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Okay, so you’ve decided that if your voice is going to be heard by the many rather than the few, it’s probably a good idea to put your best foot forward when you do.

One of the most important things you can do to make absolutely sure you get the most out of a studio recording session is to adequately prepare for it. Specifically In my studio, you may only pat my dog if he thinks you’re taking us seriously. 
Here are some cool ways to impress my dog:

Get A Decent Night’s Sleep

Seems like it’d be a pretty obvious one, but Newy has quite a few good spots to stay up playing pool in a haze of second-hand smoke, so make sure you don’t let the nightlife get you.

Cold Water: Friend Or Foe?

Seriously, specifically cold water can constrict your throat and mess with your performance. I understand that it’s pretty helpful in a country where you can cook an english breakfast on the pavement, but just for the day, try the classic lemon and honey tea. It’ll help.

Memorise Your Lyrics

It’s okay to have some printed out lyrics on you, but if you’re reading them out in the recording booth your performance will suffer. Take the time to make singing the song second nature and you’ll see a welcome improvement.

Warm Up

Sing on your way to your session. Sing in the car, and really get into it. If you don’t have a car, sing outside of Coles at markettown. It’s not far from my studio and there’ll be other people there, uh, practising.
But seriously, If it takes an hour to warm up your voice it’ll result in quite a bit of wasted studio time. Less than ideal.

We asked a few of Newcastle’s performers if they had any tips to better prepare.

“I booked a lot of gigs before I came in to record, just to get as much practise in as I could. I even took up Yoga, and did some deep breathing exercises -There’s something to be said for getting your mind right as well as your body for these kinds of things. On the day I chanced a lemon and ginger tea to help loosen myself up, but in hindsight, I could’ve used a beer.”

–Cormac Grant

“When I know I’m heading into the studio to record main vocals I try to do it mid week so my vocals have been rested from the weekend gigs. I like to do evenings, too,  as my voice is warmed up from the day. Lemon and ginger tea is a must with Manuka honey sipping throughout the day – and your general warm up exercises. 

In the booth I have a thing where I take off my shoes and go barefoot because it’s like I’m singing at home, and you want to feel your best. Mentally I go to places where I’m the happiest and when he presses record I just let go -it’s like the world disappears and I’m free to do whatever.”

–Komiti

“One thing I always do right before I record my vocals is to practise. You’re on strict time and for the sake of your bank account and your voice, it’s best to know your lyrics and what you’re going to do with them vocally so that you can finish on schedule! 

Another tip that I think is important is to always warm up before you go in… Sometimes I will book a later session because my voice would have had the whole day to naturally warm up. But if you book an earlier session, make sure your voice is all warmed up!”

–Jai Maree