The 'STUDIO DO'S AND DON'TS' thread.

[pikachu69]

Hello one and all,

I am sorry if there is another thread around like this, I did search but didn't find anything.

After spending some time on this site I have visited the studio pages of all the most influential engineers that post here and noticed many of you have a 'do's and don'ts' list to prepare your clients for the recording process and what they need to bring with them. Great idea.

I know its a bit of a simple idea too, but after dealing with too many drummers that think just because im a guitarist and cant play a blast beat at 1250 bpm, it seems impossible to think i could know anything about drums, and certainly not as much as him because he knows it all already.

So, I want to make my own list to give to clients but I didn't want to rip off your sites word for word, that would not be right.

So, I propose a thread for creating a generic 'Studio Do's and Don'ts' list we could all download and use.

Please add your thoughts and entries for the list and I will compile them all in a master list on this post as time goes by.
One topic not covered on most of your lists is the use of drugs or alcohol in the studio so I would like your thoughts on that topic too.

I think that if I could present a client with a list created by the best in the business then at least I can say "well, I didn't write it" when confronted with the usual complaints.

Cheers.

 

[Jordon]

-New and spare strings, picks, drum heads, sticks
-Properly set up guitars/basses.
-Practice your parts, preferably with a click.
-Be well-rested and prepared to work, not screw around and get drunk in the studio.
-Warm up
-Be willing to try new/different things
-LISTEN. Listen to your AE/producer and your bandmates. Don't just space out and stare at a wall, try to pay attention to what's going on. Being asked the same question over and over is a sure-fire way to piss off an engineer.

...There are more but I can't think right now.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

Better the leave the "best in the business" bit out for honesty's sake, but here's a couple of thoughts anyway:

- Learn the songs and learn them well. Practice them until you can play them in your sleep with no trouble whatsoever. After that, start really, really practicing the songs.
- Get your instruments set up before the session. Make sure you bring spare strings, batteries and such. Preferably lots of them.
- Trust the engineer. You're interacting on the session and that's perfectly good, but you have to trust his expertise and knowledge of his craft. In the end, those two characteristics are what you're paying him for. If you just can't trust him, you've picked the wrong guy.
- Please, please, please don't start bargaining about the engineer's salary mid-session. That will bring the mood and flow down for everybody and it's just a dick move in general. Obviously, you can't put this in the document, but I just felt like typing it anyway
- Did I already mention you should practice the songs? Like, really, really well and all that? Good. Now, practice just a bit more. Every time you have to re-learn a riff or a pattern mid-session, everyone's frustration meter goes up by a notch. Make that three riffs or patterns per song and you can be sure no-one is having any fun, and you can and will hear that on the record.

EDIT: Heh, Jordon pretty much summed it up there, didn't notice until I had posted

 

[BLUElightCory]

I give most bands a band-producer agreement that outlines payment, schedule/dates, studio policies, etc. ahead of time, this way the band knows the rules going into the project.

I also attach this to every band-producer agreement I enter into (along with a copy of a great Tape Op article about vocal preparation for the studio):

Additional Info:

- Guitarists/Bassist - Please have all guitars and basses PROFESSIONALLY set up and intonated with fresh strings just prior to recording. This usually takes about a week and costs about $40-50 per instrument so make sure to plan ahead so that you can get your instruments back just before you leave for recording. This will DRAMATICALLY improve guitar and bass tones and will insure productive recording sessions and that the guitars stay in tune on your record. Make sure to specify to the repair person what tuning you use and what kind of strings you want (thick strings like 11s are good for recording heavy music). Also, make sure you have extra strings, picks, etc. - If the instruments aren’t set up we will have it done here in AZ but the shop will charge a rush-fee and it will cost twice as much. So please make sure to get it done so that you get your instrument back right before recording. Once you get your instrument back, I’d suggest leaving it in the case and using a backup for rehearsals/shows so that the instrument is fresh and ready for recording.

- Drummer – Please be prepared to record the songs with a click track/metronome. I’d recommend practicing playing with a click/metronome every day before recording if possible. If the songs have any changing tempos I can program the click to change tempos where appropriate. This is the only way I’ll record drums so make sure you’re prepared!

- Drummer – Please have fresh heads for your drums – Sometimes different heads work well for different sounds so if there are multiple recommendations you should choose the head that best suits what type of drum sounds you’re looking for – Here are my recommendations:

(Drum heads blah blah blah)

- Vocalists – Make sure you have your lyrics and parts ready. Get plenty of sleep and don’t have too much caffeine, sugar, dairy, or alcohol prior to recording. Practice every day. If you’re a regular smoker, DON’T quit before recording. Please see the attached article that I emailed you guys entitled “What To Do When The Signer Can’t Sing” – It has lots of good tips for singers (don’t take offense to the title, ha ha). Also, type up your lyrics for the songs and bring me a copy.

- Everyone – Please do your best to respect the studio environment and help keep it clean. Clean up trash, be professional, respect the studio’s neighbors, don’t show up drunk or stoned, take showers, check your ego, leave your girlfriends/boyfriends at home, bring extra headphones and batteries for videogames/iPods/laptops, don’t pee on the toilet seat, chip in for the bottled water, etc. This will help keep the sessions running smoothly and comfortably for everyone.

Let me know if you have any questions at all! Make sure to make your arrangements with whomever you are staying with while you’re in town.

 

[pikachu69]

Cool,
Thanks to all for the replies so far and keep em coming.
Cheers.

 

[dasbrootal]

If you’re a regular smoker, DON’T quit before recording.

you know, i've heard this before...what's the actual reasoning for it?

 

[Line666]

you know, i've heard this before...what's the actual reasoning for it?

Quitting smoking = massive phlegm buildup = really bad to sing with.

 

[BLUElightCory]

you know, i've heard this before...what's the actual reasoning for it?

The body starts to expel all of the junk that has accumulated from smoking, which equals increased phlegm (which coats the vocal cords and throat lining). It can take months for the body to fully adjust and expel whatever crap has accumulated from smoking.

Also, people suffering from nicotine withdrawal tend to be more irritable/stressed/etc., which can dramatically affect their performance and motivation.

If the singer is a smoker and wants to quit, it's probably best (from a recording standpoint) to finish the recording and then quit (for good) afterwards.

 

[Harry Hughes]

I've always wondered on the diary point, how vocalists who are also body builders/powerlifters get by. I can't imagine not having milk in my diet. I drink 2 liters of whole milk a day (I think that's like, 0.54 gallons or something for you Americans). For someone that lifts weights, it's pretty much one of the best sources of protein (excluding actual whey powder itself) out there. I suppose they can eat about 16 whole eggs a day or something, but not exactly easy to eat that amount in a 24 hour period.
Does diary really effect the vocal abilities *that* much?

Also, on the smoking point, do you guys feel the inferior lung capacity of a daily smoker has a big effect on vocal performances?
I imagine to some extent having amazing technique can get around that (Mikael Akerfeldt as an example, or maybe he's quit smoking, I dunno, but I do know he has smoked for many years), but do you feel it may adversely impact the performance of the average joe vocalist?

 

[Jordon]

Dairy is about phlegm buildup as well. Best example, if you ever have a cold or the flu and have a sore throat (like I've had for a while), sometimes ice cream seems likea great idea to soothe the throat....then you end up coughing up even MORE phlegm that night when you go to bed.

...Sorry for being gross.

 

[BLUElightCory]

I've always wondered on the diary point, how vocalists who are also body builders/powerlifters get by. I can't imagine not having milk in my diet. I drink 2 liters of whole milk a day (I think that's like, 0.54 gallons or something for you Americans). For someone that lifts weights, it's pretty much one of the best sources of protein (excluding actual whey powder itself) out there. I suppose they can eat about 16 whole eggs a day or something, but not exactly easy to eat that amount in a 24 hour period.
Does diary really effect the vocal abilities *that* much?

Definitely. Anything that creates phlegm (which coats the vocal cords and makes them harder to control) will adversely affect vocal performance.

Also, on the smoking point, do you guys feel the inferior lung capacity of a daily smoker has a big effect on vocal performances?
I imagine to some extent having amazing technique can get around that (Mikael Akerfeldt as an example, or maybe he's quit smoking, I dunno, but I do know he has smoked for many years), but do you feel it may adversely impact the performance of the average joe vocalist?

Yup. A huge part of vocal technique involves breath control, and better lung capacity not only gives you more ability and options as a vocalist, but it also aides in live performance (ever seen a vocalist gasping for air and/or skipping lyrics while he tries to sing all of his vocals?) - Smoking/not smoking won't make or break a vocalist, but a healthy non-smoker will technically and physically be better off as a vocalist (all other factors being equal) - Note that I'm not considering "smoker's rasp" to be an advantage of smoking, but it works for some people, ha ha.

 

[acappa]

- Drummer – Please have fresh heads for your drums – Sometimes different heads work well for different sounds so if there are multiple recommendations you should choose the head that best suits what type of drum sounds you’re looking for – Here are my recommendations:

(Drum heads blah blah blah)

I´d like to take a look to what drumheads you recommend if possible

 

[BLUElightCory]

I´d like to take a look to what drumheads you recommend if possible

Sorry, I omitted that part because I didn't want the post to be a mile long - but since you asked - It changes depending on the project (sometimes I'll suggest more single ply heads, for instance), but for most projects here's what it includes:

Kick Drum (batter head)
- Evans EMAD clear 1-ply – For a huge kick drum sound with lots of low end “boom” and normal attack (better for primarily single-kick work)
- Remo Powerstroke 3 clear – For a clean, punchy kick drum sound with less low end than the EMAD but more attack and presence (better for faster / double-kick work)

Kick Drum (resonant head)
- Evans EMAD resonant

Snare Drum (batter head)
- Remo Controlled Sound coated – Get a 14” if you want to use one of the studio snares (a 6.5x14” Ludwig Black Beauty or 6.5x14” Dunnett Steel) – 9 times out of 10 we use one of the studio snares (unless you have something really tasty!).

Snare Drum (resonant head)
- Remo Ambassador snare side

Toms (batter head)
- Evans G2 coated/Remo Emperor coated – For a warm tom sound with less overtones and normal attack and sustain. Good for big, deep tom sounds.
- Evans G2 clear/Remo Emperor clear – For a clear tom sound with more of a ringing “note” and normal attack and sustain. Good for clean, articulate toms with moderate sustain.
- Evans EC2 clear – For a punchier tom sound with more attack and bass and less sustain and overtones. Good for heavy tom sounds with good stick attack but less sustain and tone.

Toms (resonant)
- Evans Genera clear single ply or Remo Ambassador clear

 

[Glenn Fricker]

Practice through an amp.


You'd think that would be obvious, but I've had a few guys come in over the years who practiced their material unplugged, then expected miracles when they came into the studio & plugged into an amp.

It's bad enough when it's a guitar player, because the sound is in the hands. But bass players! JEEEZ. If you don't practice through an amp, you won't know how to mute your open strings & they'll flap in the breeze at the most inopportune times.

 

[Suicide_As_Alibi]

Dairy is about phlegm buildup as well.

That's not strictly true. Dairy doesn't encourage phlegm production unless you're allergic/lactose intolerant - but the fat in it thicken the phlegm already present in your larynx. Thick phlegm is usually a sign of being ill, so your body's natural response is to try and expel it.

Secondary to that, the fat in dairy products coats your mouth/throat so it feels like there's more phlegm too - and that coating makes your vocal folds sticky, so you start getting glottal stops and crackles in places you wouldn't normally.

For screaming/grunting/etc., dairy doens't make that much of a difference, as screaming is fairly glottal anyway, and if anything it makes it sound 'wetter' - but for melodic singing it makes a real difference.

For rehearsal and live stuff, it's not really going to be noticeable in a rock/metal band, so don't worry about it - just avoid it on days when you're recording.

Steve

 

[amarshism]

The singer in my old band cross the lips of grace (see sig) alternated between ice coffee, jäger and bourbon (strange drinks to mix) when he was tracking vocals to give him that really saturated, wet, deep sound. He also had excellent technique and could feel and understand precisely how it was affecting his vocals.

 

[crillemannen]

To drink is allowed, to get drunk is not allowed atleast in my studio after an incident hehe

 

[Emdprodukt]

I can't blame the bands because I'm smoking joints like cigarettes.

 

[gabriel g.]

To drink is allowed, to get drunk is not allowed atleast in my studio after an incident hehe

tell us the story

 

[ahjteam]

liquids are not allowed in the control room.