Audio Engineers (Unsexy) Checklist

I hate that feeling right after I get all settled in somewhere and then I suddenly realize that I forgot something. Inevitably, right I after I go retrieve my missing artifact, get settled back in…I realize that I did it again. The good news is, if it’s a task that you do regularly, these occurrences get less and less, but until you get the habit built, nothing beats an old fashioned list!

There are a few things that I make sure to have on hand or prepared prior to starting a recording session. This is exceedingly important if you are working with clients since your time is their money. I think that my clients have to think that I am half crazy when I first talk to them before a session because I ask so many questions. The reason is, you can’t prepare for what you don’t know about and nothing is EVER as simple as it sounds. What I’m going to share with you right now are the basic things I make sure are close by when I’m recording and some tools that I suggest you have available to make your life easier during sessions. We can call this the underground checklist, because most of this is the ‘unsexy’ side of being a recording engineer.

Here’s my list:

Pen & Paper – Make LOTS of notes while you are recording! Note the areas that might need to be ‘punched in’, document exceptional passages, write down EQ thoughts, write down areas that might need more compression and don’t forget to write down some creative thoughts to share with your client. All of these things will help you while mixing and let your client know that you are paying attention to their project.

Scripts or Lyric Sheets – These are invaluable for keeping track of where you are in the recording, catching errors and making production notes. I use a pencil on these since I may change my production notes depending on the take.

At Least One More Microphone Option – Be prepared to swap mics, and don’t be too lazy to do it. If your not immediately happy with the sound you are getting, or it’s different than you had first envisioned, it just takes a few seconds to swap a mic and it can make a world of difference.

Extra Mic Cables – Why? Because they do wear out and fail. You don’t want a basic component like that to stop a session dead in it’s tracks! You would be surprised how many times I’ve seen people with only one cable available.

Extra Headphones – Again, these fail. They are high use, (unfortunately) high abuse items and can and will go out without warning.

Bottle of Water (or other beverage) – You will be talking back to your client during the session and you don’t want to have to stop what your doing to go get a drink.

It’s a simple list and not often considered, but can make a world of difference. Assuming you have prepared the rest of you equipment correctly, this should minimize session stopping issues.