There are a few key things to think about for the day of the flute recording 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.

In the last issue, we discussed several topics including repertoire choices and selecting your team of collaborators. Once you have accomplished this, we enter the “pre-production” phase, during which time several important decisions will need to be made, including venue selection and your own musical preparation. Most of these decisions should be made in consultation with your producer who will be best suited to help you select the proper venue. In a perfect world, you and your musical collaborators will travel to a concert hall that is familiar to the producer and recording engineer – this is the best way to ensure that all variables are under control. However...

Making a commercial quality recording is likely one of the most difficult endeavors that a musician will undertake. The process is rife with variables, opinions, and potential hazards: superstar heavy-metal band Metallica famously engaged a therapist to help them through the making of “Some Kind of Monster”. Beach Boys legend, Brian Wilson, abandoned the production of the album “Smile” after 72 hours of recording sessions - this unfinished record is considered a major contributing factor to his ensuing mental breakdown. Finally released 37 years after production began, Mr. Wilson is said to be in better mental health…