RECORDING CHECKLIST
EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR THE STUDIO
MUSIC
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Practice your parts to a metronome as much as possible. The better you can play, the better the result will be. 4 out of 5 takes should be usable.
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Have all the information ready for you engineer
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Singtitles
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Song BPM, if there are tempo changes a MIDI-Map
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Key
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Tuning
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Lyrics – either printed or on your phone
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Demos
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Song order is prepared
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If you're going to use samples, make sure you've licensed it and have the best available WAV quality
COMFORT
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Bring drinks, water, and snacks
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Wear comfortable clothing
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Bring your laptop & phone chargers
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Be well rested, it's gonna be a long day
GUITARS
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Learn to play all your parts to a metronome perfectly
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Put as much aggression into the strings as possible without knocking the strings out of tune. The harder you strum, the heavier it's gonna sound
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Make sure your guitars are intonated and properly set up by an expert
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Everything works, no cracks, sizzle, or other technical problems
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Restring your guitars! Ideally on the day before the recording
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Bring at least 2 packs of new strings
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Bring a LOT of picks + an extra 9v battery if you use active pickups
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All solos, harmonies etc. are written and finished beforehand
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Bring an Allen key if you use locking mechanics
BASS
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Make sure your bass is intonated and properly set up by an expert
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Restring your bass! Ideally on the day before recording
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Everything works, no cracks, sizzle or any other technical problems
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Bring a LOT of picks, you're gonna need them
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Bring at least one set of new strings
MIDI - DRUMS
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Make sure so send any MIDI files before the recording session, so the engineer can set everything up properly
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Send the MIDI-Map you've used for programming the drums
AKUSTIK DRUMS
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Reskin all your drums! Ideally on the day before recording
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Bring an extra snare head
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Bring one extra pair of sticks per song
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If you're uncertain or inexperienced about tuning your drumset, tell the engineer beforehand. If that is the case, he can reach out to an expert before the session
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Oil your pedals! No squeaking allowed
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Get used to hitting your drums HARD, but try to hit your cymbals in a smooth, consistent way
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No broken cymbals!
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Do NOT play when your engineer is setting up mics, you run into the danger of hurting him, and then he might hurt you so just don't
VOCALS
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Make sure you're well rested. No hangovers!
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Bring your favorite kind of tea • Bring enough water
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Have a good warm up routine. Recording puts a lot of strain on your voice and you should be prepared
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All harmonies, lyrics, and parts should be written and finished before the recording
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Bring your lyrics! Either on your phone or printed out
Download your Recording Checklist now to be prepared for your next studio session!
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