Common Sense Recording Tips

We all know what it’s like. You sit down in your chair, you’re ready to record and just want to get stuck in. This is the final part of the  song and you don’t want to lose the inspiration that has just come to you from the gods of Rock (or whomever you pray to).

So, you press record and absolutely nail it. Never to be repeated, the most ultimate take in history that guarantees your spot in the hall of music legends. Except……..you didn’t go through your pre-recording check list. “My what?” I hear you say.

Well, you listen back to your take and it’s not as awesome as you thought. It’s out of tune, the guitar doesn’t match the rest of the track and your phone is ringing in the background.

Believe me, every engineer worth their salt has a pre-recording checklist/ritual, call it what you will. Before the record button gets pressed, there are a number of things you need to do.

Tune Up
I don’t care what a guitarist thinks. They ARE going to tune up whether they like it or not. ALWAYS use the same tuner; you don’t need much of a difference for it to sound out.

If you have one in your DAW use that, or keep one in your studio. That’s the yard stick tuner. That way, should you need to do another take at a later date, you know you can get the guitar back in tune with the original.

NB. This includes you as well bass guitarists.

Watch Your Knobs
If possible, take a photo (straight on) of any amps and their relative positions. Again, it’s just easier if you need to do another session and the amp has been moved.

Mic Positions
Same goes for mic positions. Even better, mark out the floor with some masking tape (amp corners, mic stand feet) which will tell you where the mics were. Not ideal, but it’s better than trying to start from scratch.

Sounds
Write down what sound the guitarist is using (if you can). Were you using Monster Rock #1 or Monster Rock #2?

Phones Off
Self explanatory. It’s off or you buy the beers.

The point is, you don’t need to do a lot to make your life easier. By no means is this an exhaustive list, but it’s the most of the common stuff. Print out a little list and stick it next to your monitor.