What's the hardest concept to explain to others in your recording process?

[martygras]

Over the years I've had to explain the technology behind the recording process and the gear and the instruments and how they're supposed to be used, but I get tired of explaining the same concepts over and over again and sometimes I have trouble getting the point across.

Midi is one of the most frequently misunderstood concepts for guest musicians,and for something so simple it can be difficult to explain to someone who doesn't work with synth or drum machines.

Have any of you ever had trouble getting something through to some, 'er, musician's?

[jdc5294]

I've been recording in my home for a while, and I've gotten to the point where it sounds (to my ears at least) very good, and to an untrained ear I don't think there's really a difference between my recordings and those done in a real studio. This isn't because I've bought a lot of fancy equipment (I think everything I have that goes in between the instrument and my laptop totals like $350) but I've figured out/learned a lot of sneaky tricks. Because my recordings sound pretty decent, I get a lot of my friends wanting to know how I do it. But most of the time I think they straight up don't believe what I'm saying works, or don't follow what I suggest maybe because it usually takes just a little bit extra effort. So with respect to down and dirty in the trenches home recording:

The biggest thing I try to tell people is the space you're recording in matters. A lot of people just put some microphone in front of their amplifier sitting in the middle of their bedroom and wonder why it sounds bad. Or rather it doesn't sound the way they want it to. I always put my amplifier in my hall linen closet which is about 25 square feet, reverb can be added later. But I did get a really cool sound by recording at my local gym's indoor pool after closing hours once. Also for some reason in my unfinished basement drums sound oddly great. Find what works I guess.

For some reason I can't get across that more then 1 recording source makes all the difference in the world. 2 microphones in front of an amplifier or an acoustic guitar and panned out from each other really open things up. On a related note, playing the same guitar part twice and panning the separate parts to the left and right, maybe changing the pickup or just rolling off the tone a bit on one of the tracks makes the whole thing open up. I extrapolated both those things from listening to Zeppelin, not the worst place to learn from.

[Lee Knight]

I don't think that musicians come to us for explanations about anything. They want somebody to take their vision or idea and make it real.

[martygras]

JDC I agree with what you are saying about learning the in's and out's of recording. A lot of this stuff we've gleaned from the internet over the years as well.

I was sort of hoping someone would have some humorous anecdotes to share of their experiences with people who don't get the technology.

I was talking to a girl many years ago who wanted me to record an album for her even though she couldn't sing, she thought there was a machine to fix all those note things and that the band was basically "in-a-box". This was before pitch correction was mainstream although I think "Band-in-a-box" was actually available ironically. I wish I could remember the entire conversation, it was hard not to laugh at some of her naivete.

 

[jdc5294]

Going with the using recording spaces creatively, I went to a church and they let me record the drum track there. I'm no glyn johns either but it turned out pretty sexy:

 

http://soundcloud.com/jdc5294/when-the-levee-breaks-2

 

I agree with all of that advice though

[WRGKMC]

The hardest concepts to explain are the basics themselves. Things involving time, space, sound and acoustics are all involved in recording and when someone has a weak education in the sciences, getting someone to utilizing these concepts verbally can be like pulling teeth. If someone doesnt have the aptitude to visualize these concepts within their minds eye and use them as the basic tools, you have no basic foundation to communicate with. You can get most people to paint by numbers, but getting them to utilize basic concepts artistically and come up with their own uses, methods, stratogies, using basic tools just doesnt work.

Its not the fault of the ones attempting to learn. They may be an excelent musician in their own rights. They just dont realize, being expert in one field doesnt make you expert in another. Unless that person has a passion to learn and can put the time and effort to learn the trade, then use the trade artistically, you wont be successful in getting them to do any more than mimic what others do.

Guess the best analogy is this. You have some musicians who can play music of others note for note, and do well at that. Ask them to write a song of their own and they hvent got a clue and when they do attempt, you can clearly hear how it sounds like everything else they play. Writing music is something you learn to do over time and it may take thousands of attempts before you really begin to succeed.

The same thing happens with recording. A beginner may need to make a thouusand recordings and mixes to not only works well, but has a unique charecture all their own, thats not only good, but pleasing to others to the point where they would rather pay to have it done. There is a separation of the wheat from the chaff in every profession, no matter what it is. The best often get paid the most because they are the best at what they do. It all begins with aptitude for the basics.

The rest is purely business and survival of the fittest, and a good deal of luck being at the right place at the right time. Blind faith carries you because it keeps you aware to oppertunities, but once that oppertunity comes along, you must be able to produce. Being a cool person to be around and work with is essential as well. 

[gubu]

The disconnect between how a person actually sounds, and how they think they sound, or how they think they should sound, is usually the hardest thing of all to explain. In fact, it's often not even worth the effort. Better to apply some autotune, as transparently as possible, drag everything onto the beat, and hope for the best in such cases.

Those who are in it for the long haul will generally start to develop a more objectively critical view of their own performances after a few recording sessions. You just have to do your best with the people who don't.

 

[Todzilla]

If everyone in the band develops their sound in their bedrooms by themselves, dumping that on every track does not make it the aggregate sound better.

conversely, often, carving out the right tone for each part results in weird sound when solo'ed, but can yield the awesomest end result in a mix.

[CME]

I don't know how many times people have told me reverb makes vocals sound better. I just always smile and agree.

 

A band director once told me. Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. So that applies to a lot here. A great vocal with a great reverb sounds incredible. But no reverb in the world can fix a bad singer. Unless maybe it buries the singer way back into the mix.

 

And IMO hearing yourself recorded is one of the greatest teachers there is. Once you realize it's not the recording equipment that makes you sound like what you hear. You really do sound like that. So do what ever it takes to make you sound better.

 

It has made my guitar playing/tone/arrangement infinitely better. I'm still not great by any means, but what I play now fits the song so much better in every way.

[gubu]

Here's one a mentor of mine threw out to a band many years ago :-

 

"There is no knob marked 'heavy'. If you wanted it to sound heavier, you should have played it heavier!"

[Todzilla]

[zepfan59]

I've run live sound and was an engineer in a small studio. Been doing it on computer at home for about 8 years. You have to seperate out the "space" issue because so many people are recording direct. Using mics is a whole other subject and not something you can explain--at some point you either hear it or you don't.

In my opinion the hardest concept for some to grasp is "mastering", and specifically understanding how to use COMPRESSION. Secondly, how that compression affects the mix; why you may have to remix.

[Phil O'Keefe]

---

gubu wrote:

Here's one a mentor of mine threw out to a band many years ago :-

"There is no knob marked 'heavy'. If you wanted it to sound heavier, you should have played it heavier!"

---

 

That's very good advice.