Recording Handbook - Hol.gr

It's generally a bad idea to have a band member's significant other (boyfriend, girlfriend,
spouse, dog, parakeet) as a producer unless they're a professional.
2.6) Where can we get the money?
Rich relatives. :) Seriously, it's handy to have someone to borrow from if you're not making money
gigging. Make sure you pay them back as soon as you can. Save some.
SECTION III: BEFORE YOU GO
3.1) What songs should we record?
Record your best songs. It's important to make a distinction between good live songs and good
recorded songs, though; some of the most powerful live music doesn't translate well to a CD
without the audience to feed off of.
It's better to record fewer, better songs than to record more, crappier songs. You may not want to
admit it, but we ALL write crappy songs (some more than others).
Record songs that are fun to play. You're probably gonna end up playing them a lot.
Record a variety of songs. If you've got some hip-hop, some metal, some pop, and some country
songs, maybe pick the best songs of each type. Critics are very unfriendly to bands whose recorded
music "all sounds the same."
3.2) Should we record covers?
Probably not. Two definite no-no's are to record covers that are still under copyright (you may do a
better version of "Panama" than Van Halen themselves, but that doesn't make it legal) or to record
songs that everyone and their sister has already covered ("Mustang Sally," "Little Wing," etc.)
3.3) What gear should we take?
As little as you can get away with and still get your sound.
For guitarists, I'd suggest an amp (head and cab), a guitar, your basic effects, and enough cables to
put everything together. It's been my experience that studios have spares for most stuff that can
fail. They probably also have better effects than your Crap-o-Tron flanger, too. Bring spare tubes,
though.
Bass, for a demo project, is usually recorded directly into the board, so there's no need to bring an
amp.
Drums can sometimes be provided by the studio, unless you're so totally in love with your kit that
you can't play anything else.
Singers should bring a big bottle of whisky. (Just kidding.)
3.4) How should we prepare?
Let me preface this by again reminding the reader that this is based on my experience, and that
every band has its own style and dynamic. This worked for us; it may not work for you.
The most important preparation to do is of the music. You're paying for studio time; it's cheaper to
make sure everything's ready beforehand. Practice time is free, or close to it. Use it. Practice the
songs over and over, until everyone could play their part backwards and in their sleep.
One thing that worked for us was deconstruction. We'd play a song a couple of times, then break it
down into parts. First, just drums and rhythm guitar, then drums and bass, then rhythm guitar and
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