Music Producers And Bands Basic Mixing Checklist

This mixing checklist is to use alongside the Pre-Recording Checklist. Naturally the checklist depends greatly on the type of music you are producing, but this one should fit most general types.

  • Kick drum should be in mono

  • Sub bass should also be in mono

  • Solo all layers of bass and check that they are working well together. If not, fix them now

  • In the bass - roll off any very low frequencies below 20-30Hz

  • Claps and snares - low cut anything below about 120Hz

  • For a good snare - get the ‘thunk’ around 200-400Hz; a good ‘crack’ around 2-3kHz and sparkle up to 7-8kHz

  • Audio clips - make sure to use fades to avoid any clicks and pops

  • Does any percussion need sidechaining to make it groove better?

  • Make sure to EQ your effects

  • To make some elements more interesting you can use Mid/Side EQ

  • For any specific band specific fixes think about dynamic EQ (for EQ fixes) and multiband compression to control power

Music Producers and bands pre-recording checklist

This is a checklist that I usually give to a client before they come in to record. It covers most situations, such as being fully rehearsed with the arrangements clear through to copyright clearance and having all accessories ready and working.

The idea is that the client will waste as little of their precious time as possible by being fully prepared before the session starts.

  • Are you fully rehearsed?

    • For example, the vocalist should ensure that all potential mistakes in the vocal tracks are corrected before recording. Or the lead guitarist can perfectly play the solo from start to finish

  • Are the arrangements finalized?

    • You can make a great song AWESOME with a killer arrangement. So spend some time deciding if there are things about the song that could be changed to make it have even MORE impact

  • Have you settled any sound recording copyright issues in advance?

  • Are all instruments and accessories ready?

    • Guitarist checking the battery status of their gear; or bring extra batteries in addition to the power adapters in case of accidental malfunction

    • Vocalist and backup vocalist printing the lyric sheets in advance

    • Drummers making sure their drum sticks work or in good condition

    • Check for serious tuning problems in case of guitar strings and replacing faulty strings days before actual recording

  • Is the tempo of every song confirmed?

    • One of the biggest time-wasters in the studio is recording at the wrong tempo. That’s why you should take time to identify the best tempo for the song. Once you start recording, you can’t go back and change the tempo

  • Are song demos uploaded?

    • For the producer - As you listen to the song, ask yourself a few questions. Does it need to be faster or slower? What instrumentation do you hear in your head? Does the arrangement need to change? Do the transitions work? How about the chord structure? Let your imagination run with it for a few days

  • New drum skins fitted (if required)

  • Spare set of sticks

  • Organize a second snare drum for tuning options

  • Organize a second set of cymbals for options

  • Are the guitars setup and restrung?

  • Is the bass setup and restrung if required?

  • Do you have a spare set of strings for any guitars?

  • Print out the lyrics (3 copies)

    • write up the lyric sheets for your songs, including chord changes

  • Are the backing vocals parts written in advance and rehearsed?

  • Have you organised the production budget and payment schedule?

  • Have you prepared a complete list of credits in the recording project?
    https://www.audiorecording.me/music-production-credits-in-recording-essential-documentation.html

Below is how you are going to fill up the details:

  • Date started– the date that the recording started

  • Song title– the official title of the song. If the song is copyrighted, use the title registered

  • Music publisher/writers – who wrote the song as well as the publishers. Sometimes artist and producers rush to the studios without giving proper credits to the songwriters and publishers. This can result to a legal issue particularly if the labels/artist/producers did not make an agreement with the publisher to use the song. Bear in mind that if you did not write the song, you have to ask permission before you can use it whether it’s for non-commercial or commercial reasons

  • Original/Cover – if the artist wrote the song, it is their original work. Otherwise its cover; the record producer should know this so that proper licensing procedures are implemented. Recording studio engineers should discourage recording of cover songs without proper authorization or license

  • Artist– the name of the artist or band

  • Album- if you are recording an album project, write the album name

  • Label– the name of the label, if the project doesn’t have label, use the owner of the sound recording copyright (in this case the artist if they are the one financial the entire sessions)

  • Producers – the one who is responsible for approving and disapproving the recording take. Sometimes the label hires producers or it can just be the artist themselves

  • Studio – name of the recording studio

  • Engineers – the name of the recording engineer in-charge; including the assistant if applicable

  • Operating system– the OS used by the computer to record the tracks

  • DAW– the recording software used e.g. Reaper, Pro tools, Cubase, etc.

  • Bit depth– e.g. 24-bits, 32-bit float. Never use 16-bit when tracking

  • Sample rate– e.g. 44.1 KHz, 48 KHz, 96 KHz, 192 KHz. Never use less than 44.1 KHz

  • Audio Interface – the analog to digital hardware interface used, e.g. Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 or DigiDesign Mbox.

Example track details form

Example track details form