Frequently Asked Questions

HOW DO I PREPARE FOR MY RECORDING SESSION?

Preparation is key, and practice makes perfect. Because of that, here’s a few points to pay attention to:

-If you have backing tracks, make sure we have received them before the session time or they are readily available on arrival.

-Let us know how many people will be recording so we can prepare our equipment accordingly

Come in knowing how you want your songs to sound, as well as practiced to the best of your ability, so we can spend less time figuring out the music itself and more time bringing it to the best quality possible.

CAN I HIRE THE ENTIRE STUDIO?

Unfortunately at the moment we are not offering dry hire services and would need a recording engineer to be there at all times. We can still offer our services for anyone who is wanting to shoot a music video within the studio.

ARE THERE ANY RESTRICTIONS ON WHO CAN BE THERE WITH ME?

You can bring anyone you’d like. However, there may be limited space available in the studio. Our main focus is you, so keep in mind that we want you to be in the right creative headspace to record your best performance.

HOW MUCH DOES A RECORDING SESSION COST?

Prices for sessions will vary depending on the length of the session. However, our basic prices are worked out at £30 for 1 hour and £50 for 2 hours.

HOW DO I PAY FOR MY SESSION?

We accept cash, PayPal, BACS.
Recording session deposits are required to book with us, which can be made via our website. This policy protects both you and the business.
Your payment method will be discussed with the engineer at your location

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I NEED TO KNOW?

If you have any other questions not covered here, please email your questions to info@elite-studio.co.uk.

We work on positivity, quality, and productivity; part of that is keeping in regular touch with potential and active clients to make sure proper expectations are set, and that there are no unexpected surprises when you work with us.

DO I HAVE TO BUY A LEASE FOR MY BEAT?

If you are planning on releasing any track on YouTube or other platforms it is essential you purchase the appropriate leases or gain permission from the producer.
Failure to do this could cause unwanted lawsuits and additional costs.
Elite Recording studio takes no liability for any unpurchased lease. All tracks recorded at our studio are for educational uses until the appropriate lease has been obtained.

WHAT IF SOMEONE FROM ELITE STUDIO MADE THE BEAT?

If we have made the beat specifically for yourself and you do not want anyone else to use this beat, then you will be required to purchase an exclusive lease. You will be the sole owner of this track.
But in any case even though the beat has been tailored to you or your vocals you would still need to purchase a lease before releasing the track.

DO I NEED TO GET MY TRACK MIXED AND MASTERED?

If you are just using the track to listen back to without distribution, then no. The mix you will receive after your recording session is near radio quality and would be more than sufficient.
However, if you are planning to release the track as a single or as part of a project, I would certainly recommend our mix and master service as it gives a continuity and premium standard throughout the project.
To finalise a track ready for release it would require more time and additional listening. The reason this can’t be done within a normal recording is because to ensure the mix and the mastering is done correctly, it is best to listen to the track through multiple outlets to gauge the colourings of the mix.

WHAT IS THE RECORDING PROCESS?

When we are recording, there needs to be a strong signal with headroom to allow compression to smooth out the peaks. Anywhere between -8 to -10db is perfect. Multiple takes are recorded and listened back in order to ensure we have the best possible take.

WHAT IS THE MIXING PROCESS?

Audio mixing is the process of taking all the recorded stems and blending the together. This involves using dynamic processing and effects.
Subtractive EQ and Additive EQ is the first process before adding compression, reverb and delay, stereo imaging and de-esser.
All this is done to bring all the layers together finding space for each within the dynamic spectrum bringing the best out of your recordings adjusting levels, panning effects.
Post Production: Beat chops, removing sections, additional composition (adding in other elements to the beat), vocal stuttering and sound effects are done at his stage.

WHAT IS MASTERING?

Mastering a form of audio post production and is the process of increasing the perceived loudness and clarity of a mix.
Mastering prepares a song, EP, or album for release.
Mastering requires critical listening, results depend upon the intent of the engineer, the skills of the engineer, the accuracy of the speaker monitors, and the listening environment, which is why we recommend listening to your mastered track in different outlets (e.g. car, stereo, Bluetooth speaker, headphones etc).
EQ, compression, limiting, stereo imaging and tape/ analogue distortion are most commonly used in order to optimize sound translation on all playback systems. The aim is to bring out the transients and bottom-end within the mix with squashing the entirety of the mix.