How to Prepare for Your First Recording Studio Session
The best way to prepare for your first recording studio session is to know your songs cold, bring a reference track, and show up with your gear in working order. Studio time goes fast. Every minute spent learning a part or fixing a broken string is a minute not spent recording.
What should you bring to a recording studio session?
- Lyrics, printed or on your phone, with any changes marked
- A reference track: a song whose sound you want to get close to
- Your instrument, with fresh strings or drumheads put on a few days before
- Spare strings, picks, cables, and batteries for pedals
- A demo of the song, even a phone recording, with the tempo you want
- Water, and something to eat for a long session
Some studios have instruments you can use. At Monorail Sound in Madeira, guitars, amps, basses, and keyboards are on site, so you can travel light if you want.
How should you practice before recording?
Practice with a click track (a metronome) at the tempo you plan to record. Many modern recordings are built on a click, and players who have never used one often struggle with it on the day. Run the song start to finish several times without stopping, because stopping on mistakes in practice turns into stopping on mistakes in the booth.
Singers should rest their voice the day before. Avoid shouting at a loud bar the night before, and warm up before you arrive.
What happens during a recording session?
A typical session starts with setup and a sound check, then moves to tracking. Tracking means recording each part. Bands often record drums, bass, and guitar together for feel, then add vocals and overdubs separately. The engineer records several takes and keeps the best parts of each. After tracking comes mixing (balancing all the parts) and mastering (finishing the song so it sounds right on streaming services and in the car).
How long does it take to record one song?
It depends on how prepared you are and how many parts the song has. A solo singer over an existing instrumental can often finish vocals in one session. A full band recording every instrument usually needs more time for tracking, plus separate time for mixing. Ask the engineer for an estimate once they hear your demo.
Should you hire an engineer or rent the studio on your own?
Hire an engineer for your first session. An engineer handles microphone choice, levels, and takes, so you can focus on performing. Producers and engineers who already run their own sessions can rent the room instead. Monorail Sound offers both: sessions with Ned, our in-house engineer with 15 years of experience across pop, hip-hop, indie, and country, and no-engineer rentals.
Where is there a recording studio near Cincinnati's east side?
Monorail Sound is in Madeira, next to Kenwood and Indian Hill, with Montgomery, Blue Ash, Mariemont, and Hyde Park a short drive away. Read more about the recording studio, see our mixing and mastering tiers, or book your session.