Chapter  3

20
Preproduction

Tempo
Vision
Structure
Arrangement
Guide
Tracks
Initial Session
Meeting Studio Setup

Preproduction may be the most important stage of a recording project, and

yet it is too often neglected by young producers and engineers. Everything that
can be done early on in the project should be dealt with straight away. Every
minute spent in preproduction will save an equal or greater amount of time in
the following stages of the project. Do not make the mistake of overlooking this
step: plan, prepare, and deal with issues as they arise.
 Preproduction

So what is involved in preproduction?

The first step is to meet with the musicians and attend rehearsal sessions.
This is the time to decide which songs or pieces are to be recorded and which
of them are potential singles. As producer, you will need to identify who is
the “alpha” member of the band or ensemble (if there is no designated leader
or conductor) and ensure that this person becomes your ally. Now is also the
time to set a vision for the project. A clear vision will not only help you decide
on technical aspects of the recording, but it will also help during tracking and
mixing when creative choices are left for the producer or engineer to make. 21
This may be the most crucial part of the project! For instance, if a band’s drum-
mer and guitar player think they are in a metal band, the bass player is playing
funk, and the singer believes the band is a pop-rock outfit, pleasing everyone
throughout the project is going to be a difficult task. You should ask other ques-
tions before checking which genre they see themselves fitting, as some musi-
cians prefer not to categorize their own music. Ask about the places they play
live; ask to see their social network pages, websites, and previous CD artwork,
for example.
This research should give a clear idea of how the band or ensemble
members see themselves and will help with creative decisions in the studio
should you need to suggest that, for instance, a band feels more like a nu-
metal outfit rather than pop rock. Or you may need to give an opinion if an
a cappella chorus has decided on repertory but not on tempo, dynamics, or
balance. Do not get in the studio before everyone has agreed on the vision!
A lack of agreement will only create tensions and misunderstandings during
the project.
Now is the time to ask the band all the relevant questions that will ulti-
mately dictate the recording studios and techniques used, the mixing studios
and techniques used, and even the mastering studios where the project will
be finalized. When you are recording a smooth disco band, a studio with
a Neve desk could be more appropriate than one with a Solid State Logic
(SSL) desk when recording the drums. On the other hand, if the band mem-
bers have agreed that they are more on the pop-funk side of things, an SSL-
equipped studio may be just what the recording needs to give the required
punch to those drums. A clear vision of where the project is headed should
also dictate whether extra instruments will be required on the recording or
not. A  punk-rock outfit may not need to have a string quartet breakdown
on their single, even if the drummer’s sister can play the violin! Only if the
band has decided on a vision will you be able to reject such a request if you
feel that it would not suit the song. Editing also greatly varies, depending on
the genre of music. While industrial-metal drums are usually hard quantized
and sound replaced, jazz drumming is rarely modified in terms of timing
and tone.
 AUDIO PRODUCTION PRINCIPLES

The goal of the editing/mixing engineer is to pick up where the recording

engineer left off, and bring the project closer to a finished product that carries
the vision of the artist. This transfer of labor means that the mixing engineer
has lot of creative control over the song. For example, he or she is responsible
for picking the right drum takes. Do you want a drum fill every four bars or
only at the end of sections of the song? Should the second chorus sound the
same as the first one for consistency’s sake, or should it have more power in the
guitars? Are we using two doubles of the vocals, or twenty? These are all cre-
22 ative decisions that will greatly affect the overall feel of the song. A pop-rock
song can be turned into a heavy-metal one with only a few changes to the mix!
All of these decisions will be dependent on the vision. Having the producer
in the room during mixing could be a great help for making those kinds of
decisions but is not always possible, practical, or necessary:  for example, if
a producer charges a lot of money for his or her mere presence or stops the
mix engineer every ten seconds to ask about the process being done. A  far
better option would be for the mixing/editing engineer to speak with the pro-
ducer and the band before the mixing session to ensure that the vision will be
followed.
It is important for the producer to listen to any previously recorded mate-
rial that the band may have. This research will give extra information on how
tight the musicians are in the studio, as well as the sonic quality that the next
recording will have to beat. No band gets in the studio to record a product that
is of lesser quality than its last recording. It is important for the producer and
engineer to know what sonic quality the band is expecting, and not to accept to
work on the project if they do not believe they can produce a record that is of
equal or greater quality than the previous recording.
Once everyone has a clear idea of how the project should sound, it is
time to prepare for the recording phase. While the vision will help decide
whether a live recording or overdubbing each instrument is more appropri-
ate, now is the time to clear this decision with the band. Start thinking of
such issues as where each instrument should be recorded, time frames, and
budget. I do not list all the tasks that a producer is responsible for, since there
are already many excellent books out there that cover this topic. Instead, let’s
look at preproduction from an engineer’s point of view. To save time (and
money), you should arrive at the first recording session with the following
already prepared:

3.1 DAW Session Preparation

Set up an empty session with all tracks to be recorded named, routed, grouped,
and color coded. For example, when you are recording a three-piece band
(drums, bass, guitar), the session should contain all the drum tracks already set
up and named, all routed into a drum bus, and all color coded. The same also
 Preproduction

applies to bass and guitars in that example. You should already know how many
microphones will be used on each instrument and how many layers of each
instrument will be recorded. While recording in layers rarely applies to drums
and bass, it is not uncommon to record more than one guitar part to achieve
the well-known “wall of sound” effect. If you are familiar with the studio, you
should also write down which microphone and preamplifier combination you
plan on using during the session. Separate headphone mixes should also be set
up in advance to save time in the studio. Taking all of these steps before getting
to the studio will make the recording session run a lot more smoothly (and 23
cheaply!).
It is very important to build good habits when it comes to session file man-
agement and display settings. “Clean” and well-organized sessions often sound
better. This approach obviously has nothing to do with the quality of the audio,
but everything to do with the engineer’s attention to detail. If you don’t do the
simple tasks of color coding, adding markers for sections of the song, proper
labeling of tracks, and proper routing (Figure 3.1), how do you expect to spend
the time required to finely adjust a kick-drum sound?

Kick In
Kick Out
Snare Top
Snare Bottom Drums
Hi-Hats
Overheads Rhythm Section
Room
Bass DI
Bass
Bass Amp Master
E.Guitar Rhythm
A.Guitar Rhythm Guitars
E.Guitar Lead Glue
Lead Vox
Vocals
BVs
Reverb - ER
Reverb - Short Tail
Reverb - MediumTail
Reverb - LongTail
Delay - 4/4
Delay - FX FIGURE 3.1
Special FX1
Organization of tracks
Special FX2
within the digital audio
Kick Side-Chain workstation.
Vox Side-Chain

3.2 Tempo
While you are recording the guides for each song, you will need to set the
session’s tempo. Everyone must agree on the tempo from the start, as it is
very hard to change it after the final recordings. One way to figure out the
 AUDIO PRODUCTION PRINCIPLES

tempo is to play a click track through loudspeakers during a rehearsal and get
everyone to agree on a specific tempo while playing to it. You may also want
to take into consideration how the musicians are feeling on the day. If they
are hyped about the recording, they may end up rehearsing at a faster tempo
than usual. If they are tired, they may play more slowly. Another option is
to record the guides and quantize them to the closest tempo value. Modern
DAWs allow for the master tempo to be changed and the audio tracks to be
time stretched with it. While the quality may not be great, the band can then
24 decide on what sounds best before recording the final takes. Since this deci-
sion should be made early on, make sure to try different tempos and pick the
most appropriate. The producer should have the final say about choosing the
right tempo.

3.3 Structure
In much the same way that a session with blank tracks must be created, use the
guide tracks to write down the different sections of the song (Figure 3.2). Run
through this list with the band members, as they may have different names for
sections of the song (bridge, middle eight, break, solo are all names commonly
used for a C part in a song for example). Use the terms that the band members
are comfortable with so that there is clear communication during the recording
sessions.

FIGURE 3.2
Song structure. A B A′ B C B B

3.4 Guide Tracks
If the project is not to be recorded live, all guide tracks should be recorded
beforehand. This setup usually means rhythm guitars, bass, keyboard, and
vocals. All of these guides should be recorded to a click track unless the aim
is to have a “tempo free” recording. Editing instruments will often take longer
when the tracks are not recorded to a click.
With the exception of good drummers and musicians who regularly
practice with a metronome, most people hate playing to a click. There are a
few tricks to get a musician to give a tighter performance when he or she is
playing to a click, such as ensuring that the headphone mix is just right, or
sending the click to one ear only. Another trick is to set up a drum loop that
somewhat resembles what the drummer will play throughout the song. The
guides can then be recorded to this drum loop (Box 3.1). All the band mem-
bers should be able to play in time as they stop focusing on an unfamiliar
click sound.
 Preproduction

BOX 3.1

Pro Tools is excellent for setting up a session, as the built-in drum machine
(Boom) already has preset rhythmic patterns that will play when a single key
from C3 to D#4 is pressed. Some other DAWs have similar features that
allow for a quick setup of a drum pattern, but if yours does not have this
feature built in, make sure to have a range of loops ready to be dragged in at
any moment to keep the session flowing.
25

3.5 Sound “Map”
With the vision set for the project, a “map” that lists all the different sounds
present in the song should be created. This map can take the form of a series
of adjectives describing each individual sound as well as the full mix. Noting
down what each instrument should sound like may uncover the fact that not
all instruments will be able to have a “bright and punchy” tone, for example, or
that there are too many bass instruments in the project. This list should then be
expanded to the most suitable equipment to be used to achieve the envisioned
sounds. Included in this map should be an instrument list mentioning make,
model, and different options for the given instrument. For example, if the elec-
tric guitar sound is to be clean, twangy, and a little hollow and thin, it might
be decided to use a Fender Stratocaster with light-gauge strings and its pickup
set to the out-of-phase position between the bridge and middle pickups and
run through a Vox AC30 amplifier. When you are faced with an instrument or
sound that you have little knowledge of, research can help in narrowing down
the list of different models available. The rest can be achieved during the record-
ing session. A similar approach is often helpful when you are using synthesizers
during sound design. A clear view of how the frequency content of the sound
evolves over time can help in deciding the type of oscillator, filter, modulation,
and effects to be used.

3.6 Studio Hierarchy

It is important to differentiate the roles that engineers and producers are respon-
sible for in a project. While the line separating the two is often blurred on projects
in which the engineer acts as producer (and vice versa), in a session in which there
are clearly two different persons, each with a set role assigned, the line should be a
little more rigid to avoid the “too many cooks in the kitchen” issue. Here are some
of the roles typically assigned to the different personnel involved in the studio:

• Assistant engineer: Preparing the session, setting up

microphones, doing line checks, patching, and following direct
explicit requests from the head engineer
 AUDIO PRODUCTION PRINCIPLES

• Head engineer: Deciding on the best methods and equipment

for achieving a particular sound, interpreting requests from the
producer
• Producer: Realizing the vision of the project through any
and all means necessary. This role often involves looking at
song structure and arrangement and refining lyrics, all while
referencing other songs in similar genres.

A simple example of this division of labor could be could be the following:

26
PRODUCER: We need a raw, piercing, and distorted electric guitar sound.
HEAD ENGINEER: We will use equipment X and Y with technique Z on
the amp.
ASSISTANT ENGINEER: I’ll set up equipment X and Y with technique Z,
and ensure that everything is working.

It is also important to remember who “works” for whom, and ensure that this
hierarchy is not threatened by ego or overenthusiastic studio members. For
a general rule, the assistant engineer works for the head engineer, the head
engineer works for the producer, and the producer works for the band (more
specifically, the “alpha” member of the band). In order to ensure that the proj-
ect is as smooth as possible, studio members should discuss project-related
matters only with their direct “supervisor.” For example, having the engineer
suggest modifying a part while the band is in the studio will only create ten-
sion, as the producer will be left not only to manage the band’s reaction to this
request, but also the engineer’s. In this case, waiting for a break and having a
one-on-one discussion between engineer and producer can make this sugges-
tion a lot less stressful. Another example would be the assistant engineer sug-
gesting a different tone to be achieved altogether or a different way to achieve
the required tone. Once again, this kind of suggestion is a sure way of creating
tension in the studio, as it (often innocently) bypasses the next person in the
“line of command.”

3.7 Budget
Another role of the producer is to create a budget for the project and ensure
that it is followed correctly. While the budget should be set prior to the
preproduction process, it is important to mention it here. Drafting two
budgets for the project—a low-cost option and a full-production option—is
generally preferable. The reason for this approach is that it gives the band
the broadest spectrum of options, which can then be discussed to see the
areas where extra money should be spent in order to get the best possible
outcome.
 Preproduction

A typical budget will include the following items:

• Producer fee: It should be broken down per hour for smaller

projects, per song for projects with undefined scope, or
per project for those set in stone. Do not forget to plan for
preproduction time!
• Studios/Engineers: It should include studios and time used
for recording each individual instrument, song mixing, and
mastering. If a particular engineer is to be used at any stage, his 27
or her fee also needs to be displayed.
• Session musicians/equipment hire: If the project needs a
particular musician or equipment, list how long for and how
much this addition will cost.
• Relocation costs: In some cases, relocating to a different city
for the project may be beneficial (for credibility, networking
opportunities, motivation, creativity, access to specialized
engineers). If this is the case, all associated costs such as travel,
accommodation, and food should be listed.
• Consumables: Depending on the nature of the project, some
consumables may need to be itemized. For example, when you
are recording to tape, rolls need to be included. If the band wants
a hard drive with all of the session data at the end of the project,
this cost needs to be included.
• 10% padding: Always include this padding on top of the final
budget to cater for unforeseen circumstances. More often than
not, this extra will be needed, and if not, the band will love you
for it!
 Chapter  4

28 Microphone Basics

Microphones come in all shapes and sizes. Since there are a lot of books that
cover microphone types and techniques in great detail, I am only sharing a few
tips that can help speed up microphone choice.