I’ve been slammed this week with recording sessions, production deadlines, and church music obligations, so I’ve been quiet for a couple of days. It’s funny how you get antsy to blog when you’ve been away for a little while! We’re gearing up for an album recording session here at Butler Productions, so I thought I’d share some tips for getting the best out of your demo or indie album recording.

First of all, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse! Nothing is more frustrating than when you’re renting studio time and watching the clock (and dollars) tick away while you practice parts that should have been worked on during your own (free) time. Spend the extra time in pre-production rehearsals to make sure the band is as tight as possible before you go into the studio. Understandably, problems arise and mistakes happen, but your time will be spent much more productively if you’re ready when you hit record. Because the band I’m working with is new to recording as a full band, they have been in pre-production rehearsal mode for about a month. They’ve been tightening up the more difficult spots in the songs and working with playing to a metronome (more on that shortly).  Hopefully, I’ve instilled in them this mantra:  “Don’t practice until you get it right.  Practice until you can’t get it wrong.”

Second, make sure all your equipment is in good order before you enter the studio. This sounds a bit childish on the surface, but your demo is only as good as your instrument maintenance. You’d be surprised how many demos I’ve produced where the jacks in guitars were shot, strings were dead, or the intonation was out. Similarly, make sure that your drums have new heads and are in tune. Aside from eliminating noise by making sure everything is in working order, new heads and strings have a presence of transient frequencies that get lost over time. No amount of EQ can recreate these frequencies or fully compensate for dead strings or heads–you can’t boost frequencies that were never recorded.  Furthermore, even though you may be able to “autotune” vocals, you can’t fix an out-of-tune guitar in the mix.  Spend the worthy time and expense to make sure everything is in tip-top shape.

Finally, practice and record to a metronome or click track. There are practical aspects of recording to a click, the most important of which is that it makes for easier editing of audio. Moreover, it improves musicianship. Many bands and musicians have an aversion to metronomes. They say it removes all the life from the music. While this is a valid point, to some degree, I submit that being able to maintain a steady tempo makes one a better musician. In my opinion, I think it’s the mostly inexperienced musicians that complain or make excuses to keep from playing with a click. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not easy when you start out. That’s why getting so comfortable playing with a metronome that it becomes second nature is crucial for recording musicians. That’s when the real fun in recording begins–when you stop focusing on the mechanical restriction of the click and really start playing.

Hope this is valuable to those of you new to recording. But now, I’ve got a session to conduct!

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