Recording your Album or Demo
Studio Aims
- Windmill Sound offers a truly Personal recording service for every client.
- We take on only a Limited number of recording projects and are devoted to them.
- Likewise, we are not limited to a single genre, but our professionally trained staff record all styles from Singer-Songwriters to Punk Rock, Opera Singers to Bathroom Divas,
The Recording Process
Here's a rough guide to a 4-piece band recording a 3-song demo.
Allow approximately 1 day per song. Major labels with signed bands may take more like 3 or 4 days per song, but we feel that this provides unsigned bands a good quality recording at a fair price.
(To be fair I've heard 3 days per song described as a quick recording.)
Other studios may record and mix 3 songs in a day - but you may feel like you're on a conveyor belt and likely be unhappy with the results.
Any price is expensive if you feel that you could sound better.
At Windmill Sound we pride ourselves on our quality and our service. You'll like the difference.
Day 1
Drummer arrives with kit and sets it up. The rest of the band can come later if they choose.
It then has to be tuned and damped so that it sounds at its best, and finally mics set. Don't be suprised if this process takes a couple of hours. A good drum sound is the basis of a great recording.
Drum tracks are recorded for all the songs - this save a lot of time and keeps the sound consistent.
Usually the bass is recorded at the same time, and other players may put down guide tracks to help the timing and feel.
Bass overdubs are done where required.
Start guitar parts.
Day 2
Complete guitar parts.
Record main vocals.
Record backing vocals.
Day 3
Digital editing, Final Mixing and Mastering
Some editing and basic mixing is usually done as you go along. But after a weekend's recording your ears will be tired and you may not be at your most objective, so better mix decisions will be made on another day.
Editing and the early stages of mixing are not very exiting for a band to sit through - so you don't have to present. Of course your creative input is valued and at the end of the day you have to be happy with the results.
After you receive the final version, it is often best to live with a mix for a few days, and to play it on a number of systems, before deciding if any tweaks are required.
Customer Comments
Imagine feeling as good as some of our recent Happy Customers...
Windmill Sound is the best recording studio I've used. If you're in Edinburgh or Lothians (or further afield for that matter) and want a great sound, check out Windmill Sound. Dan really cares about his work and as he's a musician himself he's not just interested in all the technical stuff. He knows his music too!
Griff - Songwriter, Bassist
"My voice has never sound so good"
Andrew Fraser, Scottish Opera
"You have done a really great job with mixing the song..."
Lynsay Sugden, Chocyamo
"You're a genius, I really feel like I starting to find my voice"
Cathy London, Jazz Singer
"Great Production values - so much better than the last album we recorded elsewhere"
The Xtras, Rock Band
"At times rattly and percussive, at others, delicate and intricate - and that only accounts for Lindsay Sugden’s guitar playing which blends distinctly Caledonian, ethereal fingerpicking with unusual chord progressions and bass runs in constant motion. Her breathy vocals float through these four songs, merging alternatively with the guitar and gorgeous, unique cello; delicately clattering percussion provides an urgency in contrast with the dreamy strings. The empathetic production emphasises every intake of breath, the scraping of fingers on strings and subtle reverb creating an atmosphere of intimacy. This is proper contemporary Scottish folk music: neither gimmicky nor anachronistic, it sounds both familiar and yet otherwordly."
Stephen Toman in The Skinny review of Lindsay Sugden and the Storm EP
By now you can see that we consistently exceed expectations
Space is limited so
Call Now to discuss recording your project at Windmill Sound Recording Studio, Edinburgh
