Here at KOMODO we love our rock. Anyone who has tried to record their own band knows how easy it is for the end result to sound like crap. The heavier the band, the harder it is to get it sounding clear and powerful at the same time. Our own CD collections include a very wide selection of metal, ranging from the heaviest death metal though to punk and commercial rock.

Not content with just pressing record and sticking it on CD, we will spend the right amount of time getting the right sounds for your demo. Drums tend to get recorded with at least one microphone per drum, to get that ‘in your face' sound, and allow the mix engineer as much flexibility as possible for complex mixes.

The recording studio itself has a chilled atmosphere, where those recording can work hard while those not recording can sit in, or relax in front of the TV/DVD/VHS/playstation. Using Protools with a wide selection of microphones, tasty plug-ins, solid-state and valve outboard gear, we can
get you the sound you want.



Anyone can push faders until they think the balance of the instruments and vocals is right, but that is only the very last step in the mixing process. A mix consists of editing, getting the best sounds for each instrument, fitting them all together with EQ and compression, and getting the ambience right. This is when the faders can play their part.

KOMODO offers mixing as a separate service for bands who have access to the original multitrack recordings, whether done in a professional studio, live at a gig, or even recorded by a well-meaning friend in your practice room…(if we don't think your recording is good enough to get the results you are hoping for, we'll tell you before we start working on it.)

For our 3 day demo scheme, the mixing is done on the third day, which typically breaks down as follows:

In the morning, the least exciting editing needs done, such as cleaning up tom tracks, fixing fills, and sometimes tuning vocals.

Please remember:

More Practicing = Less Fix + Better Mix

The better you are prepared BEFORE you come to the studio, the more time can be spent on getting the mix as kick-ass as possible.

Mid-day, we batter our heads with drums, bass and guitars, getting the sounds necessary for the song. (fat bass, snappy snare etc…)

In the afternoon, those great sounds are fitted together sonically (EQ) and dynamically (compression) to produce a tight sound. Once the overall sound is right, the faders play their part in balancing all the parts appropriately for different sections of the songs. (for example making sure the acoustic middle 8 is quieter than the chorus…)

The idea is that the mixing is finished that day.

Once the mixes are complete (during the third day of the session, preferably with the band present), our mastering engineer ensures that the different songs work well side by side, and that the final CD will plays back faithfully on as many systems as possible. A result of mastering is usually a louder CD, but…

BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING MYTHS :

1 – “A louder CD sounds better on the radio”.

This is explained by Radio processing experts Robert Orban and Frank Foti*:

‘Hypercompressed material does not sound louder on the air. It sounds more distorted, making the radio sound broken in extreme cases. It sounds small, busy and flat. It does not feel good to the listener when turned up, so he or she hears it as background music.'

(page 274 Bob Katz – Mastering Audio)

2 – “The bass should go as low as possible”

(Low bass makes a song sound slow and crap on systems that can't play the low bass. The only places for sub-bass are cinemas and clubs.)

THESE ARE MYTHS.



You can either design your own, or we can help you put together graphics for your CD. KOMODO takes care of the whole process.

If you are designing your own graphics, please submit the element of the design (layers) seperately, as we often need to make small changes which cannot be made if the text is embedded in the background.

Please submit your graphic ideas in the following formats (preferably PC):

.tif | .jpg | .bmp | .gif | .psd

KOMODO offers Cassette and CD duplication, including on-body printing. A number of CDs with full graphics are included in some of our finance schemes. For details call 02892 688 285.

KOMODO offers Sound Reinforcement to our demo customers at reduced prices. We are fully mobile and can cater for small to medium-sized PA.

We can also record live events with a mobile rig.

For a comprehensive quote, details of our finance schemes or a sample of our work don't hesitate to pick up the phone.

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