Many bands come to Shine On with no prior studio experience, so here are a few tips for using studio time efficiently.
First
and most importantly, be prepared to spend time working on recording
& mixing. Spending all your time on recording will leave you with
unfinished tracks. A good engineer will record decent raw tracks, but
they will still need to be mixed. The amount of time it takes to mix a
track can vary, but a good rule to follow is at least 1 hour of mixing
for each recorded minute. So a 4 minute song can take 4 hours to mix. If
you want to get technical about the mix, plan more time. Better to
over-estimate than run out of time with half-mixed tracks.
Second,
show up on time. Time is the primary factor for how your session moves
along. Showing up late to a session is the same as giving away money.
Don't expect an engineer to stay late cause you showed up late. It's
called an appointment and that means everyone has agreed to meet at a
specific time.
Third, make
sure your gear is in good condition to record. Tune, replace strings,
bring spare everything, and always plan for the worst-case scenario. It
doesn't happen often, but I've had sessions where the tubes in the amp
burn out. Think of everything because this rolls back to the time
factor. Running to Guitar Center in the middle of your session is waste
of time and money. Don't expect the studio to put your session on hold
while you run errands.
If you plan ahead and prepare for your session, you'll walk away with great recordings that sound professional.
More articles available on our studio website:
http://shineonstudio.com/blog/
