How "outsider-friendly" are recording studios? (UK)
Mentalguy2k8
reasonable distance that wouldn't mind me turning up and watching from the
back, just to get a general feel of how the whole process works. Just from a
home recording point of view, not for the purposes of going into the
commercial business myself, the type of music isn't important, just an
opportunity to pick up some knowledge of how music is recorded and mixed.
I'm probably better with watching and hearing for myself than reading a book
(although I'll be ordering a couple if the brains in here say they're worth
it..)
How does the studio setup work... is it a guarded secret, do you have to
serve an apprenticeship? Does anyone know of any welcoming studios (anywhere
within, say, 100 miles of the South Coast who would be OK with me just
looking around and watching what's going on for a day or two? I'm not asking
for a free tutorial or masterclass, just a chance to observe. Is it worth
contacting studios, or do they see this as blasphemy? Forgive my ignorance,
I've only been in a studio twice as a musician, for all I know a studio
might see such a request as a huge insult.
Mentalguy2k8
"Mentalguy2k8" <Mental...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:jRgFm.36888$nj3....@newsfe25.ams2...
As discussed in the home studio group, I'd certainly be willing to do
errands or menial work around the place in return.
Mike Rivers
> I'm thinking of looking around to see if there are any studios within a
> reasonable distance that wouldn't mind me turning up and watching from the
> back, just to get a general feel of how the whole process works.
In general, a studio won't mind, but it's up to their client. You may
find that
most people who go to a studio to record prefer not ot have an outsider
listening to their mistakes, or even to their songs, if they're new and
not yet
released to the public. The best approach is to try to find someone who is
planning to record in a studio, doing the kind of projects that you're
planning
to do yourself, and ask if you can observe a couple of their sessions.
Don't expect to be able to interrupt the engineer, though, and ask "why
did you
put the mic there?" or "what does that box you just patched in do?"
That's what
you get in a formal training class, if you can find one that suits yor
budget.
> How does the studio setup work... is it a guarded secret, do you have to
> serve an apprenticeship?
Serving an apprenticeship is a very good idea, but there are few studios
these
days that have such a program. Part of the reason for that is that so
many people
want to "learn on my own" or learn from a book or a free web site. These
things
tend to breed each other.
Mentalguy2k8
"Mike Rivers" <mri...@d-and-d.com> wrote in message
news:hc4b2a$to9$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
> Mentalguy2k8 wrote:
>> I'm thinking of looking around to see if there are any studios within a
>> reasonable distance that wouldn't mind me turning up and watching from
>> the
>> back, just to get a general feel of how the whole process works.
>
> In general, a studio won't mind, but it's up to their client. You may find
> that
> most people who go to a studio to record prefer not ot have an outsider
> listening to their mistakes, or even to their songs, if they're new and
> not yet
> released to the public. The best approach is to try to find someone who
> is
> planning to record in a studio, doing the kind of projects that you're
> planning
> to do yourself, and ask if you can observe a couple of their sessions.
>
> Don't expect to be able to interrupt the engineer, though, and ask "why
> did you
> put the mic there?" or "what does that box you just patched in do?" That's
> what
> you get in a formal training class, if you can find one that suits yor
> budget.
Excellent point, I hadn't thought about the artist/band being uncomfortable
with it. Of course, I wouldn't poke around or interrupt, I just hoped to
pick up some general vibes on how experts mix and effect their recordings. I
can read all the books on the subject, but for me there's no substitute for
seeing and hearing it "live".
Richard Webb
<big snip>
>> most people who go to a studio to record prefer not ot have an outsider
>> listening to their mistakes, or even to their songs, if they're new and
>> not yet released to the public. The best approach is to try to find someone who
>> is planning to record in a studio, doing the kind of projects that you're
>> planning
> Excellent point, I hadn't thought about the artist/band being
> uncomfortable with it. Of course, I wouldn't poke around or
> interrupt, I just hoped to pick up some general vibes on how experts
> mix and effect their recordings. I can read all the books on the
> subject, but for me there's no substitute for seeing and hearing it
> "live".
THe problem you're going to have with any facilities where
good quality work gets done is that most are going to have a "peanut gallery" where the visitors and hangers-on at the
session can listen along, but aren't actually in the control room. IF you're not one of the folks paying the bills, if
I"m the session engineer, that's where I"m going to want
you, is in the peanut gallery area. YOu may, or may not be
able to actually observe the musicians performing for the
microphone there, and you're not going to see much of
anything that the engineer is doing.
You'll be keeping company with the band's roadie, the
drummer's girlfriend, etc.
Regards,
Richard
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Scott Dorsey
>You'll be keeping company with the band's roadie, the
>drummer's girlfriend, etc.
I don't know about you but I'd sure rather be keeping company with the
drummer's girlfriend than in the control room with all that loud music....
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
Mentalguy2k8
"Richard Webb" <Richard.We...@116-901.ftn.wpusa.dynip.com> wrote in
message news:280_2009...@ftn.wpusa.dynip.com...
What does the drummer's girlfriend look like?!??
"Peanut gallery" LOL, I like it.
david correia
"Mentalguy2k8" <Mental...@gmail.com> wrote:
If you want to do this, you have to make it worthwhile for whatever
studio you contact. Make them real happy to have you around.
David Correia
www.Celebrationsound.com
Richard Webb
>>You'll be keeping company with the band's roadie, the
>>drummer's girlfriend, etc.
> I don't know about you but I'd sure rather be keeping company with
> the drummer's girlfriend than in the control room with all that loud
> music.... --scott
Yah, can understand that. ONe thing I like about the remote truck thing. I can turn the damn thing down, I don't have
some mostly deaf muso telling me "turn it up man!!!" all
the time.
ROom I used to work at a lot had a nice lounge area upstairs for those hangers-on with the band, another had a place on
the other side of the building.
I find with the bands thing that if you don't have the
peanut gallery well separated from the control room's
working area you're too distracted by the extra bodies.
rickymix
probably find someplace that will allow you to hang around when
there's no client there. And if you present yourself well, most
engineers will be happy to pass on their knowledge to you in the
apprentice/journeyman/master tradition.
But if a client is working, you probably shouldn't be there,
unless you're serving them in some go-fer/tea boy/ second engineer
capacity. Even when I owned my own studio, if someone else was
engineering/producing, I would try to avoid even being there in the
studio at all. There's a creative vibe that (hopefully) happens which
can easily be disrupted by any outsider.
Imagine being in the middle of having sex with your significant
other, and some stranger walks in. "Oh, don't mind me; I just want to
observe, take a few notes and maybe I can learn something.... " It's
like that. Really.
Find a band that's preparing to record. Record their rehearsals
for them, schlep their gear, be of use to them. Then they'll be
comfortable with you tagging along to their sessions.
Cheers, Rick.
Scott Dorsey
>Yah, can understand that. ONe thing I like about the remote truck thing. I can turn the damn thing down, I don't have
>some mostly deaf muso telling me "turn it up man!!!" all
>the time.
A few years ago, I was recording a very good acoustic band, which was playing
in a convention center auditorium that had acoustics reminiscent of an aircraft
hanger or parking garage.
A friend of mine came to the concert, and I invited him into the truck after
the intermission... and he said, "Wow, it sure sounds a lot better in here
than it does out there."
Richard Webb
>>Yah, can understand that. ONe thing I like about the remote truck thing. I
>> can turn the damn thing down, I don't have
>>some mostly deaf muso telling me "turn it up man!!!" all
>>the time.
> A few years ago, I was recording a very good acoustic band, which
> was playing in a convention center auditorium that had acoustics
> reminiscent of an aircraft hanger or parking garage.
dOne a few gigs in places like that. Had the misery of
running foh more than anything though.
> A friend of mine came to the concert, and I invited him into the
> truck after the intermission... and he said, "Wow, it sure sounds a
> lot better in here than it does out there."
That's the other thing I like, my control room in my truck
sounds darn good! Some folks in this newsgroup know this
rig from its previous owner and can vouch for that <g>.
NOt just are the volume levels more reasonable, but I know
what I"m hearing in there.