What types of preparations should an artist make before going into the studio? There are many different things to do before going into the studio. The initial thing to put together is a budget estimating or allotting a certain amount of time per song. Doing a recording ‘live’ can provide a certain elements that is different from a completely tracked product. Listen to artists that you relate to and investigate how they record. Once you finished recording-you’ll need to mix and possibly master your product.

You need to make sure you have the songs ready, with th correct tempo, lyric sheets and chord charts (if possible). Make sure you have enough copies for everyone involved including the engineer. One other key ingredient is to make sure you instruments are ready-new heads on the drums, guitar and bass are set up properly with out any intonation issues… new strings with extras with you in the studio in case one breaks. Make sure that nothing rattles or buzzes…

If you have hired a producer-you’ll also want to have a conversation with that individual to see what they expect.

As a producer-what would you say are the largest mistakes artists are making prior to or during their studio sessions? With the artist I have been working with… there’s very little as far as mistakes that are happening in or out of the studio. The one thing I cannot stress enough to new and emerging artists is preparation. Know your songs, the feel, emotions… and then be open to suggestions from your producer. Sometimes it’s the little things like getting enough rest prior to your session that can really make the difference.

Dave-you’ve recorded and appeared on numerous multi-platinum recordings. What have you learned from doing these sessions and what do you bring to an artist you are working with? I bring a diverse background of jazz, pop, rock, R&B, hip hop, and classical muic to start with. I’ve played the with the artists I’ve worked with at numerous award shows including the Grammys, MTV Awards, American Music Awards. I’ve worked with and produced music industry legends.

Ultimately, I know what makes a good song good, and a great song great… and work extremely hard with my clients to get them to reach their potential.

There’s a lot of studios available-why should I record at Marion? Marion provides an extremely comfortable environment with state of the art equipment. We have numerous clients that return to Marion because they enjoy the atmosphere and an environment that is conducive to artistic expression.

If I've never been in the studio-are there things I should be aware of ... a checklist or something to do prior to booking a session? First thing is for you to get your things together such as number of songs to be recorded, timeframe when you’d like to record, your desired completion date. Also-will your recording be self produced or produced by an outside producer (including Dave)? Once you have that together-give us a call and we can talk through the details and get things started.

If I wanted to record at Marion-how do I book sessions and get the process started? Give us a call at 201-945-1517. If we’re in session, please leave us a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.