Recording Handbook - Hol.gr

lead guitar, then rhythm guitar and bass, etc. After everyone was set, we'd bring everyone back
in and play it a couple more times.
If there are going to be any changes to the arrangement, sounds, or lyrics, now is the time to make
them. (Speaking in general terms, of course; being in the studio gives a new atmosphere that
naturally changes the music somewhat.)
Get your gear in shape. New strings, drum heads, tubes, or anything else you might need. Get the
guitars and bass set up. Get the piano tuned. Fix the zither. (What exactly is a zither, anyways?)
SECTION IV: IN THE STUDIO
4.1) What is the recording process?
There are a few general processes. Some bands prefer to track everything live, with the whole band
in the studio. This helps capture the interplay of musicianship better, but it can make for looooong
times in the studio and many, many takes. Most studios have a drum booth, which allows for live
drum tracking, and closets or booths for guitarists and amps.
Most bands take the incremental route. The most important track (several tracks, actually) is the
drum track, so it's imperative that it be flawless. Doing it as a "build-up," the drum track is tackled
first, either with one or two other musicians or the whole band playing along. Once the drum track
is perfect (or acceptable, depending on the budget), the bass track is laid down to complete the
rhythm section, and the other tracks are overdubbed, building up the finished track. Generally,
vocals are laid down as the last major track, then atmospherics like tambourine or backing vocals.
Electric guitars are miked at the speaker, or run through a direct box. (A direct box takes a guitar
signal or an amp's speaker output and bring it up to the level of the mixing board.) Same gig for
bass. Acoustic instruments are miked in a soundproof booth.
The mikes, or direct boxes, are run to a big mixing board, 16, 24, or 32 channels wide, maybe
more for bigger studios.
The engineer handles the "monitor mix" -- the mix used for the monitor headphones. It's not the
same mix that's actually laid down to tape, however; that's mixed according to the dynamic range
of each instrument. Monitoring is generally done with headphones, and the mix is also piped
through speakers in the control booth.
There are two kinds of recording, analog and digital. Analog is laid down on big (1" or 1-1/2")
tape, which records 16 or 24 channels. Digital is laid down on similar tape (for the expensive
studios) or ADAT. ADAT (Alesis Digital Audio Tape) is recorded on special VHS videocassettes
that hold 8 tracks of CD-quality digital audio. Both can be used simultaneously, if they're
synchronized. They get synchronized with SMPTE, a time-coding scheme that gets recorded on
one analog track. (SMPTE stands for the Society of Motion Picture Technicians and Engineers, I
think. It's pronouced "simpte.")
Expect to have to overdub lots of things. Remember, this is your chance to get it right; you'll be
hearing that one flubbed note over and over again. (See the "Mixing" section for more on that. :)
4.2) What are basic do's and dont's?
Don't mistreat the studio's equipment.
Don't yell at someone for screwing up.
Don't expect to make it perfect on the first try.
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