Studio Insider #104 September, 2006
Quick Tips in the Studio
I’ve been traveling quite a bit this summer, and now that I’m back in the studio and settling into
audio and video work, I thought I’d pass along some quick tips for those who are also in the
studio, either as recording artist or as recording engineer. Some of these tips are obviously good
work procedures, and they may seem routine to many. Some of them are less obvious and may
help you with your recording on both sides of the glass.
Organize, organize, organize
The computer gives us the ability to manage incredible amounts of stuff in our lives and
businesses. As the amount of data, files and folders in our computers grows, it’s increasingly
important to organize it properly. If files aren’t managed and organized properly, it becomes
impossible to back them up. Something might not get backed up if it’s hidden from the user. Or
something corrupt might over-write something good and essential if the back-up procedures
aren’t done right. So store files and folders in an organized way, starting from day one. Name
your files and folders with names that make good sense, and that you’ll understand after a few
years have gone by. Names like “recording project” or “audio file 1” lack the essential
identifiers that will give them meaning to a user that’s not familiar with them. “Jane Doe
Album 2006” and “Turkey Straw mando 1” work better. Use templates for your recording
session documents, and much of your organization will be automatic.
Back up your work
Computers store your life on hard disks. Hard disks crash and die. Sometimes, they work great
for years and then one day wake up dead. Sometimes you get a warning that disaster is looming.
But not often. If you are recording somebody’s project in your studio, then you have an
obligation to back up their project professionally. That means every work session and every
audio file in their project must be backed up (stored) on a separate disk drive from their regular
project disk drive. Make sure you do this after every single session. If your main recording disk
drive fails, and you have to get data from the back up drive, then make sure that you first copy
that data onto a new work drive before you use it. Keep that back up drive reserved for back-up,
and never use it as a “work drive.”
Date everything, including session documents
Many times I’ve been able to answer questions in the studio by referring to session notes or to
older ProTools files that were dated. When you’re meeting with clients, date your notes. When
you’re opening a new ProTools (or other DAW) document, put the date into its title. Many
recording projects end up spread over a period of several months or years, and memories can
fade. Dated notes, charts, and session documents can make it much easier to find specific
performances, arrangements, decisions, etc.
Bring charts
Even if you can’t read music, bring charts to the studio for all the tunes you’ll be doing. If you
and the band aren’t readers, then simple chord charts that show the structure of the tune will do
fine. The engineer can use them to better understand the arrangements, and this will help her/his
work. If anybody comes in later for overdubs, then these charts may prove essential.
Frequently, with non-professional bands, the process of making a chart for a tune will help
solidify an arrangement, and a lead sheet with all the words (verses and choruses) can help clear
up confusion over words and phrasing (“Oh, THAT’S what you’re saying there...)
If you’re engineering the recording session, then drop in labeled markers at all of the sections of
the tune – the intro, each verse, each chorus, each break, etc. This in effect superimposes a
minimal “chart” onto those audio waveforms on the computer monitor, and makes it a snap to
locate a particular place in the tune for study or work.
Art work
Often, musicians working on an album leave the graphics portion of the project until the audio is
either finished or almost done. Then, in the rush to make deadlines, this vital part of the project
doesn’t get the necessary amount of development and review that it needs. Start working with a
graphics person early in the project. Let them know the general theme of your album. Take
them some rough mixes so that they can get a feel of the sound of the record. If they’re not a
professional, then have them contact your duplicator to obtain the necessary templates that the
duplicator wants the artists to use for the media in question. Many duplicators charge extra if
they receive art files in any form other than their own templates, which they post on the internet.
The photographer
Whether you’re working with a professional photographer who has a studio, or a friend of the
family who is an avid hobbyist, go see them in person. Prepare some thoughts ahead of time
about what you'd like, and then tell them. See if they have any ideas. Spur their creativity! Give
them a sample of your music to listen to, and ask if it suggests anything to them. Make
personality and technical ability the deciding factors when you choose a photographer, not the
lowest fee. The photo will show how you're reacting to the photographer -- and you want to be
feeling comfortable with him/her.
Choose a room, not a piece of gear
When you’re choosing a studio for your project, go see and hear the rooms. Recording
facilities are everywhere – down the street, in garages, in houses, downtown, and in the
country. Competition has kept prices low, and many studios will be very happy to entertain you
for a visit if they feel that they’ll get your recording project as a result. The sound and the
comfort in the studio are much more important than the studio’s choice of gear. Record where
you sound your best, and assume that a good studio will have gear to match their level of
professionalism.
Don’t maximize everything
If you’re engineering a project, avoid the temptation to “maximize” the audio files. If you’re
recording at a healthy signal level, then leave well enough alone – you’re doing a good job. The
mastering engineer will view your work as more professional if you haven’t maximized it. Many
times, when mastering albums from project studios, I’ll get files that have been maximized, in
spite of my requests to the engineer not to do that. Maximizing reduces dynamic range, raises
the volume of low- level sounds, and changes the sound of recordings. It takes away from the
mastering engineer many of the freedoms she or he needs to work properly on the project. And
we can always tell when it’s been done!
Bill clearly
When you’re invoicing a studio client, itemize your work and materials on the invoice. I’d like
to receive an invoice that says something like this: “Tracked dobro overdubs on ‘Rebecca’ and ‘Maiden’s Prayer’ and edited and comped both; made 2 audio CDs for client to audition
performances.” Then I’d like to see a summary of the number of hours billed, the charges for
materials, the sales tax, and any shipping charges. I would be unhappy and suspicious of an
invoice that says “$435.00, audio recording services.”
Archive your project
When your project is finally finished, and you are shipping and selling CD’s, archive the whole
thing. Everything. Use the best format available for long-term storage. I use DVD-R disks for
this, and I make sure that my software verifies them before I label and put them away. I archive
all the project’s session files, all the audio files, the mastering files, the master, all the associated
notes and databases, all the art and graphics files, the print files – everything. It hasn’t been
unusual for me to call in a duplication order and then learn from the duplicator that they’ve lost
the master, or lost the film for some of the print or for the disk label. Discmakers recently
decided to stop duplicating cassettes, and then destroyed all the cassette dupe masters, without
telling any of us. So keep good archived copies of all your project’s files – you may need them.
Enjoy your brief moment on the planet
Joe Weed records acoustic music at his Highland Studios near Los Gatos, California. He has
released six albums of his own, produced many projects for independent labels, and does sound
tracks for film, TV and museums. His latest production, for Appleseed Recordings, is “Spain in
My Heart,” featuring Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Laurie Lewis, Norton Buffalo, Lila Downs, and
many other great artists. You can reach Joe by calling (408)353-3353, by email at joe@highlandpublishing.com or via the internet, at www.joeweed.com.
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