Choosing where to record your band might be as easy as turning up to your normal practice space, but you might also want to consider somewhere with more options to separate the musicians. The need for separation is something we'll talk about later, but the natural reverb of a room's space might also prove valuable for ambience so consider what you have access to and where you might be able to hire; whether it be a professional rehearsal room or a village hall, you can still record live and get the results you need.
Essential Ammo
It goes without saying that your band will need their usual rig of instruments and amps but you're going to need some additional gear for recording too
• Microphones: dynamic for mic'ing the guitar and bass amplifiers, condensers for ambient room mic'ing, a drum set consisting of both dynamic and condenser type mics, mic stands for close and ambient placement of these mics.
• XLR cables for all the mic's with spares in case you have any problems.
• An audio interface capable of taking multiple simultaneous inputs so you can record your signals, either via the PA or the mic's. In our video we're using Steinberg's UR824 rack unit with eight XLR inputs for our mic's.
• We'll also need a laptop with a spec capable of efficiently running digital audio workstation software. We're using Steinberg Cubase Pro 8, which is available on PC and Mac and included with the UR824 interface as part of its Ultimate Cubase Recording Pack.
• We're also using the Steinberg CC121 Advanced Integration Controller for an enhanced, more hands-on engineering experience.
• Anyone who has ever played a gig will know you need to be ready for things going wrong so bring spares of all your cables; especially guitar and effects pedal patch lead. You don't want the whole recording session being sabotaged by a faulty cable. Also, bring spare strings for your guitars. Be prepared ahead of the recording session and you should be all set for live tracking.