Kevin Antreassian – 10 Things I Wish My Clients Knew Before Getting in the Studio

Booking studio time is always exciting. But there’s a lot more that goes into preparing for a studio session besides grabbing your instrument and showing up on time. That’s why we got to talk to owner/producer Kevin Antreassian of Backroom Studios (and guitarist for The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Sawtooth Grin) to ask him what 10 things he wishes clients knew before going into the studio.

If you have studio time coming up, you might want to take notes…

Obviously, right? But it’s more than just practicing your music. Kevin says you should practice your music to the point you can play it flawlessly in one take — blindfolded.

A lot of time is wasted in the studio doing multiple takes for no reason. You’re going to do multiple takes to figure out the right sound, but you don’t want it to be because you hit a wrong note or got off time. It’s all about saving time — and therefore money.

Beyond just hitting wrong notes, Kevin says almost over-practicing is also a great way to fight anxiety. Many people are nervous in the studio and don’t feel comfortable. By knowing your music inside and out, it’s a great way to get over your nerves and ensure great, comfortable takes.

Practice until there’s literally no reason for you to practice anymore. Only then are you ready for the studio.

Kevin has been a producer for a long time. And he’s always surprised at the musicians who come in thinking they’re going to jump right in, nail a track, and walk out. But in the studio, EVERYTHING takes way longer than you might think. So be prepared.

Nobody is going to walk into the studio, plug in, and play. According to Kevin, “It literally never happens. Nor should you want it to happen!” Because the guy who played drums in the last session might not have the sound or setup you want.

Setup should be an interactive process between the musician and producer. It’s the time the musician tells the producer what they want and the producer can set up the studio accordingly to achieve that sound. It should be completely customized to suit your specific needs — and complete customization takes time.

Kevin’s best advice: Don’t ever rush the situation. Overestimate much time you’ll need. If you think you need a day, book three. “I’d rather just send you money back for the deposit on the last day, and then we don’t have to worry about it.” It’s much better than rushing to break down a kit because another band’s coming in in a few minutes, forcing you to have to wait another month or so to get back in the studio to finish.

Most of Kevin’s clients are independent artists who don’t have a major label. But even without the label, artists want to release their songs on specific dates — and in Kevin’s experience, many of them are crazy-short timelines. Why!?

Don’t rush releasing something with an arbitrary deadline. According to Kevin, you’re shortchanging yourself by rushing the process.

Not only does it rush the studio time, but it’s also rushing your review time. When you’re recording and mixing a song, it’s easy to get bogged down in the process. But if you take a break for a few weeks or months and re-listen to your track, you might find some things you want to change to make it even better. Sit with the music a little bit.

The only time it’s acceptable to set a hard deadline is if you’re working with a label or are going on tour. Otherwise, take plenty of time to make sure it’s right.  

Producers aren’t robots. They don’t live in the studio. It takes time to make things good, but they also want time to live their lives outside of the studio. They’re also likely juggling multiple projects at once.

If you run out of time in the studio, it might take weeks or months before your producer can fit you in. Yet another reason why it’s important to overbook your time. Make sure you can get in what you need to get in.

It might seem like a minor thing, but in Kevin’s experience, changing your strings can make a HUGE difference in the final mix. So just do it!

Sure, there are a lot of tools that producers can use to perfect your sound. But there’s nothing they can do about dead strings that sound flat. The easiest way to combat it is to just change your strings. And yes, even the bassists. A few dollars and a couple minutes could be all it takes to save your mix. Kevin says it makes “an insane tonal difference.”

The exception: drumheads. Kevin used to believe in changing drumheads all the time, even between takes sometimes! But he no longer subscribes to that way of thinking. Some of his drumheads are years old and still sound amazing. Of course, change them when they break or get dinged. But if they continue to sound good, keep rocking!

Practicing and knowing your part is one thing, but it’s also important to get your songs down as a band. By working on the preproduction aspect of your sound — like the arrangements, tempos, key changes, etc. — before you hit the studio, you can save more time recording so you can focus more on the little details to make it perfect.

Kevin says avoiding the “Yeah, we have a demo and then we’re here” mentality will help make your time in the studio much more efficient. Then you don’t have to spitball ideas and spend time arranging in the studio. You can just knock it out.

It’s great to have references. Telling your producer what you might want to emulate is a great way to dial in a sound. However, don’t go overboard.

Kevin has had clients come in asking for the guitar tone from this album, the bass sound from this album, and the drums from this song. It’s not helpful. It’s not easy to mix and match sound like that — plus, it takes him time to listen to all that.

The best thing you can do when it comes to sharing references is to provide one track/album (maaaaaaybe two) that share the overall vibe you’re looking for. Don’t get too specific into the individual instruments. And make sure it’s from a similar genre!

Having reference materials are helpful, but there’s a limit.

Happy producer, happy mix. It doesn’t rhyme, but the sentiment is true! Many people who go into the studio just want to record their songs. You can’t blame them, but it’s important to understand that the producer and staff are people, too. They don’t live there. They don’t eat and breathe mixing your music. Treat them as such.

For example, don’t message your producer at midnight because you thought of something awesome that you can add to a track. Wait for a reasonable hour — or until your producer messages you first. Showing little signs of appreciation like that might encourage them to work a little harder for you.

And buying lunch goes a long way…

Many instruments are made from wood. And wood likes to expand and contract with weather conditions. Just because you got a setup done last year doesn’t mean it’s still good when you go into the studio next week.

Set up your instrument before you hit the studio. You can get it professionally set up or do it yourself, but no matter what, make sure your intonation is set. Fighting intonation issues (or having to do it in the studio) is a big time-suck.

They might be an efficient way to power your board, but Kevin says pigtail 9V adapters for your pedalboard don’t belong in the studio; they belong in the trash can.

Kevin doesn’t hold back when it comes to pigtail power adapters. “They’re the worst.” They introduce hum or electrical interference that ruins a recording, and it’s ALWAYS a problem. Just throw them away and use a proper power source for your pedalboard.

Other items that belong in the trash and not in the studio:

• Solderless cables
• Colored strings

Kevin isn’t sure when colored strings became cool but just don’t bring them into his studio. They never sound good. Use them on the stage if you want, but keep them out of the studio.

Only once you accomplish these 10 things to know before getting into the studio are you ready to record your next hit. It all comes down to taking the time to prepare, both yourself and your equipment, to ensure your time in the studio goes smoothly.

A huge thanks to Kevin Antreassian for laying down some studio wisdom for us. If you’re in the New Jersey area and want looking for a place to record your next album, definitely check out Backroom Studios. And if you want to try recording some stuff for yourself, we have plenty of recording gear right here at American Musical Supply.