Recording

From set-up through mixing—whether your goal is a killer live demo, a commercial, Redbook standard CD, or simply a compilation of your songs for friends and family—The Hideout offers a seamless and quality recording experience.

Basic Track Recording Rates

$30 per hour

$225 for an 8-hour session

These rates include the services of at least one recording engineer. All bookings are confirmed upon receipt of both a signed contract and a non-refundable deposit of 50% of the quoted amount. Any balance is due at the conclusion of the session.

A lot of work can get done in 5-8 hours. Ensure that your session is a rewarding and productive experience by doing your best to prepare. Here’s how…….

Before You Go Into the Studio

1. Record your songs during live gigs and pre-production rehearsals. Even a simple cassette recording on a boom box may reveal weak parts of the song.

2. Have all the musical and vocal parts worked out. (Know your guitar solos and the words to the songs.)

3. Prepare all sequenced material before the session.

4. If planning to use a click track, make sure your drummer is comfortable playing to it. (To get tight, have him/her practice to a click track at a very slow tempo.)

5. Rehearse, rehearse, and rehearse!!! Rehearse more songs than you plan to record. You never know which songs will sound strong on the final recording. (If you plan to have a four-song EP, prepare six songs just in case.)

6. Take care of your body before and during your recording sessions. Eat well, get enough sleep, and keep your ears rested and clear.

Setting Up

7. Be early! The clock starts running whether you’re here or not. Usually, you can begin to set up 30 minutes prior to the start of your session.

8. Our studio is a comfortable and relaxed place. You should be comfortable and relaxed as well. Otherwise, it will show in your finished product.

9. If not previously addressed in a pre-production meeting, make sure you and our engineer are on the same page with respect to time management. Share your expectations with him/her as you go over your songs before recording.

10. If you are overdubbing parts, plan out ahead of time how you will leave room for all of the essential parts. This will simplify the mix and eliminate any need to bounce tracks later.

11. IMPORTANT: Use new strings, cords, drum sticks and heads — and bring spares, if possible.

12. Find out the hours of the local music store just in case…..

13. Don’t use new gear or different equipment that you haven’t used before, even if it’s the latest and greatest. Surprises can cause problems and delays. A recording session is not the time to learn how to work your gear.

The Recording Process

14. Remember, emotion and feeling make the best song, not necessarily the technical rendition. Keeping everything simple and soulful is your best bet.

15. If you mess up a part while recording, don’t stop and start over. That can be frustrating and cause you to burn out. Instead, check to see if our engineer can punch in the correction. Most of the time, he can. So if you hit a clam, keep playing. Some of your best licks just might happen in the next few measures.

16. Although we have plenty of tracks, you don’t have to fill every one. Don’t try to force something that won’t fit.

17. Always keep in mind the focus of your music. If it’s the vocals, plan to spend the most time on them. Don’t waste time on things that don’t highlight the focal point. new toy. Time is money!

18. Try to get the sound you want while tracking. (Never assume you can fix it in the mix.)

19. We try to record individual tracks as clean as we can and add effects later.

20. It isn’t necessary to double track everything. Doubling a lead vocal, for instance, can hide all the subtleties that make a song personal and likeable (although it can work well for a chorus.)

21. Know when to quit for the day. If you’re tired, it will show in your playing or singing.

22. Keep guests to a minimum! It’s your recording. Guests may distract you and may sway your opinion of how the music should sound. Also, this is a small studio.

23. IMPORTANT: Tune up often.

24. Singers: always bring water but don’t use ice. Ice constricts your vocal chords. And don’t drink milk. Hot tea with lemon and honey works well to relax your vocal chords. We usually have some on hand.

Monitoring the Mix

25. Listen to your music at moderate levels in your car or on a boom box. This is how most of your fans will listen to it. Monitoring at loud levels will fatigue your ears and distort the “true” sound. It may eventually cause deafness. Seriously.

26. Sometimes it’s good to come back to listen to your tracks with fresh ears after taking a day off. The same applies for mixing. Ears don’t last very long in the studio!

27. As you review each mix, make sure you can comfortably hear all of the instruments. We can tweak the mix at an extremely low volume. Headphones are also very valuable at this stage, but don’t base your final decision on them. You should be able to pick up each instrument even at this level.

28. As is the case with recording, when mixing, know when to quit for the day. You’re better off quitting a session early when you’re tired than wasting time making a bad mix that will have to be redone anyway. Again, time is money!

Mixing

29. IMPORTANT: Determine a band spokesperson ahead of time. Five different opinions on how to mix may cause the engineer to grow tired and might cause him to rush through the job.

30. Have our engineer or your producer do the first mix. It’s possible that our ears are better trained than yours. During the mixing process, it is imperative that everyone keep an open mind.

31. Think about the songs as a whole and not just the individual instruments. Otherwise, everyone will want their instrument louder in the mix.

32. Decide which format you want the finished mixes to be on: DAT, CD or reel-to-reel. Use the format that is most comfortable and economical for you. We suggest CDs.

33. Count on and budget for unforeseen delays.

If you have any specific questions, please e-mail us.


		Home►Services►Recording From set-up through mixing—whether your goal is a killer live demo, a commercial, Redbook standard CD, or simply a compilation of your songs for friends and family—The Hideout offers a seamless and quality recording experience. Basic Track Recording Rates $30 per hour $225 for an 8-hour session These rates include the services of at least one recording engineer. All bookings are confirmed upon receipt of both a signed contract and a non-refundable deposit of 50% of the quoted amount. Any balance is due at the conclusion of the session. A lot of work can get done in 5-8 hours. Ensure that your session is a rewarding and productive experience by doing your best to prepare. Here’s how……. Before You Go Into the Studio 1. Record your songs during live gigs and pre-production rehearsals. Even a simple cassette recording on a boom box may reveal weak parts of the song. 2. Have all the musical and vocal parts worked out. (Know your guitar solos and the words to the songs.) 3. Prepare all sequenced material before the session. 4. If planning to use a click track, make sure your drummer is comfortable playing to it. (To get tight, have him/her practice to a click track at a very slow tempo.) 5. Rehearse, rehearse, and rehearse!!! Rehearse more songs than you plan to record. You never know which songs will sound strong on the final recording. (If you plan to have a four-song EP, prepare six songs just in case.) 6. Take care of your body before and during your recording sessions. Eat well, get enough sleep, and keep your ears rested and clear. Setting Up 7. Be early! The clock starts running whether you’re here or not. Usually, you can begin to set up 30 minutes prior to the start of your session. 8. Our studio is a comfortable and relaxed place. You should be comfortable and relaxed as well. Otherwise, it will show in your finished product. 9. If not previously addressed in a pre-production meeting, make sure you and our engineer are on the same page with respect to time management. Share your expectations with him/her as you go over your songs before recording. 10. If you are overdubbing parts, plan out ahead of time how you will leave room for all of the essential parts. This will simplify the mix and eliminate any need to bounce tracks later. 11. IMPORTANT: Use new strings, cords, drum sticks and heads — and bring spares, if possible. 12. Find out the hours of the local music store just in case….. 13. Don’t use new gear or different equipment that you haven’t used before, even if it’s the latest and greatest. Surprises can cause problems and delays. A recording session is not the time to learn how to work your gear. The Recording Process 14. Remember, emotion and feeling make the best song, not necessarily the technical rendition. Keeping everything simple and soulful is your best bet. 15. If you mess up a part while recording, don’t stop and start over. That can be frustrating and cause you to burn out. Instead, check to see if our engineer can punch in the correction. Most of the time, he can. So if you hit a clam, keep playing. Some of your best licks just might happen in the next few measures. 16. Although we have plenty of tracks, you don’t have to fill every one. Don’t try to force something that won’t fit. 17. Always keep in mind the focus of your music. If it’s the vocals, plan to spend the most time on them. Don’t waste time on things that don’t highlight the focal point. new toy. Time is money! 18. Try to get the sound you want while tracking. (Never assume you can fix it in the mix.) 19. We try to record individual tracks as clean as we can and add effects later. 20. It isn’t necessary to double track everything. Doubling a lead vocal, for instance, can hide all the subtleties that make a song personal and likeable (although it can work well for a chorus.) 21. Know when to quit for the day. If you’re tired, it will show in your playing or singing. 22. Keep guests to a minimum! It’s your recording. Guests may distract you and may sway your opinion of how the music should sound. Also, this is a small studio. 23. IMPORTANT: Tune up often. 24. Singers: always bring water but don’t use ice. Ice constricts your vocal chords. And don’t drink milk. Hot tea with lemon and honey works well to relax your vocal chords. We usually have some on hand. Monitoring the Mix 25. Listen to your music at moderate levels in your car or on a boom box. This is how most of your fans will listen to it. Monitoring at loud levels will fatigue your ears and distort the “true” sound. It may eventually cause deafness. Seriously. 26. Sometimes it’s good to come back to listen to your tracks with fresh ears after taking a day off. The same applies for mixing. Ears don’t last very long in the studio! 27. As you review each mix, make sure you can comfortably hear all of the instruments. We can tweak the mix at an extremely low volume. Headphones are also very valuable at this stage, but don’t base your final decision on them. You should be able to pick up each instrument even at this level. 28. As is the case with recording, when mixing, know when to quit for the day. You’re better off quitting a session early when you’re tired than wasting time making a bad mix that will have to be redone anyway. Again, time is money! Mixing 29. IMPORTANT: Determine a band spokesperson ahead of time. Five different opinions on how to mix may cause the engineer to grow tired and might cause him to rush through the job. 30. Have our engineer or your producer do the first mix. It’s possible that our ears are better trained than yours. During the mixing process, it is imperative that everyone keep an open mind. 31. Think about the songs as a whole and not just the individual instruments. Otherwise, everyone will want their instrument louder in the mix. 32. Decide which format you want the finished mixes to be on: DAT, CD or reel-to-reel. Use the format that is most comfortable and economical for you. We suggest CDs. 33. Count on and budget for unforeseen delays. If you have any specific questions, please e-mail us.
		Copyright © The Hideout @ Mace's Hole : Beulah, Colorado info@coloradorecording.com