Keith Olsen and Ozzy Osbourne during the
studio sessions for the 1988 album, No Rest
for the Wicked. A commercial studio’s accoutrements
improve recording quality, but
a professionally trained listener can give you
educational input worth its weight in gold.In the December 2012 issue of Premier
Guitar, I interviewed producer/engineer Keith Olsen for a “Studio Legends”feature. Towards the end of the
interview, Olsen talked briefly about the
quality of gear in relation to the quality
of song when it comes to the final results
we achieve with our recordings, and why
using a professional studio might be a
better idea than recording on your own.
Since the primary focus of my monthly
column the past several issues was how to
choose gear for your studio, this seemed
worth discussing a bit further. The following
are some conclusions I drew from
Keith’s comments:
• Even the least-expensive gear on the
market is capable of making excellent sounding
recordings.
• There is a trade-off between doing your
own recordings versus hiring a studio
and/or an engineer to do the recording
for you. That trade-off involves the
time required to learn various software
packages, how to operate the gear, the
expense of buying and owning the
gear, and the time that all of this takes
away from practicing your instrument,
writing a great song, or perfecting
your performance.
• The quality of the song is more important
than the quality of the gear.
• A good performance of a quality song
trumps any gear issues or recording
quality issues.
Keith certainly knows what he is talking
about and I agree with all of these points.
Who am I to argue with his track record
and well-earned insight? At the same time,
I don’t think that Keith was necessarily telling
us not to own home studios or make
our own recordings. These days, you have
to ensure that the music you deliver to a
record label or offer directly to your audience
is the best it can be. The internet has
proven to be a great leveler when it comes
to music distribution and promotion, but
that also means that thousands of musicians
and bands are competing with you
for attention and dollars. The music you
put out must be of high quality, and that
includes recording quality.
When considering using a commercial
studio versus a home studio, you have to
weigh the benefits and costs. I am the first
to trumpet the value of a professionally
designed and equipped studio. Acoustic
issues are removed from the equation and
you have the expertise of a full-time recording
professional. This way, you can keep all
your focus on making music, and not have
to split your brain by having to deal with
the recording component as well. Perhaps
most important, there are few distractions.
When you’re on the clock in a commercial
studio, you’ll find your attention stays
focused on what you are doing.
On the other hand, owning the gear
means you can take your time. You don’t
have to worry about the clock ticking and
studio fees mounting up. You may even
feel freer to experiment in the comfort
and privacy of your personal music room
than in a commercial studio environment.
Best of all—once you finish a project—you still own the gear and can put it to
work on future projects. And, as Keith
says, you can make great-sounding recordings
on even the least expensive gear that’s
available today.
I would also point out that very few
of us call up a music retailer and place
an order for a complete studio all in one
go, have the entire lot dropped off at the
front door, and then spend months learning
how to set it up and use it. Most of
us acquire one or two pieces of gear at a
time, slowly building up our recording
rigs and learning how to use each addition
as it comes in. With careful balance,
you can learn to record while also maintaining
your chops, writing songs, and
perfecting performances.
If you do opt for a commercial studio
and a professional engineer to record your
music, there can be tremendous educational
value from making recordings of
your songs in progress—for composing,
for trying various arrangements, or just to
hear what your music sounds like from the
perspective of a listener. Hearing yourself
played back through studio monitors or
headphones reveals all the flaws—and also
spotlights the good parts—so recording is
a tremendously valuable tool for improving
your playing.
Likewise, it can be valuable to record
your band during rehearsal or at writing
sessions. It’s very difficult to be truly
objective when you are in the midst of a
song run-through, or when everyone is
caught up in the heat of a fully inspired,
compositional moment. Being able to
listen back later when everyone can focus
is useful in many ways—from checking
out song ideas, to remembering ideas that
have been cast aside, to verifying that all
parts are being played correctly and in
tune. The tape doesn’t lie, so using it as
the final arbiter of truth makes it easier
to correct problems without hurting anyone’s
feelings.
All of these points add up to—in my
mind, at least—compelling reasons for
having a recording rig of your own and
putting it to work regularly. By all means,
when your music is polished, consider
using a commercial studio and a professional
engineer. The benefits easily outweigh
the costs. Or, if you do feel capable,
use your home rig to make your final
recordings. Perhaps you’ll find the perfect
balance by combining the benefits of home
recording for certain things and utilizing a
commercial studio for the things you can’t
do as well at home. No matter what direction
you go, the ends justify the means
when it comes to recording!
Mitch Gallagher is
the former editor in chief of
EQ magazine. He’s written
more than 1000 articles
and six books on recording
and music technology, and
has released an instructional
DVD on mastering. His upcoming book is
entitled
Guitar Tone: Pursuing the Ultimate
Electric Guitar Sound. To learn more, visit
mitchgallagher.com.