The original article was first published on Small Barn Sound. Take a trip to the foothills for the full length feature.

I’ve been making recordings since I was eight years old, and in the interest of making a good recording, I learned early to be prepared.

As a musician, I often “write a song” and run to record it only to find that I haven’t written a song, yet. Meaning, I find myself with some chords, a basic rhythm and the lyric and melody, but what kind of drumbeat and bass move the song? Do I hear a piano or is that a balilaka in the background? How about some harmonies, or some kind of build to the bridge? The song is written, but far from written and ready to record.

Preparation is more than Pre-Production.

What are your pre-production tips? You can share them, in the comments.

Folks often come in with a handful of tunes and a couple “band members” who don’t really know much about the songs, and hope to wing it and make a record. OK, it worked for Chester and Lester, but we can’t all be them. It is also understood that if you are paying for professional musicians, they should be able to improvise a track together rather quickly, but I am talking about the total DIY folks

Sometimes we are able to salvage a situation like this quickly, sometimes it becomes another lesson in preparation. Having the Barn prepared for the project is one of the essential elements in being able to capture an improvised session (or any other) with ease. Some simple steps will save you hours in patching, trials, and frustration and will

Make your sessions flow like you’re part of the band.

Know what you are going to record.

The more you know, the better off you will be. These are some questions to ask.

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