A 5 song demo requires about 30 hours (2 or 3 days to record the basic tracks, vocals, harmonies, and solos, plus a day to mixdown and master). A good rule of thumb is: 1 minute of recorded music = 1 hour of studio time. Although please be aware that these calculations are a rough guide only- the better rehearsed you are the quicker it tends to be. Here is a "typical" recording project breakdown:
We'll have your drummer come in to set up, tune, and get the drum sound the day before the session. When the drummer leaves, the mixing desk, mics, and drum kit are set and ready for the session the next day. Since drums tuned for live use are different from studio drums, we suggest you use our drum set, since it's fine-tuned to the room and and therefore a better sound. Bring your own cymbals, snare, bass drum pedal, and drum seat. Of course, you're free to use your own drum set, but figure on a longer setup time. While we have your drummer, PLEASE CHANGE YOUR STRINGS!! It will save you money and time the next day.
The bass can go direct to the mixing desk, or to our TLAudio preamp or your bass player's amp. We'll usually mike the guitar amps although we can put them straight into the desk or through various amp- modelling devices.
Song 1 usually takes about 3 to 4 hours to record (including guitar amp setup, placing microphones, eliminating hums, hiss, and buzzes, setting headphone levels, getting everybody warmed up, etc.).
The rest of the songs take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour or so per song, depending on the number of takes, the length of the songs, etc. Figure about 6 to 8 hours for the basic session. It's a long day but we have two engineers who can take over from one another. All you're going for on Day 1 is a good drums/bass/rhythm groove with a guide vocal. The singer shouldn't push on any of the vocals today.
You'll add solos, and possibly redo some tracks because you came up with something better. You did rough vocals during the basic session to help with timing. Now, you'll do the finished vocals & harmonies. Figure on about 2 to 5 hours for vocals.
Final mixdowns take about 2 hours per track. You'll listen on different speakers and we'll adjust the sound to get the best compromise for the final mix. Figure about 8 hours for mixdowns, or longer. Add another 2 hours for mastering. A "typical" five song recording project runs something like this:
What kind of quality can you expect for your money? You will receive a finished CD burned to Red Book standard that's as good as any pre-recorded product. You will be able to use this CD at any duplicating plant to make copies. We back up everything from your session onto DVD every night to safeguard against data loss and losing your work.