The Debut Album Studio Recording Experience, Part I: Preparation

Recording has become one of the most important components of professional musicianship. Where concert preparation used to be the only goal in artistic development, recording has come to represent another dimension of 'performing'. The most obvious difference is the presence and absence of the audience, respectively. But it's often far from an easy adjustment to be oneself in both situations. The legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz feared the stage, but comfortably recorded at home. Many jazz musicians treat the studio similarly to a performance, others work in the studio perfecting details into the wee hours. The difference between a concert and studio experience may first seem marginal, but often the consciousness of the final product, and the imaginary listener's judgment becomes a psychological obstacle for making a good product. This may partly explain the popularity of live recordings.

In order to dissolve some of that initial fear for making a studio recording, let's take a brief - hopefully relieving - look at who may listen to the recording. The debut album will be heard by your parents, siblings, close supporters, partners, and other musicians. This alone makes it worthwhile doing. But your recording debut may also fall in the hands of people who have heard you live, or people who may never have heard you. This can only be to your advantage. These include people at record labels, journalists, reviewers and radio. But they are only people. (Dogs will love it, too, as long as you don't play it too loud for them.) Spend a minute thinking of all these people. Who knows your music better than you? Honestly, there's no one out there who could justify your debut album being a mistake. The biggest mistake would be not to record it.

Choosing sidemen may first seem an important consideration for success in sales. But the best business decision you can make is to record with your peers, because these are the musicians who will make you sound great. Some may consider recording with more seasoned musicians. If done for the sole purpose of learning something from the ensemble playing experience itself, you may want to do it outside the recording studio. Any fame of session musicians hardly enhances your career, as it's been done over and over again for decades.

Choosing a recording studio is often a question of cost, but that's not all. If possible, visit the studio once before, not to see the gear, but to feel the atmosphere, and if you're a pianist, to try out the piano. If the owner or engineer talks about who has previously recorded in that studio, you're in the wrong studio. Think about your needs and your instrumentation compared to the studio size. Bigger is not better, but is for sure more expensive. Successful tracking is all about the atmosphere, a comfortable room layout and a good feel. Ask to try the studio's headphones, without plugging them in. Keep them for a few minutes. Make sure they feel comfortable.

Playing in separated spaces, booths, may seem unnatural at first, so consider learning to do it, or – as some do in acoustic genres – choose to play in the same space. However, playing well together in separated spaces can be developed with a good headphone balance and a natural sounding reverb. The final choice between one room or separated spaces depends on whether you believe editing will be necessary. It takes a few albums before grave "mistakes" become an accepted part of the artistry, so plan on having the editing option available. With this in mind, learning to play in booths with headphone mixes will be far easier than learning to accept the goofs. You may change your mind later, and then you are experienced in both environments.

The studios which give you a bulk deal of six or eight hours do you a big favor, but not only because of money. There's nothing more distracting in creative work than thinking of the hourly cost which keeps accumulating because of mistakes and the seventh take of that same tune. Consider it all as a part of what studio recording is like. However, often the first few takes may have more spontaneity than any subsequent ones, so treat it all as something precious.

Before the recording day, make sure you are prepared with a tune list. Be prepared to change the order anytime during the session depending on how you feel. Allow more time and choose fewer songs than you would for a rehearsal. Also reserve about two hours for just fixes. The most important thing is to have good energy and spirit before and during the session.

Mika Pohjola has recorded over thirty albums as a leader, in studios of all sizes.