Booking a day in a pro studio is thrilling. Access to high-end gear and someone else to care for engineering could push your tracks to the next level.
Even when you are just taking the tracks back to your own home studio to mix your own music, it could still be an enormous step up.
However, paying for studio time could be stressful. It’s hard to feel creative when the clock is ticking on an expensive session.
Do not worry, it does not have to be scary. Plan properly and you will never need to feel anxious about working in a pro studio.
Right here’s 8 suggestions that can assist you to get the most from your day in the Pro studio.
1. Be well rehearsed
Spend time to rehearse the material you intend to record. It is the single greatest method to be prepared during your studio session.
Even when something goes wrong and tensions run high, you could depend on your muscle memory to pull you through a stressful tracking session when you are well rehearsed.
Be sure to practice the songs to a metronome at the tempo you’ll record them.
Practicing at the wrong tempo or without a metronome is not useful if you are tracking to a click!
2. Make a production plan
A production plan is an itemized list of everything you should complete in a day with estimated time allotted for each task.
It sounds like lots of work, however, a production plan will save you lots of stress and make your time more productive.
You must go in with a plan when you hope to get a lot accomplished in a studio day. Having a reference is vital to make the call if something is taking too long.
It does not have to have super strict timelines, however, you need to sketch it out well enough to get an idea of how the day will progress.
3. Ask for a pickup session
A pickup session is a quick period for load-in and basic setup before the first day of several tracking sessions.
Ask if it is possible to add a pickup session the evening before your tracking day.
Many engineers discover pickup sessions useful for their workflow too, so it isn’t an unreasonable demand.
Pickup sessions are particularly useful for complicated setups like drums. If the kit is set up the engineer could get to work even if all members of the band haven’t arrived.
Which leads me to my next point…
4. Show up for your call time!
Every minute of time in your studio session counts.
Even if the studio does not have a strict lockout, showing up on time for the beginning of the session is one of the simplest ways to make the most of your monitoring day.
Engineers and other studio staff shall be there on time—it is their job! Do not waste your chance to get began…
Burning time on the front end of your session will only make everybody more fatigued and behind schedule by the end.
5. Make use of downtime
Unless you are recording live off the floor, no single studio task will occupy all members of the band at once.
Which means just a few people will have lots of downtime on their hands. When you divide and conquer you will be able to put that time to use.
Anybody involved in the session who is not working may help by practicing, setting up, cleaning up, organizing meals or putting on a fresh pot.
Chipping in but you could help. However, keep in mind, keep away from getting in the way of the work that’s the main priority at the moment.
6. Build in experimentation
It could feel frustrating to cut off a thread of experimentation to stick to the schedule.
You may have to for the sake of completing your tracks, however, you need to at least allow for some freeform creative time if inspiration strikes.
Attempt to match this time in around certain milestones.
Completed the drums for the EP? Perhaps it’s time to try that weird organ in the back of the live room!
That manner you gained’t need to really feel responsible for going over time along with your studio experiments.
7. Budget for spillover
Sometimes there is no method to account for every possible roadblock.
If some task ends up taking a long time, otherwise you simply get stuck somewhere—you might have to book more time.
Do not stretch your budget so far that you could not afford an extra tracking session when you absolutely need it.
Understanding that you have the possibility of a spillover session may give you a safety net in case your plans fall through.
And when you do not end up utilizing it you will come in under finances—nothing wrong with that!
8. Don’t “overindulge”
I’m definitely not a strict teetotaler once I’m producing a session, however, I recommend doing everything carefully.
Studio sessions could be marathons. Keep away from anything that could trigger you or your bandmates to get faded and tired too rapidly.
When you have multiple days strung together, nothing is worse than losing a day because everyone is wrecked from the day before.
When you completely must partake to make the vibe occur—that’s fine. Just keep it skilled and keep it productive.
You could always celebrate a successful session at the end!
Maximize productivity
Staying productive in the studio is not simple at the best of times. If you add the stress of a costly studio fee it could be even tougher.
However, when you think things through you could come to your studio session ready to get the absolute most for your cash.
Try those tips the next time you go to a pro studio to record—it’ll make a difference in your final product!