Archive for May, 2011
Vocal Recording – Getting the Most Out of Your Studio Time
Many amateur artists with high aspirations go into the studio with no idea of what they are about to encounter the moment the engineer hits record and give the cue to start.
I’ve seen it many times, when people want me to record them or to produce a song / album, they say how much do you charge for studio time? I tell them my rate and then the day comes to record. I greet them, they rest their personal effects aside and then I prepare the session to record. Then it happens….Factors that the artist did not take into consideration start to surface, it drags the session longer that anticipated. The artist’s budgeted time is about to expire and we are just on the second verse.
Stories like this and others very similar I know has happened to other engineers but seldom are the artists informed on how to avoid such uncomfortable situations.
As a result I tell my customers to R.E.S.T before they lock in their time with my studio.
R.E.S.T. stands for Repeat. Envision. Study. Test.
This formula is one that is used by many veteran artists to make sure that when they get in the studio, their hard earned money is well invested. Let’s start with “R” repetition. By going over your material over and over again it becomes instinctive and delivery under pressure is no longer and issue. In addition to the repetition realize your material in your mind and what you are conveying. This is where the “E” envision in our acronym comes into the equation. Have you ever heard a Luther Vandross, Tupac, Miley Cyrus song and pictured yourself in the story of that song? This brings us to “S”, study other songs in you genre or style. See what made that song special. Finally “T” test your material around those you confide in and be your own worst critic.
By implementing this tip you will be able to walk in the studio and maximize your time and even have the time to be creative or come up with new or spontaneous ideas because you now have a very good foundation to build upon.
Learn How to Set Up Your Studio and Care For Materials
If you are an artist who wants to be serious about a career in painting you are going to have to learn how to set up your studio and care for materials. This is a huge subject because it is nothing less than learning how to build a business empire. Even though we are talking about an artistic discipline your artist studio and all of its components must have some element of organization or you will never accomplish any of your artistic goals. This means that you should have a desk somewhere in your studio that is exclusively devoted to managing the business end of your artistic career.
Setting up an artistic studio can be quite simple if you already have space where you live to create a room that is devoted exclusively to your creativity. This could be a garage in the back of your home or a light filled room somewhere in your home. Sometimes just an extra bedroom in your house will do nicely for a makeshift artist studio.
However the ideal artist’s studio is often found in a warehouse or building that has lots of windows and light. Artist lofts or studios with a southwest exposure are ideal for painters because you will enjoy a great deal of soft natural light for the majority of the day. Read the rest of this entry »
Vocal Recording – Getting the Most Out of Your Studio Time
Many amateur artists with high aspirations go into the studio with no idea of what they are about to encounter the moment the engineer hits record and give the cue to start.
I’ve seen it many times, when people want me to record them or to produce a song / album, they say how much do you charge for studio time? I tell them my rate and then the day comes to record. I greet them, they rest their personal effects aside and then I prepare the session to record. Then it happens….Factors that the artist did not take into consideration start to surface, it drags the session longer that anticipated. The artist’s budgeted time is about to expire and we are just on the second verse.
Stories like this and others very similar I know has happened to other engineers but seldom are the artists informed on how to avoid such uncomfortable situations. Read the rest of this entry »