What is Mastering?
The process of mastering is done after a mix has been completed. It was originally used to get rid of any loud peaks in records, so that the needle would not slip out.
Today, the same principles apply, and can be used to:
Remove any loud peaks in material
Adding excitement to a mix through EQ and compression (to brighten up the mix and/or add extra low end
Removing any noise at the start and ends of songs.
Fade Ins/Outs to complete songs and make them sound natural, e.g. so that the music does not just cut-off when it finishes.
Finally, to make the material as loud as possible.
For Drummers
Drums sound better when they are hit hard, and kept at a constant volume. In turn when they are recorded it improves the sound greatly.
At the beginning of each song, it is wise to add four clicks with your drums sticks to indicate where a song starts.
If possible, try and avoid using drum racks when recording, as it can be difficult to position mics correctly.
For Guitarists
Bring plenty of pics and spare strings.
Be patient, sometimes it can take a while to figure out the best positioning of mics on an amp.
Don’t be afraid to mess around with effects as long as they are suitable for the song in question!
For Bassists
Unless you are doing funk music, the best bass guitar sound is usually at the lower-mid section (around 350Hz). This is the best place the bass can be, as it does not fight with the bass drum, and guitars for the upper-mid section. Try to use a ‘bassy’ sound, when you are practising with a band, play around until you get the best result (where you are cutting through, but not drowning out anything else).
For Vocalists
Pretty obviously, before you come to any studio, try and rest your voice as much as you can.
If you have to sing while the drummer/guitarists are recording (so that they know where they are), try not to strain your voice. If you have to, talk the lyrics as opposed to singing them so that you don’t damage your voice for later on in the recording session.
When it comes to recording your vocals, tell the engineer what you prefer in your headphones. Make sure that the level of your vocal is right in the headphones for you, if its not tell the engineer! Reverb can be added if it makes you feel more comfortable.
It's best if you run through each song once without recording, one so that the engineer can set the level for the vocal track (make sure there are not any peaks), and two – so that you can get used to that particular songs key (helps when it comes to recording it, kind of like a warm-up).
Things bands need to bring
Drum Sticks
Guitars
Jack Leads
Any effects that you may want to use
Own drum kit/own snare or cymbals if you want to use the studios drum kit.
CD-R’s, for rough mixes and the final master. Make sure that you get decent discs, as un-branded ones tend to have more errors occurring when burned on to, and are worse quality generally. We recommend: Imation, Sony, TDK and HHB.
Food/Drink. Pizza can be delivered to the studio, but at a cost because of where it is! You’ll probably have to spend over £25 to get anything delivered. If you have transport, Staplehurst village has a Spar which has a good bakery and is only a five minute car journey away.
Facilities
We have a toilet and a kitchen area.
The kitchen area contains:
- Oven, microwave, fridge/freezer, kettle and a coffee machine.
Genera; Info
Sessions usually start at 10am,
take a lunch break for 30-45mins and then finish at 6pm.
