Tips for Musicians Before Arriving at the Studio

When you go into the studio, you want to make the best use of your time. After all, you are paying for the time and you don't want to be wasting your time or that of the engineer, producer, and others involved in the recording process. Here are some tips to keep in mind to make your studio time more effective.

(1) Have all your material ready. If you are planning to record twelve songs for a CD, bring 14 with you. You never know which song on your list will be disappointing after it is recorded.

(2) Practice all your material thoroughly before coming into the studio. The studio is a very expensive place for rehearsals.

(3) Have all your vocal and musical parts worked out. You don't need to have all the lyrics memorized, but they should be written down or printed (in a large font) so you can refer to them if necessary. Last minute lyric changes are acceptable—sometimes they just don't work right. But keep this to a minimum. Consider bringing the music or lyric sheet for the engineer—that can be really helpful. If you haven't finished writing a song, it's best to wait for the next recording session. Trying to finish it in the studio can waste a considerable amount of time.

(4) Work out the musical arrangements ahead time and make sure everyone in the band is on board. The studio is not the place to decide who is going to play what.

(5) Consider recording your songs at home. Even a simple cassette recorder can reveal problems that need to be worked out before arriving at the studio.

(6) A click track is a great tool to keep your tracks on tempo and to facilitate editing. If you have never worked with a click track, consider rehearsing with one before hand. First-time users (especially drummers) sometimes find the click track uncomfortable or annoying. If you don't have a click track, consider getting an electronic metronome with earphones.

(7) Outfit your instruments with new strings, heads, drum sticks, picks, etc. These will sound much better on the recording. Bring spares with you—the nearest music store is miles away. If your amp has a hum or your speakers are broken, get them fixed before coming to the studio. Be sure to check your instrument cables. We recently wasted valuable time trying to determine why a guitar's signal was not making it into the board only to discover the guitar cable was faulty. If you have an electronic tuner, bring it.

(8) Have an idea of how you want to go about doing the recording session. Do you want to record all the parts simultaneously? Do you want to record a "scratch" track and then go back and record each part individually? There are many different ways to approach this process. If you are not sure, call us ahead of time so we can discuss it with you.

(9) Be well-rested and eat properly. If you stay up late and party the night before, it will show in your performance. This is especially important for vocalists. Rest your voice and drink plenty of liquids (non-alcoholic). All band members should keep their ears rested and fresh.

(10) All band members should plan on arriving early and being prepared. Time wasted waiting on one band member is money wasted. You don't want to be standing around twiddling your thumbs while the guitar player hunts for a pick.

These are some of the tips to help you prepare for your visit to the studio. Also check out the tips for the recording process.

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