People who have never been in a studio before ask me this question a lot. And my answer is always the same: It depends. Great. What does that mean? Well, it's common sense, really, and involves a number of factors:


If the recording is a document (such as wanting to get down a quick recording of a newly written song for yourself or band members), we will be critical, and shoot for a high quality performance and recording, but we're not going to sweat the little stuff. Mainly what you want to do with a document is accurately capture the song; it's more about content than form. If it's a demo that you're going to hand out to try to get work, then we're going to be more critical. This is something people are going to judge you by; you want to accurately convey your sound, and also put your best foot forward. A demo intended to attract label interest almost has to be as complete and polished as a commercial release. If it's a commercial release (that's anything that you'll be trying to make money from) we will be more critical, more demanding, and therefore take more time - this is about content, form and execution. Recordings last a long time, and you want to know that what you put out there is going to reflect well on you. Of course, if you are a punk band, you want to impress your audience with how little you care about the spit-and-polish production aspects, in which case, revert to the demo criteria. Hey, we can always record on my cassette machine.

The number of songs is a pretty obvious one, but that's assuming they're all more or less equivalent. Recently I did two projects for a solo artist. One project had five songs: Three just acoustic guitar and vocal, one acoustic guitar, electric bass (tracked simultaneously) and vocal, and one was an alternate arrangement of one of the previous songs with me adding a second acoustic guitar, electric bass, and electric lead guitar. The other project (by the same artist, remember) had one song: I did a track arrangement, to which the artist added his acoustic guitar and vocal. Then we had a percussion specialist come in and add some congas, bongos, chimes, bell tree, and Octapad parts. Guess what: Both projects ended up costing exactly the same.

How long each song is also seems like a gimme, but it's more than just that a longer song means more time spent. The longer and/or more complex the song, the stiffer the odds of getting it right from start to finish. Hey, I have actually punched in an entire band in the middle of a song, so it can be done. But in the long run, it's better to cut straight through and fix minor mistakes later.

The number of people involved is also another factor. First of all, there's set up time: The larger and/or more elaborate the set-up, the longer it will take. Regarding performance time, a well-prepared solo artist can probably get the song right in one or two takes. The more people involved, the more difficult it becomes to get a perfect take. Maybe the song is only three minutes long, but how long is it going to take to get five people to play the song more or less perfectly (small mistakes can be fixed afterwards) all together all at one time? (More than three minutes, I can guarantee it.) That's why, if we come away with a good drum track, I'm happy. If we come away with a good drum track AND a good bass track, I'm ecstatic! If we get more than that, I'm delirious!

The factor that affects session time the most is how prepared the client is.

Musically: You need to be well-rehearsed and ready to go when you come in. Once the session starts, time is money. This is not the time to start hammering out arrangements or arguing over changing one note in the lead guitar solo. You need to know what you are going to do before you get here, and be rehearsed enough to execute your part correctly and through repeated takes if necessary. This kind of preparation will make your sessions go quickly and smoothly. Some people like to use the studio as their creative environment, and work out arrangements, experiment, and otherwise be spontaneous. This is great, and I'm all for it, as long as you recognize that the meter is running, and you are prepared to pay for it all. Most people don't have unlimited funds for such activity (if so, you wouldn't be interested in this question), but if you do, more power to ya (and more money to me!).

Mentally: Playing music requires focus and stamina. If you've ever gigged for six hours straight in a highly improvisational setting, you know what I mean. It also requires discipline, i.e., doing things even when you don't feel like it. (Again, I'm speaking to those who want to do more than come in, blow through some tunes, and leave.) The first time you hit that power chord and hear it through the Pod, the Aphex preamps, and those super duper Sony headphones, it will be a major rush. Don't look for that same level of excitement when you're on take 11 somewhere around midnight.

Emotionally: People enter a recording studio with widely varying emotions and expectations. There can be fear, excitement, uncertainty, you name it. And then there's the argument the drummer and the lead singer's girlfriend got into on the way to the studio. Here's the bottom line: Whatever your emotional state, hold onto it or let it go; either way, try not to let it interfere with the task at hand.

The involvement of other people such as contract musicians, or arranging and tracking services I might provide, can add to the studio time. Such activities need to be monitored and managed.

There's usually a lot of idle time involved from the point you stop playing to the point you start up again. Quite often, when musicians aren't actually holding their instruments, they're making phone calls, taking a potty break, joking around, smoking a cigarette (OUTSIDE!), etc., etc. Unless we formally break for lunch or another extended break, the meter is running. You can waste a good 15 or 20 minutes every time you stop to regroup. A good work ethic goes a long way in the studio to reducing the amount of time involved.

If you are recording at a straight hourly rate, you will naturally want to be conscious of the time. If we have worked out a package deal, you can probably afford to be a little less uptight about the time, although package deals often come with time restrictions. For example, I did a three-song demo for a band for a set price, but the stipulation was that all the tracking had to be completed in two days over one weekend. This was doable for the band, and working under the package deal arrangement helped everyone relax and have fun, since they weren't watching the clock. As a result, the recording went quickly and smoothly. However, be advised: It is REALLY not cool to come in unprepared just because you're working under a package deal, because then what you're doing is taking advantage of me, my time, and my patience. Time is still money, only now it's MY time and money you're cutting into. That will make me ... unhappy. Be considerate, be professional, be organized.
how long will it take/how much will it cost?