Members Potts Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 Sorry for posting this in both forums..I meant to put it here... I thought this could be an interesting thread... I'm doing five tunes in a pretty nice pro studio. My stuff is acoustic fronted but have full instrumentation including drums, Hammond, acoustics ,electrics and tons of harmonies. Have 8 hours booked for day one and I'm planning on putting down drums and bass on the first day. This is my project but I "hired" a solid drummer and bass player...we've rehearsed about 6 hours with about another six on deck before the 28th which is my first date. The tunes are arranged well and the two guys know their parts. I have a "free" hour to at least get the drums set up. Obviously I want to use my time and money wisely...any advice, possible pitfalls or comments? Secretly I'm hoping that I can get these tunes done in a few hours and start tracking guitars...we'll see. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members davebols Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 I'm with ya man. I like to see how other folks work in the studio. I learned along time ago how important prep work is. Looking forward to how it works for you. Maybe pics or vidio if you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members aZnrockstar Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 I would try laying scratch tracks of the lead vocal and key rhythm pieces while the drummer is recorded, if possible. That way, you can capture the live feel and get the best performance out of the drummer. And definitely track to a click. That one is a non-negotiable for me, unless there are unspecified rhythmic changes on deck. If the drummer is a studio vet, I will defer to their mic placement suggestions. As far as tracking bass guitar, I always DI only, and leave any bass processing til after primary tracking is over. I usually end up not using bass amps and hardware, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Potts Posted October 19, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 Originally Posted by aZnrockstar I would try laying scratch tracks of the lead vocal and key rhythm pieces while the drummer is recorded, if possible. That way, you can capture the live feel and get the best performance out of the drummer. And definitely track to a click. That one is a non-negotiable for me, unless there are unspecified rhythmic changes on deck. If the drummer is a studio vet, I will defer to their mic placement suggestions. As far as tracking bass guitar, I always DI only, and leave any bass processing til after primary tracking is over. I usually end up not using bass amps and hardware, though. All great advice that I plan on following! Thanks so much for commenting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 If you are going to use a click, make sure you figure out in advance what tempos you prefer the songs to run at, and most importantly, make sure you all rehearse to a click. There's nothing worse than getting into the studio and realizing that the drummer isn't used to using a click, and trying to force him / her to do so anyway. Depending on the studio, I like to track the bass with both a mic and a DI, and I print both to individual tracks. I may not need one or the other at mixdown, but I've never regretted having more than I need, while I have occasionally lamented not tracking something when I had the opportunity... I do agree with aZnrockstar about the idea of tracking the rhythm section together as a unit. If you have sufficient mikes, space, isolation, etc. at that studio, getting the band to play together provides a much more familiar, and more inspiring sound for the drummer than playing to just the click, or a scratch vocal, click and acoustic guitar. However, if you know you're going to have to track everyone individually, then you'd better make sure everyone is rehearsed well enough to play all of their parts individually. It's a different vibe - not only for the musicians, but IMHO, it also frequently comes across on the recording too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Potts Posted October 19, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 Thanks Phil! Yeah I'm going to go with a click and my drummer is more than solid with it. I went though and wrote down all my tempos the other day too. I guess I'm on the right track so to speak. This project is just me so the best I can do for the initial tracks is scratch vocal and acoustic, bass and drums. I think that's going to work. I'll be laying down all the guitars and vocals myself at a later date. I never heard of your bass technique and I think i'll pursue that avenue. Thank you for the reply and advice! I really appreciate people taking the time to chime in to either confirm what I'm already doing or making new suggestions. Heres a few demos that I recorded in my home studio if anyone cares to listen to what I'll be working on...Leaving NYNot So Long AgoSomething Real Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members aZnrockstar Posted October 21, 2012 Members Share Posted October 21, 2012 Originally Posted by Phil O'Keefe If you are going to use a click, make sure you figure out in advance what tempos you prefer the songs to run at, and most importantly, make sure you all rehearse to a click. There's nothing worse than getting into the studio and realizing that the drummer isn't used to using a click, and trying to force him / her to do so anyway. I agree, Phil. The one I'm working on now that is Afro-pop/Brazilian, and there are three tempo changes, with a bass overdub scheduled tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members aZnrockstar Posted October 21, 2012 Members Share Posted October 21, 2012 Originally Posted by Phil O'Keefe If you are going to use a click, make sure you figure out in advance what tempos you prefer the songs to run at, and most importantly, make sure you all rehearse to a click. There's nothing worse than getting into the studio and realizing that the drummer isn't used to using a click, and trying to force him / her to do so anyway. I agree, Phil. The one I'm working on now that is Afro-pop/Brazilian, and there are three tempo changes, with a bass overdub scheduled tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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