A long time ago, a friend of mine told me this simple technique to deal with novice studio musicians.
You know the kind, the ones that might be great musicians but somehow get real stressed out in the studio.
They feed off the audience when they’re playing live, rocking out and playing every note with so much soul. But when you sit them down in the studio they suddenly get the jitters.
Every note sounds a little flat.
Every solo sounds uninspired.
Every drum beat just a little shaky.
Have you ever had this problem?
Well my friend used to do this one thing. He’d be all optimism and smiles and just go:
“Yeah…that was good….let’s try another one just to be sure.
He instilled confidence in the musicians. He let them know he thought they were doing fine while making them do another take. Sooner or later(it was usually sooner) they’d get back their confidence and start ripping through their songs, with all the soul they’ve had before.
It’s a simple trick, but very effective. Because sometimes you run into green players and you need to stroke their ego and make them feel good about themselves.
It’s really all about simplicity. Simple set ups, simple recordings, simple coaching tips. If you keep everything simple you won’t burden yourself with complex situations that result in you cowering in the corner, hyperventilating with a paper bag.
Make your recording session as simple as possible and you’ll make even the most naive musician feel right at home.
That’s what I teach you in Recording and Mixing Strategies. Simple and effective recording and mixing tricks to make your sessions run smoother and sound better.
Check it out here:
www.audio-issues.com/strategies
You’ll learn, among other things:
- A no-nonsense explanations of all the equipment you need to record great audio.
- The little known drum recording technique that produces great results, even in the worst rooms. Page 46
- The 3 easy ways to make your mix sound exactly like you want.
- The 10 steps towards a polished and professional vocal sound.
- How to get a bigger mix without adding clutter and muddiness. Page 36
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2 Comments on "The #1 Thing to Say to an Inexperienced Studio Musician"
Great tip.
I had the problem. It’s difficult to understand all the psychological barriers we can put between ourselves, the others and our music. Same goes for mixing: if you don’t trick yourself into thinking our mix is done, we could tweak forever.
Who said making music was just music skills?
Vincent
It’s never just about mixing skills, you’re totally right. There’s so much people skills involved when you’re in the studio.