense
if you are after a beautiful roomy sound, there is really
no point in editing those drums in the same studio at that
same rate. Editing can be done pretty much anywhere with
just a computer and a piece of software – I personally
wouldn’t want to pay more that $30/hr for that. The
same applies to recording Bass and keyboards - as they can
be recorded directly through D.I.'s or hi-Z inputs. For
vocals all you need is a small room properly treated, a
good selection of mics and preamps to choose from –
and a comfortable, homey environment.
Recording a CD involves several
stages. Each one of these requires a different amount of
equipment and can be done in different spaces. This is where
you can start cutting corners. Ask your engineer or producer
how you can maximize your budget. It’s in his/her
interest to help you get the best possible recordings with
what you can afford to pay.
Mixing
The final stage of the process – mixing – is
often the most delicate and stressful. The “it’s
not sounding as good as it does in my head” syndrome
is very common among emerging artists during their first
“serious” recording experience. Their extremely
high expectations are often impossible to meet, mainly because
they have idealized their material and can’t come
to terms with a real version of it. Mixing will reveal at
once how good the band’s performances were, how sweet
their instruments’ tone, how competent the recording
engineer was in capturing that tone, and how good the production
of the songs was. In the context of a recorded track, it’s
very hard if not impossible to separate these factors, because
they all contribute to the quality of the recording. This
is why it’s paramount to get things right –
tones, arrangement, performances - before you enter the
studio. Thinking that mixing alone can make your music shine
is a very common mistake.
The Ticking of the Clock
Nonetheless, the mixing process
(which is also the stage during which creative editing takes
place) can help “fix” things that went overlooked
during the recording. One very important thing is to communicate
to the mixing engineer how you think your songs should sound.
Is there any particular album you would like your CD to
sound like? What’s the overall feeling your music
should convey? Fun, melancholy, mystery, power? The mixing
stage’s primary objectives are to find a balance between
the various instruments and strengthen your music’s
message and overall feel.
Another problem that often
arises during mixing is the one that goes: “This is
taking too long and my budget is running out.” Musicians
often don’t realize that mixing can take a long time
(many pros, for a fully arranged rock tune, think that at
least a day and a half is necessary). Some engineers offer
flat fee “mixing packages” that allow the artist
(within certain time limits) to work with a specific budget,
avoiding the transformation of the ticking clock into a
stressful reminder – it’s worth discussing this
possibility with your engineer.
If rushing this phase is
dangerous, overanalyzing the mixes seems like an almost
unavoidable but even more damaging habit. Often musicians
– in pursuing their “ideal” versions”
- get stuck on details to which no one else will likely
pay attention that don’t really add or subtract anything.
It’s important to trust your engineer and in case
of doubts rely on his or her experience. Don’t forget
that a small level of imperfection (the random “human
feel” factor) adds character and personality to the
recordings while the perfect mix often ends up becoming
the sonic equivalent of a new pair of running shoes: no
soul, no character, no life – this is also called
over-production.
Final Thoughts
Both home and studio recording
have their pros and cons, but there is no rule that applies
to all genres of music. In the indie field - average or
plain lo-fi recordings have become true classics: have a
listen to the early record by The Cure or Pavement for some
serious grittiness. However, making even just a decent sounding
recording is a challenge that requires a lot of training
and experience. Having a professional taking care of it
means more time for you to focus on your music and confidence
that you are not wasting your time recording unmixable material.
by PDG
See also this article by
Bruce Kapham:
Don't
Waste Studio Time!
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