These are some tips that I have learned from experience to help you and your band throughout the recording process:

Pre-Studio
1. Know your songs like the back of your hand. It is much easier to track a part that you can flawlessly play over and over rather than just trying to struggle through it one time just to get it down. On top of that, learn to play them without any other instrumental accompaniment. This also reduces the amount of crossfades on your songs.

2. Learn to play to a metronome. Playing with a solid tempo not only locks your songs together, it makes them sound more professional. Also playing with a click track allows for simple editing, copying and pasting of tracks to be made quickly and easily.

3. New strings sound better. Restring the night before.

4. Old, beat drum heads are going to sound like old, beat heads. Make sure you have decent heads on your drums.

5. Bring plenty of sticks, picks, strings, etc. You never know when you may run out.

6. Get a good nights sleep before the day of recording. It always helps to be awake and able to concentrate.

Studio
1. Arrive on time. If you don’t enough care to show up on time, why should I care?

2. Be open to suggestions.

3. Don’t expect everything to sound incredible as soon as it is tracked. It takes time to mix down a project. It will sound rough at first.

4. Bring food and drinks. Very Tight Recordings is a recording studio, not a Giant Eagle.

5. Show up sober and stay sober. Simple.

6. Tune. Tune. And re-tune.

7. If you hit a rough patch, don’t be afraid to take a break.

8. We will end up experimenting with different sounds, tones, instruments, amps, and microphone placements. We will have to do some tinkering before tracking.