ARTIST AREA
The Artist Area contains information, recommendations, and tips to help make your recording experience the best it can be, as well studio polices and info on payments and booking. Please have all of the artists/musicians involved in your project read through this page before your recording session.
This page is a work in progress and I'll be adding to it constantly. Enjoy!
Please note: Many of these tips are intended to be general “best practices” for most musicians, but every project is different and different projects may require different approaches. If you’re unsure of the best way to prepare for your project please don’t hesitate to message me and we’ll get everything figured out so that we can make the best product possible.
STUDIO PREPARATION TIPS
I'm a huge believer in getting the sound right at the source. I do everything I can on my end to make that happen, but the musicians (that's you) are responsible for a few things that can and will make or break your recording. Let me know if you have any questions!
GUITARISTS / BASSISTS
Please have all guitars and basses professionally (i.e. by someone with a lot of experience) set up and intonated with fresh strings just prior to recording. This usually takes a few days and costs about $40-60 per instrument so please make sure to plan ahead so that you can get your instruments back just before you come into the studio. This will dramatically improve guitar and bass tones and will help alleviate common issues - particularly tuning/intonation issues - that tend to arise during recording.
If you're in the metro Phoenix area my recommended guitar tech is Evan Nichols of Nichols Guitar Company - (480) 390-2387. Evan does great work with quick turnaround times and musician-friendly rates. If you have your own preferred tech that’s fine too. I generally do not recommend having retail stores such as Guitar Center or Sam Ash set up your instruments - the quality of the work tends to vary wildly in my experience - but if you know that the tech does good work that’s fine too.
Make sure to specify to the tech what tuning you use and what kind of strings you want (or better yet, buy the ideal strings and give them to the repairperson when you drop off your instrument). I personally prefer to use heavy string gauges for electric guitars as they tend stay in tune better while playing vs. lighter string gauges, especially with dropped tunings and detuning. I use D'Addario NYXL 12-52 on my personal standard and half-step down tuned guitars, and may recommend even thicker gauges for lower tunings. Poorly set-up instruments will almost always end up costing you more money in studio time than you would have spent getting them set up in the first place, and they won't sound as good.
If you're wondering what strings to get, I've been very impressed with D'Addario NYXL series strings. They sound great, stay in tune really well, and hold their tone longer than most other strings. For bass guitar I find stainless steel strings to sound best for aggressive or picked tones (I use and recommend D'Addario Pro Steels), or get some nickel-wound steel strings if you're after a subtler, warmer tone. For acoustic guitars, John Pearse makes my favorite strings - I use the 700m phosphor bronze set on my personal guitars, you can find them on Amazon.
Once you get your instrument back, I’d suggest leaving it unplayed in the case and using a backup for rehearsals/shows so that the instrument is fresh and ready for recording. I also have some great guitars and basses that you may use for sessions – the band is responsible for the cost of setting these up if necessary.
Please make sure you have plenty of extra strings, picks, etc. Strings can start wearing down within hours, which affects the clarity of your tone. I've recorded several guitarists who can wear out a fresh set of strings before they're even done with the first song. For this reason I recommend getting a fresh pack of strings for every song you're recording. This doesn't mean we'll end up using them, but it's good to be prepared.
VOCALISTS
Make sure you have your lyrics and parts ready – ideally you should be able to sing the songs comfortably without needing a lyric sheet. If you have to read the lyrics while you’re singing, it’s really hard to perform, to let go, and to emote to your full potential.
Get plenty of sleep, and don’t have too much caffeine, sugar, dairy, or alcohol prior to recording.
Practice every day.
Practice every day.
If you’re a regular smoker, DON’T quit right before recording.
Type up your lyrics for the songs and bring or send me a copy.
Practice every day. Seriously. It’s important to keep your voice well exercised throughout the recording process and to know your lyrics by heart.
Check out Jacobs Vocal Academy for a great collection of warm-ups, vocal exercises, and resources for vocalists. Even doing a 10-20 minute warmup routine every day can be very helpful to make you sound your best.
Consider consulting with a vocal coach in the time leading up to your recording session if you aren’t already. Even a few 30-60 minute vocal lessons can help identify technique issues and set you on the path to being the best vocalist you can.
DRUMMERS
Be prepared to record the songs with a click track (metronome). I’d recommend practicing playing to a click every day before recording if possible. If the songs have any changing tempos I can program the click to change tempos where appropriate, or we can punch in whenever the tempo changes. If we are overdubbing instruments over the drums (which is the usual process for the vast majority of bands I work with) it’s essential to use the click so please make sure you’re prepared.
In the rehearsals leading up to drum recording, please focus on “mixing” yourself behind the drum kit – emphasize hitting the kick, snare, and toms with power and consistency, but try to focus on balance and musicality when hitting your cymbals (i.e. don’t go all caveman on your cymbals unless it's musically appropriate). The goal is for the drums to sound “mixed” in the room without the cymbals overwhelming everything. If you can master the art of mixing yourself as a drummer, your drums will sound miles better both live and in the studio.
If you’re going for punch and volume, focus on hitting your snare and toms in their “sweet spot” – usually dead-center in the middle of the head - for the best sound. Whether you play rimshots or centered hits, this is important if you want your drums to punch. Most drums ring less and punch more when struck dead-center, and hitting them off-center - even a little bit - will take away power and increase overtones. You'll find that when hitting the drums dead-center, the drums will sound bigger, more focused, and louder than when hitting them off-center, and obviously this makes for punchier drum recordings. Hit the drum correctly and it will do the hard work for you. Obviously this doesn’t apply to all styles or drummers but for straight-up powerful drum sounds it’s crucial.
Finally, your drums will record best if you set up your cymbals in a way that leaves some room for the mics. A little extra height and distance from the mics reduces cymbal bleed and gives us more leeway when mixing the drums to make them sound the best they can be. Obviously your setup should be comfortable to play, but sometimes if you can make a few adjustments it can pay off in the studio, especially if you want a natural drum sound.
Using great cymbals is probably the most important thing you can do for a great recorded drum sound. If your cymbals sound bad, your drums will sound bad, so please buy, beg, borrow, or steal the best possible cymbals for your recording . Microphones tend to prefer thinner, darker, and/or quieter cymbals for the best possible sounds. Zildjian Ks and As (including the Custom, Sweet, Mastersound, etc. series), Paiste 602 series, many Sabian AA/AAX/HHX, Dream's Energy series, and other companies’ equivalents work really well. Thick, loud cymbals like Zildjian Zs, budget-level cymbals such as Zildjian ZBTs, or cracked/damaged cymbals will sound overly loud, harsh, and/or tinny under microphones. So please bring great cymbals, because the best engineers in the world can’t make bad cymbals sound good. Also, if you didn't already watch this video you should definitely do it, even if you have been playing for decades.
Speaking of cymbals, please try not to hit your cymbals straight-on, and try not to hit the edge of the cymbal. Instead, use glancing hits across the side/bow of the cymbal. This reduces sway, improves tone, and extends the life of the cymbal.
DRUMMERS - PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO AND MAKE BOTH OF OUR LIVES EASIER.
WHAT ABOUT DRUM HEADS?
One of my roles as your producer is to be your personal drum tech - I’m an experienced drum tuner and we will work together to tune your drums to sound their best under the mics and for the style of music you're doing.
Please have fresh heads for your drums. Old, worn, or damaged drum heads often don't tune up properly and can compromise your drum tones before a single mic even gets set up. If you're not sure about the condition of the heads on your drums, I'd recommend at least purchasing new heads but keeping them boxed up until we can check out the old heads in the studio (and save your receipt!).
Some heads (like Remo Emperors) tend to sound better after being seated on the drum for a day or two, so if possible it’s usually it’s best to at least install the heads and put even tension on them before coming into the studio.
I also have a studio drum kit available to use (bring your own cymbals and hardware/pedals), this is a good option if you don't want to spring for all new heads or if your kit isn't ideal for recording. More info on the studio kit below.
Sometimes different heads work well for different sounds, so if there are multiple recommendations you should choose the head that best suits the type of drum sounds you’re looking for. Over the past 15 years or so we have tried just about everything out there and these are my recommendations for the heads that have consistently worked the best for us in the studio.
Kick Drum (batter head)
Remo Powerstroke 3 – My preferred kick head for most music. A clean, punchy kick drum sound with great lows, attack and presence. This head is right in the sweet spot between sounding deep/resonant and tight/punchy .
Remo Powerstroke 4 - Similar to the Powerstroke 3 but double-ply, which makes it more durable and dampens the sound a bit more. Good if your kick is on the resonant/ringy side and needs a little extra control.
Evans EMAD - EMADs are nice if you want a deep kick sound with less attack and punch and more roundness and body. In my experience they don't have quite as much punch/impact as the Remo Powerstroke heads but they have a nice deep "boom." They can still sound punchy if you hit the kick hard. EMADs usually have to be tuned very low to sound their best in my experience. There are a few variations of the EMAD:
EMAD (single ply) - Most sustain and tone
GMAD (single-ply) - Thicker than EMAD, more punch and durability
EMAD 2 (two ply) - More punch, less sustain
EMAD Heavyweight - Max punch and durability, least sustain
For most styles I recommend you get a Remo Impact Patch, Falam Slam, or equivalent pad for your batter head. This will protect the head and add punch to the sound.
Please don’t install “KickPorts” or other weird plastic contraptions on the drum - they don’t really improve the recorded sound, they add weight to the head (which can affect tuning) and they make it difficult to mic the drum. All we need are decent quality heads that have been tuned and dampened appropriately.
Kick Drum (resonant head)
Evans EMAD, Remo Powerstroke, or anything in good shape with a 4” or larger mic hole - Audio engineers (both live and in the studio) will thank you. An offset hole will usually sound slightly more resonant and will provide a little more bounce-back from the pedal, a centered hole will sound tighter and punchier but with less sustain and bounce-back.
If you have a resonant head with a pre-cut mic hole, position the head so that the hole is in the 9:00 or 3:00 position - this makes it easier to position the microphone.
If you’re cutting a hole in the reso head or having a custom head made with a pre-cut hole, cut the hole at the 3:00 or 9:00 position and don’t cut it too close to the edge. The 3:00/9:00 positions (and center holes) are much easier to deal with when micing a kick drum, because most mic stands are awkward to use if the hole is too low (someone please write to head manufacturers and tell them this!)
For certain types of drum sounds it’s sometimes better not to have a hole in the resonant head. If we haven’t already talked about it and you’re wondering if you should have a hole or not, just let me know!
Please don’t install “KickPorts” or other weird plastic contraptions on the drum - just the right heads and proper tuning/dampening are all we need. Kickports add a lot of weight to the head, make it harder to get the mic into the drum, and don’t really improve the recorded sound of the drum in my opinion.
Kick Drum Beater
The kick drum beater has a noticeable effect on the sound of the drum. A felt beater will have a softer attack than a hard plastic or wood beater. Please make sure your beater suits the type of kick sound you want. Wood or hard plastic beaters tend to work best for aggressive kick sounds and felt shines when you're looking for more warmth and a less aggressive attack. Vintage-style beaters such as the Vic Virth "VicKick" can also be very cool if you want the kick to sound big and deep but don't want an overly punchy sound.
Snare Drum (batter head)
Remo Controlled Sound X coated – Great for big, beefy snare sounds, this is probably our most-used snare head. It's essentially a slightly thicker Ambassador with a dampening dot in the middle which helps focus the tone.
Remo Emperor and Emperor Vintage coated - Tried and true, possibly the most popular rock/pop drum head there is. The “Vintage” version is a little thicker and beefier sounding but has a big less sustain. The standard Emperor is a little more open and ringy in comparison, but still focused and punchy enough for most genres. Evans equivalents : G2 coated, UV2 coated
Remo Controlled Sound coated – Similar to the Controlled Sound X but slightly thinner, which gives it a brighter, more open sound at the expense of being less durable and ringing a bit more. I recommend this head for quieter, less hard-hitting musical styles that require more sensitivity but when you still want a meaty sound. This is basically a coated Ambassador with a durability/dampening dot in the center. Evans equivalent : Power Center Reverse Dot
Evans Genera HD and Genera HD Dry - The Evans Genera heads are nice if you’re tuning the drum higher and/or if you want a very fast, punchy snare sound. I still prefer the Remo Controlled Sound and Controlled Sound X for most things but the Genera HD and HD Dry can be great for certain kinds of sounds.
Remo Ambassador coated or Ambassador X coated - If you want a more open sound the Ambassador is a solid choice. It is quite thin and is very open, sensitive, and ringy. The “X” version is slightly thicker and more durable. Evans equivalents : G1 coated, UV1 coated
Snare Drum (resonant head)
Remo Ambassador Snare Side, Ambassador Hazy Snare Side, Evans Hazy 300 or Snare Side 300 - - the non-hazy snare side sounds slightly crisper/brighter to me, and the hazy heads are slightly warmer in tone to me, but the differences subtle enough that I could just be imagining it.
Snare Wires
Snare wires can have a huge impact on the quality of the snare sound. I really like Puresound wires (customs and blasters, 20 or 30 strand) and Tama Snappy Snare wires and Starclassic snare wires (20 or 42 strand depending on the drum) and use them on the studio’s drums. Other manufacturers such as Canopus, Sabian, etc. also make great wires but aren’t as widely available. If you've got stock wires, cheap wires, or bent/damaged wires, I'd suggest grabbing a fresh set if you want to use your snare on the recording.
Toms (batter head)
Remo Emperor Vintage (clear or coated) – These are great for a super-beefy, thick tom sound with plenty of attack and slightly less sustain than the standard Emperor. Great for “big rock” drum sounds. Don’t let the “vintage” tag fool you, it just means “slightly thicker than a regular Emperor” in this case.
Remo Emperor or Evans G2 (clear or coated) – The classics. The Emperor is probably the most-used tom head in existence and sounds great on pretty much anything. These are a bit more open and explosive than the “vintage” version but aren’t quite as beefy sounding. I prefer the sound of Emperors to G2s, but I’ve noticed that Emperors are a little pickier about the drum’s condition and tend to sound best if installed on the drums a few days before recording, while the G2s can be installed and sound great right away.
Remo Pinstripe (clear) - Pinstripes are a classic choice for toms and offer a nice, wet "smack" without a lot of overtones. They tend to sound a bit scooped and "pre-EQ'd." They're great if you want a polished "studio toms" kind of sound.
Remo Powerstroke P4 (clear or coated) - These are great for deep, buttery tom sounds with minimum sustain. Super beefy with less of a ringing “note” than the other heads listed here.
Toms (resonant)
Remo Ambassador clear or Evans Genera clear single ply – resonant heads should be changed if they are old, warped/stretched, dented, etc. Subpar resonant heads make it hard (if not impossible) to tune the tom properly. Please do not put any dampening on the resonant heads.
THE STUDIO DRUM KIT AND CYMBALS
I have a great studio drum kit available to use. It's a Tama Starclassic birch/bubinga with 10"/12"/16" toms and a 22" kick. I also have several snares that can be integrated into the kit if needed, and the kit can be configured however you like. I tune it for each song/project and keep it maintained with fresh drum heads, and if you haven't used Starclassics they are among the best sounding drums out there.
Bands are welcome to use the house kit for a small fee ($20 per song) to help with the cost of keeping it maintained with fresh heads - the cool thing about this is that you don't have to spend a bunch of cash buying new heads for your own kit if you're just doing a single or a few songs, and the kit will sound fantastic. Please bring your own cymbals and hardware. The house drums are generally equipped with a Remo Powerstroke 3 on kick, Remo Emperors and/or Vintage Emperors on toms, Remo Controlled Sound X or Emperor series on snare, and Remo Ambassadors for all tom/snare resonant heads - this is my go-to configuration for most genres based on having tried most of the popular drum heads out there.
I also have some great snare drums on hand. These drums have been maintained and upgraded with the goal of being ideal recording drums and we use them on many of the productions I work on:
6.5” x 14” Ludwig Black Beauty nickel over brass (upgraded)
6.5'“ x 14” Dunnett 2N chrome over brass (upgraded)
6.5” x 14” DW Thin Aluminum
7” x 14” Blackwood Drums Will Yip Signature aluminum
7” x 14” Keplinger 3mm “black iron” (upgraded)
I also have a modest selection of excellent cymbals on hand, there is a small per-song fee to use them. You can always check out the studio cymbals with your setup before deciding if you'd like to use them. Cymbals and hardware can also be rented from Guitar Center and other local music stores on a per-day, per-weekend, or per-week basis if needed.
EVERYONE
Please do your best to respect the studio environment and help keep it clean. Clean up trash, be professional, respect the studio’s neighbors, don’t show up drunk or high, take showers, check your ego, don’t bring non-essential visitors (boyfriends, girlfriends, etc.) to the session, bring extra headphones and batteries for video games/tablets/laptops, don’t pee on the toilet seat, chip in for the bottled water, etc. This will help keep the sessions running smoothly and comfortably for everyone.
Smoking / drugs / alcohol policy - There is a strict "no drugs" policy on the studio premises, this is part of my agreement with the property owner and is non-negotiable. If you're of age you can bring in beer or wine as long as it's not going to affect your performance (ideally, save it for when you're done recording for the day). There is no smoking or vaping permitted inside the studio whatsoever.
Entourage policy - out of respect for our neighboring businesses and because of limited studio space and parking, we ask that only necessary people (band, techs/crew, etc) attend sessions. More people = more distractions, less room to work, more heat in the studio, etc.
FILES AND BACKUPS
High-definition audio recording requires a lot of disk storage! Clients are responsible for providing an adequate USB-C hard drive to retain audio masters of the recording sessions if desired.
If no hard drive is provided I will use my own hard drives and back up system for the duration of the project. I will hold masters and back-up copies of the master recordings for up to 30 days from the end of recording sessions but I assume no responsibility for data retention or archival once the project has been completed and delivered. Hard drives should have at least 20GB of free space available for each song.
Recommended hard drives:
External - Sandisk Extreme SSD with USB-C connections - these drives can be recorded to directly or used for backups and final transfer of masters.
Internal - Western Digital Caviar Black SATA drive or OWC Mercury Electra SSD - internal drives can be installed into my hard drive enclosure and then removed and returned turned upon completion of the project.
To keep things streamlined and ensure future compatibility with other digital audio workstations I will generally furnish the consolidated individual WAV files from each mix without routing, processing, or unused files unless requested otherwise (the nature of some special requests may require extra studio time booked at the normal rate). I assume no responsibility for archiving or maintaining files after the recording sessions have concluded (though I generally try to hold on to everything as long as possible).
SCHEDULING AND PAYMENTS
Most productions will require 2 to 3 full days (one day = up to 8 working hours plus a lunch/dinner break) of studio time per song depending on your needs. To receive the best rate, the artist must book the entire day so please make sure someone can be there to record all day. If different musicians want to come at different times throughout the day that's okay, as long as we can work the whole day (I can also use unattended time for mixing and editing tasks if necessary). I do my best to give accurate estimates but depending on production style, song length, level of skill/preparedness, etc., some projects may require extra time, which can be added at the discounted package rate.
There is a non-refundable deposit required to book your studio dates, which is applied towards your total studio costs. The starting deposit is typically between 1/4 and 1/2 of the expected total balance based on the amount of time booked.
As a policy, no materials are released from the studio until payment is received. An exact payment schedule will be included with your invoice.
For mixing and mastering projects, I can be more flexible with the scheduling if necessary, please contact me for details and if you have any questions.
Payments can be made via:
Zelle money transfer - (Preferred, available in most major banking apps) to coryspotts@gmail.com
Cash or check (materials will be released when check clears)
Credit Card (client covers 2.75% fee)
Paypal to coryspotts@gmail.com (client covers the 2.75% fee if not doing a ‘Friends and Family’ payment)
Cash App - $CorySpotts
Venmo - @Cory-Spotts
HOURS
Standard studio hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. These hours are flexible depending on the project, just let me know if you’d like alternate hours for your project.