Is it weird Im never happy with my recordings?

[azfryguy]

No matter how many tracks i lay down it seems like I always have to pick the lesser of two evils. My tracks are almost always right but there is either a little bit of fret buzz or its uneven volume in certin spots. Everyone I work with says its fine but I need it to be 100% not for them or anyone else but for myself. So question is am I just not experenced enough with recording or am i just o.c.d?

[NineSpine]

The way you listen to your own music will always be different than you way you listen to other music. For some people it is very difficult to listen to something they wrote, knowing every little detail of it, and appreciate it because of this.

[azfryguy]

i never thought of it that way thank you but is this a really common problem

[clmayhew]

I'm the same way when I record. I'll do parts over and over again until I feel they're perfect. Sometimes, though, I like to leave a little error in them to give it an organic feel.

[sleepy_monkey]

The best way I ever recorded was last year. My friend wanted me to lay down tracks for his album...let's say there were 8 sections.....he would loop what he had already played...and looped each section so I only had to get that part of the song down instead of going through the whole song...once I had figured out what I would play over that section he would hit record and record only that section.......we did it that way on every section....first recording of myself I was ever really proud of...and I have recorded a lot. Plus if I messed a section up I didn't have to start the song over...I just waited until the section started over....I hope all of this makes sense...haha

[sweetwillyp]

One of the best things I learned was from Producer Conrad Uno "Presidents of the USA and Supersuckers ETC"

Make yourself listen in the Third person in other words..

Don't listen as a Bassist.

[azfryguy]

my lines are pretty much perfect after the first couple tries not to brag or anything (there very simple) . . . when i listen to the song as a whole but i know that if i mute every track but the bass you will hear slight uneveness and slight fretbuzz hardly noticable to any one but me but it drives me crazy . . .no matter how good a song turns out i know if someone mutes the bass track they might hear a tiny bit of fret buzz i want it to be radio quality so should I think I am not very good ay recording well not yet ive only been playin 5 years

[Boguszewivz]

its only natural for you to not be 100% satisfied with your recordings, it works in the sense that if you CAN do another take you generally WILL do another take strictly because you may get a more satisfying result the next time around. Don't worry about it though, 99% of the time somebody else cannot pick the difference between 2 recordings of the same part...even bass players. If your well rehearsed and you know your ****, chances are it sounds good

[WOOFMAN]

Try recording with a compressor, that might take some of the fret buzz out, and can even out the volume alittle.

[pjmuck]

You have a very common problem. I've been dissatisfied with the majority of my recordings and almost always wish I could go back and redo something, though it usually has less to do with my personal performance than it does with being at the mercy of some producer or engineer's "vision" overriding my own (Even when I'm the one footing the bill!), i.e. buried bass tracks, bad mixes, altered arrangements, etc. Now I'm starting to record and produce myself at home using Logic Pro on MY time at MY pace, and I'm much happier.

[azfryguy]

thanks guys i really appreciate the help and tips and ill try adding compression

[Gubna]

"You're always your own worst critic"

[Jefenator]

It would be weird to hear someone say "oh, yeah, my track was flawless".

[6jase5]

I go for a solid pocket with the drummer. A little buzzing, a click here or there, palm mute that was heavy handed, all adds to the organic nature to me and for rock and most styles I think that it's ok.

Not a bass example, but listed to Leo Kotke on guitar. You can hear him flub, flap and whack everything with his slide. I've heard some solo'd Flea tracks years ago and you'd be shocked at the "extra" sounds. Perfect no, groovin, you bet your arse.

If you are in the pocket and can give it the "can you bob your head test" as I do, it's all good.

[Richland123]

Listening to yourself recorded is almost like seeing your own photo. Rarely is a person satisfied or likes their own picture or hearing themselves speak, sing, play an instrument. I do not like to hear my own voice on the radio or recordings but I am usually fine with my bass playing. I do lots of radio interviews too and sometimes I don't like the way I sound.

I have a friend and business partner who spent decades as a radio D.J. and he said he never likes to hear his own voice even though everybody else thinks he sounds great. We recently produced an hour long radio program demo and redid parts so many times because we were not happy with small details as inflections and emphasizing certain words, etc.

On the other hand, it does not hurt to try and get things right before you have others hear them. Another radio producer though warned me to never polish a hole in your work; meaning you can try to perfect something so much that it loses everything. I guess in our business we are our own worst critics.

[foq1978]

Same here. In fact, I have stopped recording my ideas so I wouldn't have to listen to the imperfect tracks.

That's really bad. I want to record again.

[Emibass]

For me, recording myself is a way of listening my mistakes and this way correct myself and be a better player, but what I have learned is you don´t have to get overobsessed with this and take your time recording if you´re looking for the perfect take ( IMO the perfect take doesn´t exist)

[azfryguy]

the thing that bugs me is even though it sounds radio quality with the other tracks if you mute all other tracks in my bass track you will here probably 20 times you can hear a slight buzz because my bass is not insanely high quality an i like my action low. In fact i am not even sure if other bassist can hear it my teacher couldn hear them even without the other tracks

[StyleOverShow]

Originally Posted by sleepy_monkey

.and looped each section so I only had to get that part of the song down instead of going through the whole song...once I had figured out what I would play over that section he would hit record and record only that section.......we did it that way on every section..

But what about continuity? Did it 'hang together'?

To the OP, I always think of recording as a snapshot, its a split second of a lifetime, caught on media (like a passport photo). The technical stuff like fret buzz and stuff is annoying but if you were bumping, the place be jumping!

-richard

[azfryguy]

haha thanks