It starts with the songs
We begin with pre-production: what you want each song to feel like, what is working in your demo and what is not there yet. You do not need every answer. Part of the point of the day is to find them.
If you have sent us demos, we have already listened to them all the way through. A voice note or a rough home recording is fine: we are listening for the song and the artist, not the production.
Structure, key, tempo and parts
Pre-production is the practical side of songwriting: the structure, the key and tempo, the parts and who plays them. The aim is that the recording days are spent making music instead of deciding things.
Tempo and key are worth knowing before you arrive. If you do not know them, work them out from your demo. The Transcribe guide shows how to get a first draft of the notes from a recording and check it by ear, and a metronome with a Tap button will find a tempo in a few seconds.
Capturing ideas before the day
Songs usually change between the first idea and the day you play them for someone. Keep the early versions. A phone recording of the first chorus is useful for us to hear, and useful for you to compare against later. The sketchpad guide covers capturing ideas quickly, so the one you hum in the car does not get lost.
Playing it together, then trying things
The live room is set up so that you can start playing quickly. We track as much as we can live in the room, together, because songs usually feel better when people play them at the same time.
Then there is time to try things. With a room full of real instruments, trying a horn line or a different guitar takes minutes, and there is time to take the song somewhere new. If you are not sure what a part needs, say so: that is what the day is for.
Bring instruments that are in tune and in good order. The tuning guide explains how to get a stable tuning, which saves time in the room. If your band plays to a pulse, practise keeping it without leaning on the click: the Time Trainer guide is built for that.
Listening back
Back in the control room we listen properly, choose the takes, and plan the overdubs and parts still to come. Listen with a clear question in mind: is the song doing what you wanted? A good take with a small mistake is often better than a perfect one with no life in it, and it is easier to fix a note than to add feeling.
Cameras, and what happens next
Every session is filmed, with cameras in both rooms. Clips wait for your approval in your artist portal before anything is published, so you stay in charge of what goes out.
You leave knowing what was captured, what happens next, and how the songs will reach people. Not every song is finished in a day. Some need overdubs or a second session, and that is part of the plan and not a setback.