Studio Etiquette: For the Engineer

Welcome again to Saturday blogging. If you’ve been here past weeks, thanks for hanging out. If you’re new, welcome. My Previous blogs have been mainly directed at studio/recording tips and advice for the artist. This week I’m going to change it up a little bit. We’re going to talk about studio etiquette and ways to make the artist comfortable from the engineer’s standpoint.

First Impressions:

First impressions are unbelievably important. Good ones are lasting and so are bad ones, no matter how much you make up for them later. I’m not saying it’s impossible to dig yourself out of a hole, but why be jump in at all? Greet everyone with a hand shake (see Jen Creed’s Hump Day entries for proper hand shaking techniques), and learn everyone’s first name. Writing it all down while you remember is even better, because it’s quite impressive when you remember those months later. Another thing that leaves a lasting impression is always have drinks on hand (coffee, tea, water, juice, soda, etc. Handing out free alcohol can get out of hand and be very expensive). Drinks are one of those things you can chalk up to operating costs, and it makes the artist feel welcome.

Be polite and remain calm:

The creative process is naturally wrapped around emotion. When emotions are at a heightened level, tempers can flare. Your job as the engineer is to remain the calm one; always. Whether you’d like to believe it or not, our job is very much customer serviced based. You are at the helm and are responsible for the recording process and the artist’s happiness while in your care. If something goes wrong in the session on your end (with your computer, pre-amp, microphone, etc.), you cannot lose it and must always remain positive. You have to find a way to calmly assess the problem and explain it to the client. If it’s a big problem that’s going to cut the session short, consider offering up a few free hours next time they come in. People love deals!

When to use encouraging words:

This one you have to be very careful with and take on a case-by-case basis. Basically, make sure you’re not going to get your head bitten off or lose a job over opening your mouth when you shouldn’t. If for instance, there is a producer present who is working with the artist, then you probably don’t need to say anything. Even if you see the producer isn’t successfully motivating them, DO NOT under any circumstances feel like it is your place to speak up. An exception to this rule would be if you have worked with this producer many times before, and have a “team” relationship, or know its okay to step into his or her shoes just a little bit. If, however, there is no producer present you have to use your judgment and read the artist and how they might react. When in doubt, lean towards not saying anything and again, always find a way to speak positively.

The main message:

Always be Zen, baby. Always be Zen.