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6. Timetabling your recording sessions

The final playing time of your CD may only be 60 minutes but the total session time to record this hour of music will probably be many times greater. You'll need to allow time for balancing the sound and to record alternative takes of the musical items.

It may be necessary to record a junior choir straight off in two hours with no retakes because of time and concentration; however, most amateur groups will need at least three sessions of three hours to record an album. Professional ensembles often take several days to perfect their recorded performance ... in short, sufficient time should be allowed.

It's a good idea to allow extra time if your programme involves changes in instrumentation or line up, or if soloists are included, because any changes to the balance will take some time.

You'll need to plan your sessions carefully. To be cost-effective it's best for all the items to be recorded consecutively at the same venue, for example over two days.

If you're unable to arrange the sessions during weekdays, you might want to consider recording over a weekend (Saturday/Sunday or Friday evening and Saturday) or over three consecutive weeknights.

It's worth making plans in advance for which items you want to record during each session, and the best order to tackle the items in. This may be governed by the instrumental line-up and availability of specific performers.

If the entire recording is with one group plan to start and end with the most straightforward items ... it will probably take a while for your musicians to get used to the recording process, and by the end of the last session they'll probably be tired and in danger of losing concentration.

By keeping the more challenging items for the middle of the sessions you'll ensure that your players are sufficiently relaxed about the recording but still able to concentrate and cope with the more demanding repertoire.

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