Every band needs to find a recording studio at some point but deciding which to go with isn’t always the easiest of things! With many great and even legendary recording studios spread across the UK, it can often be hard deciding which is the most suitable for your band. Do you go for the local option? The London option? Do you choose based on engineer or do you choose based upon equipment available? Especially if you’re a new band and it’s your first studio session, it’s not always easy to pick and, as such, we’ve teamed up with Tim G of Big Tone Recordings in Manchester and the guys at AT Music Group in Essex to bring you our top tips for choosing a studio!
1) First things first, always look in your local area first! For any new band recording, the last thing you want to be doing is lugging your gear halfway down the country and it makes things far easier if you’re recording locally! Of course if you’re a signed band things are a little different but for a new unsigned band, always see what’s round the corner before you look elsewhere! You’ll find that there’s a decent studio in most UK cities and that even if there isn’t one directly where you are, going half an hour down the road will throw up some great options! It’s at least worth a look and you’ll often find something suitable!
2) Secondly, you need to have a chat with any potential studios! Pop in and see them and discuss what you’re trying to achieve. Are you recording a demo to try and land you gigs or something which you can sell to your fans? What your end goals are will shape the recording sessions and the length of time you need to book so always think carefully and discuss it with the engineer ahead of booking!
3) Thirdly, it makes sense to listen to some previous tracks recorded by the studio. Most should be able to provide this for you and it gives you a great opportunity to hear for yourself what is possible! If the tracks sound great you know you’re in for a great sounding CD but if they’re not so great, maybe it’s time to look elsewhere? At the end of the day, you need to make sure you’re recording in a studio who can produce the goods!
All in all, always take a look at a couple of studios as a whole band and choose the most suitable! That may be the most local or the most suitable for your genre but so long as you don’t just go for the first option you should look forward to a fab sounding CD!