Recording takes time, don't rush it or you won't be happy with the final product.
Make sure you get the best possible sound out of the recording before being done with it. Post-mixing can only do so much, get the most out of your pre-mix.
Don't clip.
Use a metronome, or a guitar track based off a metronome.
Make sure your songs are properly down and tight, especially for the drummer, it makes it a lot easier for the rest of the band to do their tracks over the top with a solid beat underneath.
Our band records as follows:
Drums (to a click or rough guitar track)
Bass
Guitars
Vocals
Make sure you use enough mic's for the drums. My advice would be at least one mic each for the drums, with special ones for the bass that pick up lower frequencies. One mic for the HiHats, One for the Ride, and 2 or 3 overhead Dynamic mics pick up your Crash(s) and other cymbals.
A good sound tech is worth his weight in gold. Be nice to them, and ask his opinion on how your drums sound, and what you could do to improve them.
Overall though, have fun and try to make recording seem less of a job and more of an exciting journey. Recording gets very tedious sometimes when you aren't in the zone, so make the most of what you can, and if something isn't working, leave it and come back to it later.
HB58
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