Recording in studio for 1st time - advice?

I have been performing live for a long time in duos without stepping foot inside a studio so this is going to be very foreign to me. Any tips/advice/suggestions for preparing before I go in or what to do/not do while I am there would be much appreciated. In case it matters, it will be me and a vocalist recording mostly prewar blues songs (Bessie Smith, Ida Cox, Memphis Minnie, Robert Johnson, John Hurt, etc.) and some originals. I will play an acoustic guitar and a resonator and provide minimal background vocals. My partner will only sing. Thanks for any help you might be able to provide - I really need it.

[Bob Womack]

I'm a recording engineer who used to be in leadershiop here at the AGF. I built a whole site to answer questions for folks like you. Go HERE, navigate to frames, and select RECORDINMG TOPICS. The first item is "Hints for your first recording session." I hope you find something useful.

Bottled water and a camera. Remember that.

Bob

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

I'm a recording engineer who used to be in leadershiop here at the AGF. I built a whole site to answer questions for folks like you. Go HERE, navigate to frames, and select RECORDINMG TOPICS. The first item is "Hints for your first recording session." I hope you find something useful.

Bottled water and a camera. Remember that.

Bob

Thanks so much!

[Bob Womack]

My pleasure!

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

My pleasure!

I read the material on your site - very helpful. There is one detail that particularly concerns me about recording. I am told I will be wearing headphones when I play and positioned in a separate room from the vocalist. I assume I will hear her and myself through them. This is going to be odd. I hope I do not screw up too much!

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by m-thirty-great

I read the material on your site - very helpful. There is one detail that particularly concerns me about recording. I am told I will be wearing headphones when I play and positioned in a separate room from the vocalist. I assume I will hear her and myself through them. This is going to be odd. I hope I do not screw up too much!

If you have and can monitor your PA thru a headphone out ? you might want to give that a go first to get used to the sound. Also ask the studio if the vocals are going to actually be tracked while you are playing or just going to be mic-ed into the headphone mix to track the instruments, then be over dubed later . If so then ask if the engineer wants to use a click track ? if he does , you might want to get a cheap metronome and practice playing to a click also... But no matter what HAVE FUN

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by m-thirty-great

I read the material on your site - very helpful. There is one detail that particularly concerns me about recording. I am told I will be wearing headphones when I play and positioned in a separate room from the vocalist. I assume I will hear her and myself through them. This is going to be odd. I hope I do not screw up too much!

Just don't adjust the headphones too loud. Two things happen:
1. You begin to micro analyze your playing and get lost in technique.
2. You begin to play "defensively" to prevent volume spikes that you subconsciously think might rip a hole in your ear.

Vocalistas with 'phones too loud do a couple of things:
1. They go flat.
2. They begin singing quietly to prevent ripping their own heads off. That ends up causing breathiness. If you WANT breathiness, here's a way to get it. If not, it's hard to prevent it at high SPLs.

Some people can't handle the split rooms thing. It helps to have eye contact. Work with the engineer to take charge of the environment.

Bob

Thanks for all of the help. I really appreciate it. A few people I spoke with who know what we are trying to accomplish suggested that I do not use a click track. They said if I am not used to one it could really mess me up when I am playing. I have heard about some of the pros and cons of playing in the same room/separate rooms, but still do not know which is best for me and my partner. She has recorded in a studio before, so I don't think she is as concerned about it as I am. I just don't know how I will do in the studio setting. I do know that I am about to find out...

[Sombras]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Vocalistas with 'phones too loud do a couple of things:

1. They go flat.
2. They begin singing quietly to prevent ripping their own heads off. That ends up causing breathiness.

Bob

Three words, Bob:

You

Are

Awesome!

That explains SO MUCH of what I've experienced over the last year of hobbyist home recording. Thanks!

[Bob Womack]

Hehehe... My pleasure. I'm doin' music sessions today as well. Got the mics on sticks with their lines checked. I'm waiting for the drum kit to load in. Now we're having some fun...

Bob

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by m-thirty-great

Thanks for all of the help. I really appreciate it. A few people I spoke with who know what we are trying to accomplish suggested that I do not use a click track. They said if I am not used to one it could really mess me up when I am playing. I have heard about some of the pros and cons of playing in the same room/separate rooms, but still do not know which is best for me and my partner. She has recorded in a studio before, so I don't think she is as concerned about it as I am. I just don't know how I will do in the studio setting. I do know that I am about to find out...

Using a click can be uncomfortable if you have not practiced it . If you are not used to it and don't have time to practice with a metronome first, then it's probably not a good idea to start using a click for the first time, while recording for the first time also. I am speaking from experience.. And it is really only an issue if your tracking instruments and vocals separately. i.e (music first, vocals second) even in this case if the vocalist doesn't have a problem with the timing then it is again not an issue. As far as separate rooms, you and your partner must decide which method is best for you. The pros for separate rooms is more for the technical aspect in the ease of mixing and processing the vocals and guitar each separately and optimally . However many many famous recordings have been made in a live type setting where the bleed is a minor issue and the performance aspect outweighs the technical ideal. There is no plugin or hardware that can replicate the vibe of musicians feeding off each other and in the pocket.

[zenpicker]

Bob, I had no idea about that site of yours - fantastic! Thanks for taking time to set up that resource.

[Bob Womack]

I'm glad to help!

Bob

[Doug Young]

I wrote an article a while back for Acoustic Guitar titled "How To Prepare for a Recording Session", which might be helpful:

http://www.acousticguitar.com/articl...rticleid=24370

This article was actually prompted by Anton Emery posting exactly the same question you posted. Teja Gerken, at AG, noticed the question and suggested we do an article that captured many of the responses. So Anton's picture's in the article, and in a nice coincidence, he just announce the release of his completed first CD.

Thanks for all the help. Now if things don't go well in the studio I can blame all of you instead of my own deficiencies Seriously, I appreciate the advice.