Spring Hill Recording

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 19:42:51 +0000

DW drum kit and Fender jazz bass

admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:40:21 +0000

Recording in a music studio can be a detailed and complex experience. It can be intimidating to those who have never been through it before. This page is for just those people. It takes you through the studio recording process one step at a time and
explains your part, and the studios part in each step.

Click here, and then on the article below that applies to you, to learn about what you will be doing in a recording studio.

Recording Studio Basics

admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:32:45 +0000

There are several different jobs in a recording studio. Each job in necessary, and even crucial; and understanding what they are is important for anyone working in a studio (that includes recording in one). It’s worth stating before we go any further, that one person sometimes handles more than one part of the recording process, however each part is it’s own skilled trade, and will be covered individually here.

The most obvious job in the recording studio is the Artist (Band, or singer, or singing group, or soloist…) And while this is certainly a very important job in the studio, it’s not the only important job. So, lets go over the Artists place in the studio, as well as the other crucial parts of a recording project.

Producing:

The Producer is also a very important piece of the recording project. The best way I know how to explain this job is to compare it to a Director in Hollywood. The Producers job is to make sure everything that needs to be done gets done; and gets done right. The Producer does not write the songs, or rewrite them, but if the band is playing the song with a one minute intro before the lyrics come in, he’s most likely going to have them shorten it quite a bit. He might have them add a guitar solo, or take one that is out of place and have them play it at a different place in the song, or not at all. He will decide what additional instruments would fill the song best, like violins, an organ, harmonica, ect.. He also has to make sure that all the instrument are on time, and all the vocals are on key. And that the whole project is completed in the given time frame.

Engineering:

Their may be more than one Engineer on a project, though one is sufficient for most. The Engineer is a necessary job that can be under-appreciated. The Engineers job is to set up the equipment, and run it when necessary (like if the producer is unfamiliar with some of it). While this may seem like the gopher of the studio, it’s actually a lot more difficult than it sounds, and effects the final sound of the CD quite a bit. The Engineer most know quite a lot about recording in general, microphones, and all of the equipment in the studio. Part of his job is to set up the microphones, but he has to know what mic to use, and how the given instrument, or vocal, needs to be mic’ed. While a small diaphragm condenser mic would sound great on a hi-hat cymbal, it would not sound very good on a snare drum, and far worst on a bass drum. There’s a whole lot of stuff like this (years worth of studying, and experience) that an Engineer needs to know. With an experienced and talented Engineer every track on your recording project will have the professional sound it deserves.

The Artist:

The Artist’s job is quite obviously playing the songs. The Artist must have the songs practiced and down, and be ready to perform when the record light turns on. He (She/They) most have the confidence to perform the songs masterfully; this confidence comes from practicing the song enough times to have it down cold. The Artist most be able to work with patience to keep playing the song until they have a good take of it…Frustration and discouragement will work against you in the studio. The Artist most also be able to work with everyone in the studio; especially with the Producer.

Studio Musicians and Singers:

Studio Musicians are professional musicians that are brought in on a project to play the instruments that the Artist is not going to himself (herself/themselves). And Studio Singers are Professional Singers that are brought in to sing background vocals. They might play with the Artist during recording, or they might be brought in after the Artist has tracked their (his/her) part; depending on the particular situation.

Mixing, Mastering, and Editing:

These are three different, and very important jobs in the studio; they are the last stages in the recording process (“Post Production”), and can make or brake the project. If the recording was done poorly, with some good Editing, Mixing and Mastering it can be salvaged, and come out sounding decant. If the recording was done right, than the Editing Mixing and Mastering can make it sound great if done right. With improper Editing Mixing and Mastering the end result with be awful no matter how well the recording was made.

Editing:

Editing is actual changes made to the recording. An example of a minor edit would be if the drummer hit the kick drum just ever so slightly late, but it stands out and sounds bad. Using recording and editing software in a computer you can move that one kick drum hit to the perfect spot and make the song sound much tighter. This is a very simple edit job, a more complex edit would be if it was decided that the song was dragging out to long and one verse was to be removed. This is a much larger, and more difficult edit job. It requires more experience, and will only sound right if the band played the song very tightly. I’ve also lengthened short songs before by making a verse or chorus repeat, maybe with the vocals, or some of the instruments taken out, or some sort of change to the original way it was played to change up the song a bit.

Mixing:

Mixing is where every track gets attention. Each part (kick drum, snare drum, cymbals, bass, keyboard, lead vocal, each of the background vocals), every track, gets whatever processing it needs; whether it’s compression, eq, fx, ect… This is where all the tracks come together, and they have to be pieced together just right so as to add to each other rather than cover up each other. It’s an art all it’s own, and really talented mixers are artists. It’s of all importance to get a good mix on your song, or it won’t be half the song it could have been.

Mastering:

Mastering is the final stage in the recording project. This process determines the songs volume dynamics and level, as well as how much low end, and how much high end it will have. This may seem like a pretty simple job, but it’s a whole lot harder than it sounds. Anyone who’s done it before can tell you it takes a lot to master a song properly. You have to have the equipment, but much more importantly, you have to have the skill. And it’s not an easy skill to acquire.

Other related jobs:

There are plenty of other jobs in the music industry. To be sure there is an entire industry full of them. And it’s no small industry, we’re talking tens of billions of dollars annually in record sells alone. While each job in the music world is crucial to it’s over all success, the ones listed above are the ones involved in the actual recording process.

The Recording Process for a Solo Artist

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:28:08 +0000

Before we get into the step by step process of recording a solo artist we need to understand the roles of each instrument. As well as the different methods of recording a band.

Roles of the Instruments:

The drums are the rhythm foundation. The Bass is like a connecting tissue between the rhythm and the melody, it holds it all together so to speak. The “front instrument” usually the instrument played by the solo artist, and most often a guitar or piano, holds the melody. All of the other instruments set the feel of the song.

Different Recording Methods:

There are two main methods to record a band. The first is to have the whole band play the song and record them as they do. This is the original way of recording, back before we had multi track recorders, and is still best for some situations. It gives more of a live band sound; and is great for when you want that energetic real band sound, and have a good band that can play real tight with each other.

With the invention of multi track recorders and computer recording software we are now capable of recording each instrument separately. This is gives you a more modern and tight sound. It gives you the ability to work on each instrument by itself and get each one just right. You don’t have to get the drums, the bass, and the guitars perfect all at once; you can have each musician work on his part alone until he get it down perfect. This way of recording is also great for solo artists, and is the one discussed in more detail bellow; because the solo artist can record his/her songs while playing alone, just like he/she practices them; and the studio band can play the rest of the instruments in their own time.

Step by Step Process of Recording:

The first step to recording a solo artist is to get a scratch track of each song. This is accomplished by the Artist coming into the studio to record a rough take of each song. This rough take “or scratch track”, with be used for the drummer and bass player to play alone with. Because the drums and bass are the rhythm foundation of the song they need to be recorded first, then the other instruments will be recorded on top of them. It’s crucial to record them in this order because recording a drummer playing along with a recorded Solo Artist will never be as tight; and will never sound as good. The Artist will play and sing by his/her self and with a metronome, or drum loop. The perfection of the performance is not important as this is just the scratch track and will not be used in the final song. What is important is that the timing is as tight as possible. While the drummer will be playing with the metronome, any straying from it by the Artist will naturally pull the drummer off with it. If you are a Solo Artist who does not know how to play with a metronome; don’t worry about it. Learning how to record with one for a scratch track is easer than it might sound. I’ve taught more than one person who’s never done it before in a matter of minutes. If there is a song that the Artist is not playing tightly enough with the metronome a drum loop will be used in it’s stead.

The second step is done without the Artist. It’s to record the drums, bass, and possibly other instruments as well, such as percussion or rhythm guitars.

The Third step is for the Artist to come back to the studio and play his/her parts for real this time. He/she will not be playing with a metronome this time, but with the recorded drums and bass. It is usually best to record his/her instrument and vocal separately. This way he/she can concentrate on each part without having to try to focus on both at the same time. It will most often give the best results with a tightly played instrument, and a vocal that hits all the right notes. Sometime however you get an Artist who only sound natural singing and playing at the same time. If this is the case he/she can be recorded this way.

The Fourth step is to record any other instrument and vocals that are to be on the album. The Artist usually does a lot of, if not all, of the background vocals his/herself, and sometimes plays more than one of the instruments. After the Artist is done with all of his/her parts, the studio musicians with finish the rest.

The Fifth step is for the songs to be mixed and mastered.

…and you have a finished album.

The Recording Process for a Band

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:27:37 +0000

Before we get into the step by step process of recording a solo artist we need to understand the roles of each instrument. As well as the different methods of recording a band.

Roles of the Instruments:

The drums are the rhythm foundation. The Bass is like a connecting tissue between the rhythm and the melody, in holds it all together so to speak. The “front instrument” usually the instrument played by the solo artist, and most often a guitar or piano, holds the melody. All of the other instruments set the feel.

Different Recording Methods:

With the invention of multi track recorders and computer recording software we are now capable of recording each instrument separately. This gives you a more modern and tight sound. It gives you the ability to work on each instrument by itself. You don’t have to get the drums, the bass, and the guitars perfect all at once; you can have each musician work on his part alone until he get it down perfect. It is also possible to record a few instrument at a time and then add on to that as you want. You might for instance, record the drums, bass and one guitar, and then add another guitar, and keyboard and a tambourine one at a time. It’s almost always best to record the vocals separately and after the main instruments are recorded.

Step by Step Process of Recording:

The first step to recording a band depends on the method of recording being used. If you’re recording the whole band at once, than the first step is to have the band come in and start recording, quite simple really. If you are recording each track individually it involves an extra step of recording a scratch track. This is accomplished by the front man coming into the studio to record a rough take of each song. This rough take “or scratch track”, with be used for the drummer and bass player to play alone with. Because the drums and bass are the rhythm foundation of the song they need to be recorded first, then the other instruments will be recorded on top of them. It’s crucial to record them in this order because recording a drummer playing along with already recorded instruments will never be as tight; and will never sound as good. The front man will play and sing by his/her self and with a metronome, or drum loop. The perfection of the performance is not important as this is just the scratch track and will not be used in the final song. What is important is that the timing is as tight as possible. While the drummer will be playing with the metronome, any straying from it by the Artist will naturally pull the drummer off with it. The drummer will then record the drums for each song, playing along with the scratch track and metronome. The bass will follow, and each of the main instruments will follow after the bass. The lead vocalist will then record the lead vocals.

The second step is to record any other desired instruments for the songs; percussion, more guitars, more keyboards, violin, cello, ect ect. As well as the background vocals.

The Third step is for the songs to be mixed and mastered.

…and you have a finished album.

The Recording Process for a Soloist

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:26:58 +0000

The Process for recording a Soloist is quite simple.

Step One:

The Soloist will come in and play his/her songs on his/her instrument; the manner in which it is recorded will depend on the instrument, and the preferred sound for the album. If it’s a digital piano (a keyboard on a piano sound), than it will be recorded direct; meaning without a microphone, as the keyboard will be plugged in with an instrument cable. If it’s an acoustic guitar it will be recording with a microphone, even if it’s an acoustic-electric guitar, because the high end studio microphones will produce a better sound than the transducer in the guitar. If it’s an instrument that will be recorded with a microphone the Soloist will have to wear headphones during the recording if he/she is to be playing with a metronome.

Step Two:

After the recording is done the Studio Engineer will mix and master the recording.

…and you have a finished album.

The Recording Process for Singer/Song Writer

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:25:56 +0000

The typical tracking of songs by a Singer/Songwriter is very simple and fast. The Singer/Songwriter will come in and play his/her songs. He/she can either play and sing at the same time, or record his/her instrument and vocals separately. The songs will then get a rough mix, and your done.

The Recording Process for NonMusical Projects

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:14:40 +0000

More than just music is recorded at recording studios. Books-on-Tape, Radio Commercial Adds, ect ect. The pros at a recording studio can make it happen for you, they have the equipment, and talent, and the experience to get your project done and sounding great.

Studio Recording

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:33:45 +0000

In the Studio we can record just about anything. Any form of music can and has been recorded in this studio; from a single instrument solo album, to a full production album, to demos; Rock, Pop, Jazz, Country, Worship, Hip Hop, Classical, whatever style you play we can make you sound great.

Whether you’re a band that wants to recorded a full album, or a band looking to track a demo, or a solo artist that needs a backing band, we can be your studio, and your backing band. Spring Hill Recording can track the whole band at once, or track each instrument individually, depending on your bands style and experience in a studio. We have the experience and knowledge to get the seasoned pro what he (or she) needs; and the experience with beginners and amateurs to assist them through the recording process with ease and speed.

For Studio Recording prices Contact Us.

Live Recording

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:32:20 +0000

Spring Hill Recording has the equipment, the Engineers, and the experience to record your band, church service, school play, or whatever you need recorded on location. Live recording is an art of it’s own, with over 10 years of experience recording live events; Producer/Engineer Jeremy Womer can capture your live sound in an almost studio sounding quality, without losing the live excitement and feel.

Spring Hill Recording can set up their live recording gear with minimal to no interference with your normal set-up, sound check, and performance. You won’t be affected visually, or sound wise during your live event.

For a Live Recording price quote e-mail us with a brief description of the what you need recorded live, as well as where and when you need it recorded.