Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some actual questions asked by some of our clients and prospects. If you have a question you would like answered, email them to us.

What instruments and equipment do I need to bring to the studio? Bring your guitars, bases, etc. and your amps and cabinets along with all necessary cables. We may not use them if we go direct in, but sometimes for a particular sound, miking the cabinet is the best way to achieve a particular sound. (See the next question.)

Is it better to go direct in (DI) or to mike a acoustic guitar? Electric guitar? Bass? Often the best sound in the studio is achieved with a good mic and an acoustic guitar, but there are times when a DI gives the desired sound for a particular track. Sometimes we do both and blend the mic track and the DI track to produce an especially pleasing effect. So, don't hesistate to experiment. The same goes for the electric guitar. Sometimes DI is the way to go, but other times (especially if you use special effects with your amp) it may better to mic the guitar speaker cabinet. More often than not, the bass will go DI. But there are occasions when miking the cabinet can produce that punchy sound you're looking for.

What will we will have to take home with us when we finish recording in your studio? You will be able to take home with you the session files and any CDs that were created during the session. The session files contain all of the wav files created while recording as well as information about how these files were combined and any effects that were used. These are rather large files, so we recommend that you bring a portable hard drive onto which they can be downloaded. (Otherwise, bring a stack of DVD-Rs. It may take several DVD-Rs to accomodate all the data.) If we mix your tracks, we will bounce them to a CD and give you a CD of the tracks that were recorded.

Will the CD be good enough to be used as a master to duplicate additional CDs? Possibly. If we make you a rough copy for the purpose of listening on your car CD player, then the answer is probably "no." However, if you want us to go the extra step of mixing, normalizing the CD, putting in consistent spacing between tracks, and even embedding ISRC codes, then the CD can possibly be used as a master. You will have to make that decision. Keep in mind that there are companies that specialize in mastering CDs. They not only normalize and space the tracks, but they also add other effects such as equalization (EQ) and compression to give the tracks a more consistent sound. (This process can be very expensive, but if you want to go the extra mile to produce the finest CD possible, then by all means do this. However, if you are on a limited budget, you may want to skip this step. It's up to you.)

Can my music be mixed in your studio? What is the process? Yes, we can mix your tracks. Once the recording process is complete, the mixing process begins. Entire books have been written on how to mix a music track. So here is the short answer. I recommend doing an inital mix (sometimes called a "rough" mix) first. Then bounce the track to a CD. Take it home with you. Listen to it on the CD player in your car or truck. Play it on your home stereo. As you do this, listen to how it sounds. Does it sound just like you want it? Is the soundstage set properly? Are you hearing all the instruments? Is the vocal too loud or drowned out by the instruments? Is the levels consistemt? Make notes on all these items. Then come back into the studio and make the necessary adjustments for the final mix. You may need to do this more than one time to get everything just exactly right.

What is the difference between CD duplication and CD replication? CD duplication is the process of making a copy of a CD using a recordable CD such as a CD-R. Companies use machines that duplicate anywhere from 10 to 100 or more CDs at a time by loading multiple CD-Rs into a machine and copying the master. For small quantities, this is the best method of making additional CDs. However, for large quantities, a glass master is created from which multiple copies can be stamped. The finished product is an audio CD (not a CD-R) just like you buy in the record stores. This process is called replication. For large quantities, this is the best way to go. Check the prices of the CD manufacturers to decide what is best for the quantities you want to produce.

Can I take the session files you give me to another studio to add more music or to mix the recordings? Yes, you can take them to most studios. We use Pro Tools to track your session. Any studio using Pro Tools will be able to open the files and work with them. (This assumes there is no compatibility issues between different versions of Pro Tools. We are currently using ProTools 8.01. Last year we were using PT 7.4.2. Sometimes new features in upgrades are not compatible with previous versions. Remember the problems some people had when they upgraded to Word 2000 and tried to open a file in Word 97.)

If I am using some other software in my home studio, am I completely out of luck bringing it to a ProTools studio? No, there are ways to convert the files to be usable by any DAW (digital audio workstation). It is usually not too complicated, but can be time-consuming, especially if you have many tracks. Call us and we will help walk you through it.

Can the session files be played on my computer at home? The wav files can be played on any computer with a player that plays wav files. However, quite often a track consists of many wav files some of which have been pieced together (such as a punch in). The session file tells Pro Tools how to put these snippets together correctly. It would be very difficult to try to re-assemble them into some kind of reasonable order so they would sound like they did in the studio. If you want to hear the final product, the best bet is to bounce them down to a CD that can be played on any CD player.

How many songs can I record in an 8-hour session? That is like asking how high is up. It depends on how prepared your band is when they walk in the studio, how many retakes you have to do, how much experimenting you do, and so on. We have had a band that managed to complete one song in two 8-hour sessions. Another band tracked 6 songs in one 8-hour session. Also, remember that after you finish tracking a song, it still has to be mixed, either in our studio or another.(See the next question.)

How much time should I allow to mix the songs? The answer to this is basically the same as the previous question. Some bands have spent days or weeks mixing a song. Others have done it in an hour. If you are on a budget, we can give you a reasonably good mix in one or two hours. However, if you are planning on producing the next million seller and you want everything just perfect, you may want to spend much more time on your mixing. Some bands take their tracks to other studios just to get them mixed (just as some take them to other studios to be mastered).

I'm a vocalist and do not play an instrument. Do you provide backup musicians? No, but we can provide you with a list of session players you can contact to play on your session. Just remember, it is your responsibility to arrange for and pay the musicians. We cannot be responsible if the musicians are late or fail to show up.

What instruments do you provide? For the most part, you should bring your own instruments. However, for your convenience, we do have an upright piano and a few percussion instruments, such as a cajon, maracas, shaker, and tambourine.

What should I do to prepare for a recording session? See our Tips for Musicians Before Arriving at the Studio.

What should I expect once I get into the studio? See our Tips for the Recording Session.

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