How do I want to set up microphones for each instrument?
My personal preference is to mic and DI at the same time for guitar, with the mic off-centre and a few inches back. The same with bass, but with the mic a little bit closer. For drums, I will only really need to cover kick, snare and hi-hat. I could do top and bottom snare, overheads for simplicity and more freedom for the mix, kick and if we have a clip / holder for a mic specifically for the hi-hat, that might be good.
What difference does this make?
So the mic and DI for guitar and bass make it so that I have more freedom in how I want each instrument to sound, as the guitar tone is sparkly and warm, which an amp might not be able to convey but I can construct a tone to mix with the amp recording through DI using logic presets. Plus, if the amp recording sounds awful, I can double up the DI recording and push one a few milliseconds back and pan it slightly so it sounds fuller. For bass specifically, I want to capture the pure tone through DI and give it a boost, capture a little bit of room noise and/or mix tones from the amp, if I decide anything needs to be warmer or clearer.
For drums I have room to experiment with a drum mix if I do the set-up I mentioned above, plus there shouldn’t be many issues with phasing because I’m trying to keep it simple-ish.
How do I navigate the studio and ensure that I can work independently?
I have notes from a tour and explanation that Evan gave me of the studio, so I know exactly how to operate the studio. Channels 1-16 are through the live room, onwards is the studio and I should use the Logic preset named Bradford College Project, and if I’m recording in the studio, headphones go in the grey box to the right of the desk using a standard jack lead adaptor.
If I do run into issues, both Evan and Lewis could point me in the right direction if either are in during my booking, though I would love to say that I worked independently at the end of this project.
What are some safety precautions I should take while recording and in the studio?
I should ensure that levels are turned down to minimum before I begin, and turn up channels gradually and never to max if I’m having issues with output. Instead, I should check Logic settings and device settings and check over the routing of the desk, and even small silly things like if I forgot to turn the speakers on. Additionally, I should wear ear protection while recording everything, since my ears cannot handle anything above conversational noise without issues. I have MusicSafe earplugs from Alpine that have served me well for loud gigs and rehearsals in the past, so I must not forget them on recording days and days I’ll be around rehearsal spaces. Finally, while setting up drum mics and handling cables in general, I should try organise them in a way that would be safe for me and other people that enter these spaces while I’m recording, which means pushing cables towards the walls instead of across the middle of the room and tucking cables into crevices around the drum kit and winding them up in a neat manner if they’re too long.