Basic Recording Methodology

 

Here's a little about each step of a normal album project. Please note that there is never one way to make a record, but this outline is intended to give you a very general idea of some of my procedures, answer basic questions and hopefully give you an idea of what to expect if you make a record at Jacketweather with me.

Deposits, Balance and Payment Options are all handled by Brandon and I don't have a thing to do with money or initial booking. Please refer all questions to him. Thanks.

 

Pre-production
Rehearsal
Load In
Scratching
Drums
Bass
Guitars, Keys, Etc
Vocals
Post and the Mix
Mix 2
Mastering

 

Pre-production: This is where I get to see you on your turf. It may include a rehearsal or two, attending a live show, sitting around with acoustic guitars, rewriting, swapping stories, and maybe all or none of the above. I'd love it if you record live or VERY SIMPLE versions of the songs, rip to MP3 and post on the ftp 2 weeks before any Pre-production rehearsals so i can familiarize myself with the songs or possible song selection.

Rehearsal: Please try to have lyric sheets printed for me. I also prefer instruments and gear to be set up or repaired before the first Pre-production rehearsal... usually 3-4 weeks before tracking begins. In rehearsal we may pay attention to details concerning arrangement, tempo, pocket adjustments, lyrical difficulties, gear choice, etc. We may instead just talk about production ideas and leave any changes for the session. The idea is for me to become familiar with your outfit and the material...and to begin to help direct expectations for the weeks to come.

Load in: All guitars should be set up, drums should have skins changed, batteries should be replaced, etc... BEFORE load in. Please don't wait until you get here.

For our session...Please DON'T bring:

1. bass amps with blown piezos
2. guitars with dead strings
3. noisy or broken cables
4. amps with missing or microphonic tubes
5. drums with bent or broken drum lugs
5. gear with ripped skins or speakers
6. pedals or guitars with dead batteries
7. songs with unfinished lyrics
8. gear with noisy jacks
9. cd's of your favorite band for me to listen to just 'cause
10. girl-friends, roadies, groupies, fans or meth dealers.

Starting DAY ONE You WILL need

1. ALL available amps and guitars...beg-borrow-steal guys
2. beer
3. whiskey
4. snacks
5. aspirin
6. allergy meds
7. pillows
8. LYRIC SHEETS

Scratching: We have to lay tracks to lay tracks to. Makes sense, right? It should not take that long...but the set-up likely will, especially if we're tracking live. The 1st day is all about becoming comfy in the room ...so take deep breaths and try to enjoy the experience a little, will ya? Open a beer. yeah, i know it's early... so live a little... and get me one too, while you're out there.

Drums: We may be changing a lot, but this stage is important. If we're tracking live , then scratch, drums and bass are likely all happening at the same time...
Just stay focused and buckle up. These will be the longest days for sure.

BTW, no matter how much you want to continue tracking...if i call the session, just admit that we are done for the day. Please don't whine, it's embarrassing.

7 Things you may get tired of hearing from me while we're tracking drums:

1. less is more
2. what's the bass doing?
3. pocket pocket pocket
4. give me one more.
5. give me one more.
6. hit those fuckers this time will ya, nancy?
7. give me one more.

5 Things you might consider not saying to me while we're tracking drums

1. the click is throwing me off
2. i want a really big sound
3. this drum was owned by "(fill in the blank)"
4. i think i broke your mic
5. i want the snare really warm and present (those are opposites dude)

Bass: OK, Don't sweat it...we'll probably make up some time here. Who knew drums would take that long, right? Yes, I would like you to bring your amp along...
Yes, we will probably just use the DI, but bring the amp in anyway please.
Sorry guys, I like to have options.

6 Things you may get tired of hearing from me while tracking bass.

1. less is more
2. what's the kick doing?
3. pocket pocket pocket
4. give me one more
5. take it easy on those fuckers will ya, bam-bam?
6. give me one more.

Guitars, Keys, Etc: Ok, We'll probably be composite tracking...which means any one take is not really all that important while in overdub mode. I will take all the best sections of each take and make a seamless beautiful version of you on your very best day...We'll have the most fun here, but shouldn't be rewriting the whole concept. We will likely be putting you in the main room with LOUD amps. I love feedback. However...the second you feel a headache coming on, please tell me. We will take a short break and it will save us LOADS of time in the long run. It will also keep you performing well and keep you from being a grumpy asshole to-boot.
If there are key or string arrangements to be completed by me...I will probably NOT be doing them in-session. That will be part of post production for me. We can talk briefly about it, but won't likely be experimenting with extras at this time.

IMPORTANT... There are a few things that we WILL NOT be doing. Right now the short list of tired, lame or overused gimmicks is as follows:

1. Hand claps on the Bridge
2. Reverse cymbals or swell effects leading into the chorus
3. Fake Tough Gang Vocals with all your poser friends half-assing it.
4. Bass Drops are out of the fucking question. Come up with something better.
5. Faggy Intros (like that guitar loop you made on your Line 6 Delay Modeler when you were stoned...yeah dude...everybody does it)
6. An “AM Radio” gutted voice effect on the repeated word or answer line.

Please don't argue. Believe me, it is in your best interest.

Also, I hate to be insulting, but i feel like i have to add this....
Any additional players hired for sessions need to be:

1. paid immediately after the session
2. fed at least every 5 hours
3. provided drinks of their choosing

This stuff is the artists responsibility, not the studios. Please take care of your guys!

Moving on to:

Vocals: I rarely work anyone's voice longer than 4 hours. My recommendations are all pretty standard. You have probably heard it before but here's my list:

1. if you are a smoker DO NOT QUIT within 1 month of tracking.
2. if you are not a smoker DO NOT START the week of tracking
3. no dairy on days we're tracking
4. no carbonation within 1 hour of tracking
5. no caffeine with 2 hours of tracking
6. no snacking please. you eating = 1 hour vocal break
7. you should be on vocal rest between sessions (no strip clubs, gigs, late night dancing...and yes...no blow please, it dries you out)
8. you will not be reading lyrics off paper or a screen. please memorize your lyrics or push the session until you have.
9. if you are sick or getting sick...just reschedule with me...don't waste time, or worse...risk injury to your voice.

Post-production and mix: You will not be receiving a rough copy of the tracking mix before you leave the studio. I am very picky about what leaves my place and I won't release anything until I have had a chance to clean it all up to a standard I feel is an acceptable representation of your work and mine.

Post production includes: Composite edits of all instruments, note by note pitch correction almost without exception, sometimes drum replacement depending on many variables, building backing tracks and bass synths, etc...

Mixing is : Track leveling, eqing and panning. Reverbs and effects as well. When i get the rough mixes done I will post them on the ftp for your enjoyment. You will hopefully take this opportunity to listen to the mixes on several systems and get a feel for where the album sounds the best. After you have had some time with the mixes, i will expect some critical feedback on my mix. For this you should consolidate band notes and spend an evening debunking each other before passing the groups ideas on to me. More on mix notes below:

Mix 2: The purpose here is to give you minor tweaking capability and ownership in the last phase of your recording. There are a few guidelines for this interaction however. We may mix together, but more likely we will mix via notes. I will probably not be adjusting tones at this point. For the most part, the effects, panning, stereo field, volumes and tones are critical parts of my artistic contribution to the album. The type of feedback i am looking for is limited mainly to phrases or takes i may have picked while composite editing that you can't live with, re-arrangements you feel really hurt the integrity of the song, SMALL level tweaks due to my oversight , or further creative or intro/outro ideas...as well as track order ideas, etc. Your primary job is critical listening (ie: pops, clicks, hiss, missed mistakes, etc) and although i can answer questions you have concerning mastering and playability on different systems i prefer you trust that i have the best interest of ALL of us in mind. It will make the process much more fluid if you try to respect my technical decisions as much as I try to respect your creative ones. Will we argue? I should hope so. Part of having a passion for something is that it must mean something to you. Remember that by this point in the process the record feels as much like my record as it does yours. We may repeat the mix process several times, or none at all. Depends on the song and the budget.

Mastering: I am a post production and mastering engineer. That being said, If I have mixed the album I would much prefer to turn those duties over to another when the budget allows. I do a rough master on everything that leaves the studio. Yes, i said everything. At the end of our mixing process i can render an unmastered version for the mastering engineer we choose...but what you hear during the mixing process will always be masters.

Here is a description of what i do in the mastering process-

I will

1. Harmonically Balance and EQ the material (could resemble a disc you provide.)
2. Increase the volume of entire record to a commercial standard.
3. Improve spatial image of songs.

Additionally, here is a more detailed list of tweaks that could occur in the final stage:

1. Making last minute tempo adjustments
2. Editing tracks to have smooth beginnings and endings
3. Placing tracks in order and crossfading any bleeds between tracks
4. Text encoding cd so it can be read by players with text capability
5. Assigning ISRC to tracks
6. Running noise reduction for tracks with hiss or pops.

Not all of this is always without additional fees. Each project is different, and we'll discuss that in Pre-production

I hope all this rambling has answered any questions you had. Please remember that it is difficult to prepare a template for a subjective art form. Session life is easiest if left fluid.

Above all else I want my bands to enjoy making amazing records and feel that working with me has helped them grow both as people and as artists.

Those are in fact my goals also.