Studio Lore and Wisdom

Ando

How does playing in the studio differ from live performance? What's the best way of dealing with, and getting the most out of, the studio environment?

Ando

For example, do you all use clicktracks in your headphones as you play? (It would drive me nuts, personally.)

nwilkins

when my band was professionally recorded we had the following setup:

each instrument was mic'ed plus the room was mic'ed with two large diaphragm condensers 90 degrees apart.

when we have recorded ourselves we have just used the room mic
ing system, with good results

In both cases we just play like we always play, no headphones or anything. It works well because the band is then able to reproduce the dynamic that comes from playing together live.

So I would say go into a studio and plan to use a setup which will allow you to play as close to the way you normally play as possible.

Also, practice the tunes and work out specific arrangements in advance, so you are not wasting studio time sitting there figuring out an arrangement. With that said, be open to some new possibilities if they present themselves. The key is to be clear on what you want to produce, and work beforehand so that in the studio it just happens. One good way to do this is to record the band yourselves before going to the studio, so you can evaluate the playing/arrangments and adjust accordingly.