25 Things

I Wish I’d Known

Before My Last
Recording
Introduction
Hi!

If you are reading this, then you are most probably a musician – you probably don't
have huge amounts of money to spend on recording – you probably do care about
how other people perceive your music – and you probably have been and will
continue to be involved in recording your music at home and in the studio. If you
have recorded previously, it is possible that you weren't happy with either the
process or the results – maybe even both.
This booklet explains the professional recording process. It will also help you improve
your home recordings as well as get the most value and enjoyment from your next
studio recording project. The following collection of tips is mostly assembled from
being involved in many projects over some 20+ years of recording experience, and
gathering together the most common mistakes.
Most of the information following applies to any musical style, indeed even non-
musical recording projects such as motivational/instructional CD's, multimedia
soundtracks etc.
Despite this booklet telling you all sorts of things that may go wrong, recording and
releasing music can and should be a rewarding and fulfilling experience.
Fortunately, we haven't seen anyone get it all wrong!
Applying the following information will benefit any project and you will be able to
achieve your goals, both creatively and financially.

In many ways the “25 Things I Wish I'd Known Before My Last Recording” can be
summarised as:

Plan!
If you know what you want, and assemble the right people and other resources to get
it, communicating at every stage – you will achieve it.

We welcome any feedback you may have on this booklet.

Suggestions, corrections or questions can be emailed to us at:
info@bakerstreetstudios.com.au

© 2010 Baker Street Recordings Pty Ltd

Copying or redistribution of this booklet in part or in full is prohibited.
If you would like to use any of our content, please contact us first.
The Process
There are a number of steps in any recording process. It is important that you
consider each step and understand what is involved before you commit to studio time
or session musicians.
We'll consider the key elements of each stage in the following sections:

■ Planning, Budgeting, Preproduction. This is the point the

project stops being a thought and starts becoming real.

■ Recording – You're in the studio, making music.

At this point the performance is captured and
stored on disk (or tape).

■ Mixdown. At this point each of the recorded

elements for a particular song (or track) such
as individual instruments, their relative tone,
balance and spatial position and effects (if
any) are combined to form a stereo recording.

■ Mastering. Each of the mixed recordings

(typically one for each song or track) is
assembled into order, and often processed
to ensure consistency between each track.
There is also opportunity to ensure the final
master is “listener friendly” – which varies by
musical style, target audience and release format.
The result is a replication master.

■ Design, Review/Approve, Final Artwork. Whilst the

recording process is occurring, prior to replication, the
artwork is designed, reviewed, amended and eventually
approved. The result is the artwork master.

■ Replication. The replication master, along with the artwork

master is duplicated and your CD's/DVD's are created in quantity
and the finished product is assembled.

■ The Journey Begins... The finished project is ready for its intended use.
Tip 1
■ Every stage of the process is necessary and must be considered
Your finished project is made up of many parts. Each part needs to be well made or the
whole product will suffer. There is a temptation to ignore the less exciting parts of the
process, or leave them till the last possible moment. As an example, a common mistake
is to be so focused on the recording that the artwork is left until the end – causing
avoidable delays in replication. Another common mistake is to see Replication as the
last stage in the process and not be prepared for the selling or touring of the finished
album. Ignoring preproduction planning will result in extra time, expense and stress.
Don't forget that every stage also takes time. Mixdown will generally take as long as
the recording time, and replication often takes about three weeks. Missing any stage of
the process may result in you not achieving your goals.

Tip 2
■ Communicate
Have you ever noticed how many of life's annoying problems are made worse by poor
communication? Poor service in a shop, being late to an event, going to pick up your
car from service and it's not ready, waiting on hold for thirty minutes to try to fix a
mistake made by them...
Being aware of this, you should ensure that everyone you are working with understands
what they need to know in advance – and be prepared to make decisions and clearly
communicate them as needed. Spending a small amount of time with your Engineer
and Musicians discussing what you wish to achieve can save a lot of stress later. Think
of it as “making sure we are all reading from the same score.”

The Producer
The Producer is someone who is capable of making objective decisions and
is given the authority to make them on your behalf. The Producer spends
his/her time acting in your best interests – working with the Engineer and
the musicians or other talent to get the best possible result for the money
and effort you expend.
This must be someone you trust completely. This person decides such
things as: how the studio time is used, whether it is worth doing another
take (or not), when it is time to go home for the day, whether
arrangements need to be tweaked...
They need to be objective. Although it sometimes works, you generally
don't want band or ensemble members as the Producer.

Tip 3
■ Choose a Producer wisely
The overall quality of your project will increase with the involvement of an
experienced Producer. Use their insight (and previous mistakes) to your benefit.
The Engineer
The Engineer plays a critical part in the recording process. The obvious part of
the Engineer's role is to operate all of the recording equipment - positioning
of microphones, operating consoles and Digital Audio Workstations. What may
not be immediately obvious is that a competent Engineer also provides an
experienced set of “ears”, ensuring the recording is of high quality from a
listening view point. This is critical to the apparent quality of the recording,
and its faithfulness to your performance.
In a world where the underlying technology is getting cheaper and more
readily available it becomes easier for people to declare themselves to be
engineers – and in the sense of plugging things in and operating equipment
many people are.
Significantly less people, however, have the “Golden Ears” of an experienced
engineer, which are developed from training and years of experience. It is the
ears that separate a good engineer from a great engineer – not the equipment.
Ears make the difference between recordings that sound muddy or imbalanced
versus recordings that sound clear and well balanced.
You must also be able to trust your Engineer. Experienced Engineer's often
make good Producers (indeed for some projects you may well use an
experienced Engineer for both roles), and you can expect that the Engineer
will volunteer production suggestions.
Engineers can also ensure your recording will sound good regardless of the
playback method (there are significant differences between a home hifi, car
CD player and an MP3 player).

Your Audience
If you wish to sell your recordings, or have them listened to and admired by
many people, then don't forget “the Punters!” The Punter is your typical
listener and you should have some idea of who this will be.
Your Producer and Engineer will help you make production decisions using
their knowledge of listener demographics. Knowing your Punter's expectations
may assist in determining what quality level is required for the recording.

The Concerned Friend(s)

When you embark on a recording project, you may discover the number of
“friends” you have increases.
Some will want to fill you with fear, others will be excited for you, many will
want to sit in on the recording sessions or mixdown, or help out in some other
way. Some may well expect to be involved as talent, or presume the role of
armchair Producer.
Tip 4
■ Leave your concerned friends and partners at home
Recording a project should be an exciting experience, but can be daunting. There is an
understandable urge to invite friends in as observers during recording or mixing. Unless
they have a defined role this is usually a mistake. Well-meaning friends with only your
best interests at heart can become expensive in either time or quality as they
volunteer unhelpful opinions, get in the way, chit chat about other things, or have
distracting conversations within ear shot of people otherwise focused on your project.
You can involve your friends or partners by asking for opinions on artwork, or session
dubs (rough mixes made occasionally during larger recording projects). Or give them an
album when it's finished. Or ask them to provide catering for meal breaks(!)

Planning / Budgeting / Preproduction

Tip 5
■ Know what you want your project to achieve
Do you want to be a star? Make millions of dollars? Get a gig at a local venue? Sell great
music on CD at your gigs for supplemental income?
This is more than just “I want to record a CD”. Before you book studio time and other
resources decide what quality level, budget and format you want. If you want a demo
that shows off elements of your performance to prospective booking agents or venues,
then only a few tracks will be required and there is little point in bringing in extra
musicians or fancy studio elements or chasing the “perfect” performance. Perhaps
shortened versions of tunes are all that is needed. Only basic mastering is necessary for
this as well.
On the other hand an album destined for general release will require more attention to
detail, will possibly justify bringing in session musicians, a professional Producer and it
will require detailed Mastering prior to replication.
You should know how many songs, and which songs will be recorded. What musical
lineup will be used for each song? Are my usual musicians/friends up to the task? Do I
need session musicians? What Artwork do I need? Who will do the Artwork? How will I
fund the project? If I need to, how will I recoup the money?

Tip 6
■ Don't burn a friendship during the project
Friendships have suffered during creative processes since Art came in to existence. If
you value your friendships, be careful of the stresses you place on them whilst
recording an Album. There are three common mistakes in this area:
1. The friend as a Producer: As the Producer directly influences the
quality and cost of a project, you need to be able to communicate
honestly and bluntly with them. You may well have creative differences
with them at some point, and those differences may extend beyond the
finished product – will the friendship withstand resentment over
 additional expense or ongoing embarrassment about a creative
mistake? Can you tell your friend that they've got it wrong? Can they
tell you you've got it wrong?
2. The friend as Talent: Are you sure your friend is up to the standard of
the others involved in the project? Will your friendship survive the
knowledge that your friend's vocal performance (say) was the weakest
component? Or that after an hour in the studio they couldn't produce
anything worth keeping – but you still paid for it? It is often cheaper to
use an experienced session musician rather than a friend.
3. The friend as Bank: Will your friendship survive the stress of a financial
relationship? If you use friends/family for financial backing, then a
simple page of written notes covering the amount and how it will be
repaid is of value to all of you.

Tip 7
■ Be careful what you spend your time on
Don't forget what your goal is! Some things are simply not worth chasing or spending
extra time on.
Other things shouldn't be ignored! This is where experienced Producers and Engineers
are of immense value.

Tip 8
■ Know your ownership/copyright rights and obligations
It is tempting to ignore copyright issues – it can seem complex. However, consider for a
moment how you would feel if someone else ripped off your music or recording and
made money from it, potentially at your expense?
In most cases, copyright is not difficult to sort out and if you've engaged a producer,
they should be able to assist. In Australia the distribution of copyright fees is generally
handled by APRA/AMCOS – Australasian Performing Rights Association and the
Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society.
In a nutshell, if copyrighted works are used in your project then an application for a
“mechanical licence” (permission to use works in your recording) must be completed
well before the time of manufacture (replication).
You fill out a form and a cheque – AMCOS will distribute the money to the appropriate
people for you. It isn’t hard – you only need the name of each tune and its’ publisher or
composer. You should generally acknowledge the copyright owners in your artwork.
As a bonus – you may be entitled to occasional money from APRA as a result of the
public performance of your works (your own gigs, radio, TV, music on hold...) even
when you perform your own works or other people cover your compositions on their
albums.
More information is available at www.apra.com.au
Tip 9
■ Be well rehearsed
First of all – make sure you and your Producer know the arrangements well. This allows
you to quickly pick up and fix any problems during the rehearsals and recording
sessions. Other than when working with exceptional musicians in well communicated
and managed sessions, the studio should not be the first place that musicians meet!
Obviously, the performance will be better and you will use less studio time if the
musicians have played together before and your arrangements are well known prior to
the recording session. Recording studios can be an expensive place to learn an
arrangement!
A simple way to check your arrangements is to use any sort of portable recorder to
record a rehearsal. Arrangement or harmony problems heard by critically listening to
the rehearsal recordings can be corrected before you get to the studio - this will save
you money.
Listen for harmony clashes, missing parts, areas that are too busy and imprecise tuning
from vocalists. It is far better to spend your studio time getting a great performance
rather than doing your homework!
When working with sections, such as backing vocalists or horns, you should ensure that
the phrasing and expression is consistent between all members. This can make a
remarkable difference – you are aiming for a section, not a group of soloists!

Tip 10
■ Keep arrangements simple!
The general rule in recording is: “Less is more.” “Silence also swings.” What you leave
out is as important as what you put in.
If someone is struggling with a part, simplify it – don’t leave a substandard
performance. Step back and listen and ask “does this part add to the finished
arrangement?” if not – leave it out.
You can, of course, record additional or experimental parts “just in case.” Whether
these parts are or aren’t used can be decided in mixdown. Don’t do too much of this or
mixdown will become time consuming for little or no reward.

Tip 11
■ Choose all of the people and facilities carefully
Don’t choose studios on the basis of phone calls, hourly rates or equipment lists alone.
Other factors such as the feel of the performance space, quality of monitoring,
experience of the Engineers and attitudes of the people you will be working with, etc.,
are important and cannot be determined over the phone or an e-mail.
Make sure each of the people involved will be able to contribute to your project in a
positive way that is consistent with your desired quality level and goals. Look carefully
at expensive or inexperienced people before engaging them.
You need to understand your goals and how each person will help in achieving
them...sometimes it is appropriate to involve less experienced people.
Recording
Tip 12
■ If you are running ahead of schedule – keep to the plan
If you are running ahead of schedule you are generally better off “banking” the time,
saving the money, or spending the time in improving an existing track.
Trying to add “just one more” generally backfires – it either takes longer than
expected, or uses time best spent on something else.
Don’t forget – if it wasn’t included in the planning, it probably isn’t needed in the
finished product.

Tip 13
■ Allow time to listen critically to the takes
This is just as important as playing or singing well, this takes time and discipline.
“Cognitive dissonance” (something psychologists talk about over cups of coffee) is a
concern in almost anything in which we are involved as both creator and reviewer. This
explains why spelling mistakes seem to appear after you’ve sent the e-mail - even
though you checked it carefully beforehand.
A recorded performance sounds subjectively different when listened to immediately
after the recording, and when listened to again some months later.
Without experience it is easy to “hear” what you “want” to hear and miss things when
you have been intimately involved.

Tip 14
■ Not everything can be “fixed in the mix”
Modern recording technologies can do some amazing things in the hands of an
experienced engineer. There is a tendency however to presume that miracles can occur
during mixdown. This is part wishful thinking, part stories about musically incompetent
mega-stars and part marketing in music magazines and stores.
Remember – anything that requires fixing in mixdown comes at a cost and is rarely as
good as getting it right the first time. Some things simply cannot be done to the
appropriate standard later in the process. Others can, but at significant cost.
Experienced engineers and producers can advise what is (and isn’t) possible during the
mixdown. They can also tell you when you are obsessing about something that will not
matter in the end, or if you should be paying more attention to a particular detail.
Tip 15
■ Ensure the performance is recorded in a good sounding space and with good
quality microphones
These factors influence your final sound as much as your performance. Bad sounding
environments or inappropriate microphone choice cannot be fixed later.
Room acoustics affect the sound of what is recorded, even if the microphone is
positioned close to the instrument(s). Both acoustically “dead” and “live” rooms can
have bad acoustics. These factors are particularly important when recording acoustic
instruments.

Tip 16
■ Ensure your performance space is comfortable to work in
At the heart of a good recording is a good performance. At the heart of a good
performance is... you.
Consider the space you will be performing in – is it clean? Well ventilated? Is it
comfortable to play in (most “dead” rooms aren’t)? Is the control room comfortable? Is
there adequate access? Storage? Are the other facilities appropriate? Is there space to
chill out or warm up?

Tip 17
■ Get familiar with unfamiliar equipment
The recording studio is not the place to use an instrument, amplifier or other piece of
equipment for the first time.
Sometimes it is appropriate to borrow (or hire) something to assist with your recording
project. Don’t be afraid to do this – but ensure you know the equipment backwards
before your session!
At best you will waste money whilst learning how to do simple things, at worst your
final performance or the quality of the recording will suffer.

Tip 18
■ Garbage in = garbage out
This saying, borrowed from the IT industry, is just as true for recording. There is often
nothing that can be done to save a track which is based on a poor quality performance
or sound.
To get the best result requires the highest possible quality in the initial recording from
each element involved.
Tip 19
■ Enjoy the time
If you have done your planning and researched your studio, then the process will be
enjoyable! As a bonus, the enjoyment is usually expressed in your performance as well.
The more enjoyable the time, the better the performance, the more enjoyable the
product, the happier the memories afterwards...

Tip 20
■ Generally you should not rely on cut & paste editing after a performance
When you are after a great sounding and feeling album, there is no substitute for
getting the performances completely right.
The performances will have a better feel and be quicker to mix when compared to
something that has been assembled from bits and pieces of multiple takes.
There are occasions however when cut & paste editing is totally appropriate (eg, as
part of a rearrangement or remix or when working with large groups). Your Engineer
and Producer can advise on this.

Tip 21
■ Ensure all instruments and equipment are in good mechanical condition
Listen carefully (in a quiet room) for unwanted noises, such as squeaks on pedals,
rattles in mechanisms, extreme key “clacking” from dirty or worn pads, ...all of these
will affect the quality of your recording, or waste time whilst being repaired during the
session.
If you are getting some repair work done for a recording session, ensure it will be
completed ahead of time so you can be certain it has been done properly and have
time to play it in.

Tip 22
■ Keep instruments in tune!
Most stringed instruments will benefit from having their tuning checked for every take.
The basis of a good drum sound, whatever the style, is having each drum tuned
properly! Slight pitch changes to the snare and toms may be necessary for each song.
Tape and pillows are no substitute for a correctly tuned drum kit. Drums should be
musical – resonating clearly, then having an even decay. “Thud” is rarely useful.
Pianos should ideally be tuned before each session - especially for solo piano or small
ensemble work. However, if the studio's piano is well maintained this may not be
necessary.
Brass and wind instrument tuning shifts dramatically with temperature. Although many
players can “lip it in” – their tuning should be checked before almost every take.
Good musicians use whatever they can to remain in tune. Using electronic tuners is a
Good Thing.
Tip 23
■ Play new strings, reeds and skins in
This can also be expressed as “know your instrument.” Some stringed instruments, such
as violin, viola, cello, etc., generally shouldn’t be restrung for a recording.
Other stringed instruments, particularly those that use wound steel strings (like guitars
and electric basses) sound much better with new strings. For these instruments the
new strings are generally brighter and richer in sound and hence sound better when
recorded and will be more distinct when mixed.
You should always ensure that new strings, reeds, drum heads and percussion skins are
played in before recording them. Tuning and tonality generally changes for a short
while after they have been replaced.

Tip 24
■ Ensure file formats are compatible
If you are using a number of facilities for your project - some parts at home, electronic
instruments at one studio, acoustic instruments at another and mixing somewhere else,
make sure each facility can read and write the same file (or tape) formats!
On a small project, the apparent saving in, say, recording at home, can disappear if you
cannot transfer the recordings efficiently to the mixing studio. The same is true of tape
formats.
File formats can vary even within the same product line. As an example, “Pro
Tools” (the leading digital audio editing tool) can have differing file formats between
it’s Mac and PC versions. Talk to someone that knows.

Tip 25
■ Don’t involve too many people in mixdown
Committees might be useful for some things – but mixdown is not one of them!
At best, a group of people will slow decision making. At worst the final product ends up
sounding unbalanced or like someone’s foldback mix – and still costs more money.
Musicians intimately involved in the recording often do not make the best people to
have at mixdown. Without meaning to, they often focus on their own contribution
resulting in their part being either too dominant or too soft.
Generally most people cannot make objective decisions regarding their own
performance (this is another example of “cognitive dissonance”). In some styles of
music, it is not uncommon to exclude some or all of someone’s performance for a
particular song at mixdown. This can happen for a variety of good reasons, but can be
difficult to decide with the musician present.
If possible, only have 2-3 people involved in mixdown: a Producer, Engineer and the key
creative talent.
Tip 26
■ Don’t be afraid to exclude a song
On larger projects it is often useful to allow for the recording of more material than
you will need for the final product. Stuff happens. And when it does, it can be handy to
simply leave a weak or disaster prone song “on the cutting room floor”.
You are in a great position if you are ready to master an album and it is either extra
length or you can lose the weakest song(s) and still have a full length album.

Tip 27
■ If possible, allow time between the recording and mixdown
Remember “cognitive dissonance”? It, along with some very real changes to our hearing
after concentrating for an extended time, can affect your judgement if you try to do
too much in one session.
This is particularly true of trying to mix immediately after recording. An experienced
Engineer will be able to compensate for this on many straight forward projects, but
anything that is large, complex or unusual will benefit from a delay between recording
and mixing.
There is no substitute for “fresh ears” and “fresh perspective.”

Mastering
Tip 28
■ Do not underestimate the importance of Mastering
At its most basic, mastering can be seen as just 'gluing' all the sounds together and
making it ready for replication. At its most complex, mastering provides a coherency
between songs that may have been recorded by different engineers, musicians or at
multiple facilities – making the final product radio, car and MP3 player friendly.
Most reputable studios will have a choice of mastering options, both in-house and
external by specialist mastering engineers and facilities. Commercial release and other
high quality projects will generally benefit from an experienced mastering engineer
being involved.
Mastering is very hard to explain on paper and many people seem to assume that the
requirement of a mastering stage in someway reflects poorly on the quality of the mix
engineer. But this is not true, as mixing and mastering have different purposes. The
best way to understand this is to discuss your project with a reputable Engineer. They
may also be able to provide a demo CD that explains more about this process.
Replication
Tip 29
■ Listen and proof read carefully before replication
Even though you may be tired of hearing your album by the end of mixdown and
mastering – be disciplined to carefully review a copy of the replication master and the
artwork master prior to sending them off.
Mistakes are occasionally made by even the most expensive studios and experienced
Engineers – and you bear the cost of any errors.
Ensure spelling (particularly of names) is correct on everything. Once the album is
pressed and printed it is too late to change anything.

Tip 30
■ Quantity can make a significant difference to unit cost
CD and DVD replication is paid for per unit. For quantities of about 200 and under, a
version of the CD-R process (like your home PC) is used. For quantities of about 500 or
more a very different process is used that involves stamping blanks with a glass master.
There are significant price differences between these processes, and even between
quanitity breaks within these processes.
The unit price difference between 200, 500 and 1000 quantities is significant. You
should look carefully at the costs before committing to a replication run. Seek advice
and quotes from people with experience of all processes and an understanding of the
pros and cons for each.
Packaging and printing options also vary between processes and will affect the finished
unit price and appearance.

Tip 31
■ CD-R’s will not play in all CD players
Only “Red Book Standard” CD’s will play on all CD players. Most low quantity
replication processes and all home PC CD burners are not Red Book Standard. CD’s
burnt on your home PC will most likely work in any PC, DVD and most recent CD players
- depending on the condition of the burner. However, they will not work on early CD
players and may not work on more recent CD players, particularly car stereos.
This fact should be carefully considered before choosing a replication process.
Artwork
Tip 32
■ Start the artwork design process early
There is a temptation to leave artwork until too late in the recording process.
Replication cannot start without artwork masters!
Although you may not be able to sign off on final artwork until mastering is complete
(as the song list may change slightly during mixing and mastering) – you should start the
creative process early.
Ensure that as soon as the final song list and order is known, your designer has the
information and it is incorporated into the artwork in sufficient time to be able to be
reviewed and amended if necessary before sending the album off for replication.
If you have planned a launch concert, or have some other deadline, don’t let a
replication delay cause you to miss it! A launch concert without a product is very
disappointing.

Tip 33
■ It should look better than it sounds
Sad. But true. Fantastic sounding albums need fantastic looking covers. In many cases
the finished product will sell from its appearance first.
The quality of the sound will impact whether people buy your next album or attend
your next concert.

Tip 34
■ Use an experienced CD art graphic designer
There are special requirements for artwork used in CD/DVD replication. These
requirements are available from the replicator or their agent.
Most people, even if experienced in making posters or documents, do not understand
these requirements and make mistakes. At best an error in the understanding of the
technical graphic design elements will result in a delay in the replication, or add an
additional charge for the replicator’s designer to fix the artwork. At worst you will end
up with a lot of expensive drink coasters.
At a minimum, an experienced graphic designer should be hired to assemble the
artwork master from your design and components. If you have suitable images and
ideas then these should be given to the designer. If you don’t have fixed ideas or
images, then the designer should be able to provide these as well.
The Journey begins...
Tip 35
■ Know what you will be doing with your finished project before you finish it
Most musicians and bands consider the release of their first album to be the peak of
their musical journey rather than just the beginning.
Unfortunately, simply recording an album won’t cause thousands of people to knock
your door down to buy it.
It is extremely important to understand the purpose of your project before you start
and maintain this focus throughout the entire process. If you simply enjoy writing and
recording music and recouping your costs is not important, then make sure your choices
along the way will contribute to your enjoyment.
If your intent is to sell your product and make some money, then you should be
reasonably sure of how you will do this.
In no particular order, here are some clues:

• Many more albums are sold at gigs, concerts or through artist mailing lists
than music stores and internet distribution.
• Having second or subsequent albums available for sale before the first
album has sold out can help you increase the likelihood of double sales
from people who see you only once.
• Freebies sent to well chosen people can pay off – for example, public
broadcasting radio announcers may (or may not) have some influence.
• Make the album easy to buy – not just at gigs. Provide internet and/or mail
order sales as well. You may need to get others to help you with this.
• “Conventional” distribution leaves very little money for you, and even
with a serious marketing budget it is unlikely to generate enough sales to
be worth the effort.
• Most projects need about 12-18 months of consistent energy to be
profitable or at least to recoup the initial recording and release costs.
• Community groups, large ensembles and artists with a strong following can
achieve profitability quickly as they have easy access to their market, and
can spread the sales effort across many people.

If your goal is to make money from the album then the project hasn’t finished until
the money’s in the bank!
How to choose a Studio
Tip 36
■ If you plan to use a professional studio, choose it wisely
One of the challenges in selecting a studio is that every studio owner will tell you they
are the best, and try to tell you what you want to hear - this is particularly true with
phone conversations.
Certainly begin by checking out websites, making phone calls and writing e-mails, but a
visit to each studio on your shortlist is a must before making a final decision.
Some tips on choosing a studio to work with:
• Ensure the studio has a productive and comfortable environment.
• Ensure the acoustic spaces are well designed and acoustically pleasant.
This is particularly important if you are an acoustic musician. This can be
hard to tell without experience, but at least listen to the recording room
sound during conversation – or even play your instrument. It should sound
natural. Any harshness, booming or “deadness” is a bad sign.
• Quality equipment is important, but beware of studios that sell themselves
primarily on the basis of the equipment they have. You probably can’t
judge the relative merits of the gear, and the quality of the Engineer and
acoustics is generally more important.
• The hourly rate is important, but price should not be the only
consideration. A studio with a lower hourly rate may not be able to provide
the “quality” of another studio (particularly true for acoustic instruments
and ensembles), or it may be less productive. Spending more hours at a
cheaper rate often ends up costing comparatively more, and wasting time.
• Use a studio that is familiar with your musical instruments and styles.
Keeping in mind that every group is different, you should ask to hear a
sample of material in a similar style to yours - particularly for acoustic
acts which are recorded, mixed and mastered differently to mainstream
popular music.
• Ensure the studio has the facilities to work in the way you want. For
example, if you are a large ensemble make sure there is enough space for
the whole group to play together.
• Discuss your project carefully with the studio, and get a firm commitment
to the cost. Ensure you clearly understand what is included, and any
possible additional charges. If the studio can’t give a reasonable estimate
it probably indicates their lack of experience with your style or lineup.
• Ensure you are comfortable with your Engineer – this is an important
relationship. If the Engineer is abrasive, arrogant or seems inexperienced –
move on.
• Word-of-mouth is a good source of information – but form your own
opinion as well. Sometimes people will rave about a project that satisfied
them but wouldn’t have met your needs or standards.
• Ensure the studio and Engineer suits and cares about your style of music!
 © 2010 Baker Street Recordings Pty Ltd
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