I'm going to the studio!

The Colonel

Silver Member
...not the coast! (Sorry Bernard)

On Sunday, my band New Planets will be heading to a *gorgeous* high-end studio, and I will finally have some new recordings, and my first with the band.

The place is super-expensive, so we are *very* grateful that someone who works there loves us and is offering the place free of charge. The guy is sort of on the lower-edge of the studio's totem pole - but that pole includes people who are 1st call for major studios, artists, etc, so I assume he'll be more than competent. (the guy doing it already said he's gonna have one of the main mixer guys do the mixing afterwards)

We will be getting there around noon, and have the place till about 4pm (which includes setup/teardown) with 3 maybe 4 recording engineers present to give different perspectives (they work there and asked if it was okay to sit in and offer advice - we said "uh...SURE! - and THANKS AGAIN!")

No drumset so I'm bringing my new[old vintage] 4 piece and my usual two rides/hi-hats - the most setup is our guitar player - takes him honestly 30 minutes to get his pedal board squared away...

We aren't going to be playing to a click - which the engineer is very happy about. We will be doing takes together - or at least guitar & drums, and the vox done later. We'll be in the same room with our headphones, with the guitar amp in another smaller room.

So, if we can get to it, we can do 2 songs, possibly a 3rd if we're 1st take wonders. Time is the part we're up against, so if any of you guys have any time-saving tips/tricks or anything like that, that'd be great. I've recorded once in a studio, and a few times in the "home studio" setting, so not totally noob-ish, but not a "studio guy" by any means...

I'm gonna buy some new heads and get the drums sounding purrrdy tomorrow, and I'm gonna bring along my snares and cymbals, but I'm pretty sure of the equipment I'm gonna use...


So, anything glaring I'm not thinking about, or might not think about till after there's a problem?
 
...not the coast! (Sorry Bernard)

On Sunday, my band New Planets will be heading to a *gorgeous* high-end studio, and I will finally have some new recordings, and my first with the band.

The place is super-expensive, so we are *very* grateful that someone who works there loves us and is offering the place free of charge. The guy is sort of on the lower-edge of the studio's totem pole - but that pole includes people who are 1st call for major studios, artists, etc, so I assume he'll be more than competent. (the guy doing it already said he's gonna have one of the main mixer guys do the mixing afterwards)

We will be getting there around noon, and have the place till about 4pm (which includes setup/teardown) with 3 maybe 4 recording engineers present to give different perspectives (they work there and asked if it was okay to sit in and offer advice - we said "uh...SURE! - and THANKS AGAIN!")

No drumset so I'm bringing my new[old vintage] 4 piece and my usual two rides/hi-hats - the most setup is our guitar player - takes him honestly 30 minutes to get his pedal board squared away...

We aren't going to be playing to a click - which the engineer is very happy about. We will be doing takes together - or at least guitar & drums, and the vox done later. We'll be in the same room with our headphones, with the guitar amp in another smaller room.

So, if we can get to it, we can do 2 songs, possibly a 3rd if we're 1st take wonders. Time is the part we're up against, so if any of you guys have any time-saving tips/tricks or anything like that, that'd be great. I've recorded once in a studio, and a few times in the "home studio" setting, so not totally noob-ish, but not a "studio guy" by any means...

I'm gonna buy some new heads and get the drums sounding purrrdy tomorrow, and I'm gonna bring along my snares and cymbals, but I'm pretty sure of the equipment I'm gonna use...


So, anything glaring I'm not thinking about, or might not think about till after there's a problem?

I dont like it.

Well, I like the part about you playing & recording again, at a nice place, but the time is ridiculous. A couple of hours are lost just figuring out the dynamics of the place, levels, positionings, mics etc.

I also dont like the idea of a committee of engineers 'sitting in' offering 'advice'. It leads to self doubt, and noboby needs to be unsure of themselves when putting stuff down in a studio. Go with the guy you feel most comfy about

Recording and mixing ideally should never be done at the same time. A cool calm and collected ( and refreshed ) approach, some day in the future is ideal.

time saving tips- get there earlier and set up the kit in the waiting arera if you can. ( Besides new heads & tuning, carry moongel, tape, etc )

Tell the git man to do the same with his pedal chain ( set it up outside, and before the meter goes down.)

Be as rehearsed as you can.

lastly, put em up here as soon as you're done.
 
...not the coast! (Sorry Bernard)

On Sunday, my band New Planets will be heading to a *gorgeous* high-end studio, and I will finally have some new recordings, and my first with the band.

The place is super-expensive, so we are *very* grateful that someone who works there loves us and is offering the place free of charge. The guy is sort of on the lower-edge of the studio's totem pole - but that pole includes people who are 1st call for major studios, artists, etc, so I assume he'll be more than competent. (the guy doing it already said he's gonna have one of the main mixer guys do the mixing afterwards)

We will be getting there around noon, and have the place till about 4pm (which includes setup/teardown) with 3 maybe 4 recording engineers present to give different perspectives (they work there and asked if it was okay to sit in and offer advice - we said "uh...SURE! - and THANKS AGAIN!")

No drumset so I'm bringing my new[old vintage] 4 piece and my usual two rides/hi-hats - the most setup is our guitar player - takes him honestly 30 minutes to get his pedal board squared away...

We aren't going to be playing to a click - which the engineer is very happy about. We will be doing takes together - or at least guitar & drums, and the vox done later. We'll be in the same room with our headphones, with the guitar amp in another smaller room.

So, if we can get to it, we can do 2 songs, possibly a 3rd if we're 1st take wonders. Time is the part we're up against, so if any of you guys have any time-saving tips/tricks or anything like that, that'd be great. I've recorded once in a studio, and a few times in the "home studio" setting, so not totally noob-ish, but not a "studio guy" by any means...

I'm gonna buy some new heads and get the drums sounding purrrdy tomorrow, and I'm gonna bring along my snares and cymbals, but I'm pretty sure of the equipment I'm gonna use...


So, anything glaring I'm not thinking about, or might not think about till after there's a problem?

Sounds like a bunch of whining to me! haha

So what do you prefer, envy or jealousy?

The chance to get some time in at a top shelf studio has got to be a joy. Have a good time and best of luck to getting the most out of the few hours you have. Hate to hear from you relaying stories of some guitarist spending half your time fussing with some pedal board or something. You know them guitarists! ;^)
 
Sorry Aydee - didn't explain that part well...

We're going in and *just* recording - The guy who set it up is gonna give it to their main mixing dude, and we'll get 'em back in 1-3 weeks (it's free, so they're not gonna be rushing exactly)

They *do* want it to come out well though, as they have a sterling reputation to uphold!

Also, I assume they know the "dynamics of the place" - these guys have recorded major artists and major TV/movie studio projects - so I'm sure they know what they're doing with 3 young punks.

As far as the extra engineers - I think the upper-totem-pole guys were gonna come in (on their day off) to give the engineer some pointers - not really "producing" us in terms of "try cutting those 8 bars" etc



Yeah Don - I'm gonna tell the punk git-dude to have that pedal board set up ASAP - maybe while he's driving to the place!

Oh...and I'll take Envy for $800, Alex.
 
Great. My point was just to keep the extra bodies down to a minimum in the studio, specially when the time is tight. Its a distraction, thats all.

So this isn't your jazz band?
 
Exciting times, Colonel. The most time-wasting I've seen in studios came from our first engineer in the early-mid 80s, who'd quit cigarettes and was chainsmoking weed instead. He couldn't find some of the gizmos he needed (the house guys weren't there for support) and we wasted hours waiting for him to get his act together.

So my first thought is whether the engineer knows the studio and if he's been well briefed about where everything is and how it works(assuming he will be more sensible than our ex-knob twiddler).

Aydee, your advice makes sense as usual. Noted and thanks :)

Very interested in what the pros have to say because my band has a benefactor who wants to front a couple of grand to record us. All tips greatly appreciated! I'll be keen to get hold of the master afterwards too so, if need be, we can pay (or plead) for more mixing time with a fresh outlook.
 
Just make sure you think through all things before you get there. If you are going to do overdubs, etc, figure out what all those parts are going to be (this usually applies to adding percussion, second guitar lines, etc). Write it all down in order that you want to do it. Stick to just this list. If you had more time, you could think of stuff in the studio...the studio is often both inspiring and distracting. With limited time, you need to know every aspect of what you guys are recording, and how, before you get there. Rehearse the songs like crazy before going in.

When you get there (or before), find out if the engineer is comfortable with punching in for drummers. Most are not. Therefore, if you make even the slightest mistake, cut instantly. You can't fix it, so don't waste the time doing the rest of the take only to say, "Shoot, we can't keep this one, I biffed 7 minutes ago." You'd be amazed how much time that can waste.

Most importantly, don't settle. If you don't like what you did, don't just say it's ok because of time constraints. You will regret it. This is what I call "Rule 2:46." The first recording session I did with an original band went pretty well. There was one part of the one song that had a bunch of intense fills in it, and I slightly clicked the rim on it. The rest was great, we were on a tight budget, and the rest of the band swore they couldn't even hear it, so I said, "It's fine, move on." I know that click is at 2:46 in the song. I know that because it's all I hear every time I play that disc. We ended up paying for something I hate listening to, and I have regretted it ever since.
 
It's seems like the guitarist is going to be the most problematic time wise for you. The only thing I can think of is to perhaps all arrive early and set up your gear on the pavement outside so you can just whip it all in. That and ask the guitarist to get a more organised system in place. A board that's already set up with his settings in place (marked up). Should be no more than plugging in straight in and minimal tweaks.

Have a great sesh.. and yes I agree with 'mrchattr' Better to get one great track down than 3 mediocre ones. The 2:46 rule he speaks of, I like to call "coughing" moments.
 
  1. Good night sleep - no partying before... or at least not too much
  2. Prepare yourself mentally, but not too much.You need to have the right mindset, but not to the point where you become overwhelmed...
  3. You will be in a rush setting up, but, still do it right. Especially for you. If your kit isn't set up right, you will be uncomfortable and distracted.
  4. Have fun... enjoy the process no matter what happens
 
  1. Good night sleep - no partying before... or at least not too much
  2. Prepare yourself mentally, but not too much.You need to have the right mindset, but not to the point where you become overwhelmed...
  3. You will be in a rush setting up, but, still do it right. Especially for you. If your kit isn't set up right, you will be uncomfortable and distracted.
  4. Have fun... enjoy the process no matter what happens


The only problem with this is that we will be open till 6am, and I have to be here/awake for that at my place...I plan on sleeping 4 hours and then moving all my stuff to the studio (downtown to hollywood - about 40 minutes...)



One of the main things I'm [honestly] concerned with is that the second song we're [apparently] gonna do is a Regina Spector song - and the guys are gun-ho about it because "every time we've played it it sounds great" but every time we play it, I either dramatically or slightly change my part, so tomorrow (today - I have to go to bed soon, I think) - I need to figure out *exactly* what the eff I'm gonna play... I *hate* the idea of not going into a [rock] situation and not having about 75% of what I'm gonna play concrete....right now it's about 40%... The rest is "in the moment" - which is my favorite stuff, as I hope some here know. The stuff that hits you and you pull out something you didn't expect - fortunately, the band I'm in encourages that, while maintaining a "pop-sensibility" - love it.

If we get to a third song, it's gonna be "City Machine" - (I totally forgot - if you wanna check out the old recordings/arrangements of the band, it's www.myspace.com/newplanets - there's some cool pics of some recent gigs we did)

I honestly thought we should do that one as a definite 2nd song - but the singer sorta knows Regina, and thinks if she likes the cover, we might end up opening for her...that'd be fun.
 
One of the main things I'm [honestly] concerned with is that the second song we're [apparently] gonna do is a Regina Spector song - and the guys are gun-ho about it because "every time we've played it it sounds great" but every time we play it, I either dramatically or slightly change my part, so tomorrow (today - I have to go to bed soon, I think) - I need to figure out *exactly* what the eff I'm gonna play... I *hate* the idea of not going into a [rock] situation and not having about 75% of what I'm gonna play concrete....right now it's about 40%... The rest is "in the moment" - which is my favorite stuff, as I hope some here know. The stuff that hits you and you pull out something you didn't expect - fortunately, the band I'm in encourages that, while maintaining a "pop-sensibility" - love it.

you're right. There is good and bad to both. Knowing exactly what you are going to play can be effective. However, Not knowing, can be exciting too. If its because you can't make up your mind over which way to do it, that tells me that either way can/will be effective..!

One thing that is for sure, Afterwards you almost ALWAYS think about something you could have done different. But, that's good, we always want to think about becoming better.

I bet you guys are pretty tight. this is ten times more important than anything else.

Hope you have fun..!
 
Don't let the click steer you. Keep the click in the back of your head & work around it. As long as you come back to the click every few bars or so, you'll be fine. Don't let the cost of the studio intimidate you. Performance is everything. The toys can create any sound but they can't inject feel or dynamics. Sound engineers can tend to dampen & EQ the kit to hell at the recording stage. Resist this if you can without upsetting the crew. You can take anything away at mixdown but you can't put back what's already been removed. As much atmosphere as possible at the recording stage is a good thing. Let the kit ring out, overtones & all. Encourage the use of boundry mics to capture atmosphere. Wish I was there too! I love studio days. Good luck & have fun!
 
Don't let the click steer you. Keep the click in the back of your head & work around it. As long as you come back to the click every few bars or so, you'll be fine.

KIS, that makes a lot of sense to me. Thanks.

Chip, I think we can all relate to your comment about always thinking you could have done something different. There's a fasinating talk by psychologist Dan Gilbert about that topic. It's long but well worth seeing: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7822696446273926158

I hope Bermuda sees this thread. I'd be interested to know what his views would be.
 
enjoy!
comming from an engineer/drummer. enjoy it. its good times.
-all mistakes can be fixed (weather they should or not is another question).
-they wont tell you how to tune you kit. (judging by the length of time you will be there)
-its only 4hrs. im sure its for the engineer to learn his way around the studio which is why you guys got the love rate. no one is gonna be stressing out about it. just go in and play they songs really well and you're gold.
-if you dont usually play to a click then dont use one.
-its just like practice. you're running down the tunes and you just need to stay in control. its not a gig. no need to put on a show. all you parts are mostly thought out. no need to even switch on your brain if you do plenty of prep.
-last thing... if your engineer is good at his job than you should trust what he says. it's not self doubt.. it's more like utilizing a professional. thats the job. we dont just hit buttons. we listen carefully. insanely carefully. it isnt you vs. the studio in a fight. it's you and the studio vs. everyone else. they are there to back you up. dig it?

enjoy it man.

p.s. please take some pictures. i love studio pictures more than drum sets at this point. you may just have some mics thatt are like 2 or 3 times the cost of your whole kit just hanging over your head.
 
So how did it go? How many tracks did you manage to get down?

The morning was rough - wasn't able to get everything done here till *really* late/early (depending on your viewpoint) - got to bed around 9am - surprised I actually woke up at 10:30am when the guys showed up! Felt lousy all morning on the way to the place...

Loaded the gear into two vehicles - and the guys found out to their delight that while they were upstairs for two minutes, they were giving parking tickets. The two cops were finishing writing the tickets as they came down with the first trip. "Next time, if you're loading, make sure someone's with the vehicles."

Really?

Funny part is that Stilly (vocals) got a $70 ticket...Cotton (guitarist) got one for $75. No rhyme or reason, eh?

Rode with Stilly in his van - every moron in LA decided to take a nice Sunday drive. We were running slightly late, and I needed to swing by Guitar Center for some sticks/heads/odds-&-ends, so it was really fun to have people riding in the carpool lane going 40mph, no one using blinkers (and suddenly switching lanes or stopping completely before a turn...), had an ambulance decide to turn on its lights and almost smash into us...

Found the place, met the two guys, Griffin and Ryan, who were the absolutely coolest guys to work with. *So* easy-going, funny, and really knew what they were doing. They really liked the music, and they really liked that we were recording each take all together, live, with no click. We prefer it, because we like to move tempos here and there (although there's one spot I totally flubbed time-wise coming out of a fill back to the chorus - I'll get to that). They said they wanted us to come back on another couple Sundays, and we can get a whole EP done (!)

One of the things with the studio that I loved - baskets with water bottles, fancy candy jars everywhere filled with awesome candy, pencil/pen jars filled with freshly sharpened pencils - gorgeous facilities - the nicest smelling bathroom I've ever been in - place is top-notch.

So we're setting up, and G&R (as they'll lovingly be called from here on out) start by figuring out the best place to put the drums. I'm hitting the floor tom and he's in the room with me, finding the best spot in the room (I'm impressed). He's placing mics at distances from my drums based (I'm assuming, based on what he was doing with his hand while I was playing) on how far back the air was moving off the drum when I struck it. It took a while to get the room all set up. I start picking through the candy jars...

Everything's set - and we start with our new song, "Panhandling". We do this live with a quick guitar intro, but not for the recording.

I'm still feeling pretty crappy - not warmed up, and ugh, are we really recording at 1:30pm? Oh, it's free you say? Well then, let me step right up and knock this one outta the park.

First take awful - I just stop. And I suddenly come to the conclusion that I am falling immediately into what everyone says about the studio: Under the microscope, everything is different. It takes me 5 takes/run-throughs/start-stops to get *slightly* comfortable playing...new feeling for me.

When I recorded with my old band, we recorded with tracking - just playing by yourself to a click - Oops, screwed that part up - No prob, just start and I'll punch it in later. This time it's "3 guys better get this stuff all together" and we always practice at the stage at my place, and this place - as cool and awesome and *sweet* as the gear is there - the place is pretty sterile. I never quite got comfortable, and I *know* my playing took a hit in the process. Totally forgetting how I started a verse, or "Why did I reach for the hats there? I've never played them there" - just the stupid stuff that people say "The more you go into the studio..." etc...

Not that the songs need some crazy over-the-top drumming, but there were definitely things that came naturally to me in Panhandling when we play it live or rehearse here - that I totally left out and as I sit here typing this and listening back to the rough cut (not mixed yet - Ryan did a quick sorta-mix just so it sounded sorta completed) I totally wish I had one more take to play it the way I normally do (I'm sure this is common with studio stuff).

So - on Panhandling - we like to push the chorus slightly with the tempo, and hold it back a smidge on the bridge. That's fine - but holy crap, how did I not hear this *HORRIBLE* rush towards the end, coming out of a fill that I was trying to whip off like "I'm comfortable now - let's try playing what you normally do" - and it's just bad...ugh - everything else on the take was good (it's embarassing, actually). We decided to go to the Regina Spektor song, "Us" and would come back to do another take or two of this one...but we ran out of time !!! Since they invited us back, I think we'll take the "one take - if it's good it's good, if not - whatever" approach.

Us - Regina Spektor's piano/vox/strings track got a New Planets overhaul with some disco beats, rock guitar, and Stilly's manly vocals (he brought a flask of whisky, as he said it helps his falsetto - which seemed to be true - he sounded great the whole day. I joked with him "I had no idea you could sing!"). I wish we could've rehearsed this one a bunch more before recording it - I totally had that "what am I gonna play here?" thing happening...Towards the end, I didn't have my parts all structured/finalized to where I'd like them to be - so there's a few times where I *know* I'm just "filling" and shaping the section better...

We ended up taking the last takes of each song - each with things we'd like to take back. Ah the turmoils of going into the studio. We actually really look forward to getting back in there - Me and Cotton just started playing random stuff and started to get a better feel for Us And The Room.

The rough cuts sound really good though - G&R really know what they're doing - and I can't wait to hear the tracks mixed properly. I just wish we'd done a better job playing them. Ah well - we'll be getting back in there soon it sounds like.

I'll have the tracks up once they're mixed. Not sure when that'll be. I might decide to post Panhandling's rough take...dunno...

Fun day though!
 
Taken at face value it sounds like a disaster. You got an hour and a half of sleep? Well, okay, I guess,
But this: "I needed to swing by Guitar Center for some sticks/heads/odds-&-ends." Why? I mean, it's a recording date! That's the time to have all your s**t completely together! Get all the stuff you need before hand. "I've got a session in a couple of days. Better swing by Guitar Center."
"Feeling crappy." "Not warmed up." Why? It's recording date! Get some sleep, eat something, pound on the pad to get loose. You just don't go into the studio feeling crappy and not warmed up. Not unless you're Keith Richards or something.
These things, recording dates, do happen you know. If you play your cards right they'll happen a lot and you'll make some real dough. The point is to be absolutely ready when the meter starts running.
No offense, Colonel, and you're a really good drummer, but...MAN! It's a RECORDING DATE!!!
I say this because I know that there are young people here reading these posts. Kids, always be prepared! Get plenty of sleep, drink plenty of milk and, well...what can I say? Don't do like the Colonel did.
Looking forward to hearing the recordings, though.
I know. You hate me now.
 
Doesn't sound like a great day but it sounds like you weren't prepared fully.

There should be no reason why on the day you should be running around shops buying spares, etc. Especially if you knew about the session well in advance. Also it's obvious you're not going to perform to your best if you only get one and a half hours sleep.

No idea what your circumstances were though. No way of booking the night off?

But you say you're going back so next time will be a lot better! Just get some sleep! ;)
 
Hopefully you didn't make a bad impression on the recording guys...... They might have been trying to be nice when they said to come back for the EP.
 
That's for the update, Colonel.

It's been funny to see ... I'm going to the studio. Any ideas? ... Sure Colonel, try this, this and this ... Thanks guys! ...... Hey, I've done the session but I didn't end up doing anything you said so we had a few hitches :)

An hour and half sleep! I had that before work the other week. Even half a dozen coffees couldn't stop me from being on Planet Zonk until late afternoon. I had the same thought as Conrad when I read the "I just had to swing by ..." part. I laughed out loud ... &%$# musos!! :)
 
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