At Big Rude Studio, we offer a variety of audio production services for our select clientele, including Pre-Production, Producing, Engineering, Mixing, and Mastering.
PRE-PRODUCTION: One of the most critical, and often overlooked, parts of the album making process. We highly recommend pre-production sessions on-site prior to or immediately preceding the final recording process. This allows us the opportunity to hear your music in real-time, observe strengths and weaknesses within the performance and arrangement of the music, and develop a strong plan to best capture the essence of your musical creation.
PRODUCING: Quite possibly the most delicate and intimate roles with an artist. A producer’s role is to help a band/artist get the best representation of the song possible, and in order to do so successfully, the band/artist has to put faith in the producer to know that their best interests are always considered and there’s only one end goal – great songs! Some songs require very little producing efforts. Some require reworking and overhauls. This relationship between artist and producer is a very dynamic relationship that has to be built entirely around trust. When producing for clients, we are always consciously attentive to the artist’s desires and goals, and use our 30+ years of experience to help the artist achieve those goals – sometimes in ways that elevates the music into territory that the artist had never imagined. When working with a label, this position becomes an intermediary – giving the label what they need while maintaining the artist’s vision and musical integrity. No matter the situation, we have the knowledge, skills, and experience to deliver excellent results.
ENGINEERING: Getting it right at the source. This is a critical component to a sonically rich product. From choosing and placing the correct microphone for the task at hand, or knowing which instrument/amplifier is necessary to achieve a desired tone, our engineering services take a no compromise approach. We believe it’s always better to take the time to get it right before trying to capture anything. Sometimes that means going through dozens of mics or guitars. Sometimes that means moving the location of the performer in the space, or utilizing unconventional techniques to capture a desired sound. This part of the process is a given for all of our clients.
MIXING: The songs are in their final forms. The tones and performances are captured, the arrangements and orchestration of the music is in place, and now it’s time to make it all mesh together. Mixing is an art. When hiring the right mixing engineer, you’re hiring taste. It’s not about gear at this point. It’s about understanding, vision, and ultimately taste. Almost every major DAW has every tool you would need to make a professional mix…so it isn’t about “who has the best plugins” or whether it is mixed ITB (in the box – within the DAW) or analog through a console. All that matters at this point is how all the sonic information works together to compel the listener to feel what you are trying to convey. Give the same song to 10 different mixing engineers, and you’ll get 10 very different versions of your song. When mixing for our clients, we have a very simple approach to achieving the results you desire. Mixes are done without the client present and delivered to the client to be critiqued and revised. This allows the artist the opportunity to listen to the mixes in multiple locations and sit with them for a few days and really digest what is going on between all the elements in the mix.
MASTERING: Probably the most mystified and misunderstood part of the whole recording process. Mastering takes that final mix that you love and makes sure that it translates on all platforms (digital, CD, vinyl, etc) while retaining the essence of the music. Think about your favorite record – you know what it sounds like regardless if you’re in the car or listening on ear buds. Mastering makes sure that experience translates on all playback systems. Another positive byproduct of mastering is loudness. Everyone wants their music to be as loud as everything else out there. This is where that happens. But don’t get fooled into the idea that louder is better. It isn’t. It’s just LOUDER! And thanks to many streaming platforms, the loudness wars are almost over for good. But we don’t want to have to turn the volume knob way up when we listen back to our music, either. So in the mastering process, loudness is achieved while retaining dynamics and ensuring the best representation of the production regardless of medium.
SENDING YOUR PROJECT OUT FOR SERVICES: We are fortunate to be connected with some of the recording industry’s leading mixing and mastering engineers. Should you choose to send your project out for mixing and/or mastering, we have a strong network of highly-decorated professionals available to our clients. If you’d like your music mixed or mastered by Grammy-nominated, Grammy Award winning, gold and platinum-selling masters of their craft, we can facilitate the delivery and interfacing with these select professionals.
SOME THINGS TO KNOW: If you are interested in our producing services, this needs to be established at the beginning of communications about your project to allow for logistical planning, meetings, and budgeting for your project. If you are planning to send your project out for mixing and/or mastering and want to use one of our contacts, please establish this at the beginning of communications as well so that pricing and planning/logistics can be planned with the third-parties involved. All third-party prices will be passed directly to the client. We do not inflate those prices or gain any income from them. We keep everything extremely transparent, and all communications and invoices from third-parties are available to our clients at any time. Please note that we have no control or influence over third-party pricing, availability, or approval of your project. Our network of professionals are in high-demand, so the sooner we can communicate with them about your project, the easier it will be for everyone when it is time to deliver files to them for their services.