Obviously, preparations must be made before recording begins. Mics must be chosen. Schedules must be cleared. Drinks must be filled. Here are two things Humannequin asks artists to do before we all enjoy the flashing red light of “Record.”:
1. Create a scratch track –
What everyone needs to find that sound, that impeccable piece of sonic art, is a good concise map. Scratch tracks are the treasure maps of the 21st century. All that is needed to make a good guide track is an MP3 of the bare bones of the songs. Be it just acoustic guitar and vocals set to a click, it will get the job done. Graham at therecordingrevolution.com does a great job explaining the importance of scratch tracks.
“The Key To Great Recordings: A Guide Track”
2. Replace your strings and/or drum heads –
“One of the simplest and most cost effective things you can do to get better guitar, bass, and drum tracks is to change out all your strings and heads before recording. Old strings sound dull and lifeless, the problem is that you are used to the sound if you haven’t changed them in a while. Do yourself a favor and replace the strings before you even press “record.” Your electric guitars will sound fuller and your acoustic will sound brighter, and most importantly you’ll be getting the best out of your instrument before it ever hits Pro Tools. This tip is especially important when recording drums. Take the time to replace each drum head AND tune the drums appropriately before every recording. Your snare will crack, your toms will resonate nicely, and your kick will destroy the bottom end. All the “big boys” do this to get great drum sounds, so should you.” – Graham Cochrane
“8 Tips to make better recordings”
3. Practice! Practice! Practice!
If everyone comes in well practiced and well rested it takes the edge off of the entire project. Eyes stop wandering to the clock, and hands cease gripping their wallets out of fear of losing their dead president friends. When everything is dialed in and you are able to come in and lay down the perfect vocal pass or guitar solo in one take there is no better feeling in the world!
And that is about it!
Guilelessly, Humannequin
