the session

Let the session commence!

Before you arrive in the studio, the engineers will have been busy setting up the studio layout, laying cables for microphones etc. Despite this activity, there will still be quite a lot of preparatory work to do after you arrive before any real recording can commence.

Level checks

After making yourself comfortable and taking time to set up any instruments, the first thing you are likely to be asked to do is provide a level check. This actually serves two purposes:

Different instruments played by different people and different voices produce different levels of sound – some are far louder than others. It is important that the gain or level of each microphone is set so that recordings are obtained high enough above the level of noise intrinsic in any recording equipment and at the same time not so high that the upper limit of the equipment’s ability to faithfully record the sound is breached. This latter point is absolutely critical with modern digital recording equipment.
The quality of the sound “heard” by the microphone is assessed. What may appear to be a tiny adjustment in the position of a microphone may have a large effect on the quality of the sound being recorded due to the room’s reverberation characteristics or phase effects between adjacent microphones.

Though the engineers’ experience will guide them, microphone placement is far from being a science. Every room has a different acoustic ‘flavour’ which emphasises some frequencies more than others (sometimes to the extent of causing a boominess in some parts of the room but not others) and complex reverberation patterns. Consider that this may be the first time that you, this room and that microphone will have met and you will start to understand the unique circumstances the engineers are dealing with.

You may be asked to play or sing the same piece over and over again. Both you and the engineers need patience and good humour during this phase of the set-up process. No matter how long it takes!

Try to be as consistent as possible in your performance during these checks and that your performance now is representative of how you will play or sing during the actual recording.

The recording

Once the level checks are out of the way recording can commence.

Take your time and get comfortable. Remember – this is all about getting the best possible recording of your performance. It may seem to you that the people in the control room are listening for every mistake you make and sitting in judgement on your music. We’re not (actually, we’re usually too busy trying to make sure we don’t make mistakes ourselves!) If we do hear a mistake - and it may be technical and nothing to do with you – we’ll let you know and you can try again. But remember – we’re not here to judge you or your music, just to help you get the best recording we can.

It may be that the very first attempt (or take) at recording the track satisfies everybody – both musically and technically. More often, however, something is not quite right – either the musical performance could be better or there is a technical problem that didn’t show up during the set-up phase.

The beauty of studio recording is that all is not lost. Far from it, in fact. The first recording can be saved (you never know – it might just turn out to be the best take of the day after all!) and another one made. With modern digital recording equipment, time is the only thing that limits the number of takes that can be recorded. It is quite usual for half a dozen or more takes to be recorded before everyone agrees that a good recording has been obtained. Later on, the best one (or individual parts) can be chosen and the others (with your mistakes) left safely to one side.

What happens if everyone agrees that the last take was absolutely stunning – apart from the flat note right in the middle? No problem! It is possible to drop in (sometimes called punch in) a newly recorded fragment into the original recording, replacing the faulty part and resurrecting the take. More on this below.

Recording a take

Depending on the studio layout a means of signalling or communicating between you and the recording engineers will have been established. A take starts with you indicating, in response to a question from the engineers, that you are ready to begin. The engineer will start the “tape” recording and only then indicate – either with the word “ROLLING” over the intercom or an agreed signal that your performance should begin.

After the ROLLING signal has been given, take a little pause to prepare yourself (and, if the intercom has been used, to let the sound die away completely) before you start to sing or play. Don’t worry about running out of tape or any other technical concern, just start to play any time you are ready after the signal has been given.

If you are playing or singing along with instruments previously recorded your timing is more critical. Usually, a ‘click-track’ or lead-in will be provided usually consisting of two bars of beeps that lead in to the actual start of the piece. If you find the volume of this click too loud or too soft, ask the engineers to adjust it.

At the end of the performance just stop as you would normally then remain absolutely silent for at least 10 seconds! This silence is important to allow the sound to die away naturally. If you talk, cough, breathe a sigh of relief or make any other noise you do not intend to be part of your song you may well spoil the recording.

If it is not absolutely clear when the piece finishes, agree in advance that you will give a signal at the end of the piece. If all goes well, recording will stop some time after your performance has finished.

Especially when performing as part of a group, during any part of the take where you are not playing or singing it is absolutely vital that you remain completely silent. The microphone that records your contribution is not necessarily turned off just because you are resting so if you cough or shuffle your feet the noise will be heard on the recording and the entire take may be spoiled.

Gosh! I made a mess of that (or similar remarks)

DON’T PANIC! When (notice I haven’t said ‘if’) you make a mistake during a take what you do next is up to you – though the producer may have given you some advice before the recording started. If you are performing to a pre-recorded backing track you might like to pause for a few bars and join in again at the next verse or chorus. If you are laying down the backing track it’s probably better to stop and start again from the beginning. In either case, if you have really lost your place or are having a coughing fit then just say so – the recording will be stopped and another take can be attempted whenever you are ready. Nothing will be lost and nobody will get upset.

Everyone makes mistakes – (even recording engineers!)

It’s not unusual for the “take” that makes it to the finished recording to be made up of many bits of the individual takes you performed. The razor blades and sticky tape of days gone by have been replaced by computer based digital waveform editors that can snip-snip their way through your mistakes and masterpieces without leaving a trace.

Monitoring and playback

Undoubtedly you will have an opinion on the quality of the performance you have just given. You may be keen to hear the recording played back to confirm your hopes or fears.

The engineers will monitor the take during the recording either through monitor speakers in the control room or headphones. If anything disastrously wrong is heard, the recording will be stopped, as there’s no point taking time to record an unusable track. If all seems well, after the recording, it will be played back to allow its technical quality to be assessed.

If you want to hear this playback just ask. If you would rather have time to compose yourself for the next take or prepare for a different song then do that instead. If you need a comfort break this time between takes is as good as any.

If you decide to listen to the playback you should be aware of what you are likely to hear. Unless a very simple “live” recording technique is in use the sound you hear will not be anything like the finished recording. For the engineers, the aim of the recording session is to obtain the cleanest possible recorded signal of each individual microphone used. Musical balance will be considered during the mix-down stage, long after the recording session is over so, right now, the sound may seem completely wrong or even unmusical – especially given the change in aural perspective switching from performer to listener.

However, you should be able to hear clearly any faults in your performance or the technical quality of the recording quite clearly. If you hear anything amiss, please say so – far better to do another take now than have to repeat the entire session later.

Correcting mistakes

If just one or two small mistakes or technical flaws have spoilt an otherwise good take, all is not necessarily lost. A new recording of just the faulty part can be made and used to replace the error. Done correctly, you will never hear the join. How is this achieved?

Even if you have not done so up to now, you will be asked to wear headphones so that you can hear the original recording. See the notes on multi-track recording for advice on performing while wearing headphones.

Playback of the original recording will start a little way before the faulty part – tell the engineer if this lead-in is too short or too long for you!

As the playback progresses you should sing or play along in time so that the new part sits completely in time over the original. A little after the faulty part has been passed, playback and recording will stop – so you can stop too!

Some magic is now performed behind the scenes and, if all is well, the take can now be played back and the replacement (flawless!) performance has seamlessly replaced the faulty part.

In practise, it can be difficult to get everything right – level, intonation, timing etc. – so that the replacement fits seamlessly into the original recording. It may be necessary to attempt the repair several times before an acceptable improvement is achieved.

Once again, patience and good humour are your best friends.

Take a break

Recording sessions can seem to go on forever and everyone needs a break from time to time. A well-planned session will have regular breaks scheduled for drinks and meals.

If you need a break – for any reason – in between these times, by all means take one. Feel free to wander around the gardens of the Hall. Certainly if you need a comfort break or you need a drink then don’t hesitate to call a temporary halt.

Whatever the reason, if you leave the studio at any time other than during a scheduled break, please make sure somebody knows where you are and when you will be back.

Giving your best

You and only you will know what state of mind helps you to give your best performance. Some people prefer to be completely relaxed while others need a state of nervous edginess before they can utter a note.

Whatever your ideal, the studio engineers are unlikely to be able to help you achieve it – you already know you are singing and playing to the millions who will buy this recording, don’t you?

However, the engineers may inadvertently do something to spoil your concentration or make it physically or mentally difficult to perform at your best. If this happens, say something! Please don’t suffer in silence. Often it can be a simple matter to change whatever is upsetting you. Occasionally, some compromise may be necessary for the sake of your art but even then you should at least feel better knowing why you have to feel uncomfortable! We will do everything we can to make you at ease.

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Last modified: 30 July, 2002