What is mastering? Do you do it, and is it included in a session?
Mastering is the process the final mix is put through after the mixing phase is complete. Usually this is done after an entire album or work of songs is mixed. EQ, compression & limiting is used to balance different songs tonally & dynamically so they all sound cohesive with each other. This is also the part of the process where the overall volume is increased to sound more like a typical store bought CD. Songs are also place in order and properly spaced out before a Master CD is burned for duplication.
Do I master? The short answer is yes. I can master your CD, but I don't consider myself a mastering engineer. Because it's a very specialized process, it's usually a better idea to have an actual mastering engineer do this. Fortunately, I do have several mastering engineers I can recommend if needed. Just having a second set of ears monitored in a different environment can better reveal any weaknesses within a mix. However, this process can be somewhat costly and some bands may find they can't afford the added expense. So in this case yes I can offer some simple mastering. In the end, it's better I do it than it not be done at all. I charge $10 per song, but there's a 5 song minimum charge. Basically you're looking at $50 for one to five songs, and $10 per additional song.
Can I master your CD that was recorded either by you or at another studio? Absolutely! To achieve the best possible master, I suggest bringing the highest quality file your engineer can provide you. I can take most file types from a standard 16 bit/44.1 khz audio CD, to wav, aif or sdII files up to 24 bit/96 khz. Feel free to contact me to discuse any questions or concerns you might have reguarding this process.
How much will it cost to record a CD?
Well, somewhere between say $20 and $10,000. How's that for a guess? Actually, there's no way to know for sure how long any particular recording could take. It all depends on the project. Some things are first takes, while other things may take some time. The only thing I can say is don't come in, record & mix 10 songs in one day and expect it to be your(or my!) best work. Rushing any part of the recording process could leave you with less than pleasing results. If you can't afford to recording a full length 12 song album, try recording a 6 song Ep. Even a well produced 3 song demo will get you alot further than a sloppy 15 song album. So the simplest answer to this question would be to contact me and let's discuss it. If you have a specific budget you're trying to work within, I'll do my best to put something together that will work best for you.
What can we do to get ready for the studio?
Great question! First of all, choose your songs wisely. Pick your best tunes to record and practice, practice, practice! And don't just practice them like you're playing a gig. Think about tempos and count offs. Consider practicing with a click track. Click tracks are hard for some people to jump into when they first get to the studio, however the more solid the tempo, the better and more professional sounding the track will be. Of course, many bands get by just fine without the aid of click tracks, but it may take a few more takes to get THE take to use as the foundation of the song. Another thing to consider would be your gear. Make sure everything is up to snuff. Guitar & bass players should make sure they have good strings(if not new) and the intonation is set. Don't forget new & extra batteries for pedals and active electronics. Drummers should have good or new heads (tuned if possible), plenty of sticks and possibly an extra snare drum just incase the one isn't sounding right for the recording. This leads me to my next suggestion which is keep an open mind reguarding gear. If something isn't sounding right in the studio, don't hesitate to try something else. I've got several guitars, amps, pedals and a few snare drums laying around which might actually work better in some situations. Be willing to try anything for the sake of the song, even if it's not "your" sound. You never know what will work best until you try it! Lastly, singers. You guys have one of the hardest jobs in the studio. Best prep for you is to not wear yourself out. Try not to schedule recording time the day after a gig. Sodas are bad. Green tea is good! Smoking is very bad but often not avoidable with some singers. Sickness is tough to avoid, but if you find yourself sick on tracking day it may be best to skip vocals and reschedule another day.
Can you "fix it in the mix"?
I hate this term, but to some degree yes I can fix some things. A pitchy vocal can be corrected to a point, but this should be used on a very limited basis. You don't want your vocal to sound like Cher... or then again maybe you do! I like to spend the time to get the right sounds up front for guitars, bass & drums, but if we decide later something's not working I have tools like Amplitube & Drumagog to help replace certain sounds if need be. Minor edits are doable, for instance if the drummer misses a snare hit or a cymbal crash I can usually cut and paste one from another part of the song. Major tempo fixing however is NOT recommended. You can easily spend hours editing tempo problems only to find the best thing would be to just track it over. Bottom line, it's best to track everything right the first time and spend little time "fixing" when you could be mixing.
When and how do we pay for our time?
Payment is expected in full at the end of each session booked. No copies of rough or final mixes will be handed over until payment is made. I do not accept credit cards, however if you have a PayPal account a payment could be made online. Contact me for details.
When do you book sessions? What are your hours?
For the most part I'm available most days from 10am-6pm. Weekdays (Mon-Fri) are only $20 per hour and weekends are $30 per hour. Occasionally nights are available as well and are also $30 per hour. Weekends tend to book up several weeks in advance while weekdays tend to be a bit more flexible. Call or email for more scheduling info!
Can we track drums with you and overdub on our own? Can you mix tracks we've tracked elsewhere?
YES on both counts! Isn't technology great? With a decent computer, a small interface and some simple software, bands can create amazing recordings with very little gear or experience. However, tracking drums or even a full band with a small project studio can be very challenging. One way around that is to go into a larger studio that's equipped to handle the task to track the drums, and then take the files home on a hard drive to overdub the rest of the tracks. You can then mix it yourself, or bring the sessions back to the studio for final mixing. This is a great way to save money as well as give you more time and flexiblility to tweak out your tunes. Most clients who have done this with me are Pro Tools users, but I can always give you raw wav, aif or sdII files for you to take home and load into your DAW of choice. Just bring your own Firewire or USB hard drive! Also, if you have some tracks you've done on your own or at another studio that you'd like to finish up or even remix, contact me and we'll discuse how we can make that happen.
