Inside the Studio – Before and After Abbey Road

On page 26, Paul Vnuk Jr. takes us behind the scenes on a recent field trip to Abbey Road Studio Two for an orchestral recording session I produced this past July. A question I get a lot is: “How do you do that?” 

How does someone fly to another country and have a room full of musicians waiting for you, ready to go? Before the pandemic, I did it even more frequently. It was common for me to book an overnight flight that arrived at 6:00 a.m. local time and go straight to the studio for a 10:00 a.m. downbeat. Do I recommend this? No, the jet lag will wreck you!

Back to the question(s): What goes into planning a session like this? How does one book musicians in another country? What happens after you declare “that’s a wrap” and fly home? All are reasonable questions, so let’s dive into the before and after of planning for a big orchestral date in a famous studio that just happens to be thousands of miles away.