Studio Etiquette For the Artist

Hello kids. Today we are going to discuss studio etiquette for the artist. There are certain things you don't want to do in the studio for several reasons. Most importantly, it's not a good idea to annoy and/or distract the person in charge of your projects sonic quality. And almost as important, these things are just plain rude and if you decide to make too many of the wrong people upset with you you're going to eventually find it difficult to find people work with you. So here they are...

Talking and Cellphones
Here's a simple rule that's always good to live by. If you're in the studio (especially in a session where tracking is happening), then at the least put your cellphone to silent. This will help you avoid the two biggest no-no's: 1) Having your cellphone go off in the middle of a take. This will annoy everyone involved in the project (including yourself) and, worse, will cost your more money when you have to re-cut that take. 2) Your cellphone ringing in the control room while the engineer is tracking (or mixing, or editing, or whatever). The only thing worse than that is answering it. Do not do this to say anything more than, "Hey. Sorry I'm recording, I'll have to call you back." ("What? Gramma's dead?!" is also acceptable.)

What goes in line with number two is talking in the back of the control room while everyone else is working. If you want to have a conversation with a band member, or whomever happens to be there, then go outside to do so.

Basic message: Do not be a distraction. It costs you money and respect.

Food and Drinks in the studio
Always ask if it's allowed. Don't ever assume you can just walk in to the control or tracking room with any food or beverage. If it is allowed then make sure to keep it away from any and all equipment. Setting a cup of coffee on the mixing console is never a good idea, even if the engineer does it. If you happen to spill something, find something to clean it up with and do so. I have yet to record any royalty; we can all cleanup after ourselves.

Visitors
Again, always ask if and how many are allowed. Some studios don't care, and some don't like the distraction (especially mastering sessions). If you are going to have some arrive, then always try to plan on them arriving at the beginning or during a scheduled break. There's nothing worse than the unscheduled visitor showing up while you're trying to nail something that's just so close to working. They just become a distraction, and will cost you more money in the end.

Being Late
Watch your scheduled time and do not be late. A lot of studios start the clock when you are scheduled with or with out you. The only thing that stops that is you calling ahead. Even then, pay close attention to their cancellation or late policy.

Look for studios who have complimentary load-in times (like us...30 mins to be exact). If your session starts at 11 AM and they have a complimentary 30 minute load in time prior to session start, get there at 10:30 and get loaded in. If you do this every session, then you're bound to save some cash on your total for recording costs.

For those who have been following along, what's the common theme? It's the simple fact that sticking to studio etiquette guidelines will save you money in almost every situation. When you don't distract, then things get done faster. When you're not late, then you don't waste studio time. And when you don't spill coffee on a $50,000 to $90,000 console, you don't have to spend the rest of your life paying it off. Remember these things (as well as all the advice I've given over the months), and you're recording experienced is set up to be a pleasant one.