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Tracking a Band Cheat Sheet

Bass, drums, and vocals

Acoustics and Sound Treatment

Pick the Best Room

Choose the largest, least boxy room you can use.
Avoid bare parallel walls, glass, tile, and sharp reflective corners near the source.
Put drums and amps away from walls when possible so early reflections are less harsh.

Treatment, Not Soundproofing

Soundproofing keeps noise in or out and usually needs construction.
Acoustic treatment controls reflections inside the room and is the better home-studio goal.
Treat first reflection points, corners, and the ceiling before buying more microphones.

DIY Panels and Bass Traps

Build panels from 2-4 inch Rockwool or Owens Corning 703 in simple wood frames.
Use breathable fabric, not plastic, so air and sound can reach the absorber.
Straddle room corners with thicker 4-6 inch traps to reduce low-end buildup.

What Works

Heavy rugs, curtains, couches, mattresses, bookshelves, and moving blankets can help in the right spots.
A ceiling cloud above drums or the mix position reduces ceiling slap.
Use the mirror trick to find wall spots where monitors or loud sources reflect directly.

What Does Not Work

Thin foam mostly absorbs high end and does very little for bass problems.
Egg cartons are not useful acoustic treatment.
Covering every surface can make the room dull while leaving low-frequency mud untouched.

Vibration Is the Enemy

Tighten rattling drum hardware, light fixtures, shelves, doors, and windows before recording.
Decouple amps and speakers from the floor with stands, pads, or dense foam.
Listen for buzzes during loud test passes before the band starts doing real takes.

Microphones and Mic Placement

Choose the Right Mic

Dynamic mics handle loud sources and reject more room sound.
Condenser mics capture detail on vocals, acoustic guitar, overheads, and rooms.
Ribbon mics can smooth bright guitars or cymbals, but be careful with phantom power.

Home-Studio Rule

Cardioid patterns are your friend in imperfect rooms.
Aim the back of the mic toward the noisiest bleed source.
Move the mic before reaching for EQ; one inch can change the tone dramatically.

Vocals

Start 6-8 inches from a cardioid condenser or dynamic mic with a pop filter.
Put absorption behind the singer and behind the mic if the room is bright.
Record a test phrase with the loudest chorus so peaks stay clean.

Electric Guitar

Start with a dynamic mic near the speaker edge, 1-3 inches from the grille.
Move toward the dust cap for brighter bite or toward the edge for a darker tone.
Turn the amp down if the room is making the mic sound small or harsh.

Acoustic Guitar

Start around the 12th fret, 8-12 inches back, aimed slightly toward the sound hole.
Avoid pointing straight into the sound hole unless you want boom.
Use one good mic before adding stereo complexity.

Phase Checks

When two mics hear one source, measure equal distances from the important drum or speaker.
Flip polarity and listen in mono; keep the option that sounds fuller.
If the sound gets hollow, move a mic before recording more takes.

DI and Preamps

Why DI Matters

A DI captures a clean, reliable signal before pedals, amps, and room problems.
Keep DI tracks for bass and guitar so you can reamp or use amp sims later.
A clean DI can save a great performance if the amp tone was wrong.

Bass

Record bass DI on every session.
Blend the DI for low-end solidity with an amp track for grit or air.
Use fresh strings and check tuning often; bass tuning problems are obvious in the mix.

Preamps and Levels

Use the interface preamp cleanly unless you are intentionally driving color.
At 24-bit, leave headroom instead of recording hot.
Aim loud peaks around -12 to -6 dBFS and avoid clipping anywhere in the chain.

Tracking Drums: Choose a Mic Setup

Setup	Mics	What It Sounds Like	Best For	Home-Studio Tip
One-mic mono kit	1 room or overhead mic	Raw, vintage, balanced by the drummer instead of the mixer	Demos, garage rock, simple songwriting captures	Place the mic 3-6 feet in front of the kit around chest height, then move until kick/snare/cymbals balance.
Two-mic Recorderman	2 overhead-style cardioid mics	Focused kit image with solid snare and kick if measured carefully	Small rooms, limited inputs, natural indie or folk drums	Keep both mics the same distance from the snare and kick beater, then check mono before recording.
Three-mic punch setup	Kick plus two overheads	More low-end control while overheads carry the kit	Rock demos, rehearsal-room sessions, quick live-band tracking	Treat the overheads as the main drum sound and bring the kick mic up only enough to add weight.
Four-mic Glyn Johns	Overhead, floor-tom side mic, kick, snare	Open, roomy, classic rock tone with strong kit perspective	Rock, blues, roots, punk, and bands that want live energy	Measure both main mics from the snare center so the snare stays full instead of phasey.
Five or six-mic home setup	Kick, snare, stereo overheads, one or two tom/room mics	Modern control without too many phase problems	Most home band productions	Tune drums first, keep cymbals lower in volume, and use tom mics only if they improve the overhead picture.
Full close-mic setup	Kick, snare top/bottom, toms, hat, overheads, rooms	Polished, editable, punchy, and mix-ready when phase is managed	Professional sessions, dense rock, metal, pop, and productions needing detailed edits	Label every input, check polarity as you add mics, and do a short test mix before committing.

Gain Staging Quick Guide

Bit depth

: 24-bit
: Allows conservative levels without noise problems

Peaks

: -12 to -6 dBFS
: Leaves room for surprise hits and singer/drummer excitement

Average level

: Around -18 dBFS
: Keeps plugins and preamps in a comfortable operating range

Avoid

: Any clipping or over-hot stems
: Clipped tracking cannot be repaired cleanly later

Overdubs

Start With a Foundation

Record a scratch vocal or guide guitar before the rhythm section.
Make sure everyone understands the arrangement before chasing tones.
Keep the guide track if it has feel, but do not let it bleed into final mics.

Punches and Comps

Record multiple complete takes before punching every small mistake.
Use playlists or take folders so good ideas do not get overwritten.
Punch in a bar early and out a bar late so edits breathe naturally.

Keep Tone Consistent

Mark mic positions with tape before breaks.
Photograph amp settings, pedal settings, and mic placement.
Retune between takes, especially bass, acoustic guitar, and doubled parts.

Studio Time and Habits

Headphone Mixes

Give each musician enough of themselves, kick/snare, bass, and guide vocal.
Use closed-back headphones to reduce click bleed.
If the take feels stiff, improve the headphone mix before blaming the player.

Click or No Click

Use a click for tight edits, tempo-based effects, and modern production.
Skip or loosen the click when the song needs natural push and pull.
Tempo-map rehearsals if the band plays best with intentional tempo changes.

Session Logistics

Name tracks before recording: Kick In, Snare Top, Bass DI, Guitar L, Vocal Lead.
Color-code instruments and route buses before the serious takes.
Keep water, spare strings, drum keys, batteries, picks, and gaff tape nearby.

Communication

Talk about feel, emotion, and arrangement before talking about gear.
Use short notes after each take so the band stays confident.
Do not over-coach during a great performance.

Breaks and Ears

Take short breaks before fatigue makes everyone chase bad decisions.
Keep control-room volume moderate so tone choices stay reliable.
Print a rough mix at the end of the day so everyone can review calmly.

Backup Routine

Save before changing setups or deleting takes.
Back up raw audio before editing or comping.
Keep a dated session copy when the tracking day ends.

Tracking Day Checklist

Tune drums, guitars, and bass before microphones go up.
Walk the room and remove rattles, buzzes, and loose hardware.
Record a 30-second test and listen in mono for phase problems.
Check the loudest section before setting final preamp gain.
Confirm the headphone mix is comfortable for the player.
Label tracks, inputs, takes, and playlists before the real pass.
Save and back up raw audio before editing.