Marky L Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Hi all. After what seems like a never ending battle I have managed to get the covers band I am in to book some studio time to get a 5 tracks down to bang on our myspace page and hopefully get some more gigs out of it. I was hoping to get a few pointers on using studio time effectively and efficiently. I totally agree with having the songs down pat and am insisting on 2 or 3 rehearsals before hand being solely on these songs and getting them polished to a good level (we know them pretty well anyway). What I was wondering is if there is a good way of planning each song.. like number of guitar parts, extra percussion etc so we can be prepared as best as we can. I am battling against our (crap) drummer who seems to think 8 hours will be enough.. the one member of the band that will need vast amounts of production “cut and pasting”!!. Thanks Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylon Pilson Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 (edited) The sound engineer in the studio will probably suggest something along the following lines: 1. You should start by recording a guide guitar track and the (final) drum track to the accompaniment of a click track. 2. Record the bass part using the drums and guide guitar. 3. Record the guitars. If you can do this without the use of the guide guitar track, then do so. 4. Record any other melodic instruments. 5. Record the vocals and backing vocals. The biggest bit of preparation that you can do, in addition to making sure that you are well rehearsed, is to make sure that the drummer has practised playing to a click track and is comfortable playing with headphones on. If the drums are recorded to a click track, then you shouldn't need to do much, if any, "cutting and pasting". Don't worry too much about extra percussion and multiple guitar parts - for now, assume that you'll be playing it much as you would play it live. If you get into the studio and need something extra, then you have to deal with that bridge when you reach it. Again, a decent producer will be able to hold your hand. S.P. Edited March 9, 2009 by Stylon Pilson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorick Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Always have a good idea of the bass sound you want/use. If you're recording digitally and you want an ampeg sound ask the engineer before hand what plug-ins he has, for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Be well rehearsed. There’s nothing you can do that will benefit you more and to save the most time than to be well rehearsed. If you have to keep going over sections or re-doing songs because of f*** ups then it’s gonna take a lot longer. I’ve been involved in lots of studio sessions and would always avoid using a click with a live band. If you’re well rehearsed and you’re drummer can actually keep time then there’s no need to play to a click. If your drummer is crap then get him well rehearsed before getting him in the studio cos it could turn out to be a waste of time and money. If he’s a crap drummer then he’s not gonna cope too well with a click anyway. What’s your instrumentation? Could you track all the instrumentation live and get the vocals done separately to save time? 5 tracks in 8 hours is a very big ask. If you manage to get them recorded in that time you definitely won’t get the mixes done. I can’t emphasis how important it is to be well rehearsed if you want to save on time and money. Hope that helps, and good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marky L Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 Thanks It's the idiot drummer that is conviced we can get the 5 tracks done in the 8 hours, he just can not see further than his nose. I think we are likely to play the basis of the tracks "live" and then over dub the vox, lead guitars and other stuff. I do understand that these songs are by no means going to be rated as a high quality job, but I really really want to get life, bounce and passion into them. I don't mind a bit of raw! I have made a list for each song of the parts that I think we need to do and will ask each band member to note down their settings and other info to make them think about what they are aiming for. My sound? I would like to DI from my amp and may also look at micing up the cab to get that volatile live edge (only cos I read JJ Burnel did that!!). I have suggested we take two days or at least a second half day to work on finalising the mixes, you know, fresh ears. I'll tell ya, if it turns out to be a time and money waste due to that idiot's misunderstanding, then I may end up off of the board for a while as I languish in jail for murder! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike257 Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 The absolute worst thing you can do in the studio is over-estimate how many songs you can cram into your alotted time. I'd be far happier walking away with two songs we'd played and recorded really well than having five that are rushed or half-arsed. Otherwise the whole thing is a waste of your time and money. Planning out the parts you want to record is a good move. As far as recording all together, that'd be my first choice way assuming the studio can accommodate it. Have you checked the place out - how are they fixed for acoustic seperation between your drums/amps whilst tracking? Discussing it with the engineer beforehand would be good, so everybody is going in prepared and with the same expectations. I'd pick what you want to record, and as you've said, spend a few rehearsals concentrating solely on those tunes. I think if you're spending money on recording, then you need to be brutally honest and critical with yourselves about playing/arrangements before you go in. Now is the time to iron out any bits you're not happy with. I know when I've prepared for recording in the past, we break it right down to drums and bass at practice, and make sure we're solid right through the song, and build back up from there. We try to plan overdubs, particularly vocal harmonies, well in advance, although you should always make time for some off the cuff ideas once you're in there. I'll stop rattling because I'm half asleep and talking rubbish now, but that's pretty much how I'd attack it. Best of luck, and give us all a listen when you're done!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marky L Posted March 12, 2009 Author Share Posted March 12, 2009 Give everyone a listen when we're done eh?? Well, it depends on what the results are like! The studio - Active Sounds - in Bournemouth have been around for years and do still have a load of analogue gear which would be sweet to use but I don't think this time. As I recal they do have proper seperation for drums etc and are very experienced and so can hand hold us to a degree. We'll def do the main chunk as all the band playing "live" and then do vox and over dubs after to hopefully save time. I am very aware we are pushing the limits on what we can do, but a couple of the songs we can bash through with little effort and so shouldn't take too long and will maybe act as warm ups for the others. I totally understand that the results will not be of a professional standard, but.. well.. you can't polish a turd! (Just make it look a bit nicer!!) One thing I don't understand is, what is the difference between mixing and mastering? I just really want us to come out of the studio with some tracks that are lively and viberant and have energy. I'm stressing that we could end up with a bunch of flat lifeless cobblers. Cheers M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 [quote name='Marky L' post='432261' date='Mar 12 2009, 11:17 AM']One thing I don't understand is, what is the difference between mixing and mastering?[/quote] Mastering is what you do to the final 2ch stereo mix - [url="http://www.bluelizardstudio.com/mixing-mastering.htm"]http://www.bluelizardstudio.com/mixing-mastering.htm[/url] or [url="http://musicians.about.com/od/musiciansfaq/f/mixingormaster.htm"]http://musicians.about.com/od/musiciansfaq...ingormaster.htm[/url] - they can explain it better than me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenochrome Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Great advice above. Few more tiny tips from experience: 1) Record your rehearsals and listen to them in the cold light of day to find any tiny timing glitches etc which will stand out on your recording. 2) Make sure the guitar(s) and bass are intonated as near perfect as possible before you go in the studio, you don't want to be wasting an hour or 2 of studio time sorting stuf like that out. 3) Just DI your bass for simplicity of setting up and consistency, you can add stuff to your sound later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnylager Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 [quote name='Marky L' post='429185' date='Mar 9 2009, 11:28 AM']It's the idiot drummer that is conviced we can get the 5 tracks done in the 8 hours, he just can not see further than his nose.[/quote] You've made the classic mistake of asking him to chip in for it haven't you? Remember, all he can see is his next bottle of White Lightning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marky L Posted March 12, 2009 Author Share Posted March 12, 2009 [quote name='johnnylager' post='432291' date='Mar 12 2009, 12:08 PM']You've made the classic mistake of asking him to chip in for it haven't you? Remember, all he can see is his next bottle of White Lightning.[/quote] Huh yeah.. he knows nothing about everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marky L Posted March 12, 2009 Author Share Posted March 12, 2009 [quote name='benwhiteuk' post='432273' date='Mar 12 2009, 11:37 AM']Mastering is what you do to the final 2ch stereo mix - [url="http://www.bluelizardstudio.com/mixing-mastering.htm"]http://www.bluelizardstudio.com/mixing-mastering.htm[/url] or [url="http://musicians.about.com/od/musiciansfaq/f/mixingormaster.htm"]http://musicians.about.com/od/musiciansfaq...ingormaster.htm[/url] - they can explain it better than me [/quote] Excellent!! It makes sense now Ta muchly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s_u_y_* Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 [quote name='mike257' post='432063' date='Mar 12 2009, 12:53 AM']The absolute worst thing you can do in the studio is over-estimate how many songs you can cram into your alotted time. I'd be far happier walking away with two songs we'd played and recorded really well than having five that are rushed or half-arsed. Otherwise the whole thing is a waste of your time and money.[/quote] +1! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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