Russian Recording

Do you speak fluent Russian?

Yes.

Do you have an accent?

No, but one can be arranged.

What is our sound, and how will it work with our sound?

I try to document the sound of the band in a way that is flattering to their performance and their style of music, but in no way do I try to purposefully impart "my sound" on a recording. That's a load of crap. It's your music, and it should sound the way you want it to. Many will argue that every engineer has a "sound" because each engineer has their own microphone preferences, specific placement decisions and their own idea of what sounds "good". While this may be true, the recording decisions I make are made on a case-by-case basis and are largely dependent on the sound of the group, the sound of their instruments and equipment, the clients' musical aesthetics and their overall expectations.

What kind of music do you record?

We sometimes get asked if we prefer to record a specific style or genre of music. As a professional recording facility, it is our job to be as able to accurately document and represent any style of music true to its aesthetics. I have recorded many different types of music; from orchestras to hip-hop to indie rock to traditional Irish to hardcore and anything in between, and understand that each style of music and each artist have their own aesthetic preferences. As a musician that has played and enjoys music from various genres, I am comfortable adjusting to a wide range of musical styles and aesthetics. It is our job to represent your music according to your expectations.

How much time do we get for a day of recording?

One day usually consists of 10-12 hours of work. It's good to plan our your session and set goals for each day to help manage your time in the studio. If the day's duties have been accomplished ahead of schedule, it is a good idea to stop early and start the next day fresh rather than tired. I can work later if it's totally necessary, however work done afer the 12 hour mark is often sub-par and sometimes even needs to be redone (due to fatigue from both the engineer and the clients). We ask that you do all that you can to be prepared and book a reasonable amount of time to complete your project. It's not so nice when a client books two days and works us for 16 hours each day... 'cause that's really 3 days of work.

What does a typical tracking session look like?

I usually like to start around 10:00am or 11:00am. This gives the band and myself enough time to setup, get comfortable and get good sounds without and stress. Although it depends on the setup, number of instruments, etc., I am usually ready to track by 1:30pm or so. Most bands prefer to track the main instruments live. Aside from yielding a more natural and realistic performance (and sound), it is also the most time-efficient way to record. Some projects require or prefer that each instrument is tracked separately, which is easily accomplished, but generally takes more time.

How many songs do you mix in a day?

I like to take my time getting sounds for tracking, and also take my time when mixing. This is because I want to make sure that you get what you paid for. 3-5 songs per day is a good pace for mixing, although it greatly depends on the instrumentation and the length of the songs. It is good practice to set aside days solely for mixing to let the ears rest before making critical decisions, rather than combine mixing and tracking/overdubbing in one day.

Do I need to book 7 consecutive days to get the 7+ day rate?

No. If you book any 7 days at once, you will receive the 7+ day rate (or the "3-6 rate" for 3-6 days booked). It's generally a good idea to get the tracking taken care of in one consecutive block to minimize on setup and break down time.

an we book one day, use 5 hours and then another 5 hours on another day?

If you are booking a day at the daily rate, you cannot split that day across several days. If you do not end up using the full day, you will be charged the hourly rate of $25/hr, or whichever is cheapest for the band. The whole point of a daily rate is to be able to forget about the clock, and concentrate on the recording. This helps create a comfortable, stress free working environment.

When is payment due?

Payment is due in full by the end of each block of time booked. For example; you book 6 days. You spend 3 days tracking, and come back 2 weeks later and spend 3 days mixing. Payment for the first three days of tracking would be due at the end of the tracking session, and payment for the three days of mixing would be due at the end of the mixing session.

How should we prepare for our session?

a.) Be well rehearsed. If you are not well rehearsed chances are you will waste a lot of time rehearsing in the studio and your final result will be less satisfactory than if you would have come prepared. The nicest equipment in the world won't make a lousy performance sound good.

b.) Plan your session by creating a schedule, setting goals and making a list of overdubs and priorities. Even though many ideas are generated during the session, it's best to be as prepared as possible. It is also good to keep notes during the session to keep track of things that still need to be added, taken away, fixed, or elaborated upon.

c.) Use well maintained equipment. Make sure your amplifies are working properly, setup and/or restring your guitars (but not the day of the session... you should let your strings get broken-in before recording), replace batteries and tune your drums. If your drums need new heads, replace them. The most critical variable in a good recording is good sounding instruments. If the drums sound bad, they will sound bad recorded... there is no way around this. Installing and turning new drum heads will make a world of sdifference... a much more significant difference than a $2000 microphone can make.

d.) Bring an extra pack(s) of strings, extra drum sticks, batteries, guitar cables, etc. We usually have strings, sticks, and casbles at the studio, but we cannot guarantee we will have the correct size, brand, etc.

e.) Be ready to have a really good time. Recording is fun as well, which is why I like it so much.