Playing while recording

[markD]

my bassist came over the other night to lay down his tracks on an EP we're putting out. he'd get a little way into the song and fall behind about an eighth of a beat and i'd stop, and make him start over. he was getting PISSED because i wouldn't punch him in.

he said: "this is why i hate the studio. live i can make mistakes and it doesn't matter."

i laughed and said, "but it does matter. every time somebody hears you hit a note late it messes up the song. you have been playing these songs since februrary and you keep making the SAME mistakes. these songs are rather simple, it should only take a couple of takes to get it done. you had to stop 6 times because you still don't know the songs."

then we started over. once he got the songs done, they sound AWESOME because, even though everything is over-dubbed, it feels like a band played the songs, NOT like a machine playing back "music".

we initially recorded live as a band, vocals and all. then we overdubbed our tracks. there is bleed on the drum mics, but it makes the recording more organic. aside from the fact it sounds like it was recorded in the 70's (i am still thinking about inserting samples for the drum sounds during mixing to make the drums have more prescence), it sounds like a great live recording. that is what i aim for!!!!

[Endrik]

I perfer a lot of live recordings over the studio ones. In many cases the lively recorded sounds are better the ones than in the studio.

Live PA system pushes so much air around... so when capturing the performance with mics... the drums and bass have so much power and presence.

I know that some producers try to make a live situation in the studio... like putting PA around the drums and whatnot to get that snappy sound

Also then there's no need to hassle with verbs and shit that much because in live situation there's a lot of natural room ambience

[markD]

indeed. we recorded in a small room with low ceilings. i would have thought it came out bad, but it was really good. we used a lot of baffles and close mics. the hardest prt was having the vocalist re-record her tracks. her nuances had to blend with the "bleed" tracks. it worked out well. there is a natural doubling effect that makes her voice thicker.

[horns666]

Well my mandatory rule to writing/recording/playing..is ginormous doses of pills and weed!!!

I'm talkin' electric lady land, humpin my marshall, can ya feel the luv kinda shit!!!!

Some prefer beer..but I don't drink, I've become a real "lightweight" in my old age..prolly the meds.

it's true..

[TheAmazingBlob]

Generally I'll split up the song into sections about a minute or two long, then record all of the parts (usually two different parts, each doubletracked). If I mess up, I'll do it again. The majority of the time I'll get everything in 1-2 tries. If you're having trouble keeping in time, just start practicing with a metronome, a LOT.

[AlexL]

Words to live by from my first guitar instructor:

"Nothing is ever perfect"

I guess it depends on the nature of the mistake. Timing is a big on ethat can't be hidden, and neither can "clams" (wrong notes), but some variations make things interesting and keep it from sounding too redundant and samey. Kind of like why midi playbacks of songs are so flat and uninteresting.

I was listening to "Feeling Stronger Every Day" by Chicago earlier this week, and for the first time noticed a major timing error by the bassist on one note. Which prompts the question; unless someone listens to the song 30 times, will they notice?

When I recorded, I always played everything straight through, and usually nailed it in 3 or 4 takes. But you DO need to be realistic about how perfect perfect can be.


- E.

[jgcable]

How do you folks that have played on recordings manage to play things perfectly? I just started trying to record a song today for the hell of it and found that I cannot get through a take without making at least one little mistake somewhere in the 4 minutes.

Do you piece things together instead of doing a whole track at once or do I just suck? The mistakes are fine for live playing but on the recording it is really obvious since you listen to it more critically.

They are called "takes". You keep trying until you get it right. Another way to do it is to do the take in sections that you can piece together. What we do usually , for a guitar solo for instance, is I will record up to 10 versions of the exact same guitar solo. Then... we take the best one and use it. If every one of them has errors we will piece the solo together with Sonar. We find breaks between the notes and use the paste feature to insert tracks within tracks. Basically... we cheat.
We can even pitch correct individual notes but we rarely have to use that unless there is a part where I played a 45 second guitar solo flawlessly and missed a bend somewhere.

[charvelguy]

I find that after about 20 takes, youget a little crispy, 30-40 you're getting tensed and cramped. Its a mental thing, be focused, but relaxed and know what you want to play. Everyone practices for perfect execution, some more than others, then you develope sleep deprivation.

[Rupe]

How do you folks that have played on recordings manage to play things perfectly? I just started trying to record a song today for the hell of it and found that I cannot get through a take without making at least one little mistake somewhere in the 4 minutes.

Do you piece things together instead of doing a whole track at once or do I just suck? The mistakes are fine for live playing but on the recording it is really obvious since you listen to it more critically.

If you are talking about your rhythm tracks, then it sounds to me like you simply need to rehearse more prior to recording. It sounds like you can play all the parts the wheels fall off at some point while stringing it all together. Sometimes the simple fact that you are recording is enough to make many of us tense up and lose our cool...try not to let this happen.

Another approach is to nail the section individually (intro, verse, chorus, bridge, etc) and then put them together. I personally don't like this approach but it works well for many people.

If you are talking about solos, it could be several things. Are they planned out? Then the process is the same as I mentioned for rhythms above. On the other hand, if they are spontaneous, I treat the process much differently. Listen to the backing track over and over until you know it intimately. Even though your playing is going to spontaneous, its nice to know where you can switch up scales over an upcoming chord change, etc.
If I don't get something that I like in 4-5 takes, I walk away and come back fresh, as future takes may be technically better but I find I start playing safer and the takes become more sterile sounding. This is really a "feel" thing though...did you just do 6 takes and feel like it was close? What the hell, do another one or two and see if it gets you there. If frustration sets in, walk away and come back fresh.

The most important thing overall is to be well practiced...that will take care of most of your problems no matter the nature of your recording. I've seen so many people that stop practicing something once they "know" it. Learning a part is only the beginning. Being able to play it flawlessly with little thought takes a great deal more time, patience, and practice.

[ezbprimerib]

Man , we just finished up a recording project. Playing to a click track. I hated it but it was much easier cleaning up repetitive parts that I might have mucked up along the way (cut and paste in protools). Its nice to have a safety net like that

[Ace]

The truth is that in the end, you've gotta do what you've gotta do to make the recording sound right. While it's fun to say that I have to nail all my guitar tracks perfectly the first take and all you pussies need to go back to your momma's basements and practice for another hundred years and burn sacrifices to Satan in order to achieve guitar perfection, it's not true. What goes on in a recording studio behind closed doors often times stays there. There is stuff going on in the studio that even the performers don't always know about. Producers will stick around after bands leave and cut and paste tracks to get them perfect, hell they even bring in studio musicians while the band is off someplace to nail the difficult passages that the band can't quite get right. And we're talking about BIG NAME players here.

Personally, if I could nail all of my guitar parts the first take I would feel like I cheated. Why? Because that would mean that I am not pushing myself. I've always tried to write guitar passages that are just on the outside fringe of my playing ability. Then I practice and practice until I can nail it consistently. Of course I am not saying that I go into the studio with a bunch of riffs I can't play, that would be stupid. But if I went into the studio and nailed everything the first take without ever lifting a finger, then I would feel like maybe had I pushed I could have got a little more from myself.

As for how many takes I will need, honestly, it doesn't matter. Not as far as my pride is concerned. Of course in most studios time is money, so that can be a consideration. Most of my guitar parts I nail in between one and three takes. However there have been parts that I've had to go over 15 or more times to get just right. Am I emberassed and feel like less of a player? Hell no. Because when I hand you that CD I want to hand you the best possible recording that I can produce. Not the second best and the bragging rights that I did it all in one take.