How to Get a Great Performance Whether You're Recording Yourself or Others in the Studio

We're back in the new year with another edition of Inside Saint Cecilia Studios.

If you're not familiar with the series, check out parts 1 - 3 here below where I talk with Steven at Saint Cecilia Studios about workflow, production decisions and inspiration:

This week's topic is a big one, getting a great performance from a musician.

We discuss, among other things:

Creating different vibes depending on the musician
Getting a drummer to play in the pocket
Knowing what makes people tick
Getting a good headphone mix
Why it's absolutely pointless to make anything awkward

Different Vibes

People react differently to situations. It's no different when you're recording. Take the personality of the musician into play when you're recording them.

If a person wants to sing in a dark room with a glass of champagne to get in the mood, guess what? Go out and buy some champagne and hit the lights. You might discover the next Stevie Nicks.

However, if you're recording guitars for Motley Crüe, take a page from Ross Hogarth's playbook and plaster the walls with naked pictures of women. Whatever makes a musician tick is what you give them to get a legendary performance.
Headphone Mix

The same goes for something as simple as a headphone mix. Like Steven says, some people react better when their voice is bone-dry whereas others give the best performance drenched in reverb and distortion.

That's why it all goes back to spending a little time knowing the person who's performing and figuring out what makes them comfortable. Who doesn't like a little chit-chat anyway when it can lead to something amazingly musical.

Doing It Yourself

And then we have the situation I'm sure you often find yourself in; you're recording yourself. That means you have to play both the role of producer as well as the engineer. However, there's a simple solution to that problem. Just find a buddy you trust to help you out. He or she doesn't have to be an engineer because, like we discuss in the interview, you can teach anybody to hit record.

And that's really the only time you want to focus on just being the musician. When you're sitting with your instrument and getting ready for the take is the only time you really have to detach your engineer/producer role. Because finding the right sound for your guitar or warming up your voice is something you can do on your own.

It's the actual recording moment that gets tricky because you're essentially trying to be in two places at once. That's when your buddy comes in to help relieve that stress so you can focus on performing.
Next Week

Next week will be our final edition of Inside Saint Cecilia Studios, where we talk a little bit about guitar tones and a lot about budget.

Let us know your thoughts, comments or questions in the comments.

[eliotwalsh]

I agree with previous poster about the irony of the poor quality audio. Otherwise, great interview Bjorgvin. Keep them coming.

[andreujuanc]

Talk about how to get good recordings, and the video has a really BAD BAD audio. :S
PS: not trolling, just sayin.