Session recording

---

A session musician is someone who performs music in a recording session. He/She is hired by the music contractor, the music producer, the band or the record, film or video production company to play whatever music is going to be recorded at that session.

Although few people outside the music industry are aware of their vitally important role, session musicians are present in almost every hit pop song that uses real instruments rather than synthesized tracks. Boasting flawless technique, exceptional professionalism, and stylistic flexibility, they are the gold standard for polished studio playing. Whether it's a slow ballad, a driving acoustic stomp, a funky soul jam, or a brooding film score, session musicians learn the parts speedily and make adjustments to fulfill the needs of the producer or recording artist.

In the past, this meant a studio musician traveling to the studio, which could be miles away, even in a different country if they were a sought after musician for their particular style, or flare.

Now though, it is possible to hire a session musician, remotely, via an internet service, thereby omitting travel costs to the client, and speeding up the whole creative process.

Well that depends on what you're trying to achieve. If you want a professional sounding demo, album or film track, then a good session musician will deliver everything you need, saving you time, money and frustration.

Your end result will always depend on your preparation and the quality of the ingredients you use.

First of all, it's extremely important that you take 'ego' out of the equation. There is no shame in having someone else play on your project. Remember, your main objective should be to present your work in the best possible light, in order to 'sell' it to perspective artists or place it in films and TV shows. It is not supposed to be proof of your studio musicianship.

Recording an instrument in the studio requires an entirely different skill set to playing live.

Studio recording is more like 'music surgery' than a musical performance. While you might be comfortable playing guitar in your living room or even on a stage in front of hundreds of people, it's an entirly different skill set to sit in a 4' x 6' booth wearing headphones and listening to a click track.

Giving a note perfect dynamic and 'in time' performance and this kind of unnatural setting, requires a special set of skills and precision execution.

We all have to keep an eye on the bottom line when it comes to our recording budget, so there is always the temptation to save money by playing something yourself.

The problem with this approach is that often it will take an inexperienced musician a lot longer to get a good result as it would a 'pro'.

One of the many advantages of using session musicians, is that, not only are they good at what they do, but they also do it quickly. In other words, the price you pay to hire a session musician, translates into savings on studio time, compared to playing the part yourself.

All musicians have their 'musical identity'. Ten guitarists will play the same song with a different feel, a different tone, or vibe, which can be instantly recognizable as 'them'.

Check out some album 'covers' of solo performers, singer/songwriters and you will see several different drummers were used on the album. Guitar player 'A' was on tracks 1, 3, 8, while guitar player 'B' appears on tracks 2, 4, and 6.

Track 7 uses banjo and fiddle, while track 9 uses 2 different fiddle players. 

So, take time to listen to examples of a session musicians work and decide if their 'style' will be a good fit for your track.

However, a good session musician is highly adaptable and should be able to provide exactly what you're looking for.