Recording

You know what you want to record, so let's record!

The process of recording in a studio is so straightforward.
All you need to bring with you is your talent (and your instrument!)
It can be difficult to be creative on demand as is sometimes the case in studio recording, so we at Contact Studio aim to make the whole process as relaxing, easy and enjoyable as possible.
There are several ways to record yourself, use this page to find out what they are, how and why they're done and what to expect from them.

Most people prefer to book a whole day at a time at the studio, rather than working and paying by the hour. A typicle day at the studio would run from 9:00am until 9:00pm in this time we can record, mix and master about three or four songs multi-tracked. More songs can be recorded if you record live. If you prefer you can pay and work by the hour, this offers more flexability and is ideal if you don't have much to record or if you're a solo artist. e.g singing whilst playing guitar.

Recording with backing tracks

This is one of the most simple forms of recording. you may have your own accompliament or we may provide it for you, either way, there is only one thing (e.g voice) being recorded. This means that we can spend time just on you as everything else is pre-recorded.
Once you have finished performing, it's time to mix the two tracks (e.g voice and backing) together. once you are happy with the way they sound together, we can then 'master' the track as a whole onto CD(s)

Live recording

This means that all the musicians in a group are recorded simultaniously, once everyone is plugged in and sound checked you simply play through your songs as you would at a live performance or rehearsal.
The advantage of this technique is that a live recording is an especially good way of capturing the energy of live performance and works especially well for small groups e.g folk duo, jazz trio etc.
It also means that you can record many more songs in a shorter time; "More bang-for-you-buck."
This disadvantages are that if one of you makes a mistake, you may have to 're-take' the song.
Also difficulties can arrise with larger groups because sound from one instrument can be picked up by other microphones in the room, making it difficult to isolate each instrument when mixing the song later.

Multi-track recording

This will generally give you the best sounding results when recording a band. Multi-track recording is when each instrument is recorded separately, on after another.
Usualy a 'guide track' is layed down in time with a click track and then the other musicians record their parts individually over the top, when all the musicians parts are recorded, the original 'guide track' is deleted.
The advantage of this recording technique is that each musician has the studio to themselvs when they record, enabling them to get their part just right. Multi-tracking also means that each recorded instrument is 'clean' with no unwanted noise from other instruments.

On location recording

Recording on location would usually be done live, as this method is often used for recording large orchestras or for recording a live performance with an audience.
For this, Contact Studio would arrive well before the begining of the performance with all te relevent microphones, cables and recording equipment, all you have to do is perform.
then we take the recording back to the studio to mix and master it, so as it sounds the very best it can.
This recording technique is the best way to make the listener feel they're at a live show when they hear your recording. Especially useful when presenting your band to prospective venues or agent, the listener knows what they're hearing is the real thing.