Members Sub_Meter Posted March 23, 2012 Members Share Posted March 23, 2012 The band I'm in finished tracking our first EP a couple of weeks ago. Our friends - another band called Love Mound, recorded at a specific studio in Tucson AZ with a specific engineer, and we absolutely LOVED their recording. The mix was incredible and the drums specifically sounded HUGE. We decided we wanted to record in the same place. In fact here's a video from Love Mound recorded AT the studio: [video=youtube;Ju8CGIOloNQ] Now, we are coming from Phoenix, which is about a 2-3 hour drive from Tucson, so we decided to crash at a cheap hotel. We booked a week with the studio, not thinking we needed that long, but you never know, right? We started with the drums. I am notorious for red light sickness. The first song always takes me way more takes than it should, just because I'm shaking off nerves, getting used to a different click, etc. The engineer offered to quantize if we wanted, and I made the call to just see how it went before we made that decision. So we get through the drum tracks and I really wasn't very happy with how they sounded, timing wise. The engineer assured me they were good takes, and that he did not want to quantize, since he said the feel is good. This dude was a work horse, we did all of the drums and bass in one day for five songs, including setup/dialing in tones. His goal was to get everything recorded for the EP including guitars/vocals in two days, which I thought was pretty damned ambitious, and I wasn't sure how it would pan out. I felt really rushed. Unfortunately as the bass was recording I noticed mistakes... what sounded like big ones. The engineer assured me that I was being over-critical and that the feel would get across in the final mix. I was very dubious and really wanted to re-record some things. We got guitars/vocals done on day 2. What I didn't understand was the hurry. We were paying him per hour for tracking, and I would imagine an engineer would be alright with us trying the best we can to get the best takes no matter what, especially since we are paying for his time. Not only that, but our prior correspondence, we agreed on having the whole week available. He asked us to trust him, and that he wouldn't let something that didn't sound good leave his studio since his reputation was being represented also. Here's a photo of my drums set up (14 channels) We don't have the mixed/mastered proof yet, so I have no idea how it turned out. I'm just kind of worried. Blah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members race81 Posted March 23, 2012 Members Share Posted March 23, 2012 I wouldn,t sweat it too bad, whats done is done. Ive had simular instances that friends have gone through. Recorded, were not sure how it went......got a proof, didn,t like it. Went in to remix and redo a couple of things. CD never got done and the band disbanded before theyre stuff ever got finished. An engineer is going to keep things flowing, no matter even if a band member is struggling or not. Im eager to hear how it turned out. looks like a really nice recording studio and setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the DW Posted March 23, 2012 Members Share Posted March 23, 2012 My two cents: It is entirely possible that what you are perceiving as huge mistakes will end up being minor glitches (if noticed at all). You'd be surprised what a good mixdown and properly added effects (including compression) can do for the outcome. I remember the first couple of projects I was involved with kinda went that way. That's where I learned one of the "laws" of recording: The first take is usually the best! Sure there may be some glitches in the performance, but the first take is the one that usually has the most "heart", since each successive take will come from your head instead, as you try to repair what you perceived as mistakes. Hindsight being 20/20, here's some ideas for you to consider: - When you listen to the final mastered version, try not to focus on any one instrument, but take "three steps back" and listen to the whole thing. Is there life in it? Does it 'breathe'? Do you notice yourself moving with the groove? If so, it's probably a keeper!- Play it back through speakers at a very low volume. Can you hear everybody's part? If not, maybe it can be re-mixed. This will help ensure "harmony" when played back loud.- When you get the final, take it to your next gig and invite some of your best NON-MUSICIAN fans to take a listen, and see what they think. Don't tell them anything about it - don't say "there's a few glitches, but we think it came out ok". Don't say anything that will color their perception.- Then, play it for some of your MUSICIAN fans, and ask them to see if they can pick out any mistakes that detract from the tune. Don't tell them where you think the flubs are, just have them take a listen. If all is well, go ahead with production and distribution. If you get negative feedback, go do it again. May only need one or two of you to go back and re-track their parts. I myself have only done a handful of projects (one hand full - ha ha), but that's what I learned from the process. Hopefully you'll get more advice from the seasoned pros here! Sorry...that was more like 3 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sub_Meter Posted March 23, 2012 Author Members Share Posted March 23, 2012 I definitely appreciate the feedback. This is the second recording I've done as a drummer, but the 12th as a musician (I've been playing guitar in bands for a long time). That's a great idea, showing it to some people who aren't musicians to get honest feedback, and would validate the "it's all in my head," thing that might be going on. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members devinw Posted March 23, 2012 Members Share Posted March 23, 2012 I don't have much to add but I will say those drums sound great on your video! You were probably being too hard on yourself though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sub_Meter Posted March 23, 2012 Author Members Share Posted March 23, 2012 That's actually another band recording at the same studio. I have no idea how my drums turned out, but even in the booth with no mixing/compression it sounded great sonically on the studio monitors. The mics and room were awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members irnbru83 Posted March 24, 2012 Members Share Posted March 24, 2012 It's probably awful. Better prepare for the worst case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nerol1st Posted March 24, 2012 Members Share Posted March 24, 2012 Everyone is always going to be their own worst critic in the studio. It's the same with all the other members trust me. Guitar players will fret over extra string noise that may not be avoidable. Bass players will worry about dynamics of their playing. Singers will sing and sing and sing only to realize they are actually more happy with that first take after they warmed up that all subsequent takes were crap. This is why hiring a guy that you trust is a must. He sees the big picture, you see that 8 bar fill you rushed a little because your human. He hears a drum take, you hear those silly little mistakes that are not actually mistakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FitchFY Posted March 26, 2012 Members Share Posted March 26, 2012 First, deep breath and step back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gonzobassman Posted March 26, 2012 Members Share Posted March 26, 2012 What kind of drums are those that you used? The ones in the picture NOT the video. Also you got pretty good advice from the above posters.It will be hard for you not to try to pick up on your "mistakes" on playback,but remember,any band is the sum of it's parts and try to check more on the "product" than the part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted March 26, 2012 Members Share Posted March 26, 2012 Can't speculate w/out example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sub_Meter Posted March 26, 2012 Author Members Share Posted March 26, 2012 Yeah, you guys are right. I'm not going to stress until I hear the final product. In any event, it's five songs. Even if I'm not super happy with the parts, I'm sure it will sound alright and I have the rest of my life to do better. It will accomplish our goal of having something for people to listen to. Those drums are the newer Yamaha Rock Tour drums. They are really great drums. They've also significantly lowered the price for them. When I bought them, the five piece was 1500 dollars. Now they're a lot cheaper. I wonder if they are being blown out/discontinued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members irnbru83 Posted March 26, 2012 Members Share Posted March 26, 2012 It will accomplish our goal of having something for people to listen to. This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.