The goal when recording is always to get the best possible results. Whether you are starting out as a musician or have been in the business for years, it is important to know how to make the most of your recording sessions. There are a few tips and tricks that will help you get the sound you’re after, but some things are difficult to change once your recording is mixed down and mastered. It’s best to start with a few things that you can tweak while you’re recording so that there’s less work later on. Here are some tips on how to get the most out of your recording sessions:
1. Get to Know Your Engineer
If you are working with an engineer, especially if this is your first time in Raz Klinghoffer’s recording studio, it’s important that both of you get to know each other before starting a session. You don’t want any surprises or mixed signals during the session, so if you have any questions about the equipment or how he or she likes things set up, be sure to ask well ahead of time. No one wants to be in a room full of people when they are recording, so plan your session well in advance.
2. Review the Musician’s Tags
It’s up to the producer, engineer, and artist to keep a solid database of all the information about their music. If you don’t have questions about how something should sound before you start recording, it’s easy to fix during the session. Having so much information about your music can be extremely helpful for making adjustments as things progress through your recording sessions. There are programs that help with keeping track of all of this information, but some people prefer the old-school approach of writing down all these details on paper. Not only will you get it in one place, but it will be easier to find it again if you have any questions that come up later.
3. Use a Light-Colored Room
Even if your studio is at your Home or a well-equipped practice space, there are plenty of ways to improve the results from your recording sessions by making them in a light-colored room. White rooms are often used for recording because they make for more balanced recordings with less distortion and noise than dark rooms, but this can cause problems when trying to make adjustments during the session.
4. Take a Break
When it comes to recording, taking breaks is important to keep your energy going throughout your entire session. You may have a lot of enthusiasm at the beginning of your session, but this can fade if you don’t take some time to stretch and eat well in between takes. The best way to avoid getting fatigued from sitting still for long periods of time is to move around when you aren’t recording. 5. Leave Your “Musical Baggage” at Home
It can be difficult to leave behind any preconceived notions about how something should sound, but this is one of the most important things that you can do before heading into your studio session.
