Recording Studio Tips
Submitted by Terry Westbrook.
Web Site URL: www.cattracksrecordingstudio.com
Country: United States
Business Phone: 832-766-7133
Name of Recording Studio: C.A.T. TRACKS RECORDING STUDIO
Studio Location: 15604 AVE C SUITE A CHANNELVIEW TEXAS 77530
Tell us about your recording studio and the services you offer: We are a full service recording studio, we do everything from CD projects to jingles, band demos, movie soundtrack work and everything in between.
We have loads of TUBE GEAR for you gear heads. Our motto is “creating a warm digital sound” which sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s really not if you have the right gear and know what to do with it!!
We have separate control room, drum booth and recording rooms complete with a 6-piece drum set, 2 Mackie 2496 HDR digital recording systems, software incl. Nuendo; Cubase, etc. Microphones from 9 manufacturers including Neumann; AKG; RODE; Audio Technica; CAD; Earthworks & Shure. Eight sets of monitors including a 1974 Vintage pair of JBL 4311 WX-A speakers – match set hand picked by Bill “Obie” O’Brien, sound engineer for Bon Jovi. 48 tracks of Mackie analog mixing. A 1967 Vintage Crown dual channel DC 300A silver face power amp plus an Alesis 250 watt dual channel power amp.
REVERBS including
Alesis/Apex/Boss/Vintage Echoplex/Eventide/Lexicon/Roland/T.C. Electronics.
EFFECTS including
ALESIS: 1/3 octave precision equalizer/ANTARES: ATR1 autotune intonation/pitch
corrector/APHEX:(2)104 aural exciters/(2)107 TUBEssence 2-channel thermionic microphone preamplifiers/APOGEE: Rosetta 24 bit analog to digital converter/AUDIO TECHNIQUE: AT8560 TUBE microphone powering unit
AVALON DESIGN: AD 2044 pure class 2-channel TUBE compressor
BEHRINGER: Composer MDX 2100 audio interactive dynamics processor/Edison Model
EX1 stereo image processor (with phase meter)/Multigate MEX3100 audio interactive quad-expander/gate/compressor/Pro XL MDX 2600 Multicom processor and composer/Pro XL MDX 4600 Multicom processor/Ultrafex II Model EX3100 multi-band sound enhancement processor/Ultra-Q equalizer/BELLARI RP220 2-channel dual TUBE microphone preamp/DBX: 286 preamp microphone processor/(2)363X dual gate stereo couplers/(2)1231 graphic equalizers/
DIGITECH: VTP1 dual-channel vacuum TUBE preamp/EQ/Converter/400 Quad effects unit/Quad 4 in 4 out multi effects processor/Studio Vocalist vocal harmony processor/EMPIRICAL LABS: (2)EL8 distressors–original mode/FOCUSRITE Platinum Compounder 2-channel compressor/compounder
Greg Hanks BA-660 tube preamp / limiter / compressor
Joe Meek Studio Channel VC1 enhancer / compressor
M-Audio Delta 44 Digital Audio Sound Card w/ breakout -box 4 in 4 out unlimited track recording.
This all comes with my business and myself who have 50 years of studio experience between the two of us. No matter where you live, you owe it to yourself to your next recording project with us!
Recording Studio Tips
Recording Studio Tips or Tutorial (250 – 600 words):
BEING PREPARED FOR THE STUDIO.
With years in the business (I now own a recording studio in the Houston, Texas area called C.A.T. TRACKS RECORDING STUDIO) I know as well as most that the old adage, it all starts with the song, is as true for the studio as much as anywhere else. You have to know what you’re going to record before you record it, obviously, so getting your tunes in shape to record is the first step on the road to success at a session. Pick songs that aren’t all in the same key, mix it up just like you would on a gig; change up tempos, don’t record all ballads or all fast tunes, even if you’re recording originals or covers.
Next, rehearse BEFORE you get to the studio. If you are not recording with your own band & you’re using session musicians, make sure they get a copy of the tunes before the session so they can listen to your tunes & familiarize themselves with your material ahead of time. Believe me; most musicians will thank you for that (even if they are doing extra work for you for nothing, they like to look good, hence prepared – in front of their peers on the day of the session!).
Recording Studio Tips
Do you need a producer?? PROBABLY SO, unless you’re real fluent in the studio, and even then, most major recording artists will tell you they don’t have the objectivity to produce themselves. Sooo, PROBABLY SO. BUT, here’s the really cool thing – It doesn’t have to cost you an arm & a leg. Find someone who’s been in the music biz a while and just getting into producing, since they don’t have a big track record in production, they may do it at a reduced rate to get the recognition. Just MAKE
SURE you & your producer have the same vision in mind for your project, otherwise it can turn out to be a nightmare from Elm Street. If you see eye to eye with your producer on things, let him be a producer, i.e. don’t micro-manage him, that’s what you’re paying him for (including hiring musicians; booking studio time; baby sitting everything including you).
That’s all for now, but check back at my website (www.cattracksrecordingstudio.com ) I’ll eventually be setting up a newsletter you can subscribe to for these kinds of tips, tricks hints & more!!
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