Recording Advice

[BigRedX]

22 hours ago, BabyBlueSound said:

Practice to a click every day. Maybe you're already doing this, but if you aren't, it will make a difference!

 

Not always good practice IMO.

 

Song songs definitely benefit from a constant steady tempo. Others need that push and pull that only a tight well-rehearsed band (or a pre-programmed viable click) can bring. Good musicians will instinctively know which method feels right.

[Beedster]

30 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

 

Not always good practice IMO.

 

Song songs definitely benefit from a constant steady tempo. Others need that push and pull that only a tight well-rehearsed band (or a pre-programmed viable click) can bring. Good musicians will instinctively know which method feels right.

Agreed 100% unless they’re using a strict click to record and OP is not used to playing to one 👍

[BabyBlueSound]

As my friend in the studio says: this is EXACTLY what ALL musicians believe 😁

[BigRedX]

8 hours ago, BabyBlueSound said:

As my friend in the studio says: this is EXACTLY what ALL musicians believe 😁

 

As someone whose done a lot of recording, I won't deny that using a click track, especially when a recording to a DAW, has lots of benefits when it comes to post-tracking edits and changes of arrangement, because they make life a lot easier for the recording engineer.

 

However it is also undeniable that a fixed constant tempo can suck all the life out of a song.

 

With my previous band before any recording session we would practice all the songs with and without a click to see which version worked best. In the end the recordings were split 50/50 between those that were played to a click with constant tempo and those that needed a more flexible approach to timing. Without sticking the tracks in a DAW and beat matching them, I doubt whether anyone could tell which was which.

 

In my current band that uses computer-generated drums quite a few of the songs have programmed tempo changes to get the right feel.

[BabyBlueSound]

I agree with your band's approach. I did not say to definitely record with a click! But if you practice to a click every day (especially if you usually don't), you'll have a much easier job overall when it comes to the actual recording. I just believe recorded "life" provides much less wiggle room compared to live "life". 

 

I have seen studio guys fixing that "life" with a weary face when the bass misses those ones on the bass drum 😁 

[Andy_L]

Thanks folks

[Andy_L]

Thanks again everyone for the advice, it was really helpful 

[jensenmann]

How did your recording turn out?

[Andy_L]

Hi, thanks for asking. Pretty much everything I was told on here was correct and useful. I made more playing mistakes in the first hour than I had in the previous year, but settled into it and ended up not having to redo any of my parts (guitar and vocals can't say that).

 

Will need to get the six songs we recorded and mixed over the three days on to Bandcamp.

Edited December 25, 2024 by Andy_L