Recorders Block

[aeonrevolution]

Before I go on my short little rambling, I am posting this in the hopes to get some basic feedback on things to try. Thats my goal with this post

 

 

So I'm 21 now, in college full time and working Monday-Friday as a supervisor at UPS. I don't really have a lot of free time anymore. I have been recording music in my "fun" room since I was 14 or 15. I have a really decent setup and I could probably produce a demo cd with the equipment I have. Here is a list of what I have at my disposal.

 

Guitar gear in my signature

Rather cheap Agile bass guitar

Breedlove Atlas Acoustic

2 x SM57 mics

8 track Beringer mixer

Adobe Audition

Fruity loops with various drumming software plugins

 

 

 

So with all that I find that I end up fiddling around more with my tones and recording knobs and never end up getting anything recorded. I'm also a perfectionist so I end up wasting more time doing this and this usually leads to frustration. So, basically whenever I feel like trying to record something I immediately get frustrated knowing it is going to be a futile effort.

 

It sucks

[ido1957]

You sound pretty busy - hard to get time to record with school, work, homework etc. Try to slip in a set time every week to record and stick to it...even if it's only half an hour...

[blue2blue]

Here's my take on where you're at...

 

You almost certainly need to practice at recording.

 

Practice is just that. It's not masterpieces. It's not demos you're going to send out. It's probably not even going to be somthing you play for your GF or the guys at work.

 

You should set yourself very simple, straightforward goals. First a basic guitar and drum machine track (for instance). If you have some songs ready to go, fine. If not, make up something simple, an A part, a B part. Keep it simple. Don't worry about tone. Don't worry about your playing. Just record the track. Listen to it. Once or twice. Do not obsess over it. It is not a finished anything. It's just an exercise.

 

For the next exercise, add one more element. Don't try to make it perfect. Just get it done. Don't let yourself start over and over again. Do a take, all the way through. Don't get caught up in stopping and starting, which may lead into a frustration cycle. Just blast through. It's only an exercise.

 

If you keep at it, just keep your head down, don't obsess on the results, just keep moving forward, you will get better automatically. In fits and starts, to be sure -- it always comes in spurts. But you have to keep working... in those times when it seems like you're not getting anywhere -- that's when the real work is getting done.

[masterbuilt]

You might bring in a friend that can learn all of the recording software then concentrate your efforts of playing the music and just let your friend run the computer. When you are done, give a listen and see what you have. Zero stress and maybe the creative juices will flow.

[iamgodsvek]

 

Here's my take on where you're at... You almost certainly need to practice at recording. Practice is just that . It's not masterpieces. It's not demos you're going to send out. It's probably not even going to be somthing you play for your GF or the guys at work. You should set yourself very simple, straightforward goals. First a basic guitar and drum machine track (for instance). If you have some songs ready to go, fine. If not, make up something simple, an A part, a B part. Keep it simple. Don't worry about tone. Don't worry about your playing. Just record the track. Listen to it. Once or twice. Do not obsess over it. It is not a finished anything. It's just an exercise. For the next exercise, add one more element. Don't try to make it perfect. Just get it done. Don't let yourself start over and over again. Do a take, all the way through. Don't get caught up in stopping and starting, which may lead into a frustration cycle. Just blast through. It's only an exercise. If you keep at it, just keep your head down, don't obsess on the results, just keep moving forward, you will get better automatically . In fits and starts, to be sure -- it always comes in spurts. But you have to keep working... in those times when it seems like you're not getting anywhere -- that's when the real work is getting done.

 

 

+100000

 

i agree, but it was difficult for me because i wanted the best tone and absolute perfection since day one, which drove me insane, finally i did it over and over for about 2 years, and i'm still not even close to done. studios help but you need to understand the art yourself as well

[blue2blue]

Well... I think we've all got to find our own balance between the desire for perfection and the potential benefits of actually getting something done.

[7sickstrings]

When I first started getting into production and recording, I was doing a lot of electronic stuff, trance, house, that sort of thing. Anyway, I had the same issue. I was spending more time tweaking my synth patches to get them "just so", than I was actually recording anything. A few tips I got from other "producers" I talked to are:

 

First, take a song that you like and try to copy it. Not so much from a tone standpoint, but try to get your mix as close to the song as possible. Don't worry if your guitar sounds nothing like the original, you just want it to sit in the mix in a similar fashion.

 

Second, spend a day or so building a good sketch template to work from. Set up a few tracks that are a good point to start from. That way you have a few of the tedious steps out of the way and you can focus on recording rather than setting levels.

 

Third, don't be afraid to make mistakes. Unless your name is Mutt Lange or Brendan O'brien, you're entitled to a few. Considering the headlines in the tabloids lately, even Mutt makes mistakes. Speaking of which, if anyone has Shania Twain's phone number, I'll pay well.

[blue2blue]

Yeah... having things ready to go is invaluable. I have template files ready to go in my DAW for all my typical project types. It's especially nice if I haven't used a set of tools lately -- it can save 20 minutes of trying to remember how things were patched together and getting monitor sends and the like up.

 

I have everything set up from input to FX busses to output buss, favorite plugs, instruments, the whole shebang.

 

I keep my mic on its stand most of the time (a ziplock plastic bag acts as a mic sock). Everything's patched up so I just flip the powerstrip and let the gear stabilize for a few minutes (or more, preferably).

 

But at times when I had to break things down I found that the best policy was to have a set order and fixed places for everything so that you could set up and break down almost by muscle memory. And, really, when you've got that down, it's a nice zen kind of thing. But it's got to be second nature, or you can get distracted by details and loose the meditative value.