The Recording Session

In the last issue, we examined all the various factors leading up to the recording session. By this point, you have made important decisions regarding your team (engineer/producer) and have gone through proper musical preparation. Now, it is time to perform!

There are a few key things to think about for the day of the session. The first is environment. Remember that during a session, almost all heating/cooling systems are turned off for noise reasons. Thus, the venue might be very hot…or very cold. Please dress accordingly, or wear layers so that you can adjust as necessary. Generally, recording sessions are about the furthest things from fashion shows that you can imagine, so your favourite old t-shirt and some comfortable pants will work great. Also, shoes can be very important. You will want to wear very comfortable shoes because you will be standing for many hours. But sometimes rubber shoes (especially tennis shoes) will squeak on polished wood stage floors - one great solution is to bring a small carpet square to stand on.

The other important factor in a day long recording session is food. Only you know how your body reacts when you are playing for hours at a high degree of concentration as every person is different. Some people prefer to snack lightly all day…nuts, trail mix, carrots, fruit, etc. Others prefer to take a longer 60 minute break and eat a proper meal in the middle of the day. Since it is my job to best serve the artist, I am always prepared for both. In our control room, our current favourite is a homemade mixture of cashews and yogurt covered raisins. Also, have beverages on hand (or see if there is vending) that you know you might need (caffeine? water?)

When you arrive at the venue, you will most likely be greeted by the producer and engineer who have begun setup long ago. Hopefully they are ready for you to be on stage and to start to rehearse. You will probably discuss your positioning on stage so as best to serve both the music and the technical requirements. As you and your collaborators are getting warmed up and becoming accustomed to the space, the engineer will begin placing microphones and will run back to listen in the control room. Really, you should treat this time as warm up and rehearsal. It might take a little while for them to dial in on something…that is why it is best you warm up right on stage. At some point, they will record a little and then have you step back to the control room to listen.

This can be very tricky for the first time recording artist. Hearing yourself on a recording through speakers is always difficult. It is critical at this juncture, that you listen to sound quality, not your playing. Does it sound bright, dark, washy, boomy, dry, ugly, harsh, warm, etc. Feel free to express yourself as best you can. And, demand that the technicians work to get the results you want. Yes, there are limits, but the client is always right. Your engineer and producer should interpret your comments in a way that allows them to make the proper technical adjustments. Remember, the best they can do is to capture your sound - they can’t make you sound like someone else. You don’t want this process to go on forever because you will get tired, but it must go on long enough to achieve the desired result. Thirty minutes is about ideal.

Now, you are really ready to perform. All the preliminaries are out of the way and it is time to focus on your playing, making music with your collaborator, and working closely with your producer to ensure a great record. I’m sure that every producer works a little differently, so I can only describe my approach.

I always start with a complete take of a movement. I ask the artist to ‘perform’- not worry about missed notes, but to be musical and expressive. After that take one, I bring the artist back to the control room for a playback. We sit together and listen through with the score. I learn a lot from their reactions and they get a chance to see how they are coming across through speakers. We discuss any major issues (tempo, pitch) and overall musical ideas (more dynamic range?) Then, we start the piece from the beginning. I have the artist play a take until there is a problem with the performance. We stop, discuss, back up a bit, and do another take. I work more or less linearly, so that we are constantly overlapping good takes. I keep careful notes on the score to be certain that any bad sections are covered by good takes. That sounds simplistic - there is a lot more subtlety to it, but you get the idea. Once that movement is finished off, we will take a quick break, and then prepare for the next movement. The process is then simply repeated.

All in all, we like to record about 20 minutes of music per day and work anywhere from 4-7 hours per day. It takes three days of recording sessions to record a 60 minute recording. For the first time artist, this seems like an inordinate amount of time. I can assure you, having produced dozens of recordings, this average almost always holds true. This gives us the requisite time to make sure the basics of intonation and ensemble are covered, but also to explore a piece, take lots of chances, and deal with unforeseen problems that might arise, like keys sticking, piano issues, or the burglar alarm company testing the buildings security system all day (this happened to me just last week!).

There it is, in a nutshell. You can probably see how much having a strong team and doing lots of pre-production preparation will make things much easier during the session. Hopefully, you leave the session fatigued, having expressed all of your musical ideas, but also energized, excited by the creative process.

In the next issue we will look at budgeting and costs for making your recording. As always, I am available for any questions you might have - some might even be used in a future issue. I can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Making A Successful Recording - Part 5

Making A Successful Recording - Part 4

Making A Successful Recording - Part 2

Making A Successful Recording - Part 1

Alan Bise, Classical Producer for Azica Records, works independently for many labels and clients across the world. Known for helping create exciting and passionate projects, he has produced records that have received Grammy Nominations and have appeared on the Billboard Classical Chart and the Amazon Best Sellers list. In 2008, Mr. Bise's label, Thunderbird Records, released two new pieces for flute and orchestra. Composed by Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, the flute concerto "Tracing Mississipi" was performed by Christine Bailey Davis and the San Francisco Symphony. "Iholba'", for solo flute, orchestra and chorus, was performed by Thomas Robertello, joined by the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus.