5 Tips To Be Better Prepared For The Studio

Being prepared for a professional recording studio is vitally important for any musician's career. No one will hire the person who comes in unprepared, because that person is wasting valuable time and valuable resources. Being the musician who is willing to put in the work beforehand is key to a successful career. In this article you will read about five tips that will help you flourish in the studio.

TIP #1 KNOW THE SONGS

I know that this may seem obvious and it is, but there are too many people who show up to record their songs and don’t know how to play them. I have heard countless stories from professional studio engineers talking about musicians learning their own songs the day of in studio.

Knowing the songs means more than just being able to play through them. It means you know each transition and when they happen, understanding the tempo marks and listening attentively to what the other instruments are playing. Pay attention to what the other musicians are playing and write your parts around them. The most important aspect of writing music is to write a good song.

TIP #2 Creating Endurance

Most likely you will play each song several times and this can become very tiring. One of the best ways to prepare yourself is to create endurance, you will want to get in musical shape. For drummers our instrument is very physically demanding and requires a lot of motion to perform. I highly suggest jogging weeks before your studio session and some weight lifting as well. For recording metal music in studio you have to hit pretty hard for the majority of each song.

Another way to build stamina is to practice the songs as many times as you can before your session and play at the same rate of velocity that you will in studio. This way when you’re at the studio it will feel like just another day at the practice room.

TIP #3 Record Yourself

If you have any microphones for your instrument, record each time you play through the songs. This will help you pin point what needs work and what is solid, this way you can focus on the parts which need the most help. This is a useful way to become solidified with your songs.

TIP #4 Know Your Equipment

Before going into the studio make sure you have a solid knowledge of the gear you will be using. Make sure that it is in good shape, no one wants to hear a cracked cymbal or worn out drum heads especially the sound engineer. Knowing how your equipment works and how to set it up properly will help you save time and money.

TIP #5 Change Your Drum Heads

You are going into the studio to record music that will be available for anyone to consume. You need to represent yourself and the music in the best way possible, and that is to sound good. Changing out drum heads can be expensive especially if you replace both the batter and resonant heads, but it’s very much worth it. To many drummers don’t put the time in to make their instrument sound as good as it can.