Pre-production

We have gathered some insite, knowledge, tips & advice from some of the best recording engineers in the business on each area of the recording process. Here's what they have to say.

 

Randy Burk--Stout Recording: Preproduction is very important. This means that all the songs and their individual parts have been well written and rehearsed BEFORE going into the studio.It is very helpful to record quick and dirty demos of your songs. A boombox with a cassette tape recorder is the easiest. Record your rehearsals. Set the tempos. Sequence the songs. Rehearse the album. You can save lots of time and money in the studio by being prepared. Also make sure your gear is in good working order. Change drum heads and guitar strings the week before the session.

John Jones--"Thumper" Custom Drums: The "homework" you do beore you get into the studio is as important as the recording itself. This means knowing your material! Do a rough demo, practice with a click track or metronome. If you still need help, take notes into the recording session with you. The time to experiment is during rehearsals, not valuable studio time. Also, a recording is going to pick up any squeaks or rattles your drums are making that you would not normally hear. Make sure everything is tight & lubed if necessary. You may even want to stuff some cotton in the back of your lugs. Make sure you bring spare parts, tools, heads, sticks, lubricant, duct tape. It's also a good idea to have more than one snare at your disposal. You need to rehead all your drums the day before you record & stand on them to stretch them & after awhile detune them before you put them away.