The Studio
Of all the recording studios in the Houston Texas area,
we offer the most affordable and competitive rates.
Studio time with an AAS Certified Engineer is $50/Hour
Recording:
We have the capability to record up to 16 tracks at a time using Avid Pro Tools and an artistic combination of musical instruments, equipment, and computer software. We have two recording rooms--a vocal booth, and a room big enough to record most drum kits in. We record any musical genre, instrument, voice, audio project, or sound.
Mixing:
We offer polished mixes ready for the mastering stage of the recording process. Whether you take advantage of our in-house mastering or have a preferred mastering engineer in mind, we work with artists and producers alike to achieve a mix-down that they are satisfied with. There are no cut-and-paste mixes, and revisions are considered part of the process.
Mastering:
We master your audio recordings. Our high-fidelity digital mastering will make your music ready for distribution and radio play. We work with our clients to help achieve the sound they are looking for. This process enhances the overall sound and brings the track up to an industry standard volume level. We have improved a lot of bad recordings through this process. There is a saying that holds true in this industry: "Garbage in, garbage out." If you are not happy with the mix of your project, it would be ideal to revisit that process because mastering will only further enhance the final mix-down. There is no magic here, only artistically impressed science. If you have access to the multi-tracked sessions of your project, you may want to consider having it mixed with Afterthoughts Music Studio prior to mastering.
Editing Audio:
Editing audio, MIDI, and other digital files typically goes hand in hand with mixing. This is the process where cuts and fades are implemented to audio in Pro Tools. This also includes organizing sessions, naming tracks and files, automation, time and pitch correction, or altering notes, velocities, and patches to MIDI files.
- AIFF / .aif
- WAV / .wav
- MP3 / .mp3
- AAC / .aac
- Sound Designer II / .sd2
- MIDI / .mid
Recording Tips:
- Change guitar strings and drum heads the day before coming into the studio and bring extra sets of everything--including drumsticks. Fresh drumsticks sound better than worn ones.
- Don't waste valuable studio time and money on things you can easily do at home or at your rehearsal space--have all songs written and parts figured out and assigned before coming into the studio. This point cannot be stressed enough.
- If you are sequencing tracks or using beats, have them ready to go on a CD or hard drive before coming in.
- Practice, practice, practice! The tighter your songs are, the smoother the recording of them will be and the better end-result you will have.
- Bring in your own rig. If you are a guitarist and want to capture the sound you get from the daisy chain of your guitar, pedals, and amp, then bring your entire setup in. Experimenting with studio instruments, amps, and pedals is fine if you're not set on what you want for a sound, but put a time limit on it. Let the engineer and producer, who are much more familiar with their own gear, assist you in finding the sound you are looking for.
- If you are working with a producer, give them a demo of the songs you want to record in the studio. Discuss production ideas ahead of time and set aside reference CDs that serve as good examples of production styles you are striving for.
- Make a budget of how much money you have to spend on your project--estimate how many hours you think it will take to complete your project in its entirety. Be aware that most musicians grossly underestimate how fast they think they can record their project. The average rule of thumb for estimating recording time is one hour per minute of song per instrument. Variables to consider are how much recording experience the band has, how long the band has been playing together, and how elaborate of a production is desired.
- Stay relaxed and focused on your performance--mentally block out all the microphones and gear surrounding you and play as naturally as you would when you are alone. In other words, put emotion and feeling into your performance.
- The studio is an expensive place to party, so refrain from drinking and other recreational activities. Avoid unnecessary phone calls, and invite neither guests nor your dog to your sessions – they will only serve as a distraction and may waste your time and money by injecting their unwanted opinions.
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