If you have hired someone who is supplying the recording equipment, let him move everything in place. Some of those mics can cost thousands of dollars and are extremely sensitive to getting bumped around. The sound engineer has developed his personal setup routine, so wait until he is ready, and follow his instructions. Let him take care of all the physical setup stuff.

What if you don't have a sound engineer? If you are doing your own recording at home, either you or your production monitor will have to position everything, set up the computer, and load up the recording program. Before you start recording, it is critical that you do several sound level checks. Assure yourself that everything is running correctly. To put out your most excellent interpretation, only to find out that the recorder wasn't set up right, is not a pleasant experience.

Treat any long break (such as a lunch break) the same as starting up. Always do a quick equipment check before you start up again.