I've done both.
Usually the band plays the song just like you are at the practice hall................the engineer however is only interested in keeping the drum tracks.
Once the drum tracks are complete, the band and the engineer now have the foundation on which to build a good recording................many options exist on how you prefer to build.
The main reason the drums are first to be recorded is due to microphone leakage -- when the rest of the band plays, the drummer is usually segregated to his own "drum room".
Another reason the drums get recorded first is that the other members prefer to play and record their parts while hearing the exact drum parts that will be in the recording.
Bookmarks