SIGHTS
Live Rooms: a room with dim lighting, a small booth for vocals with a mic on a boom stand, a large performance area with musical instruments, isolation booths for recording different instruments, cans (headphones), racks of gear (outboard preamps, compressors, reverb units, delay modules), amps, speakers, instrument stands and cases, sheet music and chord charts, water bottles, a storage room with extra gear (instruments, microphones, monitors, guitar pedals), textured walls, floor rugs, a glass partition separating performers from the sound technicians, cords running from instruments to equipment, cords crossing the floor and plugging into walls, an “on air” or “recording” light to indicate that a session is being recorded, musicians and vocalists warming up, voice-over artists reading scripts
Control Room: rolling chairs, computers, cans, multiple consoles and mixers covered with buttons and knobs, interfaces with mics plugged into them, patch bays and multi-colored patch cables, monitors, speakers, seating areas with leather furniture and lamps, clipboards and pads of paper, pens and pencils, potted plants, gold and platinum albums on the walls, plaques and other awards in a case, magazines on the tables, fast food and takeout food, cups of coffee and soda, drug paraphernalia, alcohol
SOUNDS
Music being played on instruments (guitars, keyboards, pianos, drums), musicians tuning their instruments, vocalists singing or humming, sheet music drifting to the floor, sound technicians cutting in to tell musicians to stop playing or to play something again, people talking in the control room, guests chatting in the seating area, phones ringing, recorded music being played back, applause or happy shouts when a recording goes well, musicians arguing, a click track playing, the frightening clarity of hearing one’s voice or instrument by itself without accompaniment, doors opening and closing, a vacuum cleaner
SMELLS
Takeout food (burgers, pizza, Chinese food, etc.), coffee, air fresheners, burning candles, cleaning supplies, pot, tobacco, beer
TASTES
Takeout food, vending machine food (sandwiches, candy bars, chips, power bars), bottled water, coffee, hot tea, alcohol
TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS
Cans snug against one’s ears, an instrument in one’s grip, a swiveling stool or chair, the metallic grid on a microphone head, the textured walls of a recording booth, smooth plastic guitar picks, drumsticks twirling between one’s fingers, the vibration of a stick hitting a drum, strings being strummed, smooth piano keys, buttons sliding up and down on a mixer, cords clicking into slots, tripping over a cord, pressing a guitar pedal, tapping a foot to keep the beat, pressing one’s hands against one’s cans while singing
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT
Creative differences between musicians
Outsiders influencing members of the band (groupies, spouses, etc.)
Large egos
Jealousy between band members
Shoddy recording equipment that produces a less than desirable result
Drunken or high artists
Band members not showing up or arriving late
An extravagant or ambitious studio manager who disregards the facility’s budget
A diva who makes unrealistic demands of studio staff
Studio staff fraternizing with artists
Having to work with talentless artists or those who are new to recording
Double-booking a recording studio or having a session run over into someone else’s time slot
PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND HERE
A manager or agent, a receptionist or office manager, actors or voice-over artists, administrators, cleaning staff, instructors, members of an entourage, musicians, parents of underage artists, people delivering food, producers, songwriters, sound engineers and technicians, vocalists, voice coaches
RELATED SETTINGS THAT MAY TIE IN WITH THIS ONE
Green room, limousine, performing arts theater, rock concert
SETTING NOTES AND TIPS
There are many different kinds of studios. High-end establishments are often used by professionals and celebrities; these are rented by the hour and offer a large supply of quality equipment and instruments. Smaller studios offer recording services as well, but they’re less expensive with fewer bells and whistles. The digitalization of the music industry has also made the home studio a practical and efficient option for musicians desiring to record an album or voice-over.
SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
John squeezed his eyes shut, two fingers on the slider, tuning out everything but Clarissa’s voice coming through his headset—her beautifully thick, textured, and slightly sharp voice. He nudged the bar, handling it like a newborn baby, and her pitch leveled out. He grinned. The chair squeaked as he collapsed into it and he flashed her two thumbs up through the glass partition.
Techniques and Devices Used: Simile
Resulting Effects: Establishing mood