Some things that you should have ready for when you go to the recording studio

Hey guys, this time, I’m going to share with you all some things that I didn’t know about when I first went to my first recording studio. 

Let’s get into it. 

So what happened my first time?

My first time in the studio was hilarious. 

I actually called up the closest recording studio to me, which was close to Washington D.C. 

and I researched them and supposedly they had done some big named artists, like 50 Cent, Michael Jackson, and a few others.

and supposedly they had made some of their finest works, I think they did a few Bruno Mars songs too. 

And what happened was that I went in and I didn’t know that you were supposed to have a few other things other than the song that you wanted to record. 

So let’s talk about some of these things.

So the first thing that you want to do is to rehearse your song

So, when I first went into the recording studio, I already knew that I was supposed to rehearse the song that I wanted to record. 

But what happened is that I had rented out the cheapest room that they had, and I was in the basement with the audio engineer, and then after the recording session was done, I went upstairs and I saw a dude, who hadn’t rehearsed his song.

and they were over there struggling with the last minute detail. 

And the room that he had rented was the the second most expensive room that they had. 

And then the sound engineer that I was working with said that the dude didn’t rehearse his song and I asked him, “Why would you go into a recording studio without knowing the song that you want to record?” 

And he said, “Believe it or not, it happens more often than you think.” 

And then he said, “People come in here thinking that we’re the label, but we’re just the studio, we could probably do a few things to work with the local circuits, but we can’t get you in a major label session.” 

So that’s the first thing that you need to do, rehearse your song and know it well because you’re going to be asked to repeat certain parts to make it sound better.

So you can’t be clocking back in from the beginning because you don’t know your song entirely well. 

You got to be able to go to certain parts and be able to record from there. 

Come with your chords and lyrics

Believe it or not, stage fright is real. 

And when you’re in a recording session, it feels nerve racking. 

I mean, you’re asked to perform a song that you wrote for potentially big people. 

So, I would say that you should bring your lyrics and your chords that you wrote down for your song because i hate to say it because it’s true, you might forget them.

which I did.

Actually the first time that I was in a recording studio, I was over there rehearsing the song before I went into the session. 

And i was singing over the words in my head over and over again and the nerves just kept getting me. 

Even one part in my song, I kept vamping over and over again because I kept forgetting how to transition from that part to the next part. 

And the audio engineer knew where I was going with the song and so he gave me some help in how to transition. 

He could see that I was nervous!!! Lol

Hey guys! Here is a blog post about music theory for Christian musicians. Hope you like it

Another thing that you should do is to decide whether you want to fully produce the song, or just leave it as a demo or decide how you want to format the song.

So with certain instances you’re going to be required to do certain things. 

There are two main types of recording sessions: Live takes and Click tracks.

A Click Track is when you play the song with the assistance of a metronome, or click track. 

A live take is when you play the song WITHOUT the assistance of a metronome. 

And they each serve their purpose. 

But a click track is preferred when you want to fully produce the song.

You know add Violins, drums, bass, backing vocals etc. etc. 

A live take is great for demos. 

Demos are basically just a sample of the song, it’s not necessarily fully produced, but it’s just a sample of your work. 

There is a common saying in the music world that says, that if you can feel great emotion and really get into a song with just the guitar and vocals, or the piano and vocals, then you have a hit song. 

So sometimes having just the guitar or piano and vocals is actually ideal because you get to show people your songwriting style and show what’s so great about your songwriting abilities instead of your production abilities. 

Have a reference track

So a reference track is a song that is already fully produced and mixed and mastered that sounds similar to the style that you’re going after. 

So if you have an acoustic song, then bring a song that is acoustic in nature. 

So say for example me, I had an acoustic song, and I chose the song hey there Delilah by the Plain White T’s. 

It helps your Audio Engineer in giving a rough mix. 

Bring Emergency Money

You really don’t notice it when time flys by, but it does. 

The recording session prices can get hefty and when you pass your hour in the studio for your 4 track acoustic song, lol, you’re going to be in for a shock. 

At the time, I was working a job that paid pretty well and I had an emergency savings, so I was alright but i kept thinking to myself, “Man if I didn’t have that savings, I would be in trouble! lol.”

For those of you looking to get signed to a label

if you can, try and come with a following on a social media site. 

What happens is that I know that I said before that the guys in the studio could probably do some things in the local circuits, but they laid it on me then that they could do more. 

And they asked me for a following on any social media site or a website.

They literally said, “do you have a blog or a following on your socials?” 

And at the time I said no, and they said, “Try and get one first and then we’ll talk about further steps.” 

I never went back with the following, but I know there’s opportunity regardless of where you are.

What happens is that record labels and managers look to see if you have influence and power in your respective field before they sign you on because if you have a following, then those people will listen to your music. 

And the bigger the following, the bigger the sales. 

So look for creative ways to build a following, and you’ll be winning. 

Broadcast

I sure hope that I have been an inspiration and a hope to you all. Please remember to pray, read your bible, go to church, and love God above all else. Like, comment, share, subscribe, and I will see you all next time.

If you want to go to heaven, then believe in Jesus and you will go to heaven. (John 3:16)

Thank you all for listening in on this blog post. 

German Gonzalez, signing out!