Welcome to

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Recording & Production
who's he?

Music Focus has been recording
all kinds of music for many
years. Our systems are
always being upgraded.
We offer complete
project production
and a professional,
hard working staff.

Here's an indexed
recording primer
that tells about the
recording process
as well as details
about our studio

Music Focus
Recording Studio Information

Preparation


Get new strings on the instruments you will be playing on the recording. Check out all guitars, amps, pedals, speakers, and cords to make sure nothing is defective or noisy. The drummer needs to completely tune the kit and think very seriously about purchasing new drum heads for the session. All drum equipment should be listened to carefully for squeaks and rattles that will show up on tape.

Practice Schedule: You should have at least 3 recording practices before you come in to record. For the sake of endurance try this: Run a tune 3 or 4 times in a row with about 30 seconds in between. If you really do this with all the tunes, you'll get a good idea of how it's going to feel in the studio on the big day. Get your endurance up before the day. Your sense of perfection is heightened while recording. If you've practiced endurance, you won't wimp out on the 4th take

You need to decide what songs you will be playing for the recording. If you are planning to do any more than 3 or 4 songs, a drummer must be aware of the fatigue factor and prepare accordingly. Whether you are tracking in layers or recording direct to DAT, drums are the foundation for everything. Although it is the drummer's performance that matters first, everyone must do everything possible to get 'the take.' You must strive for perfection. MF

  • Tape- We use Ampex 1/2 inch "499" reel to reel tape($42). One reel of tape lasts about 16 minutes. That amounts to about 3 or 4 songs. Also you will mix onto a DAT tape. Get at least a 90 min DAT tape ($12) 90 min is normal DAT tape length. Brands can be either Ampex or Maxell. You can purchase both tape formats from Bryco Sound, 1042 Aviation Blvd, Hermosa Beach (310) 376-4611. You can also purchase it from Guitar Center. It's always a good idea to tell these people where you are recording. Don't get talked into some product you don't want. Also don't wait until the last minute to get your tape! MF

  • Set up- It takes up to an hour to get drums set up and microphones correctly placed, this includes testing and equalizing the sounds. During the testing process we always record the drummer playing alone for a minute or so. Then he can hear for himself what the kit sounds like. Once the microphones are set around the drum set, the drummer needs to play each drum for the engineer. MF

  • Checking the microphones- It is important to know how an engineer needs to hear your drum set. Bass drum is usually first to get checked out. Play only the bass drum slowly and evenly. Always play with the actual strength that you really play. The tendency is to wimp out during sound check, then blow all the mics away during the first tune. Be honest with your hits. Next comes the snare. Again the hit must be the same strength as you plan on really using. Toms are next. Each tom is usually checked from smallest to largest. Watch the engineer through the glass to know when he wants the next sized tom to be hit. Usually at the end of the individual tom check the engineer would like to hear you do some tom fills. Step through your toms with your own style keeping in mind your normal strength of hitting. Next are the over-head mics. Use a basic drum beat with attention to more cymbal crashes and ride cymbal than perhaps is normal for you. Be sure to use cymbals that are placed on either side. Don't over hit your normal crash strength!

  • Sound check- You will be recorded and then asked into the sound booth to hear your set. Everyone is always welcome to make suggestions on getting a better sound. The same set-up routine is true for guitars, bass, and vocals but uses far less time. MF

  • Studio environment factor- "Tracking" a song is very different than rehearsal. You are much more likely to hear small mistakes when you hear a playback in a recording studio. You need to allow about 2 or 3 takes per song to get the original track acceptable. (Many professional bands use what is called a click track to help keep the track tempo even and perfect. If your drummer is very experienced at this by all means use a click track. If you do use a click, find out what your exact tempos are before you come in. We have the machines to make the click.) It's a great feeling to get a song right in "one take." It does happen. Strive for this but don't be discouraged if it's not quite right the first time. Don't be afraid to ask questions and get your feet wet in the studio. We want to magnify your wishes and translate your spirit to tape. MF

  • Headphones- Every professional recording studio uses what is called a 'headphone mix' to allow you to hear what is going on. This can be a little confusing at first. When a band tracks their music, usually the only instruments that are given microphones are the drums and the vocals. The vocalist will sometimes be in a separate room from the drummer. The drummer hears everyone else only through these headphones. Bass and guitars are almost always tracked "direct" into the mixing console. It's a little funny feeling at first not to have a guitar or bass amp pumping next to you. There needs to be a clean sounding drum mix going to tape. If a bass amp is anywhere in the room where a drum set is recorded, it will go onto all the microphones. This goes for guitar amps to a slightly lesser degree. If you know about this and are content to 'let it bleed,' we have no problem with that. Bass, guitars and vocals are usually creating "scratch tracks" the first pass through. This just means that these parts, though recorded as well as possible, are probably not going to be the final "keeper" parts for those instruments. The point is this: Your tracking session is really just to get acceptable drums onto tape. Focus on that objective.


    • Be patient with the process of getting a headphone mix. Everyone, including the engineer, wants it to sound just right. If you really need something changed in your headphones, stop the band and call attention to the change. Be precise in describing what you'd like to the engineer. There's a good chance everyone will agree with your suggestion. Normally a band is given one headphone mix but we can supply two if say, the bassist is really getting overblown with guitar. It doesn't help to just shout out that you can't hear yourself. The individual controls of a headphone mix are very small and tiny adjustments go a long way. You also may have to bear with a slightly distorted headphone mix. To get a perfectly clean headphone mix loud enough to hear over a drumset is almost impossible. Normally you will be rewarded with a playback that sounds clean & killer. MF

    Overdubbing Sessions


    After you have recorded the drum tracks for the songs you are doing, the overdubbing process starts. This consists of the other members re-recording their part with more attention to detail and perfection than was on their "scratch" track. We usually keep all the scratch tracks for you to decide. 99% of musicians do decide to overdub. One of the main differences in the overdubbing process is choice of rooms. Your amp's speaker will always be in the big room. You the artist, can decide to play in the control room. Most professionals far prefer to be in the booth with the mixing board close at hand. There are many reasons for this. One of the main reasons is -- no headphone mix! It is easier to hear the drums going through larger speakers. We usually run your amp in the control room with a special speaker wire running out to the big room to the speaker cabinet.

    Preparing for an overdub session. Overdub sessions start with the bass guitar being recorded. The bass is often compressed in the recording process. We sometimes mix the direct sound with the sound of a microphone on a bass amp. Be prepared to play your parts 3 or 4 times to get the feel right. This is the same process that the drummer went through to get the feel right. You need to prepare for the mental game of perfecting your part which can be grueling. If you're prepared, your endurance will be high enough that multiple passes will just roll off your back and you will have a blast.

    Guitar and vocalist. Guitar rhythm and any doubling or any layering are added next and have the same "practice regime" needs as the drums and bass. Think about the tones and guitars you are going to use. It is quite normal to double or thicken your guitar parts with multiple tracks. Plan ahead if you want to do this. Some guitarists use up to 5 tracks. Also, if you plan on recording acoustic guitar for some songs let us know. We will do all acoustic song parts in a row.

    The vocalist has a very important task in the studio. You are probably going to be the last one to record your parts "for real." You've been waiting around for everyone else to get it right. Now's your chance. But the main difference is that you will have to use headphones! This is because we have to have a microphone on your instrument in the big room. And you are your instrument! Gear up for a challenge but try to stay loose too. You need to fill the microphone with your whole style during the recording. Always keep yourself pointed directly at the microphone and don't change your distance to the mic. The headphones are part of your tools. Many vocalists change the angles of the head phone cups. Many others remove one of the cups from one ear to hear their voice in the room. Be open to trying some of these tricks.

    It cannot be emphasized enough about being prepared. That means that if you aren't sure of the chords, bring in a chart of the song. Bring lyric sheets for the songs if at all possible. Arrange your songs so that everyone is calling the parts of the songs the same thing. You'd be surprised how many musicians call the bridge the chorus or the chorus the verse. It doesn't really matter to use, but try to be consistent within your band. This helps in the control room greatly. MF



    Final Mixing Session


    When all the parts you've recorded have been okayed by everyone involved, it is finally time to mix all the sounds together into a final mix. This is one of the most important parts of the process. It is also one of the least understood.

    Step one. We start once again back with the drums. Like in the beginning of the recording process, we concentrate on the the sound of the drums. Be patient with this process, all the other layers will sound a lot better if the drums are kicking from the beginning. Getting a good sound on any track means listening to it isolated and then equalizing it. Eq is just a fancy way of saying tone controls. Just like on a guitar amp you have controls to help change the treble and bass, the same is true with the tracks on a mixing board. Every instrument on the tape will have the opportunity to be Eq'd.
    Drums, bass, guitars, vocals, solos, etc. will be Eq'd to sound exactly the way you want them. We have done mixes many times so we have a good understanding about what sounds good on our equipment. However, you must be there to help and listen carefully to everything being done. Ask questions and give suggestions. Be prepared to be a little overwhelmed at the technicalities. But hang in there and concentrate. You are paying for your own education. This is the time to sit up in class. If your ask something silly don't worry, we've all done it!

    Step two. Once the sounds of all the instruments sound right, we start to mix them together. This just means that the amount of drums, bass, guitars in relation to each other is tested and reviewed many times. The drums themselves must be mixed in relation to bass drum, snare, high-hat, toms etc. Everyone needs to be listening to the overall projection of the band sound now. Though it's strange, get used to the term "null point." This term means just the basic floor level of the sounds during the song verses or choruses. Many times the null points can be used for the whole collection of songs. Don't worry at this point about the guitar solo not being loud enough or the tom fills or whatever. They will not be forgotten.

    Step three. Now the computer automation comes into play. It's very high tech but it really just does is remember things. All fader movements and channel muting can be remembered and tried out to everyone's satisfaction. It's refreshing to realize that you don't have to give any more attention to a detail once it's been automated. The moves that control the automation are stored on a computer disk. It's like a control file containing the sequence of events to the mix. All songs are saved separately as a file on disk. Each disk holds 6 mixed songs.

    During the automation process, reverb is added as well as special volume changes for solos, fills, intros and exits. We also review how the song actually ends. Some possibilities are a fade out, a quick knife edge (where the reverb is muted instantly too, quite dramatic) or just a natural sounding live ending with just a bit of a "feathered tail off." MF

    Mixing To DAT


    Once the final automation sequence is finished for each song, it is mixed to a recorder called a DAT deck. This Digital Audio Tape recorder stores all the actual mixed music. All songs must sound good separately and as a whole. It's also a good idea to think ahead to 'ordering' the songs. It's usually the easiest to just play the songs in the order you want them. This DAT tape can then be used to create cassettes, records, or CD's. MF


    Burning a CD


    Our facility now has a 4x/6x CD burner. It is a Teac mechanism that allows us to record single CD's with up to 74 minutes of music. Our 'burner' has the ability to record 4 times as fast as the CD will play. So, if you had a 40 minute group of songs it would only take 10 minutes to 'burn' a CD. They sound great, however, we have had some problems with those little portable 'discman' type units. The CDs sound awesome on any good 'home style' CD player. Songs can easily be reordered at this time. In order to correctly 'ID' the CD numbers of your songs there must be at least 2 seconds of space between the songs. Also, remember to include some computer 'processing' time into the equation if you do want CD's. There is some loading and editing time that has to be done to 'prepare' the computer to 'talk to' the CD burner. MF


    Summary

    We've talked about preparation and tracking being the first steps. We continued to 'thicken' things with over-dub sessions. Lastly the final steps of mix down finish our process. Show up to your sessions with an open mind and you will be rewarded with a great experience. Your music can put on a new pair of shoes and really step out. Good luck. MF

    MUSIC FOCUS EQUIPMENT LIST
    & Rates


    Tascam 3700 mixing console. 32 channel, full meter bridge, automated
    Fostex E-16 recorder. Factory modified 30ips. Dolby C NR
    Alesis ADAT 8-Track Digital recorder
    Fostex 4050 autolocator
    Tascam DA-30 pro DAT recorder
    Sony DAT recorder
    Tascam 202 dual recording cassette decks (3)

    Type of tape used:
    Ampex 499 1/2" reel to reel
    Ampex, Maxell DAT tapes (various lengths)

    Macintosh 840-AV 8 track hard disk recording & editing. DECK II software.
    Teac CD burner

    Crown, Yamaha & Hafler power amps
    Tannoy & Auratone monitors

    TL Audio tube mic preamplifiers
    Lexicon PCM-70
    Lexicon LXP-15
    Lexicon LXP-1
    Lexicon Alex
    Yamaha SPX 90
    Alesis SR-16 drum machine
    Alesis Quadraverb
    dbx 166 compressor
    dbx 160 compressor
    BBE Sonic Maximizer


    AKG, Seinheiser, Shure, Electrovoice & Fostex microphones and headphones
    Furman headphone amplifiers
    Studiomaster, Lexicon, QSC, TOA - PA system

    Mesa Boogie, Marshall, Fender, Music Man & Ampeg amplifiers & cabinets
    Boss, Ibanez & Dunlop effect pedals
    Marshall & Wendell baby grand piano
    Roland D-70 & U-20 keyboards

    Rehearsal Time: $12.ºº an hour. Monthly rehearsal time is less, ask.
    Studio rates: $35.ºº hour (4 hour block time is $120.ºº)
    Cassette duplication: Your tape. Rates vary, ask for a breakdown.

    Here are some flow charts
    to help you with
    your preparation:

    These charts can help you decide how best to
    record for your particular group

    Direct to DAT
    Recording Session

     

    Multi-Track Recording Session



    Air Conditioned Facility MF



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