Recording & Mixing
Recording in Studio:
Singer-Songwriters to Full Bands
Recording in studio is fun and rewarding!
Headphone monitoring (the 'cuemix') is important and I will take care to provide a headphone sound musicians are comfortable with. The monitoring on headphones allows overdubs to be recorded. For example you can add backing vocals after laying down the main vocal track. If loudspeakers were used for this, then the main track would be re-recorded through the microphone being used for the backing vocal, and that's problematic.
Typically singer-songwriters play acoustic guitar and microphones are always used for this although I will also record the guitar's DI if present. Deciding position and type of microphones is time very well spent. The musician can play and sing at the same time, or record the instrumental and sing to that afterwards. Whatever you are most comfortable with is best.
Recording full bands takes time in the set-up and I prefer to set up and mic-up drum kits in a separate session before the rest of the band are present as this is very exacting. We discuss all this in advance.
Even if you are very well rehearsed, at least 3 takes per song will be recorded. Recording the whole song all through is the usual route to best result, although sections can be taken in turn. Click tracks are used entirely at the musician's preference, not mine! However, under many circumstances recording to a click eases the subsequent mix, often substantially so again all this is discussed in advance.
Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided.
Mixing
I do the first mix version in studio after the recording sessions, and you are not present for that. Depending on complexity, each song takes 6-10 hours or more to mix. For this purpose I have an excellent true-hybrid system, i.e. a combination of computer processing (iMac and Logic Pro) interfaced with a Toft ATB32 analogue console (pic) and various lovely hardware processors. To my ears the result is warm, clear and musical and I love that way of working.
Discussion with musicians (mix notes)
Please see the download 'Client's Product' for more information.
Songs will be delivered as wav and mp3 files via WeTransfer or Dropbox. At or after Mix Notes (client's feedback) I make wanted change so that the product fulfils expectations. It is very important to me that you are happy with the result . Musicians are encouraged (after Mix1) to come to the studio to listen under professional acoustic conditions, discuss any issues of the mix and participate in further mix work as necessary or desired.
Each song signed off can be delivered as wav, mp3, AAC or on audio CD as required. Digital level of files will be tailored to the destination of the song.
Most destination is streaming and there are important issues of loudness normalisation that we can discuss.
Additionally I can author your songs as a commercial-standard Red-Book audio CD file suitable for replication houses.