This page was designed to help you sound your best. These are things are suggestions that should ALL be done BEFORE coming in to record your songs. These suggestions were not compiled to be difficult or to sound pushy, they were compiled over years of experience and learning what makes a record sound GREAT! If you have this list accomplished before you come in, you are 90% there to a great sounding record already.
Equipment:
*Guitars- Need set-up to stay in tune, sound great (Usually around 50-60$… Woodsy’s in Kent, Guitar Centers), need new strings (very very important), need new picks, if your guitar has active pickups you need a new battery. *Amps- Check your tube life, your power cable, and your input/speaker jacks. *Bass- Same as guitars. New strings and set-up required for best sounds. *Drums- Need new sticks, new heads on snare and toms, and cracked or damaged cymbals should be discarded. If you are playing heavy music, I always suggest plastic kick drum beaters. *Vocals- Come in rehearsed (see below) and with finished lyrics/printed lyric sheets!
Rehearsal:
*The most ignored/overlooked part of a great sounding record is coming in to the studio WELL REHEARSED. *You should be EXTREMELY TIGHT. No screw ups, everyone knows the arrangement and that their parts work. The phrase “I didn’t know you played that, that doesn’t work” has been said dozens of times in my studio.
*Drummers should be able to play to a metronome/click track (if you are using one) *Song tempos should be established *The key of the song should be established
Songwriting/Production:
* What do you want my role to be? Do you need help with arrangements? Songwriting? Sound ideas? Tones? This discussion is incredible important so that our roles are established early in the project. *Having a general idea of how you want the song to sound, or any extras/effects you would like would be helpful to know up front, in case it changes tracking/recording.
