Dennis Moody's
"Five Things to Consider When Going into the Studio"

Preparation is the key to being efficient and productive in the studio. Dennis has worked with the best, so here are five important tips:

1. Before going to the studio, check that your kit and hardware are in good shape! Are there any rattles, noises, or audible buzzes coming from your mounts, lugs or pedals? Check everything and do your best to get any problems reduced or eliminated. If you hear noises ‘in the room’, then the mics will surely hear them too. Don’t wait until you’re at the studio to work these things out.

2. I find that most top-call drummers will bring along a few different snares so that they are ready for anything that a session may call for. One very well-known session drummer I work for often has his cartage guys bring 8 or 9 snares to the session.

That might be a bit excessive for most of us, but be ready to offer choices your client. Also, don’t bring a set that is not appropriate for the music! I see this happen all the time. If you are doing a traditional jazz session or gig, you don’t need to bring a kit with 7 toms, 2 snares, an auxiliary hi hat, and 12 crashes, etc. Bring enough to get the job done and have some options, but don’t bring your entire warehouse of stuff!

3. Make a list of gear you're bringing and double-check that you have it before leaving for a session. A drum tech I recently worked with left half his kit at the last gig! He had to drive an hour and a half each way to get his gear and get back before show time!

Make a checklist and always do a double check! Do you have extra heads, sticks, brushes, tape, and padding? WD40 for squeaks? A tuning key? All your stands and mounts? A throne?

4. What is the condition of your heads? Have you changed them lately? Make sure that they sound good to your ear and that they are not old and beat up.

And...what kind of heads will you need? Do you know what style of song you will be recording? Is it jazz? Rock? R&B? Does it call for an open and full sound or a harder, deader sound with more attack? Try to get some insight from the producer so that you can be ready to give them what they looking for.

5. Can you play to a click? It’s an issue I see often but it’s a very simple one to resolve. Practice! Be prepared. Make sure that you are comfortable and confident working with a click.

The days of “pop-music-cut-and-paste” are here to stay, at least for now. Most pop music done today is done with a click. If you don’t cut it, you will be out of the Producer's good graces very quickly!

To wrap things up, there is a lot you should be aware of going into a recording session. But if you just use common sense, you will get through most of it.

I would suggest that you call the studio engineer a day or two before the session to tell him what your setup will be. No one wants to be standing around waiting while you and the engineer are setting up and working on drum sounds.

Also, ask the engineer if he can give you any tips on preparing for a drum recording session. Most of us love to help out as it only makes things easier for everyone. And, even though it’s a lot of work, don’t forget to have fun!