Record Like a Pro - Studio Tips

Knowing the Song

The simplest advice I could give you is to make sure you can play each song you are wanting to record. Sounds easy right? Well it may not be as easy as it sounds. Sure you can play the songs, but how well can you play them? Can you play them in your sleep? If you can kind of, sort of, partly, usually most-of-the-time play it, you will undoubtedly make more mistakes during your recording sessions, which will lead you into taking more time than you anticipated to get a good track. Remember, each hour costs you money, the less time you spend the better for you.

No Rushing

The worst thing to do in a studio is to continuously glance at the clock. If you are doing this it means you are concentrating more on the time than on the music, and that can spell disaster. Relaxing is one of the most important elements in recording a good track, and trying to "beat out the clock" will result in the opposite of what you are intending. So just relax and record in your natural way, and you will get the best results.

Have Enough Time

Make sure you schedule enough time in a day to complete the specific track you are working on. This advice is especially for when you are recording something like a main vocal track. If you record only the first half of your vocals one day, and then come back another day to complete the second half, you will most likely find that your vocals don't sound quite the same on both days. Just by standing an inch back from where you recorded the first half could result in a different tone to your voice.

Standing/Sitting Still

While playing a live performance you engage the audience by moving around, but in the studio moving around can lead to disaster. You want your tracks to come out the same throughout an entire song. This means you must stand/sit as still as possible while you record your tracks (through a microphone). Remember that the tapping of your feet, or even breathing could end up on one of your tracks. Also note that this needs to be used in a way where the feel of the song is not lost, it's hard to get the right balance, but it is achievable. Try singing on a spot, without loosing that edge you get while performing on stage, or try playing your acoustic guitar without too much movement while still grasping the essence of the song. The more you do this before your studio session the less time you will need while in the studio.

Come Prepared

When you play a live performance you always do "pre-performance" work, which usually involves practise, practise, practise. Before going into a studio you also need to get prepared, but the preparations are much different than preparing for a live show. Make sure you know lots of information about the song you are recording (tempo, key, the different instruments involved, genre of song, etc). The more you can tell the engineer about your song the better it will turn out.

The Right Instrument

This seems like almost common knowledge, but you find lots of people coming into studios with a very cheap guitar, and really old strings, wondering why their track doesn't have a professional sound. Remember, the sound of your music is only as good as the quality of your instruments. Also make sure you have new parts on your instruments before you record, such as new strings or new reeds.

Working with a Metronome

This is one of those "musts" if you plan on recording music in a studio. Timing is everything, and if you are not used to playing along side a metronome then you may have some issues when you head into the studio. My recommendation would be to practise playing your songs weeks in advance, and get used to following the metronome. This will not only help with your recording session, but it will help you become a better musician in the long run.