In this fast pace world that we live in with creative clients wanting to produce audio for all kinds of reasons I find myself reflecting on the studios client base and thought I would share my thought on the studio recording process. It seems to me that clients who want to use the studio come in three categories. First there are the business clients who require audio for pod casts and audio books. They have specific recording goals and time frames and are therefore easy to work with. Usually the work involves reading from a script but can be an interview style recording which involves some form of improvisation from the participants. All very clear cut and easily achievable.
Then there are the business clients who require recording for the band they manage. They do have goals and time frames but this can, and often is, unrealistic. It is not that they do not know the process its the fact that there way is always the right way when they bring into the mix the added complication of their expert “producer”. He is human, usually, and so used to a specific work flow or set up. He therefore requires a certain amount of “retuning” to suit the studio he now finds himself in. This is well understood by Cooz's and is completely normal and so a good one will make this transition look easy by taking the helpful advice offered and is great to work with.
A bad one will criticise just about every aspect of the house and generally be grumpy for the whole of the session wondering how he can possibly work without compressor X or EQ Y. The final client type is the private individual/group. Again they can have a great deal of knowledge of recording and be excellent to work with but, just as the “producer” can be blinded by his expert knowledge. There can be groups that have alliances that are difficult to disband into effect work flow if they are unwilling to get off their high horse about what they do know and trust that the in-house guy knows best in the recording environment they have chosen to be in.
What I like about working with musicians and groups is there ability to play music. It is, after all, what they do and what they do best. What Cooz's records does is in the recording studio is record music. As Bob Katz points out this process is both an art and a science. It is something that requires experience, talent and hard work to do well. There is no one piece of equipment, technique or process which gives the best results. The organic nature of the process is what makes it so appealing to me and so interesting to work through in order to achieve the best results. In recording music, just as in playing it, best results are achieved when your ear directs you to what is possible to do with the group you work with. This is usually not what you would expect but in working through the process the session, if managed well, can achieve all that was initially desired and more.
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