BGM STUDIOS TIPS


	STUDIO TIPS Studio Protocol in the Real World You’ve always wanted to make a professional demo of your songs to replace those versions you recorded at home on a second-hand 4 track cassette deck...and finally you’ve made enough money to buy some time at a recording studio. If this is your first session, you’re in for a real treat; but, while playing in the studio can be a real high, you must also temper the euphoria with a sense of reality. In fact, unless you have a good idea of what you’re getting into, you could end up making an expensive mistake rather than the recording of your dreams. If you don’t plan on using studio musicians, let’s look at what you need to do to prepare for the studio. Rehearse Your Material Rehearsing in the studio is expensive, so any time spent on pre-production will lead to more productive (and more cost-effective) sessions. If at all possible, tape your rehearsals. This will give some insight into what sounds good on tape and what doesn’t. Have Realistic Expectations Don’t book two hours of studio time and expect to get an album done. Time flies in the studio, so plan on at least one hour of studio time for every minute of finished product (in other words, it will take approximately four hours of studio time to make a good tape of a four minute song). If you’re doing a project with inexperienced players and lots of overdubbing, count on two hours of studio time for every minute of finished product (excluding mixdown and edits). Playing Live is different from playing in the Studio Just because something works well live doesn’t mean that it will work well in the studio; a crowd-pleasing jam can very easily lose some of its charm when subjected to studio scrutiny, while a ballad that everyone talks over in a bar might come into its own when magnified by the studio’s technology. Be quick to react to a changing situation For example, you might find that your guitar amp’s hum and hiss, while unnoticeable onstage, sounds like a hydroelectric power generator in the studio. At this point, it’s best to be flexible enough to go with a different amp that the engineer finds more appropriate, or try some other technique such as going directly into the board. Also, many times you’ll need to simplify a part in order to avoid an overly cluttered sound; so, while it’s a good idea to rehearse everything as thoroughly as possible, don’t get rattled if problems come up that require creative changes in direction. Keep Your Equipment in good shape Have new strings on your guitar, and two or three sets of spares in case one breaks during the session. Have a spare fuse and set of tubes for your amp, spare cord, and several fresh batteries if you use battery-powered effects or active pick-ups. Double your budget for any project If you have $800 at your disposal, book $400 worth of time. A recording session may become scuttled because the musicians ended up paying more attention to the clock than to their playing. It’s always a good feeling to know that you can spend another hour or two to get things right if needed Arrive at the studio ahead of time If another session is going on, stay out of the way. If the studio is unoccupied, maybe you can set up your equipment while the engineer does some maintenance or grabs a bite to eat. That way, you’ll be ready to go when the session is scheduled to start, thus saving yourself some time and money. Compare Studios carefully The recording field is very competitive, so the odds of finding a studio that matches your needs exactly are excellent. Don’t just judge a studio by its equipment roster; inexpensive equipment in the hands of an experienced engineer will generally sound better than the best equipment in the hands of a novice. Develop a Studio Touch Many people, upon first going into the studio, don’t realize that the recording chain-even a digital one-has a restricted dynamic range. Try to play as consistently as possible to help keep the recording levels around the same range. Blasts of volume can create distortion, requiring a possible re-take; playing too softly can bury your part in the noise. Learn to stay in that critical “window” where your playing is neither too loud nor too soft. By the way, when some musicians find that they may have to alter their playing style in order to mesh with the studio, they get indignant. However, remember that negative energy tends to snowball under the clinical conditions of the studio. If an engineer asks you to play in a certain way, give it a try...if you can’t respect your engineer’s opinion, then you didn’t shop around carefully enough for the right studio. Don't fall into "We'll fix it in the mix" trap Get it right the first time; mixing should not be a repair job, but a creative adventure. Don't expect the engineer to get excited about your music Sure, it’s great to record with somebody who loves your stuff, but hopefully you’re dealing with a professional who will do the best job possible on any given assignment. You want an engineer who can be objective about what you’re doing--not somebody who says “everything’s great” when it isn’t. Instead you want the engineer to be as critical as possible, to spot every little flaw and weakness that could detract from your final results. Don’t make the engineer’s job any harder by asking that person to be part of your fan club. A job well done should be more than enough to satisfy you. Don't forget that its your money If you are in disagreement with the engineer over some fundamental point, you shouldn’t have to fight to get what you want. You’re paying for the time--and if you want to try something radically different, that’s you privilege Leave your ego outside the studio Conflicts, jealousies, and one, "upsmanship" will destroy your project faster than putting your tape near a power transformer. During the mix, think of the overall sound, not whether a particular hot lick is featured. Frankly, most of the listening public cannot differentiate between different instruments and techniques; they only hear the overall effect. Remember that during the mix. Maintain your cool and a positive attitude about yourself at all costs If things start getting rough, take a five minute break. Walk around the building, do some exercises, meditate, breathe, or whatever it takes to restore your equilibrium. Sometimes taking off ten minutes will save you hours of wasted time. Going into the studio should be rewarding, educational, challenging, and profitable; hopefully the above suggestions will help you get the most our of your studio experience.

STUDIO TIPS

Studio Protocol in the Real World

You’ve always wanted to make a professional demo of your songs to replace those versions you recorded at home on a second-hand 4 track cassette deck...and finally you’ve made enough money to buy some time at a recording studio. If this is your first session, you’re in for a real treat; but, while playing in the studio can be a real high, you must also temper the euphoria with a sense of reality. In fact, unless you have a good idea of what you’re getting into, you could end up making an expensive mistake rather than the recording of your dreams. If you don’t plan on using studio musicians, let’s look at what you need to do to prepare for the studio.

Rehearse Your Material

Rehearsing in the studio is expensive, so any time spent on pre-production will lead to more productive (and more cost-effective) sessions. If at all possible, tape your rehearsals. This will give some insight into what sounds good on tape and what doesn’t.

Have Realistic Expectations

Don’t book two hours of studio time and expect to get an album done. Time flies in the studio, so plan on at least one hour of studio time for every minute of finished product (in other words, it will take approximately four hours of studio time to make a good tape of a four minute song). If you’re doing a project with inexperienced players and lots of overdubbing, count on two hours of studio time for every minute of finished product (excluding mixdown and edits).

Playing Live is different from playing in the Studio

Just because something works well live doesn’t mean that it will work well in the studio; a crowd-pleasing jam can very easily lose some of its charm when subjected to studio scrutiny, while a ballad that everyone talks over in a bar might come into its own when magnified by the studio’s technology.

Be quick to react to a changing situation

For example, you might find that your guitar amp’s hum and hiss, while unnoticeable onstage, sounds like a hydroelectric power generator in the studio. At this point, it’s best to be flexible enough to go with a different amp that the engineer finds more appropriate, or try some other technique such as going directly into the board. Also, many times you’ll need to simplify a part in order to avoid an overly cluttered sound; so, while it’s a good idea to rehearse everything as thoroughly as possible, don’t get rattled if problems come up that require creative changes in direction.

Keep Your Equipment in good shape

Have new strings on your guitar, and two or three sets of spares in case one breaks during the session. Have a spare fuse and set of tubes for your amp, spare cord, and several fresh batteries if you use battery-powered effects or active pick-ups.

Double your budget for any project

If you have $800 at your disposal, book $400 worth of time. A recording session may become scuttled because the musicians ended up paying more attention to the clock than to their playing. It’s always a good feeling to know that you can spend another hour or two to get things right if needed

Arrive at the studio ahead of time

If another session is going on, stay out of the way. If the studio is unoccupied, maybe you can set up your equipment while the engineer does some maintenance or grabs a bite to eat. That way, you’ll be ready to go when the session is scheduled to start, thus saving yourself some time and money.

Compare Studios carefully

The recording field is very competitive, so the odds of finding a studio that matches your needs exactly are excellent. Don’t just judge a studio by its equipment roster; inexpensive equipment in the hands of an experienced engineer will generally sound better than the best equipment in the hands of a novice.

Develop a Studio Touch

Many people, upon first going into the studio, don’t realize that the recording chain-even a digital one-has a restricted dynamic range. Try to play as consistently as possible to help keep the recording levels around the same range. Blasts of volume can create distortion, requiring a possible re-take; playing too softly can bury your part in the noise.
Learn to stay in that critical “window” where your playing is neither too loud nor too soft. By the way, when some musicians find that they may have to alter their playing style in order to mesh with the studio, they get indignant. However, remember that negative energy tends to snowball under the clinical conditions of the studio. If an engineer asks you to play in a certain way, give it a try...if you can’t respect your engineer’s opinion, then you didn’t shop around carefully enough for the right studio.

Don't fall into "We'll fix it in the mix" trap

Get it right the first time; mixing should not be a repair job, but a creative adventure.

Don't expect the engineer to get excited about your music

Sure, it’s great to record with somebody who loves your stuff, but hopefully you’re dealing with a professional who will do the best job possible on any given assignment. You want an engineer who can be objective about what you’re doing--not somebody who says “everything’s great” when it isn’t. Instead you want the engineer to be as critical as possible, to spot every little flaw and weakness that could detract from your final results. Don’t make the engineer’s job any harder by asking that person to be part of your fan club. A job well done should be more than enough to satisfy you.

Don't forget that its your money

If you are in disagreement with the engineer over some fundamental point, you shouldn’t have to fight to get what you want. You’re paying for the time--and if you want to try something radically different, that’s you privilege

Leave your ego outside the studio

Conflicts, jealousies, and one, "upsmanship" will destroy your project faster than putting your tape near a power transformer. During the mix, think of the overall sound, not whether a particular hot lick is featured. Frankly, most of the listening public cannot differentiate between different instruments and techniques; they only hear the overall effect. Remember that during the mix.

Maintain your cool and a positive attitude about yourself at all costs

If things start getting rough, take a five minute break. Walk around the building, do some exercises, meditate, breathe, or whatever it takes to restore your equilibrium. Sometimes taking off ten minutes will save you hours of wasted time.
Going into the studio should be rewarding, educational, challenging, and profitable; hopefully the above suggestions will help you get the most our of your studio experience.