Why playing quieter is the key to better recordings.

There's an old saying in recording music. "You don't know how bad you are, until you try to record."

That is to say, when you start recording and the engineer hits that button, THE button, the one that isolates your parts from everyone else in crystal clear sound, your performance sits there naked. No drummer to blame or singer to hide behind, you're right there and if you get to that moment and realize you need to practice more, it may be too late.

When we play as part of a group or even by yourself we can get so caught up in the music that we lose sight of the performance. And you know what? That's ok! We should be making music and getting lost in it. With any luck, so will your audience. But in a recording situation, those little technical mistakes are amplified 100 times.

So, what can you do? One of the easiest ways to improve your recordings is before you even get to the studio. One practice, turn down the volume of your amps, hit the drums a little softer, don't push as hard on your vocals. If you do this you can truly listen to yourself and each other so much better. A lot of times bands can get in the studio and find out that someone is playing a completely different part than they thought they were.

If you can iron out these little technical issues before you go to record I guarantee it will make your recordings 10 times better just like that. It will also help

you to play better as a band live as well. A better performance makes a better show and a happier audience. A happy audience will come back. Not a bad tradeoff for one slightly quieter practice.

As always, keep making music!

-Devon.

Chief Noise Officer

Red Rabbit Recordings.