Recording from home has become very easy nowadays but as a music artist, you are bound to go to a professional recording studio at some point in your career.
The environment of a studio can be overwhelming and sometimes make you feel nervous. But it always helps to do some preparations beforehand so that you can make the most of your recording experience.
Here are a few things you should do before going for a recording session:
Plan ahead and set an agenda for your session
We all know booking a recording session can be quite expensive so it’s a good idea to have everything planned out so that you don’t waste any time and get the maximum productivity on that day. Know what all you are going to record and in which order. If you have a band, make sure all the ideas are discussed at least a week in advance and each member is on the same page before you enter the studio.
Check your equipment
You don’t want to turn up with an instrument that is out of tune or slightly broken. Test everything you need and make sure it works. Bring fresh drum heads, strings, and picks and carry spares just to be safe.
Practice with a click track
If you’ve practiced a lot but you’ve done it without a click track then all your rehearsals might fall apart when you start recording. The constant clicking that you’ll hear through your headphones can be annoying if you aren’t used to it. A click track is your best friend in the studio as it makes editing and layering tracks much easier. Start doing this several weeks before your session.
Discuss everything you want with the engineer
Establish all the ‘must-haves’ that you want to accomplish and inform your engineer in advance. It’s always helpful if you do a demo recording yourself first so that the producer and the engineer have an idea of what you want your final recording to sound like. After you’ve achieved all the ‘must-haves’, you can explore some “nice-to-haves” with whatever time you have left so make sure you leave some time for experimentation.
Respect the studio’s time as well as your own
Arrive a little earlier than scheduled so that you have some time to get into the headspace. Do your warm-up exercises in advance. Be kind and respectful to those you’re working with and being sober is a good idea too.
Prepare as much as you can and do your best on the day of recording. Get plenty of rest the previous day and remember to have some fun!