You put your heart and soul into your music.
Let’s make you sound your best.
You have worked hard on your music
You want it to be heard and appreciated by both current and future fans.
The last thing you want is to hate the sound of your own songs for the next decade. I’ve been there myself, and it’s a terrible feeling.
The recording process is vital to the sound of your record and the mixing and mastering process can either make or break a great performance.
Don’t let your music down.
“Once you release those songs,
they are out there….forever“
Let’s create something that makes you proud.
You’ve written songs you believe in. You have a vision for the sound.
Now it’s time to put your baby into the hands of someone else.
That’s where I come in.
Blueleaf Studio will work with you; turning your vision into a finished, polished recording that you feel proud of and that you and your fans can enjoy for the rest of your lives.
So, What do you get?
(Spoiler alert – You get a damn good mix for one thing!)
Let’s start with the obvious, shall we?
The Recording Sessions
During your recording sessions we will hone and perfect your sonic signature and performance.
I will work continuously during your session to make sure your music sounds it’s best, whatever it takes.
I will make sure you’re comfortable, relaxed and inspired so that we capture the best performance you can muster.
“A great sound starts with the right recording…”
Expert Recording Techniques
I’ll use all my knowledge and experience to make sure that the sounds captured are what you need.
WIth years of experience recording different instruments with a wide range of microphones in different locations, I know how to select the right mic and the right location to achieve the desired result in a recording.
Better recordings at the beginning will always result in a better sounding end product.
Mixing
This is the bulk of the work (for me).
This can include, but is not limited to:
EQ, compression, parallel compression, limiting, normalization, saturation, automation, delay, reverb, creating busses and sends, balancing levels, and generally making things sound awesome
Re-Amping
If you are using a guitar or bass, you may well have spent a great deal of time coming up with your own tones.
As a guitar player, I respect that 100%. But I also understand it.
But there’s just one problem: those sounds were created in a “vacuum”.
This means that whilst your tones may sound AMAZING by themselves (or in a rough mix), they were created without any context of the other elements that might be in the final mix (including drum and bass tones).
This is where my experience and re-amping services come into play.
At no additional cost, I will work with you to find tones that best fit your final mix. This may be as simple as tweaking your initial sound, or it may be a case of creating new tones entirely.
Either way, we always work with what best fits the final mix.
The same rule applies for bass re-amping: whilst we can always explore tones you have, it comes down to getting the best result in the final mix.
Pro Tip: Always use new strings when recording bass!
Old strings can have a massive negative impact on your final bass tone (far more so than with a guitar). New strings will help your music shine.
Synthesis and Programming
Sometimes productions need just a little help to achieve the goals of the mix.
If your production is lacking in an area and needs some extra re-enforcment by way of synthesis or sampling and programming then we’ve got you covered.
With access to ton’s of hardware and software synths, we will find any tones needed to support your sound, from subtle sub-bass reinforcement to ambient textures and pads.
These additional sounds don’t necessarily change your production in obvious ways but are usually introduced to support of enhance existing elements.
Mastering
Mastering seems to be the elusive dark art that no one understands.
Here’s the most simple explanation I could find:
“Mastering is the final step of audio post-production.The purpose of mastering is to balance sonic elements of a stereo mix and optimize playback across all systems and media formats. Traditionally, mastering is done using tools like equalization, compression, limiting and stereo enhancement.
There are several considerations in this process: unifying the sound of a record, maintaining consistency across an album, and preparing for distribution.”
When mastering any specific genre of music, there are a few key techniques that I use to ensure that the clarity of the mix is upheld, while creating a full-bodied and competitively levelled master.
Now for the not-so-obvious…
Getting in the zone
Giving a good performance is at the root of a great recording.
But as a musician myself, I know the feeling of everything falling apart as soon as that red record light is on!
Blueleaf studio will help you to relax and get in the zone for that magic take. I’ll use my experience as a musician to help get the best performance out of you.
Production Advice
If you are self-producing, having someone to bounce ideas off and give a second opinion on production decisions is critical. As an artist and musician myself, I am well-placed to give you helpful advice and instruction when needed or asked for.
My goal is to help you get YOUR message across in the recording.
Feedback
I can give you input and feedback on technical questions, best practices for engineering and editing your songs, instrument choices, string choices, microphone/preamp choices, or anything else that can impact the result of the final product.
The better the source audio, the better the final product will be.
I’ll be here to help wherever I can to make sure everything is the highest quality possible. This is the definition of a win/win outcome.
I want to do whatever I can to make sure the final product is excellent.
Mix Revisions
Included for free are 3 rounds of revisions. You can take as much time as needed to gather each batch of revisions without needing to stick to a specific schedule.
My goal is to make this a smooth and simple a process for you.
Here’s what’s NOT included
A few things not included in the standard fee
But don’t worry, these services can be provided for an additional cost
Drum Set-up
If you would like to deliver the drum kit the day before the session and set them up in advance just get in touch to arrange it.
This gives the drums time to warm up to the room and settle and can add hours to your recording time in the studio.
Drum Tuning
The sound of the drums is integral to most modern music styles. The drums are loud and play one of the most important roles in most productions after the lead vocals or instrument. For these reasons it pays to get a good drum recording.
If you haven’t bothered to tune your drums it will show in the final result. For an additional fee I can tune the drums for you. Usually I will tune the toms to approximate pitches that will fit with the key of the song.
Pro tip: I’d highly recommend getting new drum skins if this falls within your budget as this will hugely effect the sound of the drums. New skins combined with good tuning will make all the difference.
Editing
Any editing that falls outside of the time booked for the recording sessions that needs to be done prior to mixing. This includes things such as timing and pitch correction as well as comping, guitar editing, bass editing, drum editing, vocal editing, etc. Much of this is pretty standard in all todays commercial recordings and it is likely that your project will need at least some editing and pitch correction if you want it to compete.
Additional Production
This includes post-production, beat-making/drum programming, FX, synth, atmospheric soundscapes, extensive instrumental effects (delays, reverbs, etc.), heavy arrangement/compositional changes, additional recording work/overdubs.
The Process and Timescale
What does the process look like and how long will this all take?
Every step of the process explained
STEP 1 | PROPOSAL
This is where you are now.
We’ve sent you this lovely proposal, and now you’re reading it with your own eyes. It’s a beautiful thing.
This gives you a detailed overview of what is included, what is not included, what to expect, the timeline, the investment, the next steps and the terms & conditions.
If no next steps have been taken after a reasonable amount of time, the proposal will expire and will no longer be valid.
STEP 2 | DEPOSIT
Once you’ve looked over everything, spoken to your bandmates and agreed that Blueleaf is your best option, we will send you an invoice for the 10% deposit.
STEP 3 | SCHEDULE
Once the deposit has been paid, we’ll discuss dates that work for both of our schedules.
STEP 4 | PREPARATION
Between sending us your deposit and your first scheduled day of recording, you’ll want to practice and prepare all your instruments as well as you can for the recording day.
I can help you to restring and set up guitars and basses, replace drum heads and tune your kit. If you need any of these services please let me know in advance.
STEP 5 | THE RECORDING
All being well, the recording sessions will go ahead as planned. The rest of the fee for the recording sessions is payable at the start of the session.
Should there be any unforeseen circumstances we will need to know a reasonable amount of time in advance to re-schedule. Re-scheduling may induce additional charges depending on the circumstances and advance notice.
If you simply don’t show up, you will still be charged for the session.
STEP 6 | EDITING
Before mixing your project, I will complete any editing that is required. Please note that editing outside of the recording time is not included in the price unless otherwise stated.
This includes pitch and timing corrections, fade-outs, clean ups and comping.
I will send you a rough “tracking” mix with all completed edits which you can review before moving on to the mix stage. It’s much easier and cost-effective to add or change things at this stage before progressing with the mixing work.
STEP 7 | MIXDOWN
Once the tracking mix has been approved, I will spend the bulk of the time mixing all of the tracks based on any references you have provided and discussions we have had regarding the final product.
STEP 8 | REVISIONS
The revision process typically goes like this:
1 | I send the Mix over as a WAV or MP3 file.
2 | You spend a week (or so) gathering a lengthy list of minor revisions (“turn up the lead at xx:xx. Turn down the vocals at xx:xx” etc).
3 | I add the revision request to my to-do list and complete them during my next available revision calendar slot.
4 | Rinse and repeat for revision round 2 and 3.
By revision round 3, the 99% of artists have a mix they’re ready to receive final masters for. If you’re part of the 1% who need additional revisions, they can be completed for a flat hourly fee.
Note: Additional rounds of revisions are, obviously, always FREE if they are needed to correct an error of our own making!
STEP 9 | FINAL PAYMENT
The remaining balance is due on the first scheduled day of mastering.
If you need a few extra days to get the payment together, we allow up to 1 week for payment.
STEP 10 | MASTER REVISIONS
Just like the mix revisions we carry out a master revision process.
Generally, there isn’t much to do here if we’ve been thorough in the mix process.
Most people don’t request any master revisions but if you do they’re all included in the price.
STEP 11 | FINAL MASTER DELIVERY!
You did it! The masters are done, and we’ll deliver them straight to your inbox. From here on you can send the master files to your distributor or pressing plant and get ready to see your baby out in the wild!
