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1 :: Rehearse the song(s) straight through several times so you know them inside out.
2 :: Write all the lyrics and solos before you get to the studio, It's best to take time on killer sound in the studio and killer songs before you get to the studio.
3 :: There are some studio tricks to make drums, guitars and vocals sound
better than they are - but it's much better to start with great sounds and improve them. than try to make something useable out of something crap. If you have budget drums, cymbals, guitar amps etc. see if you can borrow some better gear.
4 :: Don't be precious about your guitar or drum sound. Your drums or guitar amp may sound excellent on stage and in the rehearsal studio but may need tweaking for the studio. The engineer will be thinking about the mix as a whole and how the instruments interact. Which means he may want to change the gain and eq on your amp a little and tweak the drum tuning/dampening.
5 :: Trust the engineer/producer. It will all make sense in the end. If you think things aren't sounding great in the first five minutes that's because they don't usually. Things have to be tweaked and played with to all fit together. Think about the engineer's past recordings, trust him and let him deal with the sound while you deal with providing the shit-kicking awesome music.
6 :: If you hit the drums like you want them to sound on record, it will be easier to get a good professional recording - i.e. Drums sound much better if you hit the skins 70% harder than the hi hats. If your drums don't sound like you want them to sound on record already, buy some new skins, have a good tune up and practice a little more. Particularly concentrate on the snare. In modern recordings, the snare is just as up-front as the vocals. A new snare skin is only about ?12.
7 :: Singers, avoid milkshake, caffeine, spirits etc. Your voice is going to be at the forefront of the music so your vocal chords, arguably the most important instrument in the band, have to be in tip top shape.
8 :: It's a good idea if the drummer learns to play to a click. It makes things easier in the studio and makes the record more consistent. Try creating a click loop on a drum machine and play along with headphones for a few days before you record.
9 :: Don't forget to bring everything you need including spare batteries/ leads/ guitar tuners etc. The amount of bands that turn up to studios without their guitars or drums or amps is surprisingly large. I usually ask them what it is exactly they want me to point my microphones at.
10 :: It's best not to turn up after doing drink and drugs until the early hours. You want to be feeling fresh, creative and full of beans. If you feel like you are only fresh, creative and full of beans whilst on drugs ask the engineer if is okay to drink/snort/smoke in the studio or if you should go outside.
11 :: If you make a mistake, tell the engineer. You don't want to go away with mistakes on the record that will make you cringe every time you hear it.
12 :: Don't feel pressure or get wound up. If you are relaxed you'll get better stuff down. Recording is very stressful - don't make it any harder on yourself. If you feel yourself getting tense about a song, take a break. A break after every couple of songs can help a lot. Be open to suggestions and changes. "Screw-ups" sometimes turn out great. Maybe you didn't hit the note you wanted, but the note you hit may be better.
13 :: Listen to the song as a whole, not just your part and don't compete for volume. Each instrument has it's place in the sonic picture, if the lead guitar or bass part is too loud it will ruin the composition of that picture and stick out like a sore thumb. The real music business is based on SONGS, not showing off INDIVIDUAL INSTRUMENT PARTS.
14 :: If you have a particular guitar sound or drum sound in mind, take a CD to the engineer. He can then work out what sound you mean and see if it is possible with your equipment. If you don't, you'll end up trying to describe the sound which is about as easy as herding kittens and wastes precious time.
20 Demo Tips for a Better Recording
by bagua
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