Top 5 Mistakes Bands Make In The Studio

Top 5 Mistakes Bands Make In The Studio

1. Settling for “good enough”

Example:  You rush through your vocal takes and call it “good enough” ignoring the pitch and timing issues.

There’s no amount of editing and tuning that will sound better than doing it right the first time.  Overediting makes vocals sound robotic but not nearly as robotic as over tuning vocals. You put all this time, effort, and money into this album but you’re going to sink the final product by rushing through your performances?  Think back to the last song you heard on the radio that had a flaw in it - was it bad timing? Or poor pitch?  I doubt it was either because those kinds of things don’t make it into the final product of a professional release.  Those artists take their jobs seriously and put in the effort and work to make it the best they can.

2. Not being brutally honest with your band mates (in a kind way of course)

Example:  A drummer writes a beat that doesn’t fit the riff and nobody wants to tell them.

It’s common to find out your beat doesn’t fit the rest of the instruments like you thought it would when you wrote it. What sounded good at band practice fell apart when you heard the guitar back in the studio. No worries, just change up the beat. Don’t get married to the part you’ve written, be willing to explore other options.  Sometimes, the producer is the only person in the room willing to have that conversation with the drummer.  And if you leave it up to just the drummer and the producer, you've got a 1v1 battle on your hands. If the rest of the band joins the conversation with a little constructive criticism and thoughtful suggestions, we can find a solution that fits. Try recording the part in several different ways and let everyone vote on their favorite.  It’s time to set our egos and people pleasing aside and make an awesome album.   

3. Bringing instruments that aren’t up to the task

Example:  Your bass guitar has a broken neck.  

Sometimes it’s a broken bass, a guitar with noisy pots, or a drum kit that squeaks and rattles.  No matter the reason, it’s devastating to the quality of the album.  A lot of the time, there’s other options available offered by the studio.  I get it.  People get really attached to their instrument.  And it’s not always the best tool for the job. Get your instrument tuned up before you hit the studio.  Does your kick pedal squeak? Lube it. Is your guitar output jack noisy? Replace it. And if you can’t fix it yourself, there’s local shops with professionals that can get your instrument ready for the studio quickly.  Don’t skip this step and you won’t be sorry when your instrument doesn’t make it onto your album. 

4. Choosing low quality instruments

Example:  Using your drum set or cymbals because they’re sentimental.  

The only people that know if your drum set was used on your album are your own band mates. Instead, choose the best instrument you can for the job.  If the studio has a high-quality drum set with cymbals, choose theirs.  As a drummer, I completely understand that the feel of the drums is important to capturing a quality performance.  That’s why I recommend drummers bring their own sticks, pedals, thrones, and even their snare if it makes them more comfortable. But when it comes to shells and cymbals, pick the best option and go.  

5. Letting your ego get in the way

Example:  Insisting on recording a part when you're not the right person for the job.  

The key to tight, dual-tracked rhythm guitars is for one person using one guitar to record both the left and right performances. Even when both guitarists are playing the same thing, it still sounds tighter when one person records both parts.  And the person we choose to perform that part is going to be the best person for the job.  If the drummer can perform the part better than anyone else, they get the job.  If you’re concerned that you won’t be playing on your own album, start practicing.  Recording an album is a series of small decisions and poor choices like these will have a huge impact on the quality of your record.    

Conclusion

Ask yourself this question before you head back to the studio - Do our raw tracks sound pro because we put the time and effort into the recording process or are we hoping it will sound pro after the engineer works his magic? Which one do you think will sound better?