Recording Process

Here at Studio 117, we typically record each element of a song one at a time. This allows us to eliminate microphone bleed, and creates a cleaner sound when it comes to the mixing process. 

Although we record things in isolation, we are aware how important it is to have other instruments playing during the performance of any given instrument. For this reason, we will often record scratch tracks to work from. For example, if your song has guitar, vocals, drums, and bass, we may have you record a scratch track over a basic pre-made drum loop with the guitar and vocals to allow the necessary cues to be present when recording. If you have taken the time to make a demo at home, you can save on valuable studio time by using those recordings as the scratch tracks. This will allow you to spend more time perfecting the final, studio-recorded takes. 

Vocals

Our process for recording vocals isn’t unlike anything you’ve seen before. We have a professionally-treated, acoustically sound vocal booth, state of the art microphones, preamps, and studio headphones all to make your recording experience as creative as possible.

Electric Guitar / Bass

Typically, our process for recording electric guitar/bass involves plugging it straight into our Apollo interface in the control room, and creating a tone from our extensive catalogue of digital guitar amplifiers. With this process, the clean guitar recording is always preserved and we have full control over the tone and effects of the guitar in post. From heavy metal arena-filling sound to subtle indie bedroom-pop tones, we have it all. This process is exactly the same for electric bass. That said, we can accommodate whatever recording process you’d like, keeping isolation as the precursor. If you have an amp that you’d specifically like to use, bring it in and we can mic it up!

Acoustic Guitar / Bass

We record acoustic guitar in our vocal booth, and make use of various microphones to mic both the sound hole and fretboard. By recording in this fashion, we capture two drastically different tones from one performance. With this we have the ability to blend them and create a super wide, encapsulating sound, or an immensely intimate close feel based on what you’d like for your song. 

Piano / Keyboard

We record piano using a 88-key, semi weighted, velocity sensitive midi controller. We have a massive selection of sounds and piano emulations, captured in some of the most prestigious concert halls in the world by Native Instruments. We can layer and tweak sounds, edit the midi, and find the sound you’re looking for.

Drums

Our studio is not currently set up to record a full live band with a drum set. Please reach out via email to discuss setup if this is needed. If you are not a drummer, we also have the ability to program acoustic drums using the best drum emulations available on the market. This sound is almost indistinguishable from a real studio drummer.

Need Some Help with Production?

We offer creative sessions with our multi-talented producers for $75/hr! CLICK HERE to book a consultation with one of them to discuss your project idea, and how we can help.