Going to school to learn how to record sounds (ha, pun) counter-intuitive. Music is such a “feely” subject. Most people can’t even fathom why learning theory and technical information is even worthwhile. After all, why talk about recording when you can just go out and do it, right?

For me, I wouldn’t have had the knowledge, connections, or confidence to be an engineer were it not for my college (Azusa Pacific University), so it was definitely worth it. That being said, nothing beats learning through experience. And the big moment where my education would be put to the test happened this week.

This Monday was our first session with Caleb Henry, our 2017 Program Artist.

And it.

Went.

Perfectly!

Almost every production that I’ve been a part of has had some kind of “technical difficulties” that have prevented things from running smoothly, but this session was absolute butter.

We came in, set up mics for the different instruments we were going to record, and executed. Caleb Henry and Kolten (our drummer/intern combo) did their takes effortlessly. We even had time to listen to each of them and crack jokes along the way.

Of course, life behind the board can be as simple pressing record, but the secret to success lies in pre-production. Drawing out detailed studio layouts of stand setup, input lists, and mic positioning is what allows everything to fly come recording time. But when recording actually happens, it becomes all about listening. Hearing which takes are golden is what will make a song pop at the end of the day.

And at the end of this specific Monday, things are definitely poppin’.