Absolutely, positively true. We did all that and it helped incredibly. Can’t imagine what it would have been like to go into the studio without following these steps.

Have to add: It will take more time than you think.

Sure, you can go in and hack away and say, done! But if you want it right, it’s going to take a little longer.

Not prepared going in? It’s going to take a lot longer.

Oh, but be a little flexible. Sometimes a good idea comes from the sound engineer or the band, or even a happy accident. If it feels right, go with it.

My band and I learned all these things the hard way the first time around. Ohhhh, good times.

It always takes longer then you think, one tip. It never hurts to spend a good few hours on your equipment and mic setups to make sure you have captured the best sound. Spending more time on capturing a good sound is less time spent when mixing to try and fake it. And of course make sure your drums are in tip top shape and tuned, nothing hurts a recording like crappy sounds.

Was this written for a four year old who is planning on tracking something in the near future?

WOW! know your songs, bring extra strings, remember to eat. Never woulda thought of that stuff

True that Marie…

like Jesus said,
“If you have shame, do as you will. If you have shame not, do as you will.”

In other words…
“If it feels right, go with it.”

Don’t pay attention to this Mike Davidson amateur wannabe studio crap. They claim to be pro, but their “business plan” involves spamming and abusing craigslist over 100 times a month, every month. Take your project to a legitimate studio.

You would be surprised how many bands dont bring strings, or rehearse. I am an engineer and i deal with idiot musicians all the time.

I won’t deny, many of the things I wrote in my post seem obvious to me — but I guess that’s the point. The more specific I get as to how to prepare for your session, the less universal it will seem to you, the artist. My company gets to know their clients before we record them, and offers up free consolation to ensure your session goes well. That’s a pretty unique service amongst studios. The fact remains, all the tips mentioned above get overlooked on half my sessions, no matter how hard I drill it into people’s brains. So even if it’s a no brainer to you, that doesn’t mean it’s on everyone’s mind. Helpful information bears repeating.

And yes, we advertise on Craigslist in the appropriate categories, which only annoys our competitors and people who like to express their opinions in less than constructive ways

If anyone has any questions about these services, I’d be happy to talk with you in greater detail on the phone or by email.

I’m totally with Matt and Mike here, as a professional engineer, I’ve had musicians come into my studio and have to run back home for extra strings, extra drum sticks, drum heads or even have half of the band run out in the middle of the session for pizza and later be surprised when I charge my full rate for recording “half the band” for two hours.

Being prepared to play before you come in to record and being professional/polite to your engineer makes him a lot more willing to work with you in the future.