Before you go in

Record your songs during live gigs and pre-production rehearsals.  Even a simple cassette recording on a boom box may reveal weak parts of a song.

Have all the musical & vocal parts worked out.  Know your solos.  Be prepared, be prepared..

Using a computer ?  Prepare all sequenced material before the session.

If you plan to use a click track, make sure your drummer is comfortable playing to it.  To get tight, practice to a click track at a very slow tempo.

Rehearse more songs than you plan to record.  You never know which songs will sound strong on the final CD.  If you plan to have a four song EP, prepare six songs just in case.

Take care of your body before and during your recording sessions.  Go for a walk by the water to clear your head.  Eat well, get enough sleep, and keep your ears rested and clear.

Setting up

Be early !  At some studios, the clock starts running whether you’re there or not.  Find out about the cancellation policy as well.

Start with your easiest and most rehearsed song.  Make your best estimate of how long you think it should take in the studio and then double it.

Make the studio a comfortable and relaxed place.  It is your home while you are there.  If it’s not comfortable for you it will show in your finished product.

Make sure you and the engineer/producer have the same vision — go over your songs with them before recording.  Before booking your studio time, ask to hear other material the engineer recorded.

Use new strings, cords, drum sticks and heads — and bring spares..  Find out the hours of your local music store just in case.

Don’t use new gear or different equipment that you haven’t used before, even if it’s better than what you have.  Surprises can cause problems and increase studio time costs.

Remember, it’s emotion & feeling that make the best song, not necessarily the best technical rendition.

The recording process

If you mess up a part while recording, don’t stop and start over.  That can easily cause you to burn out.  Instead let the engineer punch in the correction later in the session.

You don’t have to fill all tracks that are available to you.  Don’t try to force something that won’t fit.

Always keep in mind the focus of your music.  If it’s the vocals, plan to spend the most time on them.  Don’t waste time on things that don’t highlight the focal point.

Get the sound you want while recording.  Never assume that you can fix it in the mix.

Unless you have unique effects, record individual tracks clean and add effects later.

Don’t necessarily double track everything.  Doubling a lead vocal can hide all the subtleties that make a song personal and likable.

Know when to quit for the day.  If you are tired it will show in your product.

Keep guests at home.  It’s your recording. Guests will distract you and may sway your opinion of how the music should sound.

Tune up often.

Singers:  Always bring water but don’t use ice.  Ice will constrict your vocal chords.  Hot tea with lemon and honey works very well.

Monitoring the mix

Listen to your music at moderate levels in your car or on a boom box.  This is how most of your fans will listen to it, and mixing at loud levels will fatigue your ears and distorts the true sound.

Sometimes it’s good to take a day off and come back and listen.  The same applies for mix-down.  Ears don’t last very long in the studio.  This is commonly known as ear fatigue.

As you review each mix make sure you can comfortably hear all of the instruments.  Tweak the mix on a small pair of speakers at an extremely low volume.  Headphones are also very valuable at this stage, but don’t base your final decision on them.  You should be able to pick up each instrument even at this level.

Know when to quit for the day.  You’re better off quitting a session early when you’re tired than wasting time making a bad mix that will have to be redone anyway.

Mixing

Listen to CD’s in the studio that you’re used to hearing on your home stereo to get an idea of how the studio’s system sounds.

Determine a band spokesperson ahead of time.  An engineer getting five different opinions on how to mix will grow tired and will try to accommodate, which will add to the studio time expense.

Once you have selected an engineer or producer to mix your recording, have them do the first mix.  Their ears are better trained than yours.  Try to keep an open mind.

Think about the songs as a whole and not just the individual instruments.  Otherwise everyone will want their instrument louder in the mix.

If mixing somewhere other than the recording studio, make sure you use the same speakers.  If not the mix will sound completely different.

Count on and budget in unforeseen delays.  Have realistic deadlines and expectations of all individual contributors.  Too much pressure will hurt the final product.

Extra bonus tip

Always, always make a safety CD-R.  It preserves your recording investment should your original master get damaged.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide our services !

Peace and best wishes,

Michael Zampi
Owner / Engineer of The Note Factory !