What are remote session musicians, and how do they differ from studio musicians or live-session musician?  We will answer those questions in this article, and point out the two most obvious reasons why remote studio recordings are rapidly gaining in popularity.

What a remote session would look like

Rather than tell you want a remote session musician does, we are going to share with you a real-life example of how remote session musicians go about their daily business.

A singer-songwriter wants to add live keyboard to her recording project and hires a keyboard player online who also has a studio setup. She sends him a backing track and instructions of where to begin and end playing in form of sheet music, midi file, or mockup track using another instrument. If the keyboard player is simply improvising, she can also give bar numbers or timestamps. The keyboardist then records his part(s) and then sends back a hi-res wav file (or any other uncompressed file) which has been exported from bar 1 of the session.

First reason to use remote session musicians

This type of musical collaboration is done daily across the United States and around the world, especially since 2020, the Year of COVID.  At that time, it became absolutely necessary for musicians to record in this manner. Otherwise, much of the music you have heard over the past two years would not have been recorded.

Even without COVID being a factor, remote sessions are a very logical way to record music. The first reason to use remote session musicians is that it saves time.  It is difficult, at times, to arrange a recording session, in one studio, which will be attended by all of the musicians who will be on that recording. Because of professional schedules, it can literally take months to find a time when everyone can be together to work on a recording.

That is not true with remote recordings.  In a matter of a day or two, all musicians being used on a recording can “tape” their parts in the recording and then the music producer can mix music from a remote site.  There is no need whatsoever for them all to come together in one studio.

Second reason to use remote session musicians

The second reason to use remote session musicians is cost.  It saves the studio rental fee, and anyone in the business can tell you how expensive it is to rent a studio for six, eight, ten hours while an entire song is being recorded.  Yes, you still have to pay for the remote recording sessions, but it is far less than you would pay if everyone had to converge on one studio.

Third reason to use remote session musicians

And, finally, the third reason is one of convenience, and everyone loves convenience.

Take it from one of the best in Nashville

And one of the very best remote session musicians in the Nashville area is Kip Allen, Drum Workshop Artist, songwriter, outstanding music producer, session drummer, and touring musician. Since 2008, Kip Allen has been a respected name in the music world, a name remembered by those looking for high quality drumming and high quality session recordings.

Call Kip Allen if you are looking for the very best!