With today's DAW's, it's best to hit record even on your warm up time. And I LOVE punch in capability. My motto is to always record more than I need in case I need more than I have....
Gems sometimes happen unintentionally, even if you're just playing around.
So true!! I've had both sides of this.
1-Had something because we were recording.
2-Missed something because we weren't
There was a YouTube video about vocal recording from Alan Parsons that's no longer up on YouTube but there was a portion featuring Michael McDonald. He said in the interview he normally has to practice 3-4 hours before his voice is suitable to him to begin actual serious takes.
I would have LOVED to see that!