• Studio hours: 12:00 noon - 12:00 Midnight Daily (Barring Holidays)
    Clock starts at scheduled time unless provided with a 12-hour notice

  • No-shows and booked days left unused will be subject to a $100.00 per day charge unless provided with a 72-hour notice.

  • Full payment is expected at the end of consecutive day sessions

  • No masters, DATS, CD-Rs, or cassettes will be released until all accounts are paid in full

  • Hard-drive masters will be kept for one week only

  • Master data will be saved and stored after one week.
    (@ $5.00 per disc) Cost for data discs will be included with the final bill.

  • No smoking in the studio or control room please
    (smoke is one of the worst things for audio equipment, not to mention your voice!)

    While no 2 recording sessions are ever quite the same, the following are some of the things you can expect from your experience at LedBelly Sound Studio:
  • Please try to be on time for your session. The clock will start at your scheduled time whether you are here or not.

  • Bring to the studio the things you would normally bring to a show.
    Example: drums, guitars, amps, cabinets, etc.

  • Don't forget the obvious stuff like: extra guitar strings, picks, drum sticks, guitar & speaker cables, etc.

  • If you need to use any instruments from the studio, please let us know ahead of time so we can make sure it's available for you and in top condition.

  • If you can afford it, it's always a good idea to have your guitars (basses included) intonated to whatever you tune to by a reputable luthier or guitar shop.

  • LedBelly Sound Studio can also intonate your instruments if you so desire.

  • On The day of your session, arrive well rested (recording is physically and mentally exhausting).

  • You will be greeted at the side entrance door to the right of the parking area.
    As you load-in your gear, you will be instructed where to put certain items.
    Once finished, you will have a short meeting with the engineer about your project.
    He'll want to know things like: how many songs you want to get done, how you want to record (if you have a preference), Do you want your material mastered, what your bottom-line budget is, etc.

  • The engineer will now focus on each individual musician in order to properly dial-in and tune your instrument to your desired sound.

  • It's a good idea to bring CD's that have sounds of drums, guitars, basses, etc. that you like so the engineer can get a better idea of what you are trying to achieve for the end result.
    After a careful selection and placement of microphones, channels will be selected and tweaked, preamps and compressors set, and tracks armed.

  • You can expect this process to take anywhere from 1.5 - 4 hours depending upon the size of the group and the number of instruments to be recorded.
    Once every track is leveled and ready to record, you will be given headphones with which to monitor yourselves during tracking.

  • Now comes the hard part.......playing your songs correctly!
    This process is called "basic tracking" or building the skeleton (drums, bass, rhythm guitars) upon which all other tracks will go.
    When you are satisfied with your basic tracks it's time to do punch-ins.
    A "punch-in" is fixing a small part of a track without having to re-do the entire thing.
    "Over-dubs" are next. These are all additional parts needed to make your song whole and complete.

  • Example: 2nd rhythm guitar parts, solos, vocals, keyboards, tambourine, samples, etc.
    After everything has been recorded to your satisfaction, it is time "mix".
    Mixing is the process of combining all the recorded elements of a song into one cohesive unit. You should be able to hear everything without having to strain.

    Mastering:
  • This is the final step before duplication of your project.
    This is where each song is brought up to the industry standard for audio through compression, E.Q., limiting, expansion, etc. You will leave the studio with a "PMCD" or pre-mastered CD. This is what any and all CD manufacturing houses require to do duplication. DONE!

    Here is a list of random things to remember for your recording session:
  • Have all the musical and vocal parts worked out before you get to the studio. It's very expensive to practice at a recording studio.

  • Know when to quit for the day. If you're tired, it'll show in your recording.

  • Keep guests out! Guests will distract you and may sway your opinion as to how the music should sound.

  • Tune up often. VERY IMPORTANT!

  • Count on and budget in unforeseen delays. It always takes longer than you think it will.

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