Doing basic tracks in (gasp) a pro studio. Advice?

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JG96

JG96

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So my band won a Battle of the Bands last month and as a prize we got a day of free studio time. The studio is a renovated and treated church. Good acoustics, good mics, API preamps. We plan to spend the day recording 7-12 songs live and doing the overdubs at our home studio. We will spend the week prior practicing like crazy. Should I tell the engineer what kinda mic placement I want? Or is that frowned upon? Any advice about recording on the clock?
 
Talk to the engineer about your concepts....let him hear some of your previously recorded stuff if you have it...mention some bands who's sound you might be trying to emulate...
...and then let the guy engineer.
Also...if someone is the acting "producer"...let that ONE person be the main communicator, instead of everyone tossing out suggestions at the engineer left and right.

Practice a LOT....and then just do what you do.
Also...7-12 songs in one day may be pushing it, unless you just want a typical demo of a live band rehearsal.
Pick 4-5 as your primary focus, and then see where it goes from there...you may only get 3 done, but at least get 3 done really well, instead of just rushing through so you can do 12.

Oh...which studio?
 
THX mircoslav. We currently have 5 songs that are our primary focus and 2 more from an old album we want to revisit. We may write a few more in the next month that might be added on to the 5. If the final 2 don't get recorded or we just get drums down for them its not the end of the world. It is actually a performance space and studio in Westchester, New York. It's called The Purple Crayon: The Purple Crayon
 
1) Show up on time
2) be ready to start tracking (don't waste time putzing with wires and pedals)
3) focus on the task and don't piss your time away
 
When you say "a day of studio time" how long is that ? A day means different things to different people.

That said, if you are really well rehearsed, I reckon you can do it. It's not like you work for the studio or the engineer so there's no need to do ten takes of everything. And I would explain to the engineer the kind of mic placement you want. After all, you're only there for the "day". What if his placements render your stuff unusable for you ? Remember, you're going to work on this stuff afterwards. He isn't.
Enjoy the experience and let us know how it goes.
 
By a day I mean a workday. If some parts come out with we can always overdub that part at home but hopefully that will not be necessary. I will keep you guys informed and hopefully get some pictures. :guitar:
 
Looking at that place's website, the room does not appear to be a real 'studio', but really a live performance room. If you record 'live' there, there's going to be a fair amount of mic bleed (do they even have any gobos?) Any tracking you do at home after is probably not going to blend real well.
 
Yeah that doesn't look like much of a studio. Almost seems like a cult. :D
 
miroslav said:
Practice a LOT....and then just do what you do.
Also...7-12 songs in one day may be pushing it, unless you just want a typical demo of a live band rehearsal.
Click to expand...

I think this should really be taken on board.
Most first-time bands spend half the day setting up and enjoying the experience of being in a studio, then the other half try to cram in twice as much music as is possible.

The result is almost always too many compromise recordings.
Aim for 3 or 4 solid belter tracks. Rehearse them until the whole band can play them flawlessly live three times back to back.
Have your other stuff rehearsed just incase, but be in the frame of mind that you probably won't need it.

Allocate a GOOD chunk of your session time to listening, and don't chat through it.
Most young bands go home not having heard their record. Then the phone calls start. "Can you turn up this and turn down that".
Listen on the day!!

Record your rehearsal with a phone or camera or something. Of course it will suck, but it will let you know what to work on.
There's no point on that being a surprise when you get half way through your studio time.

I'm not sure I'd want to tell the engineer about mic position unless you have some real specific info about your setup.
Tell him which driver sounds best in your 4x12 or whatever, but leave his job to him.
Once you've heard the sound certainly ask if you want it brighter, beefier, whatever.

If you have commercial reference material, try to get it to the engineer in advance of the session.
It's a waste of your time to sit and watch him listen to a blink-182 record or whatever.

I like the idea of having an appointed 'producer'. It keeps things so much simpler.
I often deal with bands where two members take me to the side and ask for opposing things behind eachothers backs.


Also, and this is pretty much impossible, but try to get everyone in the band to embrace the fact that they won't be the loudest thing on the recording. ;) That should save a few hours.
 
Listen to some of the engineer's work recorded in that space. if you like the sounds he/she is getting, then let him work the way he wants. he knows his space and his gear. he will know the best workflow for him to get you what you want. Especially since your time is limited. Wait for breaks to ask question or raise concerns. Not while he is working. yes you are the customer, but remember you are paying for the product not the process. He should know best what he needs to do to achieve this. I have wasted time listening to my client suggest how they want me to record, doing it that way and then they end up doing it the way i wanted in the first place because that is the process i know best. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for experimenting with different approaches in recording. It's how i learn. But only if time allows. Doesn't sound like you have that luxury.
 
One of the co-founders of the studio, Adel, studied at Full Sail and did a John Mayer album.
I think you're in good hands.

Know your material cold so you can get first or second takes on the songs and you should have a great session.
 
Thanks everyone! The place has some isolation booths and a really large gobo. The guitarists have fender combos that will go in the booth and the bass will go direct. In the past we have done 4 live recordings in about half a day and we have no commitments in the week prior other than practicing so I think we should be able to pull off twice that in a day. Good point about experimentation vs. time. The main thing I want is some room mics to capture the big sound of the room. Adel is a good guy! He knows a lot about sound and I think he worked with Puig on that album. Ill keep you guys informed and maybe post one of the tracks in the mix this clinic!
 
JG96 said:
Thanks everyone! The place has some isolation booths and a really large gobo. The guitarists have fender combos that will go in the booth and the bass will go direct. In the past we have done 4 live recordings in about half a day and we have no commitments in the week prior other than practicing so I think we should be able to pull off twice that in a day. Good point about experimentation vs. time. The main thing I want is some room mics to capture the big sound of the room. Adel is a good guy! He knows a lot about sound and I think he worked with Puig on that album. Ill keep you guys informed and maybe post one of the tracks in the mix this clinic!
Click to expand...

Does he want to only do the bass direct? I would be micing and going direct.

I will be surprised if you get anything better then a demo doing this many songs in a day. I get bands trying this at my studio all the time, I usually give them something they are happy with but I know it could be a whole lot better. Why don't you do 1 song really well with him doing the whole thing and mixing it? Then you will get the sound of a good studio.

Alan.
 
I would focus on quality over quantity. Focus on a few songs and make them amazing, rather than 12 (in a day?!) that aren't so amazing. I can guarantee you that if you're attempting 12 songs in a day, you'll be forced to let stuff slide because you're running out of time. Seen it a million times.

Awesome that you won the studio time, though. Enjoy the experience!

JG96 said:
So my band won a Battle of the Bands last month and as a prize we got a day of free studio time. The studio is a renovated and treated church. Good acoustics, good mics, API preamps. We plan to spend the day recording 7-12 songs live and doing the overdubs at our home studio. We will spend the week prior practicing like crazy. Should I tell the engineer what kinda mic placement I want? Or is that frowned upon? Any advice about recording on the clock?
Click to expand...
 
There is a rack with the API pre's. They are only supplying us with 58's, 57's and m88's. So I think I will be bringing my D112, SM81's, MD421, KM84 and a few others. There's acoustic treatment on the ceilings and a gobo to the right of the stage. It is a multi purpose space so It may not look like a studio upon first glance. But I think they will do a good job. One of my band mates says he heard a recording out of there and it was very good.
 
Okay, I am going to settle in and really light into this thread. I speak from the perspective of an investor and part-owner of a pro studio, which no doubt colors (purple?) my opinions expressed here.

First, to address the OP's questions and thoughts:

7-12 songs is not the best approach. As mentioned above, better to focus on fewer songs, which will take better advantage of the opportunity you have. Discuss the optimal number with the engineer.

Doing the overdubs at home may not be the best idea, either. In anticipation of all going well on your free day, arrange for a second day at the studio with the engineer. Plan on that day being clean-up- punch in's, overdubs, re-do's of full tracks if necessary, mixing. I don't know your abilities, but my sese is you will get a better product if you do it that way, rather than saying "We'll take it from here."

Yes, practice your fool asses off. Pretend the place is named Carnegie Hall, and recall the old joke:
Tourist: How do you get to Carnegie Hall?
Local musician: Practice, practice, practice!

By all means, tell the engineer your thoughts and ideas on mic placement. Then leave him alone. If he seems to ignore them all, he probably has very good reasons for it. Don't waste his time (which is, essentially, your time) asking him "why?" or to re-set mics. Trust him on that.
(You mentioned later bringing your own mics. Sure, go ahead. If he places them, great. If he doesn't, even better. TRUST him.

AFA being "on the clock," the clock keeps on ticking. Be serious but have fun, stay loose. View it as work you enjoy doing (which it IS, right?) Take breaks when needed to relax or blow off a little steam. DON'T GET DRUNK OR STONED THE NIGHT BEFORE, OR THE DAY OF. That's just stupid. This isn't your wedding, which will pretty much come off even if you have basically checked out. Stay engaged (in the process, I mean- what you do about your girlfriend is your business.)

My comments on other replies:
Re-read Miroslov's, Grimmtraveler's, Steenamaroo's, tashmoo's, Jeffro's suggestions. Take them to heart. (Other advise is good, here, too, their's is just the best of it.)

I think he was kidding, but Greg's comment about the place looking a cult (if serious) strikes me as a bit harsh. Oh sure, they have a sense of hippy-dippy "make the world a better place" about them, but that's a good thing. In our "If it ain't Jesus AND Jimmy Swaggert" culture, alternatives get branded cults too often. Yeah, maybe I am a bit touchy about this- being a Uniterian Universalist, I get that sometimes. But I really think he was kidding.

My suggestions:

Take notes after EVERY rehearsal in the week prior- notes on amp settings, gear used, what you liked/what you didn't, how you and your mates sounded and how well everyone did the part. Install new strings and heads (as desired) THREE days before the date- one to allow them to settle in, one to get familiar with them, one to get busy doing other things and forget to install new strings but still not have to do it last-minute. Spend the last 30 minutes of rehearsal going over notes, discussing them with rest of the band. Keep it non-judgemental; you don't want to go into the studio with anybody hating anybody else.

Drop the money on a second day instead of mixing it yourself.

DON'T GET DRUNK OR STONED THE DAY BEFORE OR THE DAY OF.

If you have someone affiliated with the band who already serves as manager, producer, stage mother, band sound man or the like, that might be your best bet for producer.

When all is said and done, after one day or two- which ever you decide- go out and have a good time. THEN's the time to get drunk.

Have fun. Have fun. Have fun.
 
stevieb said:
I think he was kidding, but Greg's comment about the place looking a cult (if serious) strikes me as a bit harsh. Oh sure, they have a sense of hippy-dippy "make the world a better place" about them, but that's a good thing. In our "If it ain't Jesus AND Jimmy Swaggert" culture, alternatives get branded cults too often. Yeah, maybe I am a bit touchy about this- being a Uniterian Universalist, I get that sometimes. But I really think he was kidding.
.
Click to expand...

I was mostly kidding. I'm not really calling it a cult, but I could see some crazy types hanging out at a place like that. A place where people really searching for something to fill a void in their lives can go to be nurtured and belong. I'm sure it's fine, but if they hand you a pair of Nikes and a cup of Kool-Aid, get the hell out of there.
 
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