Preparation should be a high priority for artists headed into the studio. The material that is to be recorded should be well
rehearsed. If you are in a band make sure all members are comfortable with their parts. Take after take after take not
only costs you time and money, but it stifles the creative process, often taking away that "magic" moment. Be
comfortable with your material prior to the recording session to allow yourself room for creative expression.
Be on Time
Sound Check
Tracking
Mix Down
Mastering
COME PREPARED!!
Your recording session begins at the scheduled time you have blocked. There is a grace period but we need to be
contacted if you are running late. We realize that problems do arise and if you need to reschedule then we ask for 24
hours notice. If early set up times or extended sessions are needed we will work around your schedule if it is at all
possible, however your time is booked to make sure this is a convenient creative process for all involved.
Please be aware of the time it takes for the initial sound check. Be comfortable with your guitar tone, bass tone, drum
heads, cymbals etc. This is one of the most crucial phases in the in the mix" policy. Problems and tone should be
taken care of during the soundcheck and NOT the mix down.
During this process we will start fine-tuning everything to what YOU think sounds good. We record you the way YOU
want to be recorded. We will give input and suggestions, but we are basically there to interpret your ideas and make
the engineering process simple and understandable.
After the initial soundcheck is completed, we will begin the tracking very slowly based on the musician’s performance.
If the artist is well rehearsed, the tracking can go very quickly. Drums are generally the most time consuming due to
the precision, as well as the difficulty some drummers have playing with a click track. At the Pit, we encourage the
use of a click track both for the smoothness of the recording and the benefits during the mixing and editing process.
We generally start with Drums, then bass, then rhythm tracks such as guitar, piano, synth, organ etc, then move on to
lead vocal and solo instruments. Sometimes lead vocal and solo instruments play off each other so the nature of the
song generally dictates the order of the two. We usually finish up the tracking with backup vocals and ad-lib lead
vocal and solo instrumentation.
Sometimes we find magic in the first take, but it may take any number of tries before we get it right. During tracking
the on-site producer(s) will be available to assist you and offer advice on “getting it right” the way you want it. Don’t
forget…we are here to help YOU achieve your vision.
If the artist is well rehearsed, the tracking can go very quickly. Drums are generally the most time consuming due to
the precision, as well as the difficulty some drummers have playing with a click track. At the Pit, we encourage the
use of a click track both for the smoothness of the recording and the benefits during the mixing and editing process.
We generally start with Drums, then bass, then rhythm tracks such as guitar, piano, synth, organ etc, then move on to
lead vocal and solo instruments. Sometimes lead vocal and solo instruments play off each other so the nature of the
song generally dictates the order of the two. We usually finish up the tracking with backup vocals and ad-lib lead
vocal and solo instrumentation.
Sometimes we find magic in the first take, but it may take any number of tries before we get it right. During tracking
the on-site producer(s) will be available to assist you and offer advice on “getting it right” the way you want it. Don’t
forget…we are here to help YOU achieve your vision.
There are several stages we go through at GuitarPit Studios when it comes to the mixdown process.
It is generally best to leave the initial mix to the engineer and producer. The engineer and producer will be thorough in
determining from the artist the expectations of the mix, i.e. Big Guitars, Big Vocals, Big Drums, etc.
Sometimes the client may be asked to review certain elements of the mix in the early stages, but generally a “rough mix”
will be produced for the artist to critique and make suggestions for the fine-tuning so we can achieve EXACTLY what the
artist envisions. This may take several attempts, but we want to make sure we are as thorough as possible.
Once the artist is happy with the basic mix (including panning, effects, EQ, etc.) it is time for the final stage…Mastering
It is generally best to leave the initial mix to the engineer and producer. The engineer and producer will be thorough in
determining from the artist the expectations of the mix, i.e. Big Guitars, Big Vocals, Big Drums, etc.
Sometimes the client may be asked to review certain elements of the mix in the early stages, but generally a “rough mix”
will be produced for the artist to critique and make suggestions for the fine-tuning so we can achieve EXACTLY what the
artist envisions. This may take several attempts, but we want to make sure we are as thorough as possible.
Once the artist is happy with the basic mix (including panning, effects, EQ, etc.) it is time for the final stage…Mastering
Mastering is basically where we fine tune the recording through pre-restoration and enhancement processes may
occur at this stage, however the process usually goes as follows:
Adjust volumes.
Edit minor flaws.
Apply noise reductoin to eliminate hum and hiss.
Peak Limit the tracks.
Dynamic compression.
Dynamic expansion.
Adjust stereo "width".
Add ambience.
Equalize audio between tracks
GuitarPit Studios offers these services as part of the recording package at the same rate as the other stages,
however we have several agencies that we may recommend. See our Links Page for more details.
See? Easy as Pie! Don’t worry. Although these steps may sound a bit intimidating, remember. Everyone here at the
Pit is here to help. We will guide you through with ease, and the results will be amazing!
occur at this stage, however the process usually goes as follows:
Adjust volumes.
Edit minor flaws.
Apply noise reductoin to eliminate hum and hiss.
Peak Limit the tracks.
Dynamic compression.
Dynamic expansion.
Adjust stereo "width".
Add ambience.
Equalize audio between tracks
GuitarPit Studios offers these services as part of the recording package at the same rate as the other stages,
however we have several agencies that we may recommend. See our Links Page for more details.
See? Easy as Pie! Don’t worry. Although these steps may sound a bit intimidating, remember. Everyone here at the
Pit is here to help. We will guide you through with ease, and the results will be amazing!
The Process
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