5 common mistakes you can easily avoid when going into a recording studio

bandcoach

bandcoach

Zukatoku - Mod Scientist
an interesting take on what you need to do before you go into someone else's space to record by Joey Sturgiss

5 common studio mistakes you can easily avoid DIY Musician Blog

should be universal imo, i.e. do not even think of recording if you cannot at least meet tips
1 - have something to record
3 - know what you are going to record (i.e. be ready to play rather than mucking about looking for inspiration)
4 - be certain of what you intend to create rather than searching for inspiration
5 - make sure that your life does not interfere with your creative time (turn your phone off and disconnect the internet); conversely do not forget about things to your detriment
 
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tappz said:
you forgot 2 ;)
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I wrote
bandcoach said:
i.e. do not even think of recording if you cannot at least meet tips
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1,3,4,5 with a commentary on each

tip 2 (having consumables, e.g. fresh strings, batteries, tuning key for drums, etc) is not applicable/relevant imo for the home recording artist insofar as they should already have those on hand, but you are right tip 2 should at least be known about in passing
 
I've seen it so many times. The other major issue I see (other than "not having a discussion about $$/compensation") would be under-estimating the amount of time necessary, especially if you are one of the inexperienced bands or artists that this article seems aimed towards.

"It's a 3 and one-half minute song, so at most it should take, what? 10 minutes maximum to record, right?" Beyond the obvious hyperbole of the last statement, I really do hear people say things like that a lot. "What do we need? A couple of hours, right?"

Always, ALWAYS, triple to quadruple the amount of time that you initially expect to spend on a recording session, and then you will have a much more accurate estimate. If your initial thought is that you can complete the basic tracks in four hours, you will definitely need 12-16.

GJ

PS-- I'm talking about "going into a 'real' studio," as opposed to a home environment where you are not paying an upfront fee or an hourly rate, and you have the luxury of knocking-off and picking back up again any time that you want. Although the principle I find to still be true, by-and-large. At least it won't cost you a lot more money than you initially budgeted!
 
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The best advice I heard when starting out recording was "Don't mix too hot!". Having lots of headroom is super important, and makes compressing a ton easier too.
 
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