Tips to Make the Most of Your Studio Session

Wyatt Oates and Tanner Hendon at the helm at Madison Studios.

When you pour your heart and soul into your music, you want the finished product that people hear to be the best it can be. Sure, you can sit on your couch and hit record on your smartphone to share your music with others, but for a professional, polished result you’ll benefit from a studio recording session. When you schedule a recording session at Madison Studios you not only have a great acoustic space to perform, but you also work with talented sound engineers and producers who can help you get better sound and better production value in your music.

Another benefit of recording in a studio is the opportunity to focus solely on your art. “Being in the studio, you have other people to worry about whether the gear is working and making sure everything is recording correctly,” says Wyatt Oates, Record Producer & Mix Engineer, MadRex Productions. “The more a musician is allowed to be in their zone, the more synergy the music will have.”

Here are a few tips from Wyatt to make the most of your recording session and come away with a product you’re proud of.

· Plan ahead for your time. Whether you’re reserving one 3-hour session or multiple sessions over the course of a few days, it’s important to have an idea about how much work you can get done in the allotted time. Before you make a commitment, talk with the folks in the studio to get an understanding of how long it might take to do what you want, such as whether you’re working with one track or five, how many songs have vocals, etc., and plan your time accordingly.

· Ask questions before the big day. Do you need to bring your own laptop or hard drive? Do you need extra drives, etc? What format will the final product be saved as? It’s to be expected that you might have a lot of questions about the studio session and the recording process, especially if it’s your first time. The best way to be prepared is to know what you’ll be working with before you arrive, so plan a call or email with questions beforehand.

· Be prepared musically. It goes without saying, but one of the most important things you need to do to get the most of your recording session is to be prepared with your music. You don’t want to waste time getting the bridge right or figuring out harmonies when you could be recording. Make sure you’ve rehearsed. Especially if you’re bringing a band, make time before the session to rehearse together. Also, make sure all of your equipment is set up correctly and working properly.

· Know what you want to do stylistically. Being able to communicate well with the producer and sound engineer will help you end up with a finished product you can be proud of.