This blog post provides you with a checklist of things to remember before entering the studio to record your next hit.

-       Strings - It is a good idea to restring your guitar before recording as old strings can give a dull tone and sound generally worse then a new set.  It is usually advised to change the strings over at least 24 hours before you enter the studio as this gives them a chance to stretch out so they will stay in tune better.  It is also worth bringing an extra set to your session.

-       Pedals – If you are using effects pedals in your setup it is important to remember a power supply to power your pedals or to install fresh batteries (and bring spares!).

-       Leads – When recording it is important to have the cleanest signal path possible.  A common problem is that unwanted noise can be introduced via broken or damaged instrument leads.  This is mostly represented as hum or unwanted distortion.  For this reason it is recommended to use good quality cables for your session.

-       Tuner – Remember to stick your tuner in your instrument case or gig bag! It is essential your instrument is in tune for the recording process as oneincorrectly tuned instrument can ruin a great mix.

-       Amplification – If you are using your own amplifier for your session at Resident Studios it is a good idea to perform some basic maintenance to ensure you get the best sound.  This includes checking the speaker cones are working and checking the valves and that their connections are clean (if applicable).

You also have access to our backline equipment such as amplifiers and DI boxes during your session.
If you are using a valve amplifier some tips on maintenance can be found here:

http://www.guitarhow.com/32_guitarhow_basic_tube_amp_maintenance.html

Taking advantage of the amazing sounding live space of Studio 1 the band got set up and ready to work for 3 straight (and long) days of rehearsals. King Charles join a long list of artists using Studio 1 for pre-tour rehearsals including Lonsdale Boys Club and Albert Lee. The tour takes in pretty much every part of the UK and even has a secret show to finish it off. With many of the shows already sold out it’s worth picking up your ticket now before you miss out.

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Blackstar are the fastest growing amp company and are fully backed by over 200 artists. When you’ve got a bunch of the ex-Marshall top dogs working for you, you know it’s going to be good! So get yourselves down and try out one of these great amps for yourself!

Check out the rest of Blackstar’s stuff on their official site or follow them  on Twitter or Facebook.

His first of hopefully many visits to Resident Studios was spent recording his latest track ‘Spinning’ for his new EP. Adam already has one EP out ‘Time Won’t Wait’, as well as his ‘Acoustic’ album, and his very successful ‘Nation Animation’ album. He has become largely recognised for his blend of acoustic ballads and mellow rock tracks, teamed with his breathy tone to make a truly unique sound.

Working with our senior engineer Tobi Lustigman, Adam spent an intensive 10 hours working on his soft rock/pop ballad ‘Spinning’. The session aimed to lift the basic skeleton of an acoustic track to a full sounding, refined song. Tobi and Adam worked together to add drums, bass, keys and strings to the track, creating a truly beautiful, soulful sound.

Keep an eye out for a new EP, featuring ‘Spinning’, in the near future!

Follow Adam for loads more info via these links Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, MySpace and for merch and CD’s: http://www.adampluse.bigcartel.com/

Besides studying in her third year of Music Performance, Marie has been performing around London since early 2010. Most notable is her recent appearance in Natalie William’s Soul Family Sunday at Ronnie Scotts, sharing the stage with Krystle Warren and the Soul Family Band. She already as an EP out titled ‘Feelings’, which was released in November last year. She is currently working on her second release, a full-length album, which will hopefully be available in the middle of the year. Her influences are Jhene Aiko, Beady Belle, Jill Scott-Heron and Maxwell. For this new release she is working with different collaborations of musicians, including bass player Robin Mullerkey (Zero7,Ty, Eska) and Matt Cooper (Incognito, Cee-lo Green).

She was in the studio with our engineer Keenan Bailey laying down drums for tracks that will be on this very release. The track ‘Upstairs’ starts with a soulful, jazzy keys part that is then accompanied by vocal and a deep drawn-out bass line. The drummer takes to the booth and after running through the track a couple of times, records a take of a straight, hip-hop beat. The second track, which is untitled, is again a soulful combination of bass and keys, but the drums have a syncopated, almost samba feel, to it, which requires a few run throughs for the drummer to get the correct patterns that Marie wants.

She is gigging with American poet, Strivers Row in the coming month around London, so make sure you keep an eye out!

https://soundcloud.com/mariedahlstromsound 

https://twitter.com/mariedmusic

https://www.facebook.com/mariedmusic

Maral, currently a resident of Germany, has a unique sound that she describes as “funky, playful glamour tech which is more a combination of electro, disco and old school hip hop than German Post-Minimal sounds and styles”.

Maral’s release “Let’s Rock The Party” a collaboration with Hamburg based artists Fukkk Offf was a massive club hit, climbing to rank 2 of the Beatport Indie Dance/Nu Disco charts.

Aside from being a musician, Maral also has a significant amount of experience with running labels.  She founded notable techo label, Konsequent Records in ’97 featuring artists such as Jay Denham and Cari Lekebush.  New media label, Art of Perception was also founded in ’99 by Maral, an exclusive limited Soundtrack series in co-operation with Games Workshop UK for the game ‘Warhammer 40,000’.  These past ventures have paved the way for Maral’s latest and most exciting label, Television Rocks.  Television Rocks, is a platform for both artists solo projects and their friends AcidKids, Fukkk Offf, The Sneekers, The Sexinvaders or Tenderlions.

Maral’s debut album is reported to be complete and destined for release this year!

Keep an eye on BBC Persia for the live videos with audio recorded and mixed by Resident Studios engineer Adam.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/maralsalmassi

MySpace: www.myspace.com/maralsalmassi

Soundcloud: http://www.soundcloud.com/maralsalmassi

BBC Persian: http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/tvandradio/2011/10/000000_ptv_maks_gel.shtml

The snow started early on and by midday, the whole city was white. It was debatable that everyone would make the session, as we all know a big freeze can halt every single mode of transport. Nonetheless, everyone arrived in due time, all sharing the paranoia of a night’s sleep in the studio. The Enlights were here to record vocals for a few tracks to be used for a video of their studio session.

Comprised of Becky Bray, Vicky Kaylor, Leah Marie & Sam Saad. All from London and Essex, these girls deliver stunning vocals, tight harmonies and a whole lot of glamour. Each singer has a unique style and tone, creating one big sound that will blow you away. The singers expressed their influence from Motown, which shows in the way they present a vintage look and sound. The ladies say, “We feel people will hopefully relate to us. We are just normal girls that love music from the 1950′s and 60′s!”

The all-female band were accompanied by cameraman Adel Mossadegh, who shot footage of them recording live vocals for four tracks. The girls benefited from the warmth of studio 1 as the snow intensified outside, and from listening to the song ‘Over You’ along with others, we can guarantee they are a group to look out for.

You can find more info about the girls at:

www.twitter.com/theenlights

www.facebook.com/theenlights

www.youtube.com/theenlights

www.soundcloud.com/theenlights

The concept behind the shorts is an interesting one: The film is a romantic comedy, telling the story of the unhappily married Germaine and Greco – she’s German, he’s Greek. Made on a micro budget and using volunteers from across Europe, the film is around 8 minutes long and made for any audience, though you may want to watch it a few times to uncover all of the references. Each of the main cast comes from a different European country. Although there are just four characters in the first short, there looks to be a few more in the sequel, if you go by the music video.

Working with such an exciting and dynamic team was quite a unique experience. You can check out the result of their session in the video below and we wish them every success in their upcoming releases.

The episodes can be found on YouTube here: www.YouTube.com/AVeryEuropeanChannel

Also, they can be contacted in the following ways:

http://avebu.econfilms.tv/
www.european-xmas.com

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/AVeryEuropeanChristmas
Twitter:  @AVeryEuropean or #AVEBU

Googoosh Music Academy is a popular Iranian voice competition celebrating the Iranian pop singer Googoosh. Aspiring Iranian singers are selected to attend a brief period of vocal grooming. They are then presented as participants of a popular television series that dramatizes the competition. Sixty seven contestants were selected from videos submitted to Manoto TV’s website which were then whittled down to fourteen by two musical experts Sabak Saidi and Hooman Khalatbari. These fourteen then have to go through two tasks before the winner is selected by an audience vote. The first task is to record a music video, which Resident Studios engineer Adam Lunn is recording the vocals for today. After this four contestants are dropped and the remaining ten go onto a live performance at Capitol Studios in February.

Googoosh Music Academy airs on Manoto TV on the 16^th of January and you can follow all the action up until February when you can make your vote! We look forward to seeing who will win!

https://www.facebook.com/googooshmusicacademy2012

https://www.facebook.com/manototv

http://www.manototv.com/home

https://twitter.com/manototv

https://twitter.com/GoogooshAcademy