It can be easy to get overly excited about an upcoming recording session for your song and forget to prepare in certain areas. It can cause the session to run longer than it has to—resulting in higher costs—or even negatively affect the final result. If you want to make the most of a song-recording session, you should go into it with certain things prepared ahead of time.
Know What Song You're Recording
At studio sessions, music artists sometimes struggle to choose the song they want to record. You might have an idea going into it, then change your mind at the last minute and have trouble deciding the best song to record. Recording this way will undoubtedly lead to long sessions that cost much more than they should.
The wise way to approach a recording session is to know what song you will record before arriving so you can start recording immediately. The less time you waste, the better. You can potentially record more songs in one session when you arrive ready to go.
You Should Have the Lyrics Memorized
While it's not always possible, memorizing your song's lyrics before a session is super helpful. It will lead to better-sounding vocals, and you will make fewer mistakes when recording. Ideally, you want to record as few takes as possible while still performing to the best of your ability.
Background Tracks Should Be Ready for Use
If you intend to record with background music tracks, they should be as complete as possible when you arrive at the studio. You may want the engineer to mix the instrumental sections with the vocals during your session, but the music should be as prepped as possible so you don't waste time doing that when you should be recording.
Musicians Should Be Ready to Record Their Sections
If you have musicians with you to record their instrument sections of the song, they should be comfortable with what they will play. They should tune their instruments if necessary and be able to play their parts with as few errors as possible.
You Should Discuss the Session Details with the Engineer Ahead of Time
The more the engineer knows about your session before you get there, the better off you will be. They should know if they have to set up microphones to capture specific instruments and at least have a rough idea of the details of the song you're recording. Ideally, you will have a demo of the song that they can listen to and use as a guideline for the session.