So, how does this recording stuff work?

by Kristi Olson

Welcome to Surreal Studios! Here's a little bit of advice for anyone who wants to come in and record a multi track project. Recording is a skill much like live performance or song writing. It takes a lot of time to acquire confidence and efficiency. Here at Surreal, we pride ourselves on being flexible and able to meet the broad range of requests, from large projects to small ones, experienced players to novices. We are used to working with people from many different levels and let you dictate your own pace.

For someone who hasn't recorded much before in this kind of environment, there are a few things to expect.

It helps to practice the songs without lyrics. Give yourself some time to get used to playing with headphones and playing in a new environment. We have the advantage of a good sized room and several booths, so everyone can play at the same time and yet we maintain isolation of the instruments. Everyone will be able to see just about everyone else, (depending on how many people you have and your instrumentation). Since you're multi tracking, everything will be on its own track. That way you can go back later and do punch ins, over dubbing, and mixdown. Punching in allows you to fix just one piece or even note of a song instead of replaying your whole part. Over dubbing is layering on other parts after the initial track is done. And mixdown is the very last step, where we decide on volumes, tones, effects, and the icing on your cake.

If you want to record a full length product, it's a good idea to book a block of time (around six hours) the first day or two to get all your rhythm tracks down. Overdubs and vocals can usually wait for another day. This is especially important if you are recording drums. It really saves you a lot of time and money if you set up only once or twice. Set up usually takes around 90 minutes to two hours for a drum set and full band. We have a studio drum set available for renting at your session. Call for details. On days you are using blocks of time, bring lunch and snacks. Stuff like that can make a big difference with your endurance limits.

As we get to the final stages of the project and it's time for mixdown, there are a few things to keep in mind. Try to give yourself time in between tracking and mixdown, a least a few days if you can. This will help to give everyone a bit more objectivity to the project. You can also mix down with a different engineer than you tracked with. That can add a fresh view to any project. We have an automated board, so mixes don't need a lot of hands riding the faders all at the same time. We give the board a set of instructions and it will remember those instructions every playback. Then you can improve upon those instructions and get as detailed as you'd like to.

Although everyone is welcome during mixdown, having everyone there can not only dramatically lengthen the amount of time spent on a mix, but can "spoil the broth". Sometimes it's a good idea to appoint one or two people from the band to be there with the engineer to make the necessary decisions. Everyone will have rough mix tapes at the end of each tracking day, and please make sure you listen to these to form your ideas for the mixdown. You can shave lots of time off mixdown if you avoid the dangerous habit to "fix it in the mix". An automated mix down is a flexible and powerful tool, but it shouldn't be used to try to fix a bad or lazy performance. Try to keep your tracks as clean as possible when you record.

The most important thing to keep in mind is to have fun with it. Your state of mind while you are here will come out in your performance. Most people don't get to record very much, so it's hard to get studio experience. Just be well rehearsed and prepared when you come in. A little bit of nervousness is to be expected from everyone, but if you approach the work with confidence it can make all the difference in the world. Hearing your work recorded professionally can give you new insights about its direction, so please be open to inspiration while you are here.

When it comes to duplication, we can be an asset to any project. Surreal Studios is a full service duplicator, from CD's to cassettes, large orders to small ones. It's never too early to begin work on your graphics design. Please look over the paper from Art International, the people that we recommend for print work. If you have any questions at all, we are here Mon - Fri 9:00 - 6:00, (usually much later), and most weekends. Call anytime, or stop by and take a look around. We love to show off our studio.