Your Session
Comprehensive services encompass recording, mixing, and mastering, all customised to meet your specific needs.
Recording
Singer Songwriters to full bands
Typically singer-songwriters play acoustic guitar and microphones are always used for the guitar 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! 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.
Mixing
Using true-hybrid system: lovely analogue gear!
I do the first mix version in studio after the recording sessions, and you are not present for that. I have an excellent true-hybrid system, i.e. a combination of computer processing (Mac Studio computer and Logic Pro) interfaced with a Toft ATB32 analogue console and various lovely hardware processors. To my ears the result is warm, clear and musical and I love that way of working. Please see the download 'Mixing Notes' in the section below for more details, the important thing being that you are completely satisfied with the final product.
Mix Notes
Please see client documents:
>> Mixing notes >> Product notes
Songs will be delivered as wav and mp3 files via WeTransfer. At or after Mix Notes (client's feedback) I make wanted changes so that the product fulfills expectations. It is very important to me that you are happy with the result. Musicians are encouraged (after Mix1) to come to the studio for critical listening, and thus participate in further mix work as desired.
Mastering
Each song is mastered and delivered as wav/mp3/AAC/CD as required
Through a combination of software and outboard gear on the mix-bus, the final product will be polished and sweet! Digital level of files will be mastered to suit the destination of the song. Streaming is the commonest destination and there are important issues of loudness normalisation that we can discuss. I can author your songs as a commercial-standard Red-Book audio CD file (DDR) suitable for replication houses, and provide a physical audio CD if required.