Recording discipline - your top tips for a young band

[dadofsix]

[quote name='lefrash' timestamp='1425674849' post='2709725']
Have fun.
[/quote]
^this^

[Dad3353]

Take photos and/or videos (or get someone else to...). You'll thank me in a few year's time. Don't let 'shooting' interfere with the recording, but you'll miss these souvenirs if you don't seize the opportunity.

[tauzero]

[quote name='The Admiral' timestamp='1425649010' post='2709379']
've been through the obvious like - tuning, timing, turn up on time with all your kit in good shape, and very well rehearsed and clear on what you are looking to get from the sessions, don't get pissed the night before etc.
[/quote]

Seems like you've got it pretty much covered. Add in an adequate supply of snacks/sandwiches and soft drinks, not experimenting with a new part, letting whoever's mixing do the job, and if somebody's putting down an individual track, avoid putting pressure on them (eg. we retreat to the kitchen).

[Dave_the_bass]

Having spent all last weekend in the studio for the first time I can offer the one extra piece of advice that no one else has.

I someone is struggling to really nail something and getting stressed about it; get them to go for a walk in the fresh air. Five minutes "wasted" could save half an hour of constantly re - taking the same part.

[discreet]

[quote name='Dave_the_bass' timestamp='1425716836' post='2709946']
If someone is struggling to really nail something and getting stressed about it; get them to go for a walk in the fresh air. Five minutes "wasted" could save half an hour of constantly re - taking the same part.
[/quote]

Yes, that's a good one. And if your band knows they'll be recording in say, a month's time, it's useful to do a few rehearsals and record them in their entirety so you get used to being recorded constantly. The helps reduce 'red light anxiety' when you get in the studio.

[JTUK]

First time in the studio is not going to go or work out perfectly. People have been doing it for years
and still come up short.
Use it as a learning curve and try and enjoy it. If you can look back on it in a few years time and not cringe
you'll have done very well.

[TimR]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1425722194' post='2710007']


Yes, that's a good one. And if your band knows they'll be recording in say, a month's time, it's useful to do a few rehearsals and record them in their entirety so you get used to being recorded constantly. The helps reduce 'red light anxiety' when you get in the studio.
[/quote]

Definitely make a prerecording recording of the songs you will be doing.

Then listen to them. Nothing worse than getting the rough mix back and finding that something someone has been playing for months is actually wrong or a drum fill sounds awful. Quite often we can only concrete on a couple of parts of the arrangement at a time while playing. Quite often after a recording someone will say "I never noticed that the bass played that."

Make sure you have endings sorted too.

[discreet]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1425750026' post='2710367']
Quite often after a recording someone will say "I never noticed that the bass played that."
[/quote]

That's because they never bloody listen to it!

[TimR]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1425750604' post='2710379']


That's because they never bloody listen to it!
[/quote]

Exactly.

It's always better to have the argument over why you're not playing 8th root notes under everything before you go into the studio, than to find out afterwards your entire input was rerecorded by the guitarist a few days later.

Edited March 7, 2015 by TimR

[discreet]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1425753277' post='2710414']
It's always better to have the argument over why you're not playing 8th root notes under everything before you go into the studio, than to find out afterwards your entire input was rerecorded by the guitarist a few days later.
[/quote]

Our guitarist could never do that, but I take your point.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1425662641' post='2709569']
Importantly, let the studio engineer do his/her job and listen to what they have to say.

They're like the pilot of an airplane. Typically calm and polite, but really they just want you to keep the hell out of the cockpit and let them get on with it
[/quote]

But also if you don't like how they are making you sound then say something. Also if your not comfortable with how they are making you record then also say something.

IME budget recording studios want to make their life easy, because that's howe they make their money, and a lot of the time their default settings and mix sounds will be the right ones, but if they are not then speak up earlier rather than later. Also record in a way that makes the band feel comfortable. I think it is far more important to get a good performance than one that is technically well recorded. A decent engineer can make a good band performance sound great, but if the players aren't comfortable when they are recording, it will show no matter how technically excellent the recording is.

[cheddatom]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1425668236' post='2709627']
It will take at least half a day to get the drums set up and miced, phased and balanced. So bear that in mind...
[/quote]

Not in my studio! I do encourage bands to use my own kit as it's ready micd and tuned, but even when they bring in their own kit, it takes me about an hour to mic it, measure phase, get levels, and a test recording.

[Skol303]

[font=Helvetica][size=3]
[size=4]In terms of what [i]can[/i] be done in a short space of time… I’m currently working on 10 tracks for a London-based jazz band, all of them recorded in just 1.5 days![/size][/size][/font]
[font=Helvetica][size=3]
[size=4]How?? Because, in this instance the people involved are very accomplished musicians, playing music they’re very familiar with and who put in plenty of rehearsal time before hitting the studio. [/size][size=4]Everything is as tight as a gnat’s whatsit and sounds great - which is making my job in mixing it very enjoyable [/size][/size][/font]

[font=Helvetica][size=3]
[size=4]So it really is possible to lay down an album over a weekend. But you need to have your sh*t well and truly together in order to do so.[/size][/size][/font]

[phil.c60]

Be organised thoroughly - make sure you've got lunch/snacks/drinks so no one want's to knob off for an hour that turns into an hour and a half. Make sure all your gear works. Even if you are not particularly accomplished - if you know the songs you want to record properly as a band (ie the exact arrangements of who plays what where) and have rehearsed them enough you can get a lot done in a weekend. Your ability is not going to improve much right this minute, so try and be honest if you really have played as well as you can on a particular section rather than keep going over and over things you just can't do any better.
Let the engineer give you a rough mix to take away, listen to it together and then remix it afterwards - don't waste hours of time that you could use to record things a little better trying to get what you think you want as a mix - all listen to it at home, in the car, at someone else's house and then get together and discuss what you want to change then go back and remix it.
One band I was in that rehearsed and gigged regularly recorded 12 tracks in one day (a la Dr. Feelgood - all in the studio together, bass DI'd, guitar DI'd etc.) then a couple of hours the next day doing overdubs and sorting out the bad bits (not many, fortunately but one real "suck a lemon" note from me right in the middle of a quiet section that stood out a mile) followed by a rough mix and then 3 hours mixing two weeks later: Dropped two tracks we weren't sure about and ended up with a pretty god 10 track CD for a total of about 2 days (10 hr days) studio time.
When we had finished the engineer commented that we go through so much because: "You can all play, you all know the stuff inside out so you are not wasting time trying to record stuff you don't really know - unlike a lot of bands we get in here!"
That's my two pennyworth, anyhoo.

Edited March 9, 2015 by phil.c60

[oldslapper]

Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.

Plus...Make sure whoever does final mix isn't smoking anything "herbal........" Been sent many a final mix swimming in reverb mush, which probably sounded great at 2 a.m. !?!

[oggiesnr]

If they're going to use a click track then get some practice using one first if they've not used one before.

Not as simple or as easy as it sounds.

Steve

[JTUK]

[quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1426160346' post='2715019']
If they're going to use a click track then get some practice using one first if they've not used one before.

Not as simple or as easy as it sounds.

Steve
[/quote]

I'd advise them to run a mile from a click... so the recording process needs to legislate for this, but a young band
concentrating on click is going to likely destroy the drummers ability to 'groove'...
Playing with a click and grooving is a very high end skill and not many can do it. They may be able to do one or the other but not
together as this sorts the men from the boys.
AFAIK, the session has passed..?? so it would be nice to hear some feedback on the experience..??

[The Admiral]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1426161564' post='2715041']


I'd advise them to run a mile from a click... so the recording process needs to legislate for this, but a young band
concentrating on click is going to likely destroy the drummers ability to 'groove'...
Playing with a click and grooving is a very high end skill and not many can do it. They may be able to do one or the other but not
together as this sorts the men from the boys.
AFAIK, the session has passed..?? so it would be nice to hear some feedback on the experience..??
[/quote]

I cut together all the pooled wisdom of the BC collective and passed it on - so thanks to all concerned. The recording has yet to take place, and having reread my OP I can see that I referred to 'over the weekend', but that was in respect of a weekend yet to be specified - hence the confusion.

I will feedback when they have been in. I think they are just processing all the info currently.

They are actually playing a support slot down the road from me shortly, so I may go and see them and see what the live show is like. I suspect the rehearsal room recording I have heard doesn't do them justice.......

[cheddatom]

[cheeky] I see you're in Staffs - my studio is in Talke, happy to do BC rates [/cheeky]

[lurksalot]

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1426170614' post='2715217']
[cheeky] I see you're in Staffs - my studio is in Talke, happy to do BC rates [/cheeky]
[/quote]

OK , I need to know something , probably very simple for you , seeing as you have a studio and all .....

How do you pronounce Talke ?

Is it Tork or Torkee Talc Talc er Talc ee

I see it signposted off the A50 quite often, but never know how it is supposed to sound in my head

Edited March 12, 2015 by lurksalot

[happynoj]

My advice would be to use the studio time to make sure that the drum tracks are good. Drums will be the most difficult element of the band to get a good recording of at home, so use the pro equipment to get them perfect. If they come away from the weekend with usable drum tracks and have to dub everything else on afterwards, it's not the end of the world.

[spacey]

Take some beer, gets easier after the 4th tin.

[ironside1966]

In my experience the biggest obstacle to getting a good recording is lack of preparation and good practice.
What sounded good at a gig or in practise room at full volume suddenly sounds weak and sloppy through studio monitors, Musicians who think they can nail every thing the first take have nothing usable down after take twenty. All this eats up time which could be spent on more overdubs or mixing.
Make sure your instruments sounds the best it can. No matter how good the studio or engineer is, dead strings and drum heads will always sound like dead strings/drum heads, unless that the sound you are going for. Change strings and fix tuning problems before you go into the studio.
Trust the engineer if you don't, then find another studio, there are a load of experts in forums but you need to put your faith in the engineer you are working with.

Edited March 16, 2015 by ironside1966

[RockfordStone]

biggest tips from me

1 make sure you are prepared, that means:
- knowing what songs you are playing,
- knowing what parts you are playing
- guitars intonated, set up correctly, if strings are bad, change them, if drum skins are bad, change them. any time sorting this out in the studio is time wasted.

2 listen to the producer, he is your friend and knows his studio, his gear and how to use it to get the best out of your instruments.

[notable9]

Coming at this from a slightly different angle.

Be sure to listen carefully to the basslines your going to record. What may seem ok live or in the shed may not sound quite right when cleanly recorded.

I cut some tracks decades ago but I can hardly bear to listen to them now because the notes I played just were not musical enough but I nor anyone else did'nt realise it at the time. Very annoying.