Tips & Tricks: How to Prep for the Recording Studio
So I am preparing to go the studio again next week. This time I will be recording pop covers on the cello. Kind of wild! This is not something I had imagined doing, but it will be fun! I have been in the studio numerous times to record my own four CDs, tracks for three other musicians/bands, and to record several demos. By now I have learned many things about the studio.
- Practice a lot beforehand. This should be pretty obvious… You need to be prepared, and ideally have your arrangements worked out ahead of time. When you are recording you usually pay by the hour, so the more rehearsing and arranging you do in the studio, the more you are paying!
- Record yourself ahead of time. It is amazing the things you hear when you are listening to a recording of yourself. You will pick up a lot of things (tuning, small sounds, inflections) that you did not hear when practicing. This is also a good idea because there is always more pressure when you are recording (even just at home), so the practice of having a little added pressure is good!
- Make sure that your equipment is in good repair. Put new strings on your instrument (long enough before so they have settled in), bring along spare strings, tuner, and whatever else you may want to have in the studio with you.
- Bring snacks. It is hard work, breaks are often needed, and having a snack and some water with you means that you don’t have to take time going out to get something.
I am excited to be going back to the studio, and I am excited, and nervous to be recording only on the cello! I am sure that it will be fun!