I offer full band recording here at my studio, and have done this numerous times. I am going to share some thoughts about being prepared.
Leave your ego at the door, and be present.
Show up knowing the material. Everyone. This is different than your live gigs. Rehearse a lot, if possible, with the band. If that’s not possible, listen to rehearsal recordings. (Yes, create rehearsal recordings.) Practice along with those recordings. Have a chart; lead sheet; lyric sheet — something in order to know where you are. Give this some thought beforehand. Make clean and readable notes on your chart/cheat sheet. Know what you’re going to play on the different sections of the song and, at the same time, be willing to listen to the engineer and producer the day of the session. A live part may not work as well in the studio, or the groove may need tweaking.
Get used to practicing on your own with a metronome. A click track is not your enemy. If the music is more folky, then perhaps a click won’t be desirable. Some tunes need an ebb and flow, and some great music has been made without a click. However, most everything is recorded to a click these days. It can be thought of as another member of the band who happens to have really good time, and playing a “boring” part. Without a click, don’t expect to be able to copy and paste from Take 1 into Take 3, and things like that.
Put new strings on every instrument you plan on playing a few days ahead of time. Tune between every take.
Drummers using my gear are welcome to request different drums and/or heads. Please ask. If you’re bringing your favorite snare or two, make sure that those are studio ready — new heads may be necessary.
Make a checklist before leaving the house — pack your instruments, guitar picks, cables, stick bag, etc. Count the number of total bags that you’ll be bringing. Count again after loading the car. Bring extra of everything — cables, batteries, lead sheets, etc.
If you’re not sure that I have something, please ask. Make requests far enough in advance in order that I can accommodate those. If a request will not be possible, we all need to know sooner rather than later.
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