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| How
many songs can we get down in a day? |
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That
depends on how talented and musically tight you are...
The
less takes you need, the more you get done.
It
also depends on what
kind
of
recording you are going for - demos require less production
and are generally more 'raw', whereas an EP or album for release
demands
that you are fussier about the performance, the mic setups,
the arrangements and mixes, hence they
will take more time.
Our
recommendation for a demo is to aim for no more than 3 songs
in a day (recorded, overdubbed and mixed). If you're aiming for
a release quality EP, then allow at least a day per
song.
It's
a quantity vs
quality
thing.
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| We've
never recorded before, how does the whole process work? |
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You'll
generally all play together to get a good feel,
but without
a PA - you listen to each other through headphones. Each instrument
gets recorded to a separate track to give the engineer more control.
Then
you'll do 'overdubs' by listening back to what was recorded
when the whole band played and add new parts (eg vocals) or
replace
parts that had mistakes etc.
Once
all the parts are recorded they get mixed
together in the right proportions and sweetened up with compression,
EQ and other effects.
A
good rule of thumb is to devote 1/3rd of your time to laying
down the band tracks, 1/3rd for overdubbing
and 1/3rd for mixing.
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| What
should we do to prepare? |
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Rehearse! Then Rehearse again! Then do it some more!
Iron
out all the bugs that you possibly can and be able to play your
parts
spot on every time. Decide how many times that riff gets repeated,
nail the transition from verse 3 to the bridge, work on some
harmony vocals. Pull your songs apart and analyze them until
you know them inside out. This is called pre-production.
Get
all that technical stuff out of the way and into your sub-conscious
so
you can really
pour
some emotion into your performance in the studio. The end result
will be miles better!
We
offer good value rates for rehearsal space to bands who are booked
to record
with us. Doing your pre-production in the same space you will
be recording in really helps you to feel comfortable when it's
time to start laying down tracks.
Guitarists
and bass players should put on a new set of strings the night
before recording and play them in a little so they stretch and
settle. Put fresh batteries in your pedals and guitars with active
pickups. Get your instrument serviced to eliminate
buzzes and get the harmonics set up properly etc. Make sure your
amp is working properly and your leads aren't crackly or intermittent.
Drummers
should get new skins for at least the snare and if possible the
toms
as
well.
Once
again
tune them
and play
them in so they stretch and settle. Tighten up and lubricate the
drum hardware to eliminate rattles and squeaks.
Don't
turn up with a hangover! Especially the singer! You need to look
after your voice. Everyone needs to be able to focus, so don't
book a 10am start if you're going to be out gigging or partying
until 4am...
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| What
do we need to bring? |
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All the usual stuff - instruments, amps,
leads, instrument stands, tuner, picks, spare strings...
You may also want to think about borrowing instruments and/or
amps from other people to give you a wider pallete of tones to
choose from.
You
should also bring some form of written music and lyrics for
the songs you are going to record.
It's
a good idea to bring along two or three 'reference' CDs of music
in your style that you like the sound of to give the engineer
an idea of what to work towards. Also bring any of your previous
recordings. The more insight we have into your musical, sonic and
commercial goals the better.
Last
but not least, bring an open mind. What sounds good in your
garage or on stage may not necessarily sound good when recording.
It's the engineer's job to make your guitar sound just as gutsy
through a 3-inch clock-radio speaker as it does through your
100 watt Marshall. That's not easy! And it may involve tweaking
your tone a bit. Be prepared to be flexible!
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| What
is mastering? |
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Many people get confused between the terms
mixing and mastering.
If
you relate the recording process to making a car, then tracking
& overdubbing are like manufacturing the parts, mixing is
like putting the
parts together to build the car, and mastering is
like quality control and detailing wrapped into one ensuring
that the end customers
gets a consistent, polished and shiny product.
The
mastering engineer is usually an independant 3rd party working
in an acoustically neutral studio with lots of specialised
high-end equipment.
Mastering
describes the process of taking the final stereo mixes
of your songs and matching their average volume levels and
tonal
signatures so you get a consistent sounding album that works
well together as a whole, rather than just sounding like a
bunch of
songs thrown together. The
mastering engineer also usually boosts the average volume of
your tracks using compression and peak limiting, and applies
corrective EQ to fix tonal
problems introduced at either the recording or mix stage.
Of
course you don't have to get your recording mastered, but GOOD
mastering will make it sound like a REAL CD.
Be careful though, as BAD mastering can make things a lot worse...
We
often master in-house at Full Steam Studios for demos and
lower budget recordings (ie under $1500). But
if you have the money and are serious about your sound we
strongly
recommend getting your
recording
mastered by a professional mastering engineer at a dedicated
mastering house in Sydney. We can confidently recommend several
to you.
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| What
other things should we budget for? |
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OK, so you want to release an independent CD! Great! But there's more to
it than just the recording studio. Here are some other things you
need to consider when releasing a CD:
-
Mastering
-
Artwork & Photos
-
CD-R vs Pressed CDs.
Pressed CDs are more professional looking
and
last longer but the minimum run is usually
500. How many
do you realistically think you will sell?
-
CD
duplication and Printing
-
Promotion
-
Distribution
-
Selling Price
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