ABSTRACT
The key to a successful recording session or live concert capture is preparation. A certain amount of “healthy paranoia” can help the engineer in speculating as to what might possibly go wrong and in assessing which links in the audio chain are the most prone to failure. In the following pages it will be made clear exactly how much preparation is required, and that in some cases “over-preparing” may in fact adversely affect the overall efficiency of the operation. Surveying the hall, troubleshooting the setup, scratch testing microphones, and playbacks with the artist are all covered in this chapter.
