The Expanded Process

Our first step together:

Contact us via the homepage. Either by email, or give us a call. We offer a few different services to a few different categories of client. But the process will always begin with the same first step. Let’s quickly see which group you are in.

Client #1. This client is out of town and simply wishes us to oversee and produce their project using Nashville session players and singer at our Nashville studios. They simply want their song very well recorded on good gear, produced and often sung by one of our top tier Nashville singers and the completed song, or track then returned to them once completed. There are many professional songwriters all around the world who use this service to catalogue, or to present their songs to popular artists, bands, or to movie and TV producers always in search of that one very special, or unique track that will in turn raise their own brilliantly shot scenes to another emotional level. We work with them all every day.

Client #2. This is the singer-songwriter client (without a band) who wants her/his song arranged, recorded and made ready for them to sing over before final edit, mix and master in a professional facility and not in a basement, or on a laptop with headphones. They may either ask us to send them a mix to track their own vocals on in their hometown so that we can mix them in during mix-down? Or else they may prefer to get the full NASHVILLE studio experience on offer here and fly in to stay with us on location in our free studio accommodations in Nashville while attending and collaborating with their musical-team during their own tracking sessions. 

Client budget depending - we can definitely advise on other more-pricey hospitality options in the city for a different Music City Experience during your visit. Count on $400 a day with $35 parking and whatever else takes their fancy and fits their “Recording” budget. 

There are many subgroups of these two main categories. But we’ll leave it there, because you probably fall into one of these mentioned.

Client #3 is bands. If you and your band are ready and wish to record with us in our Nashville studio - then that is always fun and you probably won’t need to book session players. You’ll just need our studio rate and an estimate for time to track, overdub, mix and master. We do that too. $750.00 per 8hr day. Or $120.00 per hour. That includes engineer/producer. 

If possible, we like to set bands up in our tracking room the day before their first session. You won’t be charged ‘studio-time’ for the setup. That way - we all arrive on the big day relaxed and ready to focus on your project with the gear ready to go. If you have forgotten something - you’ll remember to bring it the next day to your session. 

Back to the process ….

Our second step together:

When you make contact, we will probably ask you to send us a demo of your song, or songs, before we chat at length together about the best way to make it all happen easily? But we will get back to you in person to get the ball rolling. Communication is essential in the music-making process. And it is a lot of fun.  

Any demo required at this point will simply comprise of somebody singing the tune/words of your song over a simple backing with just one instrument. Usually piano, or guitar. Don’t worry about tempo, or singing perfectly in tune. We’re simply going to use this demo to map out, or to score your song onto a chart so that any session-player, or singer can walk in, read it, and easily play along while adding their unique magic to it all. 

Make it easy on yourself. Turn your phone on to record … sing it … and then just text that embarrassing audio file to us. Believe me, we have definitely heard worse. And overcomplicating these initial demos often leads to presumptions by me, as your producer and our sessions guys further down the line.  

Like, if you do it all to a fake drum-box, or try to crack some overcomplicated picking, or guitar moves while you’re singing … then the session drummer may feel that you actually wanted this simple, or predictable drumbeat and not one of his killer swings. And the guitar player may hear that track and reserve their own better musical insights and simply play the part that you have essentially ‘told’ them YOU wanted by playing it on your demo.  

And we’re not at that stage of arrangement, or production yet. Arrangement will come later and we don’t want to shut down the best efforts of your session players to give you the benefit of their decades of experience which they’re bringing to you as part of their professional service. 

Keep your demo simple please, because it will ONLY be used to chart, or to map out your song. And though your musicians probably probably won’t ever hear it. Sometimes they might ask. And then ……

In short: To get the most out of your Nashville session players, it’s best to give them the creative, or interpretive freedom and space to deliver their best musical performance that will best frame your song in THE most-satisfying way during your tracking session. 

Once your song is charted, we can easily add or remove verses, choruses, or insert a place for you to take a bagpipe-solo if you need that included on the day of your session. Nashville uses a system of music-tabulation called “The Nashville Number System” which means that it is just a map of the 'format' of the song and it can be played in any key that suits the singer on the day. Or moved up or down a semitone or two to fit better into a certain scale, or chord inversions that work best for everyone on the day of your session.

Your demo should essentially share with us the structure and length of your song. Intro … Verse … chorus … second verse … middle eight etc etc. 

Our third step together:

With your demo, we’ll also discuss and ask you to include any artists, or bands whose style, genre, or overall sound you imagine your song would benefit from. We don’t wanna turn your latest swamp-blues number into a Broadway hit. 

Bands? If you all know your parts in your songs, then we don’t necessarily need a demo. Just a breakdown/description of the band and your music-style etc. If you’re practiced and know your stuff - then we’re here to track your stuff and get it ready for you to showcase to the world. This is not a basement or an attic studio. We have a large (30x45) tracking room with 15 ft ceilings, so you’ll all play together in the same place and be able to have fun doing it.

Our forth step together: 

Once we have heard the demo and agreed to the structure, arrangement and number of instruments, or players that we will be using to create your masterpiece, we will write it all up and send you a quote for what is included. Later additions made by you will be extra, but we will also try our best to adjust for time-saved, or musicians who negotiated a price less than the going Union Rate if you used them on more tracks than they initially signed up for at the standard rate. 

If you’d prefer to pay your musicians directly - we can definitely put you in direct contact with them. The ones that we use are all friendly and will love to hear from you. We simply pay them what you pay us anyway. 

Free Advice: To track one song - the standard Nashville three-hour tracking session with musicians can often cost as much as recording three songs inside that same session. Nashville studio-sessions are traditionally three hours long. Setting up a session with a drum-kit and various amps, instruments and mics can take as long, if not longer, than the time it actually takes to track your single, three-minute song. 

So, once everyone is set up and rearing to go, you may as well use the full three hours of tracking time that you’re paying for to track the rhythm section (drums, bass and guitar, or keys) for three, or maybe four of your songs. It’ll cost you the same. 

In Nashville your engineer and session players are being booked and paid for by the three-hour session.

Be warned: Nashville session players are GOOD. No, not just that good. Think a LOT BETTER than that. And they might nail your first song on their first take! And then, with over two hours left to kill, you’ll simply be paying them to take an early lunch, when they would have preferred to be blowing you away on another one of your songs, or turning your three-song EP into gold. Or even platinum. 

Hey! It’s Nashville, get with the program! It’s a life-changing experience to see these people applying their craft to your creations. You’ll see your babies coming to life in a way that only happens in the movies. Or … IN NASHVILLE!  These musicians love to play, or else they’d be working in a bakery, or a bank. Use ‘em while you have ‘em. It is, after all, YOUR Nashville Experience. 

And, at the end of your session, your second or third fav song may actually turn out to be your first great single, or hit once the big names have had a go at three or four of them with you in the same session. 

Yes. Sometimes, we do book three different songwriters into one three-hour session and allow them to split the costs. Each writer then gets one hour with the same group of expert players to get their latest song tracked. This works well and the session folk get to meet more writers which means the possibility of more work for them down the line too. Work always begets more work. And, if you do arrange to share a session, then you also get to meet other writers. Many of our writers have gone on to team up and write together as very successful songwriting teams.

You may wait longer for us to assemble and book a triple-date. So consider letting us chart two, or three of your songs in advance if you’re booking three pro musicians and a three hour tracking session. We can keep those other tracks ready and waiting for you in archive until you’re ready to complete them as your time or budget allows. It’s worth a thunk.  

Our fifth step together:

Once your team are all on the same page and looking at the same available dates, we will require a 50% downpayment to start booking your chosen musicians and scheduling studio-time to all coincide. At this stage, we will assign one of your session musicians to Band Leader status. As Band Leader they will chart your song/s and coordinate with the other professional players who will undoubtedly take your breath away at your Nashville session.  

(Refer to: Nashville session players are GOOD.)

On the day of your session, your Band Leader with coordinate with all of the musicians (your band) and lead them to your final goal as discussed. Yes, things always change as the creative process begins. And Band Leaders know how to make this an easy and satisfying thing for everyone present. We’re all here to make music and HAVE FUN producing a professional product for you. 

And, as I recently heard a VERY seasoned session player remind a nervous young singer-songwriter at their first session, “Every one of us in this room is ONLY here today to give you exactly what YOU need to make this song the VERY best that it can be. That’s our only purpose in being here with you.”

One team. Your team. Your Nashville Experience. 

Maybe you’re worried about being over-played by the best in the world???? 

Relax. Nashville Session Players excel in framing the picture that is YOU and YOUR song. They will not encroach on the art, which is YOUR song and YOUR baby on display inside that frame. Their ONLY mission and goal is to make YOU look/sound good when out on display. And they do it well. (Refer to: Nashville session players are …. ) 

Yeah. You get it.

Once your “band” is arranged, we will coordinate with you to fly, or to drive in to stay with us in our onsite accommodations. Or else we will let you know what dates to book into a nearby hotel @ $250 to 350 a day. Plus daily parking @ around $35+.

We will all meet for your session in our Nashville Studio and we make magic. You get to meet your “band” and they get to meet you and understand what will please you. Your input is welcome and we’ll all be here to make it easy and fun. You can definitely sing along as a guide to your players as they track. We usually chase them away at the end of the session and then take our time with you to get your very best vocal takes, harmonies, or scats later onto your track without any pressure. That overdubbing time is covered in our quote. And you will definitely sing your best takes hearing your own world-class band in your headphones. 

We own the studio and it is all yours, with your engineer/producer while you are our guest. 

Our sixth fun step together:

Once the tracks are all in the bag, we’ll do a rough mix of the song for you to hear and approve. During tracking, your engineer will already have created a listenable mix for everyone to overdub or to do their approvals to, but sometimes we do polish it up to see if we’re ready for THE final mix of your cool new song. 

If you’re out of town, I will send you prelim mixes soon after your session for you to hear and approve before final payment is due. 

If you’re staying with us … then you will get to sit with me as we edit and decide which of your own vocal, guitar, or bagpipe takes we like most for your final mix. It’s YOUR Nashville Experience and you can film it, post it to your Granny in Walla Walla, or text it to your future hubby as a wedding proposal. Maybe hold off ordering your castle in Scotland, or your first sexy private jet for a day or two. 

Once agreement is reached on edit and mix, we will do a final mix using what has put us on the map for mixes, mastering. We may require some high-end vocal tuning if you wanna “cheat” just a bit to save that really wicked take of yours that no one expected. Yup, just like the stars all do too. Ha!  

Vocal-tuning is an art.  We do it with Melodyne 5 Studio, if that means anything to you already?

We do also welcome mix and master projects from many of the top “home studios” around the world who continue to send us spectacular content to mix for them through our analogue and bleeding edge digital gear. A list of our analogue and digital gear is made available on this site on the "Gear List" page. And yes, it is good. And if it is good enough for the stars and top international producers and film-makers, then your project deserves no less.  

Everything tracked, mixed and mastered by us is done on the same gear. So, don’t call and ask us for “demo rates”?

Our answer has been the same for years: “We sold our demo gear last week, so how’s about we just do it properly for you?” 

We have examples for you to hear. Please do use our audio examples - and the example posted by others offering this service when making your final decision of where to get your project done. There are musicians and there are “instrument operators”. Though similar, the one makes music while the other simply doesn’t make any audible mistakes while generating cheap plastic. 

All the best for your exciting musical journey. 

If you still have questions, or just need some guidance ... please do call us, or send us a text, or an email from our "Home Page".