One of the biggest wastes of money I come across when talking to unsigned acts is in their studio recorded demo. The amount of acts that listen back to it 1-2 months later and hate it and can spot a multitude of errors always amazes me. Why not take this a seriously as possible so you can have something to be proud of and that represents your sound!
Most artists will listen back to older demos and hear areas for improvement but not in terms or recording quality and sound. So a few top tips I wish I knew before I first went in to the studio:
1) Singers/vocalists learn your words and melodies inside out – do not adlib as this can go one of 2 ways; awesome or terrible with 99% coming in the later category. You should know every word and every accent on every word. DO NOT ADLIB on a record!
2) Leave enough time. In 2 x 8 hour days you should be able to comfortably record 3 songs well. So many artists substitute quantity for quality. Do not push for 4-5 songs just get 3 done really well to a level you are 100% happy with them. I guarantee 95% of you reading this will ignore this point.
3) Ensure your equipment is working 100% before you get to the studio. Not buzzing or rattling as locating and fixing these issues takes up valuable recording time. This also means new stings, skins and leads.
4) If using Studio equipment, such as a drum kit, ensure you are happy with the sound before you get in there.
5) Tell the engineers exactly what sound/results you are after. Talk about records you like and what you want to be seen as. Are you a finely tunes, sweet pop outfit or a thrash, rough around the edges combo. They want happy customers who will recommend them so be very specific and define your sound.
6) Make sure you have spare strings, picks, skins, sticks – hell even back up guitars borrowed from other people if possible. You are in the studio to record and mix your tracks do not waste this time by rushing out to pick up these items.
7) Vocals. It is very common for rap artists (and metal screamers) to wrap their hands around the “ball” of their mikes – this looks cool on stage but totally destroys the sound in the studio. You can look cool onstage but you need to sound cool on record
.These are just a few from the top of my head – I will jot a few more down when I have time.
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