If you're planning to record one or a couple of songs, paying by the hour might be the way to go. If this is the case, try to negotiate a deal with the studio management that favors your particular project. But often musicians front their own recording costs. In some cases, management companies or record labels will pay for recording studio time. How do you plan a recording session? What equipment is needed to record? How does recording online work? Check out the next page to find out.
A recording session for smooth jazz or certain commercial music, for instance, might feel (and sound) much different than that for a hard rock band. The style and attitude involved in a recording session can vary greatly depending on the type of music involved. Items such as microphones, effects boxes, sound mixing boards, amplifiers and lots of cable are critical to a session's overall success. More and more, however, artists are using the explosion in affordable digital recording session equipment to record at home or even online.Īlong with musical instruments, music sessions require special equipment, as well.
Recording sessions can be expensive affairs, too, if they're held in large professional quarters.
Those involved must find the right recording studio, set a budget and a schedule, and find the right personnel, including engineers, producers and specialized musicians, to get the sound they want. Music recording sessions are often perceived as glamorous, but they actually involve considerable work and planning. They date back to the early 1900s when Dame Nellie Melba recorded sessions on a wax drum, which used mechanical means to imprint sound waves directly on that medium. The time spent in the studio is referred to as a recording session.