CCSMT43 Agree and oversee arrangements for recording sessions

Overview

This standard is about making arrangements for recording sessions and making sure they run as planned.  It is important to make sure that appropriate time slots are booked and that everything is available for initial and follow up recording sessions to run.

This includes responding to briefs, agreeing duration, payment and responsibilities and making sure they are delivered, contracting, record keeping with respect to the booking of musicians, session track sheets and equipment, dealing with problems and arranging for future sessions.

This standard is for anyone who is responsible for agreeing and overseeing arrangements for recording sessions but is likely to be a sound supervisor.

Performance criteria

You must be able to:

1. respond to briefs and enquiries about recording sessions in line with organisational requirements
2. agree duration and payment for recording sessions that meet organisational requirements
3. agree duration and payment for recording sessions with appropriate people
4. confirm availability of venue for agreed duration of time
5. confirm availability of equipment to meet recording session requirements
6. ensure that any required additional performers are booked for recording sessions
7. hire any specialist equipment that has been requested for recording sessions from appropriate sources
8. book appropriate people to set up and operate recording sessions
9. make sure all contracts related to recording sessions are issued and signed before recording sessions commence
10. make sure everyone involved knows what is expected of them
11. keep records of planned recording sessions and associated equipment and personnel in organisational systems
12. make sure recording equipment and instruments meet layout and settings requirements for recording sessions
13. make sure any relevant archive material is available and ready to work with before commencement of recording sessions
14. monitor the progress of recording sessions on an ongoing basis
15. make sure detailed recording session management records are kept in line with quality standards
16. deal with problems encountered during recording sessions so that recording sessions continue to run as planned
17. agree the details of any required additional or follow on sessions in line with organisational procedures
18. make sure media and content is archived and stored to enable easy access for future sessions

Knowledge and understanding

You need to know and understand:

1. what needs to be confirmed and in place prior to making a booking
2. how to use the choose a venue to achieve desired acoustics
3. the studio or venue booking system and payment schedule
4. how to book additional performers including backing singers and session musicians
5. where to obtain specialist equipment and processes to do so
6. hire accounts in use by the organisation
7. the technical roles involved in the different aspects of recording sessions
8. the technical skills and processes involved with operating a recording session
9. contracting requirements for additional performers and technical staff
10. communication methods for liaising with performers, their management and technical staff
11. standards which need to be maintained in relation to record keeping and recording session management
12. common problems which may occur during recording sessions and how to resolve them
13. the full dated records of media and content used in recording sessions
14. the importance of accurately recording and labelling stereo mix-downs produced from archived material
15. methods for recording equipment and instruments layout and settings including photographs and diagrams
16. the reasons for recording equipment and instrument layout and settings and when it is appropriate to do so
17. suitable locations to archive electronic recall data and reference from track sheet
18. information required to maintain quality and continuity of performance between different recording sessions