Studio time is the most expensive place to make decisions. Make as many as possible before you get there.
Decide what finished means
Write one sentence describing what you want to leave with. Three usable interview segments. A tracked and comped lead vocal. A finished thirty second read. Without that sentence, sessions expand to fill the time and end without a result.
Prepare the material
Finish the script, lyric, arrangement or question list in advance and print or export it in a form you can read without scrolling. Mark the parts you expect to be difficult. Send everything to the engineer or producer a day ahead.
Prepare the people
Confirm arrival times, address, door code, parking and who to ask for. Tell everyone what to wear if you are filming, and ask everyone to avoid noisy jewellery. Nominate one person who makes the final call on takes.
Prepare the technical detail
- Sample rate, bit depth and file format you expect.
- Whether you want each source on its own track. You almost always do.
- Which files you leave with and how they are delivered.
- A drive with space, or cloud storage ready.
- Spare cables, batteries, strings, reeds and adapters.
Schedule realistically
Allow setup and level checks at the start and packing at the end, both inside the booked window. Put the hardest material early when energy is high. Build in short breaks; performance drops sharply after ninety minutes without one.
Look after the performers
Water at room temperature, food that is not heavy, and a room that is not freezing. A tired or anxious performer is a technical problem as much as a human one.
During the session
Keep a take sheet. Say clearly when something is a keeper. Resist relistening endlessly to a part you already have. If a section is not working after several attempts, move on and come back.
Before you leave
Check the files play, copy them to a second device, and agree in writing who has what and by when. Write down what you would change about the preparation next time. That note is the most valuable thing you take home.