For 25 years, I have owned and run a commercial business, Jackpot! Recording Studio, in Portland, Oregon. During this time, I have developed a set of particular ideas of how to present my studio (and myself) when meeting new clients for the first time, especially if our initial encounter is at the start of their first session. Some of this presentation is simply about how the studio comes across to someone when they walk in the door for the first time. The other part is about how people are perceived in this same moment. Besides being a studio owner, much of this protocol has been informed by my earlier life as a musician working in various spaces, by my later life working in other studios, and from my hundreds of visits to various businesses and private recording spaces. It's also likely informed by my 12 years of working in food service – see Tape Op #98's End Rant, "Welcome to the Service Industry." I would think much of my "rule book" below could inform all of us in how we present ourselves in the music and recording worlds.
The Studio Space
Jackpot! is a professional studio that is open for all sorts of music and players to make use of. It cannot come across as a “middle-aged man's clubhouse” or as some glorified hobby. The studio must appear as a blank slate that the artist will make their own as they inhabit the space and work on their music. This is the dictum for how I wish to present myself and my business in a professional manner. A client is making a financial investment when using a space like this, so I take it very seriously and want others to feel that from the moment they walk in.
On that note, the studio must be clean and well-organized at all times. No dirty dishes in the sink. Trash cans should be empty, or close to empty.
Restrooms should certainly be clean, and paper towels, hand soap, and toilet paper must be stocked.
There are a few album covers from records we've done over the years on the walls of the lounge as one first walks in, but once you enter the rest of the studio most of what you will see is not related to any specific artists. Would any guitarist want to be recording a solo and look up at a picture of Jimi Hendrix? I doubt it!
A refrigerator with plenty of room should be ready, with no gross leftovers, or other clients' beers or items left behind. The client should be able to freely store their food and beverages without having to work around you, as you are there to service them.
Interruptions are the worst. Deliveries should be minimal or ideally none at all – we use a PO Box for most deliveries and mail. If something large is scheduled to arrive, we notify the clients at the top of the day and make an apology. If someone needs to drop off instruments, hard drives, or reels of tape, we schedule this for the time before or after the session. I've freelanced in studios where people – most of whom I was never introduced to – wandered in and out of my sessions. I've even shown up at other studio's start times to find I had to wait for a tech to repair the gear I'd requested.
Myself
I will not be finishing up some other client's work. I've walked into studios I was renting and spent part of the morning waiting with my clients as the owner/engineer spent time bouncing "urgent" mixes for their sessions. I don't even want my clients to know I bounced someone's mix revision 20 minutes before they came in.
I will never wear some random band's T-shirt in the studio and I will never be playing music in the background as they enter. I don't want to give the incoming artists' any idea that I "prefer" some other style of music than what they are going to be doing this day. (It can happen! I once watched an intern's choice of music spark a conversation with him that resulted in a client asking me to remove him from the session.)
My phone will be on mute and plugged in where no one will see it. I may check the screen occasionally in case of emergency texts, but no one hiring me should ever hear it ring or notice me checking it (unless we are on a break).
I'm ready to have a discussion and formulate a game plan once people are all here and gear has been loaded in. I'll have a pen and legal pad ready, and my laptop is nearby in case we need to look up the artists' previous music or other references. I'll write down a band's members if needed, but usually I look this info up before our session.
Coffee and water cups will be within my reach and full. I don't ever want my first action once they arrive to be "about me" refilling my coffee or water.
Mental state: I have been through every awful-because-of-my-own-life first day scenarios already, and I have no wish to repeat any of them. I want to be in a positive mood, caught up with outside communication (emails, texts, and calls), not hungover, not enduring some painful situation in my personal life, and be ready to make the next ten hours or so all about the clients.
Speaking of the above, it's always smart to have personal supplies for snacks, lunch, and beverages ready, especially when I have no idea when my clients may wish to eat. I've scarfed sandwiches out of their line of sight as bands laid down takes in the live room. I never want the artist to stop working because I'm hungry, and I'll usually defer to them for break times. Occasionally I do ask groups to consider a food break if they've been going nonstop for eight hours and everyone seems to be unravelling, but that’s certainly not my norm. I trust my clients to take care of themselves, and I generally follow their lead as to the pace they wish to work at.
Summation
It's commonly said that first impressions are everything, and in the recording studio they’re paramount in setting the mood, putting the client and their music first, and showing that you, the engineer/producer/mixer/mastering person, are invested and focused on the artist you just met. Start it all out on the right foot. 