Making The Most Of Your Sessions

I am often asked by clients "what do I need to do before I come to record". Now, if you are a seasoned voice actor or a musician that has been in the studio many times before, you probably have your own ritual that you go through prior to recording and you probably have a list of things that you like to bring into the studio. That is great, we all have our practices that make us utilize our craft better and certainly different recording sessions mean a different set of needs.

For voiceover sessions, it's always helpful, although not always possible, if the voice talent has gotten scripts in advance as well as some sort of scope on the vocal style that will be used. There is not a lot of other things that a voice actor needs to bring to a session. While most studios have water, it's always smart to bring water or whatever specific needs your voice has to perform at its best. A pen or pencil is also a good idea, just in case. Finally, voice actors need to understand that they are there to please the client and be open minded to the requests and willing to try many different reads and inflections.

I always tell musicians that are coming in to record that the most important thing is that they know the material and know it well. The studio is not a place to iron out the chorus or get your guitarist up to speed on the bridge. That needs to be done in advance. Studios are a place to get your absolute best performance recorded and let the producer and engineer work their magic. Guitarists should always have extra strings, drummers should have extra sticks and everyone should come prepared to focus on their music. There should also be a well defined plan for recording ahead of time. Musicians should know the order of songs and have a clearly defined goal for the recording session. Make those hours in the studio count.

Clients that are brining in songs or albums for mastering need to clearly communicate their desires for their final masters. It helps to provide the studio with reference material of songs they admire the sound of. Also, it must be understood that mastering is not a magic process that corrects poorly recorded or mixed songs. While many things can be corrected and improved through the mastering process, not all issues are correctable. Make sure that you are happy with your mixes prior to contacting a studio to master your project.

The studio can be a magical place but I have seen sessions that could have been much smoother with proper communication and basic understanding ahead of time. Always visit with the studio prior to the recording session and let them know what you want to achieve. Most studios will do all that they can to ensure that you are happy.

Key Audio & Sound Design is always happy to answer your questions and we would love to hear about your pre-recording routines as well! Feel free to post below!