HOW TO PREPARE
#1. KNOW YOUR MATERIAL Try and have everything set in stone. Know your songs! This includes all vocals and harmonies. You are not paying me to watch you write. Don't expect to finish songs in the studio, have them finished and polished before heading into the studio. You will be more confident, and confidence really shows through a performance!
#2. GET NEW STRINGS Get some new strings on your guitar and bass and bring a few extra sets. Get your guitar intonated, or I will do it when you're here.
#3. GET NEW DRUM HEADS. I will tune your drums for the best recording sound. Make sure if your cymbals have cracks to eliminate any buzzes, or else borrow/get new ones. Eliminate all squeaks or buzzes on your kit (especially kick pedal). You may need to replace your bottom heads if they are battered.
#4. Be prepared to have one guitarist track all rhythms. Because each player has his own quirks and techniques, the tracks won't line up perfectly. The key to having a really tight guitar sound is having one guitarist track both rhythms, so pick the cleaner player and have him prepared! The guitarist should also be familiar with the bass lines, if the bassist doesn't know his parts that well, the guitarist will be tracking them as well.
#5. Be prepared to record to a click, or metronome. This is important for industry standard sound and perfect time.
#6. WHAT SHOULD YOU BRING? All of your gear. Full drum kit, amps, cabs, etc. It's better to bring it and not use it than not bring it and need it. This includes pedals, sound effects ect... Morgan has some equipment in the studio and will discuss details about your guitar and bass cabs and heads. DO NOT BRING SIGNIFICANT OTHERS/FRIENDS... you wanna know why... because you won't get anything done. You have to be focused, so please, please don't bring more than 1 friend. We want no distractions in the studio..
#7 All members need to be present the entire session, So please plan your schedules accordingly
#8 ATTENTION VOCALISTS!! It's very important that you know your material, Vocal takes are very critical... Your voice (depending on the vocalist) will only last 1-2 hours a session. You should also be singing several times a week prior to the session to prepare your voice for the studio. You wouldn't run a marathon without training... The same way goes for your vocal chords. The session takes a lot of endurance for a vocalist, so make sure your chords are in top shape!
RECOMMENDED VOCAL TIPS
Vocalists should be well hydrated, probably the best advice I can give you. Like the rest of your body, your vocal chords perform best when hydrated. This means drinking a lot of water BEFORE you start recording, not just while you're recording. Rule of thumb, it takes your body an hour and a half to hydrate, so a lot of water an hour and a half before you track.
Luke Warm water. There is literally nothing better for your throat while singing, DO NOT DRINK ICE WATER, as it freezes your chords, causing them to tighten up.
Do not perform without properly warming up, run scales up and down before singing, humming scales is also a great way to warm up. This goes for Singers and Screamers (use the same chords). If you go without properly warming up, you can damage your chords permanently.
A small amount of natural honey can be good before and after
Throat coat tea, Throat comfort tea, along with other variations of CAFFEINE FREE tea can be helpful for soothing your throat. Do not add sugar!
Beware of sugar, caffeine, coffee, and milk, in beverages and eating hours before and after. Sugar and caffeine are absolutely your throats biggest nightmare.
Get a lot of rest! Your voice needs a solid 8 hrs if you wanna sing well
RECOMMENDED DRUM HEADS
KICK: EVANS EMAD
SNARE: EVANS G1 COATED, EVANS ST DRY, EVANS HD, EVANS HD DRY
BOTTOM SNARE: EVANS 300 HAZY
SNARE WIRE: PURESOUND 20
TOMS: EC2 CLEAR, G2 COATED, G2 CLEAR
TOM BOTTOM : EVANS GLASS RESONANT, REMO AMBASSADOR CLEAR
DAMPENING: MOON GEL OR SNARE WEIGHTS
RECCOMENDED GUITAR STRINGS
GUITARS & BASS
Elixir Polyweb
Elixir Optiweb
D'darrio XS
D'darrio NY
Ernie Ball
RECOMMENDED STRING SIZES
GUITARS
STANDARD TUNING: 10-46
DROP D TUNING: 11-52 OR 54
DROP C TUNING: 12-56
DROP B TUNING: 12-60
DROP A# TUNING: 13-65
DROP A TUNING: 14-70
BASS (low string listed)
STANDARD TUNING: 105
DROP D TUNING: 110
DROP C TUNING: 115
DROP B TUNING: 120-125
DROP A# TUNING: 130 - 135
DROP A TUNING: 135
Please contact Morgan if you have any questions about gear or prep.morgan@sekretstudios.com | call/text 308-440-1064
THE PROCESS
#1. UNLOAD. First thing is we will get your gear unloaded and get you situated and comfortable in the Studio and Band Suite. We will discuss all the session details at that time.
#2. TUNE & SET UP DRUMS. I will be tuning the drums to achieve the best sound, once the drums are sounding great, I will mic everything up and we can check some levels.
#3. SET UP CLICK & SCRATCH GUITARS. The drummer will be playing along to a "scratch" guitar track. This is only for reference and will be scrapped later. We will start laying out the grid-work of the songs and track the scratch guitar along to the click.
#4. TRACK DRUMS. Once the click and scratch track are completed, we will begin tracking drums. The drummer will be playing along to the click and scratch via studio headphones. We will do as many takes as needed to achieve the best take possible.
#5. TRACK BASS, GUITARS, AND VOCALS. Normally, bass is tracked after drums, but can be different depending on your exact situation. Guitars and vocals will follow. At least 2-3 hours of vocals will be tracked each day to ensure that the vocalist's voice sustains quality.
#6. POST PROCESSING. Once tracking is completed the artist/band is free to go as their job is complete. I will then begin the post processing. Mixing and Mastering takes a lot of time to ensure the tightest sound possible. Each track will be quantized by hand. It is very time consuming, but necessary to achieve industry standard sound.
Please contact Morgan if you have any questions about the process.Morgan@sekretstudios.com | call/text 308-440-1064