#53 - Recorded Live in the Studio vs a Concert Recording

What does recording "Live in the Studio" mean? Isn't a concert recording the same thing? Not really.

When most musicians come into the studio to record, they are prepared for grueling days of retakes, overdubs, dozens of fixing tempo and intonation issues. Session musicians come from around the world to layer in their sound to an existing recording. Often there is a "click track" involved. Like a metronome, the click is meant to be a guide for the artist and session musicians to follow when adding in their parts. Finally, after months and months of decisions and performances, the multi-track is ready to be mixed into a cohesive song.

The most common sentence heard is, "But when I play it live, it sounds and feels so much better." Then the artist resigns themselves to this layered recording as the best they can offer their fans.

A concert recording has its challenges as well. There are no retakes for a misstep because the audience is there for a show. Microphone placement is decided on by where can you get a sound and not cover the faces of the musician. Afterall, it's a concert, not a recording studio. The sound recorded is guided by what's left over after all the visual and PA decisions have been made. Recording considerations are low man on the totem pole, so to speak.

Then there's “Live in the Studio” recording, which we feel is its own category. There is no visual to consider except that the musicians see each other enough to perform. Musicians can stand or sit in a circle without considering the audience and stage. Microphones are placed as needed to get the best sound. Like a concert, though, there is no going back to fix a note. All the instruments are "bleeding" into all the microphones to varying degrees. This, in itself, provides a challenge for the recording engineer.

What we find with this kind of Live in the Studio recording is freshness and creativity that is lost on stage or in headphones. The musicians can do another take, rehearse a bit and talk about the music before performing. There is no going back to fix something, though, and the element of living on the edge is always present. In the studio, I have often been on the edge of my seat thinking, "This is such a great take, I hope there are no mistakes coming." And suddenly the song is complete and you may have a masterpiece on your hands.

Cookie Marenco
Founder and producer
Blue Coast Music