FAQs
Which Nashville recording studio do you track in?
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We cut in several different studios around town. Nashville has a glut of riches when it comes to world class studio spaces. We do not cut corners when it comes to studio space! No home studios (some of which are admittedly very nice but still..), no run down poorly kept spaces, no tiny rooms where a full band has to cram in.
Music sounds best when everybody is comfortable, gear is top notch, and the vibes are high.
That’s our goal for every one of our clients!
Do I need to be there for tracking?
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Nope.
But if you can be - you should! Having a scratch vocal singing really helps the band play off of the melody in real time. Plus, tracking days are amazing. Being in the room as the band hears your song for the first time, develops a plan, and brings your song to life right in front of your eyes is simply magical. We always prefer that you’re there for that experience!
However, if you can’t be there, we will still crush it. I have FaceTimed many clients who couldn’t be there in person so that they can hear (at least a little bit of) the creative process.
When will I do vocals?
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Vocals are the most important part of the song (x1000!).
If there’s one element of the track that we have to get right, it’s right here.
It seems to work best for nearly every client if the track is cut by the band on one day, you take it home, and them come back after you’ve been able to practice with it, absorb it, be comfortable with it, and make it your own.
That is not always possible.
Whether it’s for budget reasons, schedule, or something else… Sometimes we need to get it all done in one trip.
In that case, we offer same day (different studio, or at least different room in the same studio) and next day appointments to track vocals. You’ll meet one of our engineers who will be ready to go with your song and can help guide you through parts to make it shine.
We typically plan for 2 hours per song for vocals. Unless there is significant vocal production, you likely won’t use all of that, but we want it to be very comfortable for you.
If you have multiple singers, super poppy and specific parts, or just need some extra time we can add that on for $50/half hour.
Who is in the band?
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We use a rotating cast of the top session musicians in Nashville. Nearly every session will have more than 100 #1 hits on the combined resume along with several ACM instrumentalists of the year winners. Every player on one of our sessions is a full time studio musician. The same musicians you hear on your favorite records, will be playing on yours.
Each song, project, and session is unique so the exact cast is session date dependent.
Post Production FAQs
What DAW do you use?
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We use Pro Tools exclusively for tracking. If you are having our sessions musicians cut your tracks and then finishing them at home, or having someone else mix them - we love that! We will send the full Pro Tools session so that you can pick up right where we left off.
Distribution
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We can help you get your music on to streaming services, absolutely. We do charge for it, but we can help with that. If you want it for free, it’s not that hard and we can send you a few YouTube links to get started.
Pricing will largely be dependent on what you need, and how much help you need.
“Distribution” can mean different things to different people. We are not a management service. We don’t do manager stuff. You can ask, but we’re gonna say no.
That said, if you need some help getting your songs uploaded - we gotchu.
Who owns my music?
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You keep all rights and royalties to your track. There are no points or percentages on the back end for production.
Stems
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We can print you stems, absolutely. We charge $50/song for printing processed stems. They are typically grouped together (i.e: drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, strings, horns, background vocals… etc)
Mixing and Mastering FAQs
Who mixes at Sprung Sprocket?
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Just like the musicians on your session, we use a rotating bullpen of full time professional mixing engineers in town. We match you with a mixing engineer who’s “sound” will match your track best.
Mixing is a make-it-or-break-it part of the track and we take who does it and the accountability to make it great seriously.
That being said, mixing is a subjective piece of this puzzle. One thing that you can do to help us A) send it to the right engineer and B) give them an Idea of what you’re looking for, is to send us 1-3 reference tracks. Songs that are in the same vein sonically of where you would like yours to end up.
Do you want your song to sound like a Luke Combs rocker? We know that guy. Are you an Allison Krauss fan? We know that guy too. They’re different mixers.
Be thinking about songs and albums that you enjoy listening to most and that will help us make your track something that you love forever.
What’s the difference between Mixing and Mastering?
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Mixing - each individual instrument and voice has its own fader and it blended and processed individually.
Mastering - the mixed track is optimized for volume and overall tone. (No individual control of say… the 2nd electric guitar)
These two individual processes go hand in hand and at their best work together to make a rich, beautiful, and musical song. All songs are mastered after client approval of the mix.
Dolby Atmos Immersive Mixing
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Dolby Atmos Immersive mixing is available for any song. It is VERY cool and a whole new frontier of sound. It is also required for most popular playlists.
Dolby Atmos mixing $500/song.
Will I get performance tracks to sing with live?
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Of course! Every production comes with a track that you can sing and play with for a performance.