What is it that I actually do? (Part 1)

If you’ve ever worked with me, you’ll have some awareness of how I work on the day of the recording session, but I thought it might be interesting to write about what my job actually entails in more detail. What people see is the setting up of a few microphones, cameras and lights, and a guy sitting at a laptop, but there’s a bit more that happens before we get to that point, and a lot more afterwards.

Before we get to a recording session, someone has to organise it - juggle availabilities (usually those of the singer, pianist, venue, and myself). 

For my drop-in recording days, that falls on me. Even if it’s left up to the client, though, it’s astonishing how much time I spend on emails and diary management, and that’s before we get into maintaining a presence on social media. You may scoff at that, and I certainly don’t love doing it, but being on people’s screens does make a difference. I see an uptick in enquiries and sign-ups to my mailing list every time something lands well on Facebook or Instagram. If I had to add up the time I spend on non-music-related things, I’d say it’s between one and two full days of work, and let’s just say it’s not the most creative or satisfying part of the job.

Once a session is in the diary, there’s some prep work I like to do. Assuming it’s a singer’s demo recording, I like to get an idea of who I’m working with. This will normally involve a quick google - find their website, read the bio, check YouTube for any clips. I’ll also google the venue, if I haven’t worked there before, to get a mental picture of what it looks like and imagine how it might sound. Then some more email admin: I’ll ask for the repertoire list and/or sheet music, and if the singer has any special requests (backdrop or moving shots for example).

As the session approaches, I’ll do an imaginary run of it in my head. Come up with some mic choices to start with, and any mics I’d want as backup options, make a list of things I’ll need in terms of lighting and cameras. With all that in mind, I mentally pack my bags and try to reduce the amount of luggage to a minimum. 

Then the last bits of admin. Once I know how much stuff I have, I book parking at or near the venue. Next, I’ll check average journey times on google maps and plan the day’s travel. Finally, it’s just a question of charging batteries, formatting memory cards, and packing.

Then, the night before, I’ll normally lie in bed thinking of what might go wrong and how I’d handle it if it does… Not every time, but I’d be lying if I said that evening-before anxiety never happens ;)

So yeah, a lot of work goes into a session before it even happens, and in busy periods (5 session weeks, for instance) finding time for that day or two of admin is TOUGH.