Before any successful project can be launched, you need to be prepared.

What's the end-goal of the project? How many songs should we do, and which make for the most cohesive record? What's the instrumentation of each song? What recording style are you looking for? Where's the bathroom?

These questions and more will be answered in pre-production.

A music producer isn't just some dude who can make "(ph)fat beats(z)." he's actually more like a project manager, musical director, creative consultant, and extra band member all wrapped into one very important person. If you're looking for an experienced voice to help you take your project to the "next level," but who won't try to change who you are... then what you are really looking for is a good producer.

"How the heck did you get that to sound so awesome?" Just ask the engineer! Mic placement, tracking and recording, file management, editing, and generally making you sound like a million and three bucks. That's the engineer's job. It goes way beyond that, of course. You need a touch of computer geek, a dash of amateur electrician, and a smidge of fine-artist to be a great engineer.

We know that you're a perfect musical specimen. I can't even believe we're bringing this up... but just in case the unthinkable happens and we don't get flawless takes every time we hit the record button, it's OK. We know how to delicately and naturally massage each track so your reputation for immaculate musicianship will go untarnished. (Joking aside, we really can make your tracks rock-solid.)

There's no mystery why many musicians are often great cooks as well. It's that combination of skill and artistry, the balance of flavors, the hint of spice, and the melding of sweet and savory that makes a great final product. The "head chef" of the audio world is the mixing engineer. Their job is to take all the song's ingredients and create a sonic feast. Now who's hungry?!

This may be one of the most important, yet most overlooked steps in the recording process. Mastering is the art of preparing a final mix to sonically compete in the international marketplace. It's a relatively new service that we offer here at F5 SoundHouse, and we are excited to prepare your new record for the world (and CD manufacturers)!