A New Model for Cost Effective Professional Audio Production
By Bernie Nau - 8/4/2005
Combining home and commercial studios:
The cost of home recording equipment has been continually dropping in price. Because of this, serious artists and musicians are using a hybrid recording process, utilizing the commercial and home studio for their respective advantages.
This is the typical procedure:
- Pre-production: Home Studio.
- Recording basic tracks: Commercial Studio.
- Overdubs: Home Studio.
- Editing: Home Studio.
- Mixing: Commercial Studio. (If your budget allows it).
- Mastering: Commercial Studio (If your budget allows it).
Step 1 Pre-production: The planning stage for producing your record.
- Develop and refine your material, using your home studio as a pre-production tool.
- Get all your equipment in shape, get new tubes, strings and drumheads and have a guitar tech set up the intonation on your guitar and bass.
- Professional producers will work with an artist to uncover and focus the essential emotional core of a song. Depending on the producer and the type of music, they also help refine the lyric, song form, instrumentation and chord structure.
You can self-produce, using objective listening, but it is not easy. It is to very difficult to remain objective. (If you are interested, please try the method below).
- Record your song(s).
- In a few days, listen to the recording. As you are listening, write down the pros and cons for each song. In a band situation, don't just talk about it. Write it down.
Think like a producer, don't just listen for errors or mistakes. Strive to remain objective! Add your own ideas to the short list found below.
- Does the tempo feel right?
- Is the song too long?
- Does the playing have the right attitude?
- Should there be a solo?
- Do the lyrics and the music fit?
- Is the introduction too long?
- Is the song undeniable?
- In a group setting, correlate the information from everyone's lists and agree on changes.
- Record another take, and go back to step 2.
Repeat these steps until you feel your song is undeniable, then get some feedback. Play your song(s) for a few friends, observe their reaction. If no one talks or looks at their cell phone it's time to book some studio time.
You can record your basic tracks in a home studio but if you don't have a acoustically tuned room, a selection of mics and preamps as well as EQ's and compressors, use a commercial studio. When you get to the mixing stage, you'll be glad you did.
Recording your basic tracks at a commercial studio:
Stay tuned, more next month!

