Posts Tagged ‘studio’

Money
As artists, your music matters and you want to be sure you find a recording home that’s suitable for you and your music. While costs should play a major role in your decision, your ultimate experience should bear more weight. To pay nickels and dimes for a shabby session only to go back and do it again is double the work. Price shop and compare and consider your needs and what you are willing to compromise.

Experience
Many studios service several genres of music while others cater to a few. Many service bands while others are limited to accommodating a few musicians. Some studios have staff that is highly experienced while others have staff that are just starting out. Keep in mind also, a studio just starting out doesn’t mean they are neither fully equipped nor knowledgeable of taking care of business. They could have gained much experience in another environment and decided upon setting up their own business.

Samples
Early on is a good idea to listen to samples of the studio’s work similar to the music you plan to record. Remember there’s no need to listen to rock, when you are planning to record jazz. It gives you no idea of what they can do with your project. If the recording is not suitable for you, there’s no need to further pursue them. Move on. On the other hand, if they don’t have any recording samples…this becomes a gut decision you have to make.

Visitation
Make an appointment to get a visual and a feel of your intended recording environment. What matters the most about your studio experience is how you feel when you step in the room. Notice other people that are there when you visit. Do they appear to be the hang-out crew? Does this matter to you? Do you want extra non-staff people in on your session?

Do you smell smoke upon entrance of the studio? As smoke is not any equipment’s best friend, your precious recordings should not be jeopardized by possible equipment failure because of it.

Meet the engineer? Does she/he seem like the type that will work with you, especially knowing you may be new to the studio environment? Do you trust him/her early on? Check out the sound room/area.  How does it feel?

Communication
Do communicate your session setup and equipment needs and understand the studio’s setup requirements of you. Check to be sure they can provide the recording medium you prefer. Will you bring along a producer, and will they understand their role in the studio and communication with the engineer? Are you planning on a mix down immediately after your session? As most studios don’t mix same day; it’s safe to plan on a separate session.

Refreshments
It is a guarantee that long recording sessions bring on hunger pangs and excessive thirst. Find out if the studio will provide refreshments such as water or juice and or fruit and light snacks. Some do this as complimentary, while others may offer it for sale. Otherwise, be prepared to bring your own.

Rules
And the big one last thing to consider when shopping for a studio is the rules! Simple question – can you live with them? If you are a drinker or smoker and need to satisfy your fix during your session; find out if any of this is allowed on the premises. Lucky for you if they do, and if not, hopefully you’ve considered your habits are not the studio’s responsibility. Simply handle that before you get there.

It’s All About You!
Shopping for a studio can be a lengthy process. Many studios are also and more often referred through word of mouth. Just remember, you as an artist need to feel you’ve found your recording home. It is the one place where sparks will fly and your creativity will hit the roof!

Your studio depends on your ears to hear correctly. Your studio also need a good pair of studio monitors to assist your ears to hear what they should. Reference monitors, studio speakers, close-field, near-field, or field monitors all share commonality. You need them in your studio environment!!! Period.

Your monitors should speak truths to you and if not the whole truth, then pretty close to it. Many will argue your best monitoring will fall in a higher price range.  As there are tons of home studios these days; most want the best monitors at the best price to handle the job well.

While there are many types of studio monitors; each set fits specific situations. Smaller rooms depending on how they are built, require certain monitors and proper placement to perform at best… and the same goes for larger rooms. Most home studios house close-field or near-field monitors, as the big studios have different sources of monitoring, and depend on them all.

You want to stay away from monitoring with speakers with color, and I don’t mean the speaker casing. I’m talking about speaker enhancement. The kind that’s on your hi-fi stereo speaker system. It makes your music sound good because that’s what it is designed to do. This is excellent for playback and listening pleasure while you’re lounging, but definitely not the route you want to take for monitoring your priceless studio recordings.

The difference is… if you are recording and mixing through an enhanced speaker, then how do you know what your mix really sounds like? And when you go to playback… you hear different results between sources. Your ears will even seem as if they are deceiving you… when in fact you’re deceiving your mixes. Note that when you mix through flat studio monitors, your mix should sound similar on various sources… and that’s what you want! No surprises, right?!

Enhanced sound is added to any sound device created for your leisure such as your iPod, computer, stereo system, mobile phone, car system, and television.

For the kicker: Several studio monitors have subtle color or added enhancement. I clearly remember a pair of Alesis RA-100’s I once owned for a very short while. The highs were super crispy and annoying. I had a friend who had a pair and I heard the same thing.

Whatever monitoring system you choose, the key is getting to know your speakers. Understand why they behave the way they do, and work with them accordingly.

Stop in at your local professional studio audio gear dealer and listen and compare based on your budget. You’ll be amazed at what you hear.

Best Reference Monitors

Tip of the day: There’s often much excitement and adrenaline rushing when a singer or emcee is standing at the microphone sweating and spit/spraying those dope lyrics. You may even encounter some musty body odor to go along with that! Hey, I’m just keeping it real!:)

However, to keep the area sanitary, especially now days with several ‘catchy’ illnesses out there; I have a solution. Drive down to a dollar store and pick up a can of Lysol and Lysol wipes. After each session, remove your microphone and place it back in its case. (I always do this after each session to prevent dust particles from settling on it.)

Mildly spray your sound room or area of which the recording took place using the Lysol. Also mildy spray the popper stopper (if applicable) connected to your mic stand. Don’t soak it down and please test first to ensure safety to your equipment.

Use the Lysol wipes to wipe down your headphones and mic stand. As I’m a stickler for avoiding strong odor or fumes, try to go with a mild scent.

Remember; your clients are the ones to benefit from this the most… and now doesn’t that make you happy?!

Below is a list of It’s Okay’s that I use in the studio to maintain organization. I got the concept from a teacher in a leadership class and developed my own version of rules for the studio. You are welcome to use this list and or alter it to your needs. If you have any you’d like to add… do share my friend!

1. It’s OKAY to understand I had to come up with this list of Okay’s to maintain a professional work environment.

2. It’s OKAY to know this list is not a personal attack at you!

3. It’s OKAY to comply with the NO-SMOKING ZONE anywhere inside the premises.

4. It’s OKAY to eat and dispose of your trash appropriately when you’re finish.

5. It’s OKAY to understand my computers are OFF LIMITS for your personal use.

6. It’s OKAY to hang headphones in their designated area instead of on the microphones or on the floor.

7. It’s OKAY to keep all food and drinks out of the sound room.

8. It’s OKAY to understand when you are in session, the studio is a no-children zone.

9. It’s OKAY to be prepared and understand chatter during clocked hours is costing you.

10. It’s OKAY to bring in ONLY those who are participating in your session.

11. It’s OKAY to not bring people to my studio that you wouldn’t bring to your house.

12. It’s OKAY to come in as scheduled.

13. It’s OKAY to call if you are going to be late.

14. It’s OKAY to understand this is really my job.

15. It’s OKAY to be prepared to leave when your session is over.

16. It’s OKAY if you see more It’s Okay’s on this list by time you have your next session.

17. It’s OKAY to have fun, get into your creative zone, and be productive during your recording session.

When I began recording music, I learned quickly that my ears were the greatest asset in the studio. Therefore, I had to prepare for the journey of developing them for the studio environment.

Just as you should train your voice to sing correctly, you must train your ears to hear correctly. A developed ear takes time and practice, and hands-on is the most effective training. You have to know what to hear in order to know how to hear it. One of the hardest developments for me at first was hearing the differences in compression and limiting/gating. Different parameters produce different results, and as an engineer recording my product, it was essential I understand these settings and how they produce sound. This same ear applies to microphone placement.

A developed ear will hear a dry room versus a wet room and know what type of room works best for the project. A developed ear will hear whether a certain type of microphone is the best match for a particular vocal. As many of us don’t have the luxury of having 10 mics on hand to choose from, it’s important to understand in many cases, a single mic can cover many vocal opportunities by knowing how to tweak it to get the best result from it.

A developed ear understands the dynamics of mixing. As a mix goes through several critical stages such as tracking, editing, volume changes, mixing/blending, equalization, effects and processing; not hearing how to blend these elements can cause dreadful results. Ever listened to a mix and can tell right off what makes it a good or bad mix? Not by speculation, but by knowing? And keep in mind, I’m not talking about mastering. These are two separate entities whereas mastering involves a different type of ear.

Artists, it doesn’t hurt for you to begin this developmental process as well. The more you know, the more diverse you become in this industry. Know what makes your music sound good and hear what doesn’t.

How to care for your ears:

Don’t mix when you are ill or congested with cold/sinus issues.

Listening to loud music continuously can permanently damage the ears. (Did you know you don’t have to mix at loud levels to get good results?)

Protect your ears in extreme temperatures.

Ear fatigue

is common and you should rest when your ears tell you.