What can we do before coming to the studio?
Ever heard the old joke about how to get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice! And that’s is the most important thing you can do in advance. Practice playing your part without your band (this is especially important for the drummer.) Play with a metronome to get used to keeping a steady tempo. We use a click track on most songs, which makes it easier to overdub or add parts later.
Also, get your instruments working perfectly. We highly recommend having your guitar set up and intonated. It costs a little money, but the end result is well worth it.
Discuss tempos for each song and write them down so the engineer knows roughly what speed the click track should be for each song. This doesn’t have to be perfect, just a general idea.
Make sure the arrangements of your songs are exactly how you want them, and write them down so you don’t forget. It may help to make a video of your favorite arrangement so you can remember how you did it.
You may want to hire a producer who will help you mold your songs to be the most successful that they can be. He or she will also be able to plan out exactly how your sessions will go, and will make things run smoothly. Our engineers can act as producers, but it always helps to split the workload if it fits within your budget.
Do you have instruments and/or amps we can use?
Can we come see the Studio before we book time?
Absolutely! Drop by anytime for a tour. We love to have company, and we love to show off our space.
What if we only want to track drums at THE PUNCH at Premier Studios and record the rest at home?
This is becoming a popular way for bands to be economical about their studio time. There are a few things we suggest to make this work as smoothly as possible. First, bring in some type of guide track for the drummer, which is usually scratch guitar and vocals. Second, plan on spending about four hours tuning and micing the drums. After that initial setup time, tracking will go fairly fast, depending on how familiar the drummer is with the material.
We suggest you consider bringing your final tracks back to mix at THE PUNCH at Premier Studios. It’s difficult to get a mix that translates well in a room that wasn’t designed for audio mixing, so bringing it back to the studio would give you that polished sound.
What if we only want to mix at THE PUNCH at Premier Studios?
We welcome material recorded at other studios. It’s an ideal and affordable option for anyone wanting to get different results.
What do we need to know when we get to the studio?
If everyone hasn’t already met the engineer, make sure this is the first thing that happens. This will help the engineer get to know you quickly.
Bring to the session only the people directly related to the recording process. This is merely a suggestion and is ultimately your choice, but most people work better without distractions. A crowded session causes distractions and can cost money in wasted studio time.
Bring whatever you would like to make the vibe right for you, whether that’s a beanbag chair or your favorite incense. Whatever it will take to make you play and sing your best.
Be on time, be ready to work, and above all — have fun!
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions at all about anything. Our goal is to help you make your music and we’ll do anything to achieve that goal.
Recording Studio Resources and Links