Being prepared for your studio experience:

Being unprepared for entering the studio is the #1 reason for recording sessions turning out poorly. Following these guidelines will improve your recordings massively.

Practice makes perfect:
Practicing your songs is the number #1 way to improve the quality of your recordings. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.

Guitarists/Bassists:
Please make sure all guitars have been professionally set up and intonated by a Luther. Guitars that are not correctly intonated create a massive headache for the session, as do guitars with old and dead strings that fail to stay in tune. Make sure your guitars work, as we can't record a guitar that shorts out or has ground issues.

If your one of the unique guitarists who writes every song in the same open tuning, please remember to get your guitar set up for that tuning.

Amplifiers:
If you are bringing your own amplifier(s), make sure the tubes are all relatively new, and make sure there are no grounding issues (the last thing we need is to get shocked by your broken amplifier). This would be a good time to change your tubes and get the amp biased and checked out by a tech.

Drummers:
Replacing your heads batter heads is required, and replacing your resonant heads is a good idea if it's been a long time since they were last changed. It's required to get a good drum sound. If you're planning on using one of our kits, ask us for the dimensions and bring heads for the kit. If your paying to have your music recorded you can afford to replace the batter heads on your kit. Preferably replace the heads before your session starts, so we don't waste time in the studio.

Knowing how to play to a click track is essential to creating a tight sounding record. Practice your songs to a metronome, and write down tempos that the whole band agrees on. This will save time in the studio.

Other pieces of equipment:
Make sure all of your other pieces of equipment work.

Vocals:
Eat healthy before your session. Lay off drinking and smoking during the project, as to keep your voice in good condition. Have your lyrics memorized, but bring them written out just in case you forget them. Bring a second copy for us, so we can make sure you sing your lyrics correctly

Supplies:
Bring extra picks, strings, drum sticks, drum keys, moon gels. Bring nine-volt batteries for your pedals.

Food:
Bring your own food, drinks, and snacks, or bring money to order or eat out. We are surrounded by Diners, Italian, Sushi, Chinese, and many fast food restaurants on nearby Route 46. Food is an incredibly important element of the studio experience, and if you are not properly fed your recordings are going to suffer.