5 Tips For Saving Money In The Studio: Tip #5

This week, I will be bringing you my top 5 tips on saving money in the recording studio. Each day for the next five days, I will present a new tip that is based directly on my observations and experiences with the many artists I have worked with in the studio over the years. Hopefully these suggestions will help make your next recording experience as fruitful and cost-efficient as possible.


Tip #5 - Know The Songs

Imagine showing up to a photography studio to have your portrait taken, only to realize that you forgot to comb your hair and you're still wearing your pajamas. Taking your picture looking like that seems pretty pointless, right? Well, that's what showing up to the recording studio unrehearsed is like. As an engineer, I cannot begin to count the number of wasted hours that have ticked by in my studio because of things that could and should have been fixed in the rehearsal room. I often use the analogy that being in the recording studio is akin to being underneath a microscope; all of the minute details (and mistakes) that go unnoticed in a live performance are suddenly pushed front and center for everyone to hear. There is nowhere to hide. So unless you want to sound like a rank amateur, all of those problems have to be fixed, which costs time and money. In my experience, unrehearsed artists almost always end up over-budget because of this costly, but entirely avoidable, mistake. To keep from falling into this category, it is absolutely critical that everyone involved in the recording session be intimately familiar with the material and their individual parts before going into the studio, and that the band as a whole be tight and very well rehearsed. The better you know the material, the less time you will spend correcting mistakes. This will save you money, and it will also free up time that you could be using to be creative and come up with ideas for additional parts that can make your recording even better. So plan a few extra rehearsals before your recording date. Your wallet, and your fans, will thank you.

Check back tomorrow for tip #4.