The Importance Of Where To Record And Why

    Hi everyone, this week the topic is "the importance of where to record and why". This can be a very crucial decision for a band/artist to make when it comes time for them to step into the studio, a difficult task for someone who has limited knowledge of the processes involved. For most artists/bands the goal is to get their music out to the public, create a fan base, make sales and book gigs. A good recording can make your success possible, but if the same songs are engineered, mixed and produced poorly it can cause a negative effect on your creative vision and how others perceive your music. An important decision to make is which studio to choose from, there are plenty of options depending on your location. In the last 10 years the technology needed to make good recordings has improved, and the possibilities are constantly growing. Professional studios can be set up in almost any location, but there are still some very important factors to making good recordings that need to be considered. Today you can walk into any music store and by an off the shelf consumer grade recording system, the truth is even the best engineers will have a hard time making professional level recordings on this equipment. Parts are made cheaply in consumer equipment in order to lower costs for both the manufacturer and the consumer, and very important corners are cut to produce this cheap equipment. A professional recording studios equipment costs start at $100,000 and can run into the millions.  There are 3 major facts when it comes to a studio that will either make or brake the way your band sounds. The first and most important piece of gear in a professional working studio is your analog and digital I/O (Input/Output), in todays world of digital recording and DAWs (Digital Audio Workstation) every signal that is recorded will pass through the I/O, cheap I/O's will restrict frequencies and cause a "Tin can" sound to everything recorded in that studio.  Here at Electric Park we use the finest in digital and analog I/O, the newly designed Avid 16x16 I/O and Avid Omni. These units are used in the biggest studios in the world, check out this video with some of the worlds best engineers sharing there opinions on this gear, enjoy.

    The second most important factor to consider is "mic pres" (microphone preamps) . A studios mic pres determine the quality of the source that is being recorded. There are a lot of great mic pre designs both vintage and modern, and there are a lot of manufactures that make great sounding mic pres. But cheaply made preamps sound bad! The average price for a good mic pre starts around $400 a channel. If you have ever made home recordings with weak mic pres, you will know what I am talking about, the source being recorded sounds extremely "hollow" and there is often a lot of noise/hum introduced into the signal. The only way to avoid this issue is to use good pres. Here at Electric Park we use some of the best modern mic pres available, SSL, UA, Digidesig/Avid, DBX and Focusrite. Most "all in one" I/O, mic pre box combos will limit you in your creativity because of cheaply made parts to save costs and space within a certain piece of equipment.
     The 3rd most important factor is studio monitors or speakers, this is what gives the engineer the best representation of what has been recorded and how the "mix" sounds as a whole. Once again cheaply made studio monitors or home entertainment speakers can restrict the actual frequencies that are being monitored, which in return can cause your mix to sound extremely muddy. At Electric Park we use Tannoy, Mackie, Sinclair, Yorkville and Velodyne monitors.
     There are plenty of thing that can add to or take away from a recording, in my opinion these are the 3 major factors that separate the amateur studios from the professional ones. There are plenty of good recording plat forms i.e Pro Tools HD, Logic, Cubase.....  as well as microphone manufactures out there but these 3 factors lead to how everything sounds as a whole from the beginning to the end. Most studios that run out of their home/basements use poorly made consumer grade gear in an attempt to cut costs, as there prices may be cheap so is the level of their product, also choosing an experienced and credible engineer is an extremely important asset. There are only a few really good recording studios within Calgary, here at Electric Park we use only the finest equipment available and offer a comfortable professional location to create your art. For more information on what Electric Park Recording Studio can do for your music give us a call 587.888.5453 or my web page @ www.iandillon.com or www.electricparkstudio.com .

  "Electric Park will be re-opening after renovations this week, book now!!! also we will be having an open house in late August, details coming soon."

Thanks
Ian Dillon
Engineer/Producer at Electric Park Recording Studio, Calgary, Alberta