Finding The Right Recording Studio
If this is your first album, I would look beyond simply asking, “How much does the studio cost?” The right studio should fit your music, your experience level, your production needs, and your budget.
Here’s the checklist I’d use before committing.
1. Listen to their previous work
This is probably the first thing I would investigate.
Ask the studio:
- Can we hear albums they’ve recorded, preferably in our genre?
- Who was the engineer on each recording?
- Who produced the recordings?
- Were they recorded, mixed, and mastered at the same facility?
- Can we hear a full song, rather than only a studio’s highlight reel?
- Can we hear recordings made with bands with a similar instrumentation to ours?
- How much of the final sound came from the studio versus outside producers/mix engineers?
Most importantly:
Don’t just listen to whether the recording sounds “good.” Listen to whether you like the way the studio makes bands sound.
A technically excellent studio may produce records that simply aren’t your style.
2. Who will actually record your album?
This is a huge question.
The studio itself doesn’t make your record—the engineer and producer do.
Ask:
“Who will be our recording engineer?”
Then ask:
- How many years have they been recording?
- How many albums have they recorded?
- What genres do they specialize in?
- Can we hear their work?
- Will that person be present for every session?
- Who will be responsible for mic placement?
- Who will operate the console?
- Who will make technical decisions?
If the studio’s owner sells you on one engineer but someone else actually records your sessions, you want to know that beforehand.
3. Do you need a producer?
This is particularly important for a first album.
A recording engineer primarily worries about capturing the performance.
A producer may help with:
- Song arrangement
- Tempo
- Song structure
- Instrumentation
- Vocal performance
- Guitar parts
- Harmonies
- Editing
- Overall sound
- Choosing takes
- Deciding what belongs on the album
Ask the studio:
“Do you recommend that we work with a producer, and if so, do you have producers you regularly work with?”
You may discover that what you really need isn’t simply a recording studio—you need a producer/engineer/studio combination.
4. How much time will you actually need?
Don’t let the studio simply quote:
”$X per day.”
Instead, build an actual recording schedule.
For example:
- Pre-production: 1–2 days
- Tracking: 3–6 days
- Overdubs: 1–3 days
- Vocals: 1–2 days
- Editing: X hours
- Mixing: X days
- Mastering: X days
For a first album, I’d strongly recommend asking:
“Based on our number of songs and our level of experience, how many studio days do you realistically think we need?”
A good engineer should be able to give you a thoughtful answer.
5. Understand exactly what the hourly/day rate includes
This is where recording budgets can get away from you.
Ask whether the quoted rate includes:
- Recording engineer
- Studio
- Microphones
- Mic preamps
- Console
- Outboard equipment
- Drum kit
- Guitar amps
- Bass amps
- Instruments
- Studio assistant
- Editing
- Mixing
- Mastering
- Setup time
- Teardown time
- File backups
- Session files
And ask:
“What costs are likely to occur that are NOT included in your quoted studio rate?”
That’s a very important question.
6. Ask about mixing
Don’t assume recording and mixing are the same thing.
Ask:
- Does the studio mix the album?
- Who will mix it?
- What is the cost per song?
- How many revisions are included?
- Are revisions charged hourly?
- Can you attend the mix?
- Can you provide notes?
- Will you receive instrumental versions?
- Will you receive clean versions if needed?
- Will you receive stems?
For your first album, I’d strongly recommend getting stems and the complete session files.
7. Ask about mastering
Mastering is the final stage that prepares the music for release.
Ask:
- Does the studio provide mastering?
- Who does it?
- Can you hear examples?
- Is mastering included in the album price?
- Is it mastered specifically for streaming?
- Will you receive WAV masters?
- Will you receive high-resolution files?
- Will they provide files suitable for CD production if you need them?
- Will they provide an instrumental/mastered version without vocals?
You don’t necessarily have to use the studio’s mastering engineer.
8. Make sure you own your recordings
This is extremely important.
Your contract should clearly establish who owns:
The master recordings
Ask:
“Once we’ve paid for the sessions, do we own the master recordings?”
You should also clarify:
- Who owns the multitrack files?
- Who owns the mix files?
- Who owns the master files?
- Can you take the files to another studio?
- Can another engineer remix the songs?
- How long will the studio retain the files?
- What happens if the studio closes?
For a first album, I would want a copy of all important session data in your possession.
9. Backup and data security
People sometimes forget that a recording session creates an enormous amount of digital data.
Ask:
“How do you back up our recording sessions?”
Ideally you want multiple copies.
Ask:
- Is there an on-site backup?
- Is there an off-site/cloud backup?
- How frequently are sessions backed up?
- How long are they retained?
- Can we receive our own backup drive?
I’d strongly recommend maintaining your own independent backup.
10. Studio equipment
You don’t necessarily need the studio with the biggest equipment list.
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