Go into the studio
Introduction
The more prepared you are for your session, the more time you can spend being creative, the better it will run and the more you'll enjoy the experience.
Read on for:
Lyrics
Your tracks
Equipment
Source Sounds
"You can't 'fix it in the mix' if the basic sound isn't good."
Paul White
Editor
Sound on Sound
Lyrics
Make sure that you have your lyrics worked out and written in advance.
Be sure that they're really going to work with the track by testing them out before you hit the studio.
The last thing you want is to be writing lyrics at the time of recording.
Not only is this going to create a lot of pressure but you may walk out of there with lyrics you're not feeling a couple of hours later.
Also, make sure they're clearly written - vocal booths are often dimly lit to get vocalists in a relaxed mood.
Your Tracks
Give some thought to how you feel your finished track should sound, otherwise you'll walk away with someone else's.
The better you know every part of your track, the easier it will be to perform and the better the recording will be.
Thinking about backing vocals and overdubs before you get into the studio is going to save you loads of time and allow you the freedom to experiment.
Equipment
If you're bringing minidisk players, DAT machines, drum machines or MPCs along to the session then make sure that you've brought all the leads, discs, cables, tapes and power-packs that you'll need.
Also check all the connections thoroughly to ensure there's no buzzing or crackles.
Tune any instruments and don't forget spare strings.
Sorting these problems out in the studio will cane your time and waste your money.
Source Sounds
Make sure that any audio or samples that you're using are clean and free from static, pops, crackle and hiss - unless you want them to sound that way that is!
Although there are loads of plug-ins dedicated to cleaning up dodgy samples and rough sounding audio it's going to eat into your recording time if you need the engineer to do this.
It can also disrupt the flow of the recording and take away your inspiration.
More... from How to...
Choose tracks for a demo
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/recording/whatrecordp01.shtml
Make the most of a session
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/recording/sessionp01.shtml
Make the most of the mix
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/recording/mixp01.shtml
Mastering
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/recording/masteringp01.shtml
(c) BBC 1Xtra 1XMusic 2006
