First session coming up? Good — and slightly nervous is normal. Here's the thing nobody tells you: the difference between walking out with a finished record and walking out with three half-takes is almost never talent. It's preparation.
Studio time runs on a clock, and the clock doesn't care that you're still deciding what key the song is in.
We've watched a lot of first sessions go both ways, so here's exactly what to do in the two weeks before yours.
Two weeks out
Know your keys and your tempos
Every song should have a decided key and a decided BPM before session day. Finding a key with the engineer waiting is the single most expensive habit in recording. If you are not sure a key is right, record a rough phone demo in two keys and listen the next morning — your voice will tell you which one sits better once you are not in the moment.
Finish the lyrics
All of them. Writing in the studio feels productive and is the most reliable way to burn half a day. If a line genuinely is not working, mark it, record everything else, and punch it in later.
Rehearse to a click
If you have never sung or played to a metronome, start now. Almost everything recorded today is tracked to a click, and adjusting to one for the first time under a red light is brutal. A week of practice removes the problem entirely.
Demo everything on your phone
A voice memo of each song, start to finish, in the key and tempo you intend. This is the single most useful thing you can send ahead of a session. It lets the engineer prepare, and it will expose the arrangement problems you cannot hear in your head.
The week of
Rest your voice
Vocals are athletic. In the three days before:
- Sleep. It affects your range more than anything else on this list.
- Hydrate steadily — hours in advance, not a bottle of water in the booth.
- Avoid dairy immediately before, and go easy on caffeine, which is drying.
- No shouting. A loud night out on the Thursday shows up on the Saturday.
Decide what "done" means
Come in knowing what you want to leave with. Three finished vocal takes? A full band tracked? A demo to shop? Sessions without a defined outcome tend to produce a lot of options and no finished song.
Sort the money and the files
Know the rate, what it includes, and how you will receive the files. Ask whether mixing and mastering are separate — they usually are, and they are separate for good reasons.
What to bring
- Your own headphones, if you are used to a particular pair.
- Instruments, with fresh strings — changed two or three days before, not the morning of, so they have settled and hold tune.
- Backup cables, picks, sticks, batteries. Something will fail.
- Lyrics printed or on a tablet. Phones ring, notifications appear, and the screen sleeps at the worst moment. If you must use a phone, put it in airplane mode.
- Water at room temperature. Cold constricts.
- A reference track or two — songs whose sound you want yours to sit near. This communicates more in thirty seconds than an hour of adjectives.
- Snacks. Blood sugar is real and sessions run long.
Leave the entourage at home. One trusted person whose ear you value is helpful. Six friends on the couch is a performance, and performances make people cautious.
How much you can actually get done
Rough, honest guidance:
- Vocals over existing instrumentals: two to four songs in a day if you are well rehearsed. One if you are writing as you go.
- Full band tracking: one to two songs a day, depending on arrangement.
- A single well-produced song, start to finish: usually more than one session once you include mixing.
Anyone promising ten finished songs in a day is describing ten rough takes.
The mistakes that cost the most time
- Writing in the studio. Covered above; it is the big one.
- Not knowing the arrangement. How many choruses? Is there a bridge? Decide before, not between takes.
- Chasing a perfect first take. The first hour is warm-up. Track it anyway — first takes have energy you will not get back at take thirty — but do not judge your day by it.
- Comparing an unmixed take to a mastered record. A raw vocal sounds thin and exposed. That is normal. It is not finished.
- Changing your mind about the key after tracking. This means re-recording everything.
- Arriving late. The clock starts when it was booked.
What happens after
Recording is one of three stages, and most first-timers only budget for the first:
- Recording captures the performance.
- Mixing balances the parts into one coherent record.
- Mastering finalises level and tone so it translates across systems.
Each is separate work with a separate cost. Budget for all three, or you'll end up with excellent recordings that never become a release — which is genuinely the most common way good music dies.
When you're ready
Sessions here start at $65/hr with an engineer included — that's someone sitting beside you setting up mics, catching the take you didn't realise was the good one, and telling you when it isn't there yet. One hour minimum, and the rate drops the more you book (down to $50/hr at 30+ hours). Mics, headphones and pop filters are all provided.
A 25% deposit holds your slot, and paying in full 24 hours ahead takes another 10% off.
Full pricing breakdown is here: what studio time actually costs in Toronto.
Come in prepared and we'll make the hours count.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do before a studio session? Lock in the key and tempo of every song, finish all lyrics, rehearse to a click track, and record phone demos to send ahead. Rest your voice for three days and decide what you want to leave the session with.
What should I bring to a recording studio? Lyrics on paper or a tablet, your own headphones if you prefer a specific pair, instruments with strings changed a few days earlier, spare cables and picks, room-temperature water, snacks, and one or two reference tracks that sound like what you are aiming for.
How many songs can you record in a day? Two to four vocal performances over existing instrumentals if you are well rehearsed, or one to two songs for full band tracking. Writing during the session typically cuts that in half.
Should I write lyrics in the studio? No. It is the most common and most expensive habit for new artists. If one line genuinely is not working, record everything else and punch that line in later rather than stopping the session.
How do I protect my voice before recording? Sleep properly for three nights, hydrate over hours rather than minutes, avoid dairy right before, moderate caffeine, and do not shout or sing loudly the night before. Warm up gently on the day rather than pushing straight into full range.
Is mixing included in studio time? Usually not. Recording, mixing and mastering are distinct stages with separate time and cost. Ask exactly what a quoted rate covers, and budget for all three if you intend to release the song.