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8. Getting the most out of your recording sessions

What exactly happens at the recording session? If you haven't been involved in a recording before you'll find it helpful to know what's involved, so you feel comfortable in the sessions and are able to make the best use of the resources available to you.

There are several things you can arrange in advance to ensure a successful session, including:

• Hire or loan of any extra instruments
• Piano tuning (preferably in situ on the morning of the first session)
• Staging, risers, or acoustic screens as required (talk to your producer)
• Music stands, pencils etc. for performers
• Drinks and refreshments for breaks

On the day of your recording you'll probably be working with a producer and an engineer. Sometimes the two roles are combined - while for some technically complex projects there may also be several assistant engineers or a "tape-op" (operator) to help keep things moving.

The producer will be your main point of contact during the sessions - and probably throughout the entire project. The producer's role is to work closely with you on the musical and artistic aspects of the recording and liaise with the engineer to ensure you get the right technical result.

The engineer is responsible for the technical aspects of the recording, including setting and adjusting the balance as required during the sessions.

It's often necessary to spend up to an hour in balancing and auditioning the sound to your satisfaction. This is especially true if you're recording direct to stereo, because the final sound balance or "mix" for the CD is set at the beginning of the sessions.

Once the technical settings are agreed, you'll need to record most items at least twice, possibly followed by short sections to "patch" mistakes and problem areas. This allows the best "takes" to be edited together at a later date to create the best possible performance.

Your producer will take charge of the session, listening carefully to your performance, and directing you as to which sections need to be repeated to get a better take. Working with your producer you'll be able to concentrate fully on getting the best musical performance, without needing to worry about minor mistakes and problems.

Copies of the scores should be available for the session so that the producer can mark each take and make notes on the accuracy of each item as it is recorded to ensure that any suspect passages are covered.

Take the time to talk with your producer before the sessions and agree the best way to work together - so you can both keep the sessions moving and make the best use of the time available.

During the sessions you'll be able to listen back to some of your takes. It's especially important to agree the balance at the start of the sessions, and check the sound is OK when any changes to instrumentation or balance are made.

It's your prerogative to listen to anything you've recorded, at any stage, and you may find it a helpful way of improving your performance. Remember, though, that whenever you're listening you're not recording - so if you can minimise the number of takes you listen back to during the sessions, you'll make better use of the time. It's usually possible to hear replays during breaks so you don't waste precious session time.

Recording sessions have the potential to be stressful and tiring and, as you've seen, there are a lot of aspects to think about. However, working with a good production team you'll quickly find that the procedure is straightforward and all the pressure is taken from you.

As a result you'll enjoy a relaxed, creative atmosphere, allowing you to concentrate on the music making and help the musicians achieve their best possible performance.

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