FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I Hear Some Of Your Previous Work?
Will My House Work OK For Recording?
What Kind Of Gear Do You Have?
Do You Track The Band All At Once, or Individually?
Will We Wear Headphones?
How Much Is This Going To Cost?
Do You Do Mastering?
How and When Should I Pay?
Will You Keep Our Master Tracks on File?
How Long Did It Take To Learn All This Stuff?
Can I Hear Some Of Your Previous Work?
Of course! You can hear MP3s of several projects I've done by visiting the 'Session Notes' section of this site. If you'd like to hear something on CD, let me know, and I can send you something out.
Will My House Work OK For Recording?
I have recorded in a lot of different places, and have always been able to make it work. If your house is ok for rehearsals, it's probably ok for recording. Of course, there are some problems that need to be dealt with: Do you have a dog that barks? A baby in the house that cries? Loud traffic outside? These issues can make some tracking difficult, particularly vocals. But if you have a closet, bedroom, or bathroom, we can work it out. It's best to setup in the largest room available in most cases, but when I arrive, we can discuss the best setup.
What Kind Of Gear Do You Have?
All of my gear is portable, and modern. I personally think that gear lists are a bit silly, you're not hiring the gear so much as you're hiring my skills. But, if you are dying to know, here's some of my gear:
- 1.8 ghz iMac Duo Core, running Cubase 4 on OS X 10.4.11
- A Full Complement of Plug-ins (Including a few I wrote myself!)
- Event TR5 Near Field Monitors
- 2 Channels of TnC ACMP84s (Clone of Neve 1084 Channel Strip)
- 4 Custom Racked PM1000 (Circa 1973) Channel Strips
- 4 Channel Shure M67 Mixer (Circa 1965) modded with 20db pads and direct outs
- (2) 6 Channel Yamaha M406 Mixer (Circa 1981) modded with direct outs
- Yamaha GF 16/12 - 16 channel mixer (used for tracking/monitor mixes)
- Crest Audio iPro 1 Channel Strip (compressor/limiter/eq)
- Studio Projects B1 Large Condenser Mic
- (2) Groove Tubes GT44 Medium Condenser Tube Mic
- (2) Shure SM57 Dynamic Mic
- Shure Beta58a Dynamic Mic
- MXL V63m Large Diaphragm Condenser Mic
- ElectroVoice RE20 Large Diaphragm Dynamic Mic
- AKG D112 Large Diaphragm Dynamic Mic
- KEL Audio HM1 Large Diaphragm Condenser Mic
- (2) Oktava MK012 Small Diaphragm Condenser Mic
- (2) Oktava MK219 Large Diaphragm Condenser Mic
- (2) Sennheiser e603 Drum Mics
- Sennheiser e609 Mic
- Nady RSM-4 Ribbon Mic
- Nady RSM-5 Ribbon Mic
- (3) Nady Dynamic Drum Mics
- MOTU 828MKII Firewire Audio Interface
- Frontier Designs Tango-24 A/D Interface
- M-Audio Oxygen 8 MIDI Interface
- (4) Assorted Headphones
- Line 6 Toneport UX2 (guitar amp simulator)
- Presonus HP4 Headphone Amplifier
- 50ft 16x4 Snake
- A whole mess of cables and stands
Do You Track The Band All At Once, or Individually?
We can work however you are most comfortable. For expediency, and to get the most "live" feel, we can track live, with no headphones. The instruments will be routed to individual tracks to allow for punch-ins and mix flexibility, of course. On the other hand, if you prefer to track one instrument at a time, that is always an option. Sometimes, better separation can be achieved this way. Ideally, though, I would record the drums, bass and guitars simultaneously, then go back and add vocals, and any other overdubs.
Will We Wear Headphones?
This is totally up to you. If we're running the bass direct, headphones will probably be required (I have a headphone amp, and plenty of extension cables, splitters, headphones, etc.) On the other hand, if your bass player is using an amp, and everyone is comfortable tracking in one room, headphones may not be necessary. Skipping phones can make the session go a lot faster, and I think it helps preserve the natural feel of the performance (you don't wear phones on stage, or at rehearsal, do you?)
How Much Is This Going To Cost?
How much you spend will depend largely on the scope of your project, and your readiness to record. Doing two songs, which are well-rehearsed and ready to go may take only an afternoon. Recording an entire album with lots of overdubs and effects may take several days. Other considerations include whether you'll be taking the project to a mastering engineer, and how many copies you plan to manufacture. You can see my current pricing and request a recording quote here.
Do You Do Mastering?
I don't offer mastering services, as I define "mastering". I recommend that you go to SAE, or another mastering facility. Some guy with Pro Tools and some Waves Plug-ins is not a mastering facility. Having said that, I can make the recordings suitably loud on CD, so that they don't stand out as overly quiet when played next to your other commercial CDs. And if budget is a big concern, I can do a quickie eq and leveling, to make your CD more "finished." However, I don't claim to compete with a facility like SAE, with their high-end gear, well-tuned room, and years of experience.
How and When Should I Pay?
I accept payment via Paypal (Visa, Mastercard, etc), check, or cash. You can pay me at the end of each day of recording, or at the end of a project, if the recording and mixing happen on sequential days. I don't keep accounts open, and I don't send out bills, so please be prepared to pay for your services on the day of your session.
Will You Keep Our Master Tracks on File?
I keep every project on the Hard Drive it was recorded to, and also backup the files to DVD. This DVD will be kept off-site, to insure that it will survive even if some catastrophe should befall the hard drive. Of course, recording programs evolve, as do storage mediums. I will always do my best to keep your project backwards compatible. If you need to move to another platform (Pro Tools, for example), we can flatten the tracks to a universal format like .WAV files. It's important to keep this information safe, one day your daughter may want to sing a duet with you, (ala Natalie Cole)!
How Long Did It Take To Learn All This Stuff?
I am always learning new things, of course, but I've been doing recording in one form or another since I was about 14 (1985). Of course, those first recordings were on a reel to reel TEAC machine! I studied recording a bit in college, and have engineered or assisted on many sessions over the years. Nothing teaches like experience, and the more I do this, the more I learn. So, I suppose the answer to that question is "My whole life." My advice to anyone wanting to get into recording is simple: Buy yourself some gear and get started. Study, read, observe, listen. I don't have a position on recording schools like The Conservatory, but I never attended one. I tend to think that you're better off spending that tuition money on gear and sessions, but everyone makes their own choices in that regard.
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