The single most common comment made about Monster Island is "I feel comfortable here."

We've created an environment, that is conducive to any style of recording. You can play live as a band and isolate each instrument or live as a band all in the same room which we still do regularly, even though so much these days is programmed in a computer.

We've fully integrated analog and digital recording. One of the things that sets Monster Island apart is that we make reels of tape available for tracking at no extra charge. When you know which takes you'd like to keep, we transfer them through Radar Nyquist converters (known as the absolute best sounding converters made at any price range) to ProTools HD (7.3). If you've recorded to a click track, you will end up "on the grid" in ProTools. A client recently commented that the website doesn't make it clear how quick and easy this process is. The studio has been set up with this as the expected method of working, so it's truly effortless. It's just as easy to record straight to ProTools if you prefer not to hit tape on the way in.

How do you get the best performances when recording music? One method is playing as much of it as live as possible. This will affect dynamics and arrangement.

Appropriate band dynamics are completely dependent on the vocals. Lots of drummers think they can cut a great track faster if they play to a click and nothing else. They're right, but the dynamics never match what the song needs even if they play louder in the loud parts. Dynamics must be determined by the vocal performance.

It's very easy to identify songs where parts were layered vs. a recording performed live because the arrangements always end up more cluttered when you layer.

There's also a different feeling and state of mind that happens when everyone plays together. It's a combination of excitement and less self-consciousness. This can affect everyone, but vocals are a great example. Sometimes the live takes are magical and nearly perfect in a single performance. Or you can set up a formal vocal session where this is the session that "you must sing perfectly right now". You're on the spot, exposed and it's a much higher pressure situation. In some instances songs must be sung durings sessions where the vocal is the sole performance, but in others it's the vibe least suited to making the singer feel comfortable and inspired to give a great performance.

We've also discovered the magic of singing without headphones. Again, it's not appropriate for all situations, but we are big proponents of having the singer in the control room with the monitors blasting and not using headphones.

It's impossible to know why some people sing so much better this way, but for most people 99.9% of their singing is done this way. It's much more natural. Additionally, you voice resonates inside your head. For extremely loud and powerful vocalists, this resonance will be louder than any pair of headphones can match. So while you think you have a great headphone mix, the fact is that at maximum volume, you're louder than your pitch reference making it difficult to sing in tune.

We recommend using an RE-20 when working this way. It's a great sounding vocal mic and it's rejection is great so that the bleed is minimal.

You've certainly heard plenty of albums recording this way. The band U2 is a great example. Bono goes as far as using a handheld 57 when tracking in the control room!