Preparing to enter the studio is just as important as the time spent tracking. Some things are common sense, other things may be new information for you, all of it is important. Please read
GENERAL
- practice, practice, practice. Know your songs inside and out before entering the studio. The last thing you wanna do is eat up your time with figuring parts out or rehashing a measure or two to “get it right”. All this should be worked out prior to pressing record.
- choose your guests wisely. We don’t necessarily restrict any one you’ve chosen to accompany you at 15 hiFi studio, but keep in mind that you are coming to the studio to record music that means a lot to you. If (ahem) a particular band member has a loving partner with (ahem again) a propensity for gab
… you might want to address this. - Be on time, and be prepared to block out your entire day. Don’t let a pressing time constraint distract you from focusing on your best performances
VOCALISTS
- Sleep… we can’t stress this enough. Besides inordinate amounts of water, sleep is the hidden secret to killer vocals. A rested singer is an alert singer.
- Do light warm ups throughout the day prior to your studio time. Don’t yell at anybody, and don’t sing your songs at full volume as a warm up. You’ll want to reserve your guns for show time. So just do some light warm ups (see our resident vocal coach Martin DeBourge, for lessons and tips)
- Do not wait until studio time to write your lyrics. Have them printed out. Know your melody and parts before recording. The studio is not the time to “figure out the best lines on the fly”.
Lastly, be prepared to have a good time. Stressing about the session is only going to affect your performance negatively. We have a stress free environment with lots of laughs and good times. Let’s not muck it up with drama.
Take a deep breath – this is gonna be fun!
DRUMMERS
- Make sure your heads are not nearing disintegration, tune them up and tighten all lugs.
- If you’re storing your kit in a cold environment, plan to arrive to the studio earlier than the rest so that your kit adapts to the climate of the studio
- Squeaky pedals are picked up by microphones. Lubricate accordingly.
- Have extra sticks handy
- don’t forget your drum key!!!
GUITARISTS/BASSISTS
- Don’t forget your strings, wrenches, tuners & amp heads
- If you put new strings on, break ’em in before your studio time
- know your parts! Often times guitarists are asked to double their parts, so it’s incumbent on you to know your riffs, even the rhythm parts under what is normally your solos.