While no recording sessions are ever quite the same, the following are some of the things you can expect from your experience at Bearman Productions:
Please try to be on time for your session. The clock will start at your scheduled time whether you are here or not.
Bring to the studio the same things you would normally bring to a performance.
Example: drums, guitars, amps, cabinets, etc.
Don't forget the really useful stuff like: extra guitar strings, picks, drum sticks, guitar & speaker cables, amplifiers, etc.
If you need to use any instruments from the studio, please let us know ahead of time.
No smoking in the studio or control room please! Smoke is one of the worst things for audio equipment, not to mention your voice! Smoking areas are provided.
On the day of your session, arrive well rested as recording can be physically and mentally exhausting.
You will be greeted at the side entrance door to the right of the parking area. As you unload your gear, you will be instructed where to put your equipment. Once finished, you will have a short meeting with your engineer about what you want to accomplish with your project. We'll want to know things like:
- How many songs you want to get done
- Do you want your material mixed
- What your bottom-line budget is, etc.
We will mutually agree on what tracks to begin with and get those setup and armed with mics placed and equipment such as preamps, DI’s etc. ready to go.
You can expect this process to take anywhere from 1.5 - 4 hours per song depending on the size of the group and the number of instruments to be recorded. Once each track is leveled and ready to record, you will be given headphones with which to monitor yourselves during tracking.
Now the fun really starts.......playing your songs correctly!
The Process
This process is called "basic tracking" or building the skeleton (drums, bass, rhythm guitars) upon which all other tracks will go. When you are satisfied with your basic tracks it's time to do punch-ins. A "punch-in" is fixing a small part of a track without having to re-do the entire thing. "Over-dubs" are next. These are all additional parts needed to make your song whole and complete.
Example Process: 2nd rhythm guitar parts, solos, vocals, keyboards, tambourine, samples, etc. After everything has been recorded to your satisfaction, it is time "mix". Mixing is the process of combining all the recorded elements of a song into one cohesive unit. You should be able to hear everything without having to strain .
After everything has been recorded to your satisfaction, it is time mix. Mixing is the process of combining all the recorded elements of a song into one cohesive unit. You should be able to hear everything without having to strain.
You will leave the studio with a pre-mastered CD.
"Mastering"
This is the final step before duplication of your project. This is where each song is brought up to the industry standard for audio through compression, E.Q., limiting, expansion, etc. This is what any and all CD manufacturing houses require to do duplication.DONE!
Here is a list of essential things to remember for your recording session:Have all the musical and vocal parts worked out before you get to the studio. It's very expensive to practice at a studio, so get it all done before.
Know when to quit for the day. As mentioned before, working on recording can be demanding and when you get tired, it'll show in your recording.
Keep guests to a minimum! Guests can and will be distracting to you and might change your opinion as to how the music should sound.
Tune up often. VERY IMPORTANT!
Count on and budget in unforeseen delays. Murphy’s Law says it always takes longer than you think it will.