Mannieb
2006-11-21 00:07:52 UTC
A great way to optimize your time in the studio is to do some
pre-production before you begin the actual recording process. This can
include planning where and when you will record, setting a budget,
deciding the number of songs you will put on your CD and what producer
and engineer you want to work with, among other things. It is all about
planning and preparation. Remember, no one plans to fail, but a lot of
people fail to plan! For this article I am going to focus on the
recording aspect of pre-production. Think of it as the recording you do
before you record. I would recommend that you keep it simple and as
inexpensive as possible. The idea is to discover what you need to do
(change, improve) before you start racking up studio time. Remember
that your CD project will be under tremendous scrutiny. You want your
performance in the studio to be as confident as possible. This is a
great opportunity to rehearse what you will do in the studio. It will
also save you time and money in the long run.
There are basically three ways that you can approach pre-production.
You can rent a digital recorder, purchase a DAW (Desktop Audio
Workstation) or find someone in your town with a small project studio.
I think that there is tremendous value in having your own set up. So if
you have the time to learn how to work the equipment, and the financial
resources, putting together your own project studio around a DAW or
digital recorder is the way to go. If you aren't in a position to put
together your own project studio, this really isn't a problem. Project
studios seem to be popping up all over the place these days. There is
probably some one in your home town with a small "basement" studio.
There are some advantages to hiring out too. In addition to the
financial savings, you can spend more time concentrating on the music
and less time on figuring out the equipment, and by working with
someone else you gain an additional "set of ears"... an outside
perspective on your music, sound and performance that can really be
invaluable.
Once you have either put together your own set up or you have found a
really cool dude (or chick) with sweet basement set up, it's time to
get to work. For the purposes of this article, I am only going to
discuss aspects of recording (only VERY basic principles) that I feel
directly relate to pre-production. There are many great websites, books
and magazines that can help you understand the process in great detail.
Knowledge is power so learn all you can. In any case, it's time to get
to work. The quickest way to hear what you sound like is to record as
many instruments live (all playing together at once) as possible. You
will probably have a channel limit of about eight tracks that you can
record at once. For the purposes of pre-production, it isn't really
necessary to mic every drum. Consider using a couple over head mics, a
mic for snare and one for the bass drum. Now you have channels left for
bass, rhythm guitar, basic keyboard parts and a scratch or guide vocal.
You can then add vocals, lead guitars and whatever else you have by
overdubbing.
You now have the song recorded on about 8 tracks. What do you hear? Is
the band in time? This is important. I know that there are bands that
don't use a click, and that is their choice but most quality music is
in time. I know that some will argue this point... write your own
article.
The next thing you want to address is pitch. This is usually an issue
concerning vocals, but not exclusively. There are some guitar players
who will play out of tune by squeezing the strings too hard. It is
important that you correct everybody's pitch issues. An out of tune
performance can totally kill a great song.
Some other questions to ask are:
How does the arrangement sound, and is it consistent with what a
listener would expect for the type of music you are doing?
While it's cool to take chances and surprise your audience, you want
the over all arrangement to make sense. Don't bog the song down with
annoying repetition that doesn't enhance the song. Use long intros
sparingly, if at all. Listen to similar artists to get ideas. You want
the song to flow. Remember, your songs have a beginning middle and end,
like a story or movie. Move the story along nicely. Keep the action
swift, and keep your audience interested.
Are the length of solo sections (if you have any) appropriate for the
type of music you are playing?
Long jams are cool but probably not appropriate for more mainstream pop
and rock... just a little food for thought. On the other hand, if you
are a "jam band," it may be completely appropriate to have extended
solo sections. If you do have some short solo section it is probably
best that the soloist "works out" his/her solo during the
pre-production phase. This is a matter of debate among many players,
but if you are recording something in a pop genre a prepared solo is
totally fine. You can always mix things up live. Remember preparation
is the point of pre-production.
Have you considered things like back up vocals, or vocal harmonies?
Well arranged backing vocals can make your song's hook really come
alive. Listen to how artists similar to your self approach back up
vocals. Don't worry about reproducing them live at this point. Right
now your concern is to make the recorded version of this song sound the
best that it can.
Take a little time to experiment.
One of the cool things about the pre-production phase is that you have
the opportunity to explore different techniques. Who knows? Maybe some
wacky arrangement is just what your song needs or you may discover some
cool effect that really enhances a section of the song. The
possibilities are only limited by your imagination. Obviously you have
more freedom to experiment at $15/hour in a project studio than at $60
in a big studio! This is also an excellent learning environment. Take
time to ask your engineer questions about the gear he/she is using. Ask
questions like: What does a compressor do? What is panning? Why did you
choose that mic, and anything else that comes to mind related to the
recording process? If you are working with your own gear, read
everything that you can and consult the many internet forums that are
available on the subject. Having a general understanding of how
everything works will be an asset to you when you get to the "real"
studio.
If you have a little extra time, have your vocalist try cutting the
vocals with different mics. If you find one that just seems to make the
vocals sit perfectly in the mix, you can save yourself a lot of time
later. Keep in mind that when you get to "the big" studio that you
probably have additional choices for mics, effects and tracking than a
small project studio can offer. Someone once pointed out to me that
there was literally a million dollars in equipment between the vocalist
and recorded signal in a particular studio. If you can get a great
sound with only a decent mic and your computer than all that other
stuff will only make you sound more professional.
Technology aside, the most important thing is your performance. A great
sound means little if your performance lacks energy and passion. Ask
yourself, "Am I really conveying the meaning of the song?" You may want
to have your singer work with a vocal coach who can help him/her
produce the vocals. Bring your coach to the studio when it is time to
lay down the vocals. A coach can help your singer find places in the
vocals to accent, help resolve any pitch, and vocal tone issues and
make suggestions for taking breaths, etc...
Once you have your song recorded, listen to it. How does it sound? If
you are going for a mainstream sound is it something that you could
hear on the radio? Try putting it on a mix CD with songs by your
favorite artists. How does it hold up? It's a good idea to actually set
it aside for a week or two then come back to it. You'll be surprised at
the perspective this will give you. Also play your pre-produced songs
for other people outside of the band whose opinion you trust. Get
input. If some one makes a suggestion that you really like, jot it down
and try to implement it when you start the actual recording phase. Make
sure that you send your pre-produced tracks to your producer or
engineer. A good producer will listen to them and make notes to use for
the actual recording. This is also the time to discover if some of your
songs just aren't record worthy. Yes, it happens to even the best
artists. You write and record something only to discover that it just
isn't going to work either because thematically it doesn't work with
the other songs or maybe the song itself just needs to be completely
reworked. Don't let it get you down. If nothing else you have some raw
material for the next CD.
This is your discovery time. Make the most of it. Having your pitch,
timing, arrangements and over performance together before you walk
through those studio doors is going to save you time, money and a lot
of headaches!
Lou Lombardi, Your Guitarist
http://www.yourguitarist.com
http://www.myspace.com/guitartracks
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/guitartracksonline/
pre-production before you begin the actual recording process. This can
include planning where and when you will record, setting a budget,
deciding the number of songs you will put on your CD and what producer
and engineer you want to work with, among other things. It is all about
planning and preparation. Remember, no one plans to fail, but a lot of
people fail to plan! For this article I am going to focus on the
recording aspect of pre-production. Think of it as the recording you do
before you record. I would recommend that you keep it simple and as
inexpensive as possible. The idea is to discover what you need to do
(change, improve) before you start racking up studio time. Remember
that your CD project will be under tremendous scrutiny. You want your
performance in the studio to be as confident as possible. This is a
great opportunity to rehearse what you will do in the studio. It will
also save you time and money in the long run.
There are basically three ways that you can approach pre-production.
You can rent a digital recorder, purchase a DAW (Desktop Audio
Workstation) or find someone in your town with a small project studio.
I think that there is tremendous value in having your own set up. So if
you have the time to learn how to work the equipment, and the financial
resources, putting together your own project studio around a DAW or
digital recorder is the way to go. If you aren't in a position to put
together your own project studio, this really isn't a problem. Project
studios seem to be popping up all over the place these days. There is
probably some one in your home town with a small "basement" studio.
There are some advantages to hiring out too. In addition to the
financial savings, you can spend more time concentrating on the music
and less time on figuring out the equipment, and by working with
someone else you gain an additional "set of ears"... an outside
perspective on your music, sound and performance that can really be
invaluable.
Once you have either put together your own set up or you have found a
really cool dude (or chick) with sweet basement set up, it's time to
get to work. For the purposes of this article, I am only going to
discuss aspects of recording (only VERY basic principles) that I feel
directly relate to pre-production. There are many great websites, books
and magazines that can help you understand the process in great detail.
Knowledge is power so learn all you can. In any case, it's time to get
to work. The quickest way to hear what you sound like is to record as
many instruments live (all playing together at once) as possible. You
will probably have a channel limit of about eight tracks that you can
record at once. For the purposes of pre-production, it isn't really
necessary to mic every drum. Consider using a couple over head mics, a
mic for snare and one for the bass drum. Now you have channels left for
bass, rhythm guitar, basic keyboard parts and a scratch or guide vocal.
You can then add vocals, lead guitars and whatever else you have by
overdubbing.
You now have the song recorded on about 8 tracks. What do you hear? Is
the band in time? This is important. I know that there are bands that
don't use a click, and that is their choice but most quality music is
in time. I know that some will argue this point... write your own
article.
The next thing you want to address is pitch. This is usually an issue
concerning vocals, but not exclusively. There are some guitar players
who will play out of tune by squeezing the strings too hard. It is
important that you correct everybody's pitch issues. An out of tune
performance can totally kill a great song.
Some other questions to ask are:
How does the arrangement sound, and is it consistent with what a
listener would expect for the type of music you are doing?
While it's cool to take chances and surprise your audience, you want
the over all arrangement to make sense. Don't bog the song down with
annoying repetition that doesn't enhance the song. Use long intros
sparingly, if at all. Listen to similar artists to get ideas. You want
the song to flow. Remember, your songs have a beginning middle and end,
like a story or movie. Move the story along nicely. Keep the action
swift, and keep your audience interested.
Are the length of solo sections (if you have any) appropriate for the
type of music you are playing?
Long jams are cool but probably not appropriate for more mainstream pop
and rock... just a little food for thought. On the other hand, if you
are a "jam band," it may be completely appropriate to have extended
solo sections. If you do have some short solo section it is probably
best that the soloist "works out" his/her solo during the
pre-production phase. This is a matter of debate among many players,
but if you are recording something in a pop genre a prepared solo is
totally fine. You can always mix things up live. Remember preparation
is the point of pre-production.
Have you considered things like back up vocals, or vocal harmonies?
Well arranged backing vocals can make your song's hook really come
alive. Listen to how artists similar to your self approach back up
vocals. Don't worry about reproducing them live at this point. Right
now your concern is to make the recorded version of this song sound the
best that it can.
Take a little time to experiment.
One of the cool things about the pre-production phase is that you have
the opportunity to explore different techniques. Who knows? Maybe some
wacky arrangement is just what your song needs or you may discover some
cool effect that really enhances a section of the song. The
possibilities are only limited by your imagination. Obviously you have
more freedom to experiment at $15/hour in a project studio than at $60
in a big studio! This is also an excellent learning environment. Take
time to ask your engineer questions about the gear he/she is using. Ask
questions like: What does a compressor do? What is panning? Why did you
choose that mic, and anything else that comes to mind related to the
recording process? If you are working with your own gear, read
everything that you can and consult the many internet forums that are
available on the subject. Having a general understanding of how
everything works will be an asset to you when you get to the "real"
studio.
If you have a little extra time, have your vocalist try cutting the
vocals with different mics. If you find one that just seems to make the
vocals sit perfectly in the mix, you can save yourself a lot of time
later. Keep in mind that when you get to "the big" studio that you
probably have additional choices for mics, effects and tracking than a
small project studio can offer. Someone once pointed out to me that
there was literally a million dollars in equipment between the vocalist
and recorded signal in a particular studio. If you can get a great
sound with only a decent mic and your computer than all that other
stuff will only make you sound more professional.
Technology aside, the most important thing is your performance. A great
sound means little if your performance lacks energy and passion. Ask
yourself, "Am I really conveying the meaning of the song?" You may want
to have your singer work with a vocal coach who can help him/her
produce the vocals. Bring your coach to the studio when it is time to
lay down the vocals. A coach can help your singer find places in the
vocals to accent, help resolve any pitch, and vocal tone issues and
make suggestions for taking breaths, etc...
Once you have your song recorded, listen to it. How does it sound? If
you are going for a mainstream sound is it something that you could
hear on the radio? Try putting it on a mix CD with songs by your
favorite artists. How does it hold up? It's a good idea to actually set
it aside for a week or two then come back to it. You'll be surprised at
the perspective this will give you. Also play your pre-produced songs
for other people outside of the band whose opinion you trust. Get
input. If some one makes a suggestion that you really like, jot it down
and try to implement it when you start the actual recording phase. Make
sure that you send your pre-produced tracks to your producer or
engineer. A good producer will listen to them and make notes to use for
the actual recording. This is also the time to discover if some of your
songs just aren't record worthy. Yes, it happens to even the best
artists. You write and record something only to discover that it just
isn't going to work either because thematically it doesn't work with
the other songs or maybe the song itself just needs to be completely
reworked. Don't let it get you down. If nothing else you have some raw
material for the next CD.
This is your discovery time. Make the most of it. Having your pitch,
timing, arrangements and over performance together before you walk
through those studio doors is going to save you time, money and a lot
of headaches!
Lou Lombardi, Your Guitarist
http://www.yourguitarist.com
http://www.myspace.com/guitartracks
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/guitartracksonline/