Recording your music is one of the most rewarding and momentous occasions in your music career. You get to put all of your emotion and hardwork into creating a product that you hope thousands will soon be hearing. But going into a recording session unprepared can make the process more stressful, difficult and time-consuming than it needs to be. Ask yourself these ten questions before jumping in and your sure to be well on your way to having a fun and successful time in the studio.
1. What is the recording going to be used for?
This is the most important question you should ask yourself before going into the studio. The answer will help determine everything else you do. Are you entering the studio with hopes of recording an album to sell at retail or are you just wanting to get a good demo so that you can shop your music to record labels with the hope of getting signed? Or perhaps you are recording a song that you are just going to give away to your fans as a bonus on your website. Once you know this you can begin to answer all of the other questions because you know have a discrete goal in mind.
2. What sound are you trying to achieve?
It's vital that you have a sound for your recording in mind when heading into the studio. As you write and rehearse your songs think about how you'd like your music to come across sonically. Do you want your recording to be very polished and precise or have a very live feel to it? Do you want it to be guitar driven or would you rather the drums do the heavy lifting? Have a few examples of other recordings that you'd like your recording to sound like as well as be able to express the sound your trying to achieve in specific terms. Discuss with everyone in the band prior to make sure everyone is on the same page.
3. What is the budget for this recording?
Once you know the goal of the recording session you need to figure out the budget you are working with. Your budget will affect how much time you can spend working on vocals, mixing and other important issues. It will also determine if you can afford to hire studio musicians or if you will have to record all the parts yourself. When figuring out your budget don't forget to keep in mind the end goal for the recording. If you are trying to record an album to sell at retail, more than likely you are going to spend much more time and money in the recording process than you would for a demo.
4. Does the producer and/or engineer share the same vision you have?
It is essential that the producer and the artist share the same vision for the recording project they are working on. Going into a recording session without sharing your vision is a recipe for disaster. Not only will it be a very painful process full of arguments but you are most certainly going to go over budget with all of the time wasted. So make sure that your producer understands (and agrees with) where you are trying to go with your music. Do they understand the sound and character you are trying to achieve? More importantly, are they able to help you achieve that sound? If not, it's time to work it out or find another producer.
5. Are all the songs you want to record fully prepared?
You want to enter a recording session with all of the details of the music you are recording already figured out. This is a recording session, after all, and not a writing session. This includes knowing which songs you going to record, having all the lyrics complete, having all of the arrangements set, being happy with the key for each song and knowing which instruments you'd like to record for each song. You don't necessarily need to have everything 100% set in stone, as a sudden creative moment can hit you in the middle of recording that will change a song completely, but it's a good idea to have almost everything worked out prior to sitting down in the studio.
6. Are all the musicians fully rehearsed?
If there is anything you don't want to do in the studio, it's practice. That will cost you a lot of money. Mixing, adding effects and mastering a song takes long enough, so you don't want to waste time by being unrehearsed. It takes a lot more confidence to record in a studio than it does to play in a basement somewhere. It's easy to overlook mess-ups when jamming or rehearsing but even the smallest mistakes show up in recordings. Making sure all of the musicians know the music will not only save you time and money but will more than likely help you capture great performances. In addition, make sure everyone is well rested, well fed and ready to go!
7. Are your instruments ready?
Now that you are ready for the session, are your instruments? Have you selected the right instruments for the sound you are trying to achieve? Are all the instruments tuned and in good shape? Do you have all of the accessories you need? Do you have backup strings, drum heads, amp tubes, etc...
8. Is the studio setup right for you?
Make sure that the studio you record in provides a comfortable, relaxing and creative environment. Remember you will be there for days (or weeks) and if you're not comfortable it will come across in your music. In addition to being comfortable, you need to make sure the studio you choose will work logistically. Is the facility large enough to accommodate all of the musicians and the equipment comfortably? Is it in a convenient location so that everyone involved can make it there without any problems. Also, check out the acoustic design to determine if it is right for your style of music. A huge live room may be required for rock or orchestral recordings, while a smaller dry room is more appropriate for traditional pop recordings. In addition, you want to make sure that the control room and monitoring sound quality is up to par. If it isn't, there is a good chance that your recording could sound great in the studio but not in the real world (ie. car stereos and headphones).
9. Are you going to document the recording of your music?
While the main goal of any studio session should be the end product of an album or demo, don't forget that you can also come up with some other killer offerings while in the studio. Shoot video and take pictures of everything you do to release as a behind-the-scenes or making of product. Blog about the progress of the album. Use the recording session as a chance to get some really unique footage and build anticipation with fans. Think about all of the things you can do with Facebook, Myspace, YouTube, etc. to stay connected to your fans while in the studio.
10. Do you have a backup plan?
Having a backup plan for everything you are doing is essential. What are you going to do if the studio all of a sudden can't continue the session because of equipment failure? Do you have a backup studio that you can get in quickly? What if one of your musicians wakes up the morning of your session with the flu? Are you going to postpone the session or are you going to just get a studio musician to fill in? If your instruments fail, do you have backups? If you have a song or two that doesn't translate as well in the studio as you thought, do you have a few others ready to go?
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