How To Choose The Perfect Studio For Your Recording Project

We know it can be hard to find a studio that you trust to record your music. It is a major decision when picking someone to take your most cherished writings and turn them into a fully produced hit song that you hear so vividly in your own head. Don’t fret - we are here to help with this decision!

We’ve had countless new clients coming to us explaining that they didn’t feel like their artistic vision was met when they recorded elsewhere. This can be for many reasons, but one reason is that a lot of studios sell their time without a producer, and rush you through the process in order to make sure you are in and out quickly. Lots of Studios are out there to make money, and are not invested in the final product.

We want to stop this problem from happening! Here are three ways to find a studio that will work for you, and not take from you.

1. Are there artists on your level that have a recoding that you are blown away by? Ask them where they got it done.

A lot of artists love to help other artists. Ask them. They will be honest with you and tell you their experience. One of the best compliments we have at Studio45b is a client referral.

Ask other artists questions and research what their process was.

Did they work with a producer? What musicians did they hire? How long did the recording process take? How fast was the turnaround? How long did mixing and mastering take? Did they feel like their artist input was heard in the studio? Did they feel rushed? Would they do anything differently the next time around? Was there anything they would’ve changed?

We could go on and on with a million questions, but the main point is to ask a million questions to people in the industry that you trust. The more you know, the better the outcome will be.

2. Talk to multiple studios before you decide on a winner.

Research online studios in your area (or that record remotely) that you would love to work with. Read through their entire website, listen to the projects that they’ve worked on, and research their clientele. Research their team and see who on their team you think you would vibe with. We use the word “vibe” because that is what a studio is all about! Setting the best recording “vibe.”

Do not settle on the very first studio you come across. There are a ton of very talented producers, engineers and coaches to choose from. Make sure you are making an educated decision before you take action and book a date.

If they give you an option to have a free phone call with them, absolutely do it. It’s so important to utilize every chance you can to get to know the people that will be working on your project with you. Make sure to ask them those millions of questions that we mentioned in point #1!

3. Know your budget.

We get it. Recording at Abbey Road Studios might be a huge dream of yours (that can absolutely happen some day!) but before you get too far into loving a studio, make sure that you ask what the prices are. We don’t want you to be disappointed.

We talked a little bit about this last week in our blog post. (you can find that post right here.) We wanted to expand a little more on this!

You might not know your budget right off the bat. Perhaps you need to call around to a few different studios before you figure out what recording costs are, before you know what budget you have in mind for your own project. Calling around and asking for prices will give you a better understanding of what a full project might cost. Once you figure that out, and your own finances, then search for studios within that budget.

Our point is, find a studio that you can afford before you fall in love with a studio that you can’t afford.

If you’re ready to do some research, contact us today for our rates.

4. Decide which producer to work with, and if one is needed at all.

Believe it or not, a lot of people aren’t quite sure what a producer actually does. (If you’d like more info on that, check out our previous blog here!) We will get more into detail on our next post, but here is a quick rundown of a producers job.

Generally speaking a music producer overseas and understands the project as a whole, alongside the artist themselves. A producer knows how to create a certain sound within certain genres and can help the artist pull bring those sounds to life on their recording.

Lets give an example. What makes Brad Paisley’s guitar playing so different from John Mayer’s guitar playing? A producer knows that a Brad Paisley guitar tone will come from a Fender Telecaster, and a John Mayer signature sound will come from a Fender Stratocaster. Not only that, a producer knows what notes, bends, stylization and chords make a country sound, and knows the difference in that sound and a pop rock sound.

A good producer will know the styling, tone and instruments in certain genres and how to get your song sounding the way you want it to sound.

There are instances where you might not need a producer. We will cover that next week on our blog about finding a producer for your project.

Contact us here for your free consult call with our head producer, Grady James.

5. Listen to your gut.

It feels like we say that quite often. However, it is true. You need to find a studio that you are comfortable with. That comfortable sound will come across in your recording. Choose a studio that listens to you, pays attention to you, and is excited about your project. You will know when you chat with them if it is the right fit or not. Follow your instinct and you won’t be wrong!

If you are thinking of launching your project into action, give us a call today! We would love to help you on your recording journey.

***Written by Singer/Songwriter Danielle Todd ***

What is Mixing and Why Does My Song Need it?

You’ve made the courageous leap and decided to release some music, but you want to do it the right way. It’s a huge undertaking, from finding the right studio to planning promotional content. The creative stuff can be so fun, the prep and logistics can be overwhelming, and the more research you do on processes like distribution, mixing, and mastering, it seems the more there is to know.

There are thousands of resources claiming to teach you the “basics” of audio mixing that still leave you confused. Don’t feel stupid! There are entire degree programs dedicated to this topic, and we can’t all be experts in everything. However, if you’re going to release your music to the public and pay for the service, you should know what it is and why you need it. We’re going to answer some questions to make it all seem a little less scary. Let’s start at the beginning.

Does my song need to be mixed?

Yes. That’s an easy one, next!

Why?

A song well-mixed is like indulging in a cup of really great Ethiopian pour-over after living the last 7 years on diner drip coffee. You had no clue you were missing that kind of quality until after you got a taste of it! Still, as with coffee, there is an adjustment period while you refine your palate. Hearing that raw file (diner drip) and then hearing the first pass of a mix (Ethiopian), will reveal clear sonic differences and improvements in quality even to the most undiscerning of ears. However, it takes practice, patience, and curiosity to start to identify the subtle magic; like tasting notes in coffee.

Okay fine. Then what even is mixing?

Most basically (and vaguely, to start), mixing audio is the process of controlling several aspects of sound within and between multiple audio tracks to create an overall sense of cohesion, balance, and artistry. It requires a combination of both technical knowledge and skill, and creative intuition and awareness. Sound is a science, but it is also an art.

The basic targets of mixing sound deal with balancing levels, frequencies, and stereo image (more on this later) to provide sonic clarity to the listener, while creating something more interesting and pleasing to the ear than any raw audio file could ever be. A good audio engineer will take all of the individual audio tracks and apply all sorts of effects, filters, and techniques to make them sound more cohesive; like a family of sound rather than a bunch of strangers shoved together in the same room. This process occurs within a digital audio workstation (DAW), which consists of three components: a computer, an audio interface (a device that converts audio from mics, mic pre-amps, or a mixer into a signal for the computer), and a recording software.

The Basics:

Let’s begin our descent down the rabbit hole. Most of these definitions come straight from the Bartlett & Bartlett text “Practical Recording Techniques: The Seventh Edition.” Then, we’re going to try to break each down a little and add some context. It will be helpful to imagine your song existing in three-dimensional space; aspects of sound within your mix can move up and down, forward and backward, and side to side. Mixing audio in many ways is about sliding sounds along those different axes to create a rich and compelling sonic product.

Frequency: “The number of cycles per second of a sound wave or audio signal, measured in hertz (Hz).”

Sound waves travel quickly (high frequency/pitch) or slowly (low frequency/low pitch), or lots of speeds in between. Oftentimes in raw recorded audio, there are extra, unnecessary frequencies that “muddy” up the mix, or make it sound messy or garbled to our simple human ears/brain. To fix that, audio engineers will EQ the tracks.

Equalization (EQ): “Adjustment of frequency response to alter the tonal balance or attenuate unwanted frequencies levels.”

Stay with us. We EQ tracks to cut (remove) unwanted frequencies, or boost (increase) frequencies we like or need more of in order to make the overall mix more clear, crisp, and colorful. You can apply highpass filters (HPF) or lowpass filters (LPF) to make the best/necessary elements within tracks stand out, and get rid of the frequencies that muddy the mix. An audio engineer might apply a HPF to a guitar track to remove extra frequencies going on in the low end, and then go in more thoroughly to cut or boost specific frequencies to curate a more intentional sound.

If we are imagining our song in three-dimensional space, this is the axis that runs up and down. Soundwaves manifest as bass (low; 60-120 Hz), mid (middle; 400-2.5k Hz), and treble (high; 8k-15k Hz) frequencies.

Compressor: “A signal processor that reduces dynamic range or gain by means of automatic volume control.” Compression has to do with level, or volume control. Recording real musicians often means a wide dynamic (volume) range. A compressor automatically reduces gain (amplification) when the signal exceeds a preset level (threshold).

This is the part of mixing that happens on the axis running forward to back; think of it as someone stepping closer to you/the microphone (your ear will interpret this as louder) or away (softer).

Panning: “The act of placing or moving a sound anywhere in the stereo field of a stereo playback system.”

We experience recorded music through a stereo system, meaning there is a left and a right speaker (even in your phone). This tricks our brains into processing audio as if it’s coming from a single, center source, creating what we call a phantom image.

Before mixing, all tracks more or less sit “center.” This not only sounds flat and singular, but also auditorily confusing. Our brains struggle to isolate instruments, tracks, or interpret anything interesting going on. Panning combats that by spreading the sound sources of the tracks out along that left-to-right axis. When our brains can organize and localize the different tracks, it allows for certain instruments, embellishments, and tonal qualities to shine through that might otherwise be lost.

These components are only the beginning. There are tons of effects like reverb, chorus, echo, and more that enhance depth, mood, and tone of the song, and plenty of space for a mixing engineer to get creative and take the tune to the next level. The best way to learn more about what makes a good mix and your audio preferences, is to stay curious. Ask your audio engineer lots of questions, do your research (think podcasts, articles, books, YouTube videos), listen to different kinds of music and start to try to identify elements of the sound that you like. If you want, make your audio engineer a playlist of reference tracks with sonic elements that move the needle for you. Remember, you don’t need to know everything to start speaking the language, you just need to start speaking it.

***Written by Singer/Songwriter Kayla Lunden