Travelin’ With The Guys

It looks like it’s finally spring and for someone who is not a fan of cold weather I’m very glad to see green stuff sprouting out.  Which reminds me a lot of our walk with Christ.  You know, sometimes it feels like your whole life is just a big garden of blooms and beauty.  But then there are times when everything looks barren and cold.  It’s a wonderful feeling to know you can turn all your problems over to God and He can cause things to bloom again.  Those cold, dark days really make you appreciate His blessings.

I was struggling to come up with something to write about but then I felt led to talk about recording.  Now this can be a touchy subject with some folks.  I know some groups who don’t want to do any recording locally and choose to spend a good bit of money with a “big studio” and that’s perfectly OK as long as you have the funds available.  But then there are those who just don’t have that kind of budget and I’m here to tell you that you can indeed find some good, quality studios locally.  You just have to be willing to do some looking around.

Now, what do you do once you’ve located the studio you want to use?  Well, it doesn’t matter if you use Nashville’s finest or the good friend with his own mixer the first thing you need to do is get prepared.  Know what you’re going to record and practice.  The studio is not the place to rearrange songs – do that ahead of time.  Be prepared to make some mistakes and be patient with your engineer as he fixes the problems.  Take some breaks.  It’s very hard to record a complete project in one day.  By the time you’re finished you will be exhausted and may let some things slip that you will regret when you get the final mix.  Have fun but don’t get silly.  Studio time can be expensive and if you’re horsing around you’ll run up a huge fee if you’re paying by the hour.  Keep in mind that most studios also charge by the hour for mixing time.  In a lot of cases, if you’re well prepared it will mean less mixing time and more money in your pocket.

There are some other things to keep in mind.  Does the studio provide a complete package or will you be responsible for your own duplicating and cover printing?  If you are using a photo for your project cover, that needs to be ready before starting your project.  Some studios will go ahead and start the printing process before the recording is started.  When you list your songs on your project, you need to name the artist and the publisher if that information is known.  If you are using soundtracks – such as Daywind, you need to obtain written permission before using them on a recording.  As with most anything, a number of issues can come up but your studio should be willing to work with you and answer any questions you have.

I’m not an expert on recording but I have been on both sides – as an artist and an engineer – and your recording session should be an enjoyable experience.  With the correct preparation you’ll have a great time and should have a finished product that you can be proud of.

Until next time – keep singing for the Lord!

Amanda Staggs

Stronghold