INTRODUCTION

Entering the recording studio is a very important event in the lives of most musicians, and we have taken the time to explain some techniques that you can inexpensively do to make your recording experience as productive and professional as possible.  Remember, if your songs are completely prepared then you will save on expenses in the long run, and you will have a clearer vision of the end product.  (Frequently clients experiment with sounds and "feels", which is totally acceptable also.  In these cases the end result is usually not known.  Take note, we're working for you.)

I have categorized the information here should you desire to review a particular section.  These techniques are very critical in creating a big, commercial sound.  Be sure to read and follow the advice provided in the "band tips" section and in your corresponding instruments' section.  The prime leader of the band should read all the essays, as well as solo artists and anyone wanting to record as the experts do.  If you are serious about your music, than you should read this page.

BAND TIPS

The single most important thing to remember when coming to the recording studio is that what you play will only exist in time, not space.  The resultant product that listeners will be aware of is your performance.  They won't care where you recorded your CD, what the studio looked like or what brand of guitar you used.  All they care about is hearing excellent music, regardless of other factors.  People still listen to the Beatles, even though the available sonic quality and recording devices back then pale in comparison to today's standards.

You do need to sustain a certain level of quality in your instruments and equipment, but the key issues concern the performance - the quantity of precision, intent and spirit given by each artist.  Being precise is most important of all, but if you can feel something while performing it will really show in the end.  Sports figures psych themselves up emotionally and spiritually to perform at their physical peak, and it's in your best interest to do the same.  

Play any CD in your collection and listen for mistakes.  You won't really hear any.  Have you ever seriously thought about it?  Analyze your favorite bands and simply listen for noticeable singing errors, drum errors, and out-of-tune harmonies.  Notice the passion in the performances, and the emotion in the vocalist's voice.  Sometimes guitarists and singers get a little sloppy to keep it human, but the drums and bass guitar are always locked-in tightly.

The drummer must practice extensively prior to entering the recording studio.  It doesn't matter how good the band is, if the drummer is unmistakably fluctuating then it tends to loosen the music in a malevolent manner.  Anytime listeners hear music with roaming drum tempos and missed fill-ins, they consciously and subconsciously judge the entire group as amateurs, and they sometimes tell others.  

We can fix missed beats with digital editing, and that's no problem.  (Extensive simultaneous multitrack editing is a time-consuming undertaking, but with our technology anything is possible.)  You can reduce the painstaking process of editing by simply practicing and planning  more than usual before entering the recording studio.  

Please know your material thoroughly before attempting to record it.  Last-minute decisions aren't always the best decisions, and you will perform at a higher level if your intentions are clear.  Each member of the band should be able to play their parts without the usual accompanying music and vocals.  Also, solo artists should at least have a solid framework from which to work on.  

Musicians tend to record their normal parts and ordinarily create additional parts that they hadn't planned on, and this is great.  When inspired, you should add what contributes to the overall quality of the music, because it's really up to you in the end.  Try not to get too far away from your live performance sound though.  If you want academic, virtuoso guitar solos than you should certainly work out all the parts prior to recording.  Solo artists usually won't be able to confirm if a musical element will work or not, and general experimentation is necessary. 

Most of all, try to have fun.  Recording studios are usually a bit sterile and emotionless, and musical elements you hadn't ever considered will show up in your recordings.  Close attention to detail is necessary from everyone.  To sound your best when recording, be sure to practice repeatedly prior to coming to the studio, make certain each band member knows their parts backward and forward, and put a lot of feeling into it.  Practice is a cost-effective method to sound your best as a band.  

Once your band knows the songs thoroughly you should be able to lay down some very tight tracks.  Your peers will hear it and will certainly compliment you.  There will be a positive mystique encompassing the band, and you might get local radio airplay.  If your music is good you will reap the benefits for a long time and feel better about yourself for trying harder.  Please remember to get a good night's sleep, proper nutrition, and abstain from any impairing substances prior to recording; this is the same protocol professional, dedicated athletes adhere to. 

DRUM TIPS

The acoustic drums require many special considerations like proper tuning, miking, compressing, expanding and equalization prior to printing to tape, which we shall discuss in a moment.  For now, let's briefly chat about drum machines.


DRUM MACHINES
The drum machine can be programmed to follow all the intricate changes of your song from beginning to end and requires a little patience whilst programming, but the drum parts will be absolutely perfect and sound quite pleasing.  We can use any sound source and play it back with the drum machine - you can make your own drum sounds instead of using presets.  We highly recommend generating your own unique samples when using a drum machine, and you can either bring the samples in with you or we can do the sampling here.  We can also modify existing samples in order to fit the music properly.  Its your call.

For the perfection and ease provided by drum machines, there are still complaints about them and their overuse in certain types of music.  Many listeners argue that the beats are too repetitive in specific styles of music, and this is a result of not enough unique drum machine programming.  Hard core rock fans are almost appalled when they notice a drum machine, and for good reason.  Drum machines and sampling are more adapted to certain kinds of music, so make sure that it works with what you're doing.  We are trying to convince the listener they are hearing a real instrument.  If you are going for an electronic sound overall, then the drum machine is your best choice.  

From an audio production standpoint, drum machines can simplify matters by reducing track count and tweaking time.  Drum machines always sound the same, regardless of the venue.  All that's needed to record a decent sound is quality cords and a few direct boxes, or you can record their sound coming from the speakers with a few microphones.  Have patience in programming, although some individuals prefer to play drum machines manually to simulate a real human drummer.  However you do it, do it well.


ACOUSTIC DRUMS
The drummer is sometimes viewed as different than other musicians, and this belief should be immediately abandoned; a drummer's timing is critical - the whole groove lies in their hands.  There's a saying in the armed forces, "you are only as strong as your weakest link."  This axiom ought to be heeded all musicians in a band, especially the drummer.

In our audio recording experience we have found that inferior drumming is the primary cause of poor sounding tracks.  Imperfect drumming can make a group seem untalented.  And here's the bad news (as if it weren't bad enough), when recording, the drummer's mistakes get amplified.  We're sorry, but it's the truth.  It's almost impossible to hide drum mistakes.  Well, we can fix off-time snare or kick hits and things of that nature, but if the drummer speeds up gradually or makes several radical mistakes it will be hard to repair.  Its best to be very critical of your drummer when practicing, because the recording studio isn't some magical place that makes anyone sound great; it makes excellent players sound great.

The intention of this summary isn't to defame drummers, its to increase the quality of your music.  Being as it is, we must again address some additional issues that need considered regarding acoustic drums.  You are competing with drum machines which keep perfect time.

You should acquire new drum heads for your snare (top and bottom) - old snares need to be replaced, and make sure the tom heads are in good shape.  Worn heads, cracked cymbals, broken snares and mediocre playing guarantee a weak sound.  Plastic-tipped sticks seem to ping and thud better than wood-tipped sticks, but that's your call.  

Once the kit is outfitted with acceptable heads and cymbals, it must then be tuned to a particular key.  Each head should have the lugs completely loosened, then a half turn on each lug until almost reaching the required tone.  When a head has uniform tension across its surface, it will be less likely to produce any rogue frequencies.  Physically hold each tom and push on the head really hard to help seat it; also tap on the head with a stick near each lug and try to maintain a stable tone from lug to lug.  When near the proper tone you can simply adjust a specific lug to fine tune the drum.  We usually tune the snare to the key of "A", the first tom a fourth or octave below the snare, then each tom a third, fourth or fifth down from the previous tom.  The idea is to make a big chord; preferably in the key of the song.  Drums lose their tuning fast, so keep checking them.

You may say to yourself "wow, that sounds like a lot of work!"  We have found that when the above advice is heeded, the overall quality of the drums is superior to and more intense than a mistuned, battered drum set.  There are twelve microphones on our drum set and they are very sensitive.  These microphones capture many sounds that one would not normally hear.  Sometimes we hear the drummer singing along inadvertently while heavily groovin' to the jam.  Cool, just lighten up during the quieter passages.


THE HI HAT
Several arguments could be written about the use of the hi hat, but we will just briefly touch upon a few important considerations.  The hi hat is a very valuable part of the drum set and the way in which it is played can benevolently or malevolently effect the music, even if the timing is on.  Amateur drummers tend to strike the hi hat exceedingly forceful too often and with the side of the drum stick; it may sound fine in practice, but in the studio it will be far too loud and a permanent nuisance.  Once the hi hat bleeds into the other drum microphones (remember, there are twelve) it will be impossible to remove.  

The hi hat is a groovy little tool that can help you keep time while you're doing fill-ins and what not, but far too often drummers use a double bass pedal or just plain leave the hi hat partially open - these individuals usually beat the crap outta' the poor thing.  Most professional drummers ease up on the hi hat, because they know the sensitive microphones placed all around the set will pick up plenty of hi hat.  Drummers have a tough job to tackle: sounding heavy and cool while not overwhelming the microphones.  Even loud-mouth Lars cools it on the hi hat. 


The drummer is more in charge of mixing the drum sound than you are.  In other words, if he/she hits the cymbals super hard and the toms super soft, guess what?  You'll have a nightmare on your hands trying to get the toms to sound big.  The drummer literally should think of the attack volume applied to each instrument (like cymbal, hi hat, snare, and kick) like a separate channel of a mixer.  Physically raise the cymbals as high as comfortably possible, and hit the toms hard.  Easy on the hi-hat.


Lastly, we care about making you sound your best, and that's why we took the time to explain all of this stuff.  Our in-house kit is pre-tuned, but you may want to modify it to fit your music and now you can do so confidently.  The drums are a complicated group of instruments to record, and a good sound takes work.

VOCAL TIPS

Vocals are the only thing that nearly all listeners can relate to.  Almost everyone can sing, and the way the words are sung are just as important than the words themselves.  Great vocalists aren't just born like that - it takes years of practice to learn how to sing with feeling and precision.  I have stressed precision several times, and it is only slightly critical with the vocals, unless multitracking, because sometimes you don't need to be such a great singer to be a great vocalist; it mainly depends on the conviction of the vocalist.

In modern pop recordings, the main vocal line is usually doubled (or tripled, quadrupled, or even n^th'd) and dexterous precision in singing to prerecorded vocals is required.  You have to pay close attention to what you're doing at all times if you're going to double the vocal track, but it will be well worth it.  When the vocals are doubled correctly, the song gets a more "modern" sound.  Artists with liberal budgets usually double-track the vocals and all of the instruments except drums, bass, and miscellaneous "one-shot" musical ornaments (chimes, distorted bass, contrapuntal melodies, etc.)

Well, just like everything else I've discussed, there are tricks and tips to singing.  So many people come into the studio and scream too much, and by the end of the session have ruined their voice.  You do need to scream sometimes, but mostly you'll be trying to come across precise which requires the use of falsetto.  Falsetto is when words are half-sung and half-whispered, but mostly whispered.  Virtuoso singers can jump from a scream to a controlled falsetto smoothly - one has to be able to perform seamlessly.  In falsetto the words are breathed more, and if you listen closely you will be able to hear the singer taking quick breaths prior to singing a line; its something you're used to hearing on recordings.

Singers should refrain from smoking before laying down vocal tracks, and do not cough.  I repeat, DO NOT COUGH.  When we cough our throat does things to try to protect itself; your larynx may get saturated with mucus, and the quality of your voice will decrease.  What you wanna' do is drink lots of water, even if you're not thirsty.  This will help.  Lots of deep, cleansing breaths will help stretch the chest, and you should meditate on presenting yourself in a favorable manner.  Your vocal is your band's calling card, and it inadvertently defines your band.  It is the single most important element of your recording, because its the only thing the common man can relate to.  Most everyone can sing to some degree.

Before you jump into the vocal booth and begin to croon, there are a few additional points we'd like to make.  First, even though we have good vocal equipment, you still need to "work the mike."  Working the mike requires that you come up close on the quieter parts of the vocal, and that you move back a little on the louder parts of the vocal.  This sounds really easy, but it isn't.  Learning to work a mike comes after considerable time of live performance through a P.A. system where moving up or back becomes a necessity.  

Next, don't forget to minimize the effect of plosives (the b's and p's) in the vocal.  When singing a huge BOOM at the beginning of a b-word, turn your head a little while you're hitting the plosive note.  This is common practice among accomplished vocalists, and it just sounds better.  Also, watch the sibilant (the "ess" sound) passages, because you may distort the microphone or a processor; I've heard many low budget recordings where the sibilant vocal passages crack the speakers when turned to high volumes.  We can arrest the sibilance by using a de-esser (a device which dynamically controls the high frequencies of a signal), and we can help stop the plosives by using a popper stopper, but its still a good idea to control the plosive and sibilant passages by turning your head quickly while singing each offending note.  Also, while you are singing be sure to keep your mouth opened, like you are singing the letter O the entire time.  Try it, you'll see that it sounds better and projects further.  

Singers should practice several hours before attempting to lay down any vocal tracks unless the singer is a seasoned pro (which is rare, most of us have jobs and don't have time to practice our singing chops all day).  Shoddy and uninspired vocals will surely ruin a potentially great musical recording.  The listeners who own your CD expect excellence, and you should give extra effort when singing.  The human voice is one of the most complex audio signals to record and carry over half the weight of the song, because the vocals are the only thing that nearly all listeners can relate to.  

Singing your best for a recording session requires extensive prior practice, and if the needed practice is skipped, expect to hear it loud and clear in English on your master CD.  We cannot increase the quality of a performance, we can only shine up what exists.  Please, be very conscientious about the vocals.

BASS TIPS

The bass guitar serves an important purpose:  to coalesce the instrumental, melodic elements with the percussive, groovin' musical components.  The bass guitar helps intermix the six-string guitars, keyboards and vocals with the drum set.  The bass guitar should typically work nicely with the drum set when soloed together, and special emphasis should be placed on the relationship between the kick drum and bass guitar.  The bass guitar and kick drum should lock-in tightly, creating a rhythmic, melodic unity.

Bass playing is a serious subject to many.  There are probably five bass guitar magazines, each with a slew of new equipment and various techniques and tips.  The variables are overwhelming, and each publication seems predisposed to a differing style, for which there are many (slap/pop, finger tapping, six-string bass, upright bass, teflon stringed bass, bass synthesizers, and acoustic bass).  We just want you to know that the bass guitar playing in your band will determine the level of punchiness and power in your music.  If the bass player follows the guitar parts verbatim, the music will have tons of power but not much groove, but if the bass player plays an independent part from the guitar then the music will groove and be powerful in a more subtle way.

However the bass player plays, it must be done with great precision.  Here's why.  When your music is complete you'll release it to consumers, with consumer stereo systems with the LOUDNESS button permanently depressed.  All of the sudden the bass guitar jumps out of the woodwork to lead the party.  Oops, don't let J-Dogg or D.J. Kev pop your CD into their 5000 watt car stereo to have them discover the uncertain sound stream emanating from the bassists fingers.  This isn't a good thing.  But there are certain steps that can help ones bass playing increase dramatically.

First, acquire new strings for your bass.  THIS IS A MUST.  This will help you achieve that tight, professional bass sound.  Some people say to boil your bass strings in water to get a new string sound, others claim that you can clean the strings with acetone; I don't know, but the techniques probably work.  Make sure the bass guitar itself is of reliable quality and that the intonation has been properly set (instructions available on the GUITAR TIPS page).  Use a bass amplifier, not a guitar amplifier, because a guitar amplifier has a hard time suitably representing the characteristics of the bass guitar.

The bass line should be interesting and if possible, funky.  Girls really dig the bass, whether they admit it or not - it has been statistically determined that women enjoy the bass frequencies most of all in music, and that they get irritated by high frequencies more.  Believe it?  Perhaps its just something to keep in mind.  The bass playing throughout the entire album should be flawless, with great emphasis on flawless.  

The guitarist can miss a string here and there and play kinda' sloppy (Rolling Stones), the vocalist can sing in a weird and irritating voice like a barker (Bob Dylan), but if the bass guitar player utilizes the same improvisational and careless techniques it will simply sound like inferior playing--plain and simple.  Don't take our word for it, closely listen to the bass parts on your favorite CDs and you'll uncover nothing but perfection.  That is why those CDs sound so good.  Superior, tight bass playing will help unify all the elements of a song. 

Many professional bass players insist on using a muffling device near the bridge to control the extraneous overtones that are naturally generated while playing.  Some players contend on using a sponge under the strings just lightly touching to control overtones, others claim that a piece of felt laid over the strings near the bridge taped down at both ends controls overtones even better.  We usually go with the first approach, using a sponge under the strings to control the superfluous overtones.  The bass ends up with a cleaner, punchier sound with a muffler, and even though you probably don't use one during practice or live performance, it will make your recording sound better.  Recording is a complex and technical process, and even though you may not understand the physics behind muffling the bass strings, its in your best interest to do so.

Bass players don't really need to worry about processors or amplification for recording, because the bass is usually recorded direct line-in.  This is not always the case, and sometimes we mic the bass to get that "vintage" sound.  Just remember that your studio sound will be a little thinner than your live sound, because in the studio the bass frequencies have to be shaped in a particular fashion.  Shaping the bass is one of the most time consuming process for audio recording engineers.

GUITAR TIPS

Guitar players are unique creatures, and there certainly isn’t a shortage of them.  Lots of human beings play guitar, and the varieties of guitar playing are more diverse than that of probably any other instrument in rock music.  Guitar players usually come in two types: the electric guitar god type (big amps, pedals, clothes) and the acoustic pickin’ type (emphasis on melody structure, chord changes and what not).  Most of the time I have encountered the electric guitar god type of person, and these musicians have a unique miscellany that's endorsed in their playing.

They like to bring loud guitar amplifiers and huge levels of distortion, which is usually great during practice but when recorded will sound like a wall of muddy noise, which isn’t always good.  We’ve found that if you back off on the distortion a little during recording, it will make your sound heavier.  I know, its hard to comprehend that less distortion will give you a heavier sound, but it’s true.  Listen to Metallica (maybe not your favorite) but the sound that Bob Rock attains is a less distorted one with more punch that sounds great when layered.  When you add three or four additional tracks of guitar, the perceived power will increase, giving you the same kind of sound that one super distorted guitar will achieve.

We know that your guitar sound is central to the sound of your band, and we want to faithfully represent the guitar sound as realistically as possible.  That’s why we insist you back off on the distortion a bit before recording.  Listen, whatever guitar parts you record will probably be multi-tracked, and to get a big, commercial guitar sound we record four identical rhythm guitar parts which gives the music a big kick.  When those four medium distorted guitars are layered together and panned in the mixer, the perceived distortion level will increase – this is why professional recording engineers insist that guitarists use less distortion in the studio.  Our goal is to increase your power, and layering four super distorted guitars will result in nothing but a wall of indiscernible mud.  Once again, it’s your call in the end; we will urge you to reduce the quantity of distortion originating from your guitar amplifier, but if that’s what you want we cannot stop you.  Although it may have a negative effect on your finished CD.

Occasionally we encounter a band that exclusively uses acoustic guitars or a mix between acoustic and lightly distorted guitars.  Ensembles utilizing this kind of guitar approach frequently end up sounding tighter, richer and just more talented. A considerable amount of power can be developed in an acoustic or slightly distorted electric guitar song.  Listen to the MP3 "The Patron Saint" on the audio examples page, and note that the individual guitars really aren’t that distorted, but since there are four of them the perception is that of one immense and very distorted guitar (the bass guitar is also playing the same riff as the guitar, which makes it even bigger).  The eventual sound is reminiscent of '90's metal, which pleased the client.

Guitar players utilizing vacuum tube amplifiers should make sure that all the tubes (especially the power tubes) are in good shape.  In a perfect world a guitar player would change their tubes at least once a year.  Keep this in mind.  Guitar players utilizing solid-state (transistorized) amplifiers have less to worry about, except that a tube amp usually sounds better than a transistor amp. 

The guitar needs constant fine tuning and considerable amounts of maintenance to function at its best.  All guitars intended to be recorded must be outfitted with new strings, and guitar strings are usually inexpensive.  Make sure that all of the electric guitars have the intonation properly set.  You can pay your local guitar store to intonate your guitar for you or you can do it yourself.  I will now briefly describe how you can set your own intonation and save yourself a few bucks.

                                                           SETTING INTONATION
Tune the guitar to a standard tuning using a digital tuner.  Hit the open E string and fine tune the E string until the digital tuner verifies that you are precisely in tune, and while on the E string fret the twelfth fret (which is also E, but an octave up) and see what the tuner says. If the twelfth fret is flat (below E) then your E string is too long. 

To make the string a little shorter severely loosen the E tuning peg so the string is very loose and adjust the individual string positioner on the bridge (with a phillips screwdriver for stratocaster types, a flathead screwdriver for Les Paul types, and a hex wrench for Floyd Rose and Kahler types) USING VERY SMALL ADJUSTMENTS.  Only adjust the screw two turns at a time, so the little housing only moves forward towards the bridge pickup less than an eighth of an inch.  Then tune the string back to E and check the twelfth fret again.  That twelfth fret E should be higher than it originally was, perhaps even right at E.  If its still flat, re-loosen the string and adjust accordingly some more.

If you fret the twelfth fret and its higher than open E, then you need to lengthen the string.  Once again loosen the string and now adjust the string positioner so that it moves away from the bridge pickup slightly (less than an eighth inch).  Retune the string to E and check the twelfth string.  This is a trial and error process.  If you’re still above E then re-loosen the string and move the bridge string positioner a tad bit more away from the bridge pickup.  After fifteen minutes of monkeying around you should arrive at position where open E is exactly the same as the twelfth fret E – the E string is now intonated.  

Now you just have to do the A, D, G, B, and high E strings the exact same way.  Similar principles apply to the bass guitar.

When a guitar is properly intonated you will be able to play an open bar chord and then a highly fretted bar chord and everything will be precisely in tune.  A guitar that is out of intonation will appear to be tuned properly for the open strings (E, A, D, G, B, E) but will all of the sudden sound out of tune when you work you way up the frets with chords.  Your guitar may be out of intonation now, so be sure to check it.

                                              MORE WORDS
Guitar players can get away with irregular playing most of the time and it is almost encouraged. Some individuals view erratic playing as rebellious and cool, but sometimes it won’t work in a fast guitar intensive band (like harder rock and metal).  It sounds great in sleazy rock-n-roll bands though.  Whichever way you choose, be sure to perform with a high level of awareness and conviction, and if you're playing in front of people don't forget to make faces and sexually gesticulate with your guitar.  We're being serious.  Image is very, very important in modern pop music, but we'll save that discussion for another day.

Electric guitar players must contend with hum and radio frequency interference on a daily basis, and the problem of "buzz" is as old as the electric guitar.  You can reduce the quantity of hum in the guitar rig with a little maintenance though.  For starters, make sure that your amp is grounded.  The ground electrode is the third prong on the power plug that everyone cuts off so they can plug their amp into an extension cord.  It the ground prong is broken off the amplifier will be forced to hum, because stray voltages are picked up at low levels and amplified.  When the guitar amp and guitar are grounded properly, there will only be a small amount of natural hum which can be removed with an envelope filter or gate.  

The direction in which the guitar player faces when they play will also determine how much hum is being created, and if you stand in front of your amplifier and spin your body slowly you'll discover a spot that almost cancels all of the hum.  For recording, find that spot and stay in it.  Hum and buzz are noises that probably aren't intended to be in your music, but sometimes clients use hum as an effect at the beginning or the end of a song.  Its your call.  

Just remember to have new strings, a properly intonated guitar, and a decent amplifier.  When these requirements are met it almost guarantees that you'll get a really awesome guitar sound throughout.  The guitar is very important, it puts the "rock" in rock-n-roll.  Guitar players usually need a while to warm up, especially if its cold outside.  Take your time and do it right.

I know that this is an overwhelming quantity of information, but the quality of your recordings will increase dramatically if you heed this advice.  Most of the information is taken from years of commercial recording experience, and some advice is taken from various books and other publications.

The goal of this studio is to provide the maximum recording experience for the dollar.  This is an attempt to be self-actualized.  Compare the rate of this studio to other studios and see if they offer sound samples of their work.  Always hear a studios work first.