The worst thing you can do when you go into the recording studio is plan

[behindthenotes]

Hi Guys

We have posted this as our weekly discussion topic but would be keen to hear your views on this Will Calhoun quote

"The worst thing you can do when you go into the recording studio is plan, the studio is like life, you can't plan it. Most of the time when you do it comes out terrible..... at the end of the day you have to have a vibe, that's what it's about"- - Will Calhoun.

This was taken from a YouTube interview that Will did a while back - check out from 2:50 mark. We would like to hear your views on this - are you guys meticulous planners or more go with vibe of the whole recording experience.

[VroomVroom]

Cool stuff, and an interesting topic. I'm a big fan of those guys - it was fun watching that video!

The answer for me is: it depends. On my own projects, or for the few jazz studio calls I get, I tentatively agree. If your goal is to capture a moment, it can be very dangerous to try to plan for that moment. However, on calls where the producer or artist is looking for something particular, I feel like I owe it to her/him/them to be able to come in, lay it down, and ensure everyone is happy. In most cases, for me, that involves planning, practice, and logistical effort ahead of walking into the studio.

[Baryonyx]

Nothing wrong with a rough plan, even if you do expect it to go out the window in five minutes.

[Lazylion]

I'll hazard a guess that Will Calhoun doesn't pay for his own studio time.

[dougjwray]

Originally Posted by Lazylion

I'll hazard a guess that Will Calhoun doesn't pay for his own studio time.

+1

[Lesfunk]

+2

[baba]

In my experience, you go in with a plan, but remain flexible. Kind of like life.

[uaudio]

+3

[TFunkadelic]

In my experience, the worst thing you can do is go in to the recording studio without a plan.

Tensions rise quickly as the band tries to piece together song forms and tighten up transitions/endings. You start to hear the frustration in the engineers voice after the 5th take of one section of a song, and at this point real "art" isn't going to happen.

Every band I've played in that went in to the studio with a concrete goal and plan in mind has produced solid results. The groups that have been the "oh lets just jam it man!" types typically have produced sloppy songs (in terms of transitions, endings, solo sections).

This is just a silly thing to say to me. The WORST way to get and keep a gig is to show up unprepared.

[pedroims]

if you have unlimited budget or the studio is yours, then you dont need a plan, otherwise time is money baby... sad but true

[DanRJBrasil]

if is in a homestudio or if you have $ plenty to use

[ryco]

Go in as prepared as possible but know stuff will change

[rezin]

either that or throw up on an ssl

[MikeBass]

Well, of course that's true when you have a successful band such as Living Color.
Now, if I had a session for a upbeat rock/funk tune and he walked in with a hand drum- because according to him, the worst thing you can do is have a plan, then I would kick him to the curb faster than he knew what to do. Tell him to get in his Mercedes, go home and load a kit into the trunk/back seat and give me a call.

When I get called for a session or a gig/tour, I plan ahead.
Just the basics like everyone else- type of music, appropriate gear etc..
but I enter with, as others have stated, an open mind and a flexible attitude.

Speaking from an original band with no budget podium like he has, well, he really has lost touch with what it was like before he hit.

[kesslari]

General Helmuth von Moltke put it well:

No plan ever survives contact with the enemy

But he would be the first to say that you do need a plan - you just need to be flexible in its application, and in your responses to events as they play out.

I'll hazard a guess that Will Calhoun doesn't pay for his own studio time.

+4

[Christopher]

Now I know why they broke up.

[darincm]

We rehearse all the tunes for a few weeks & then when we get into the studio we play like we normally do. I usually have about 75% of my bass track that I want & the rest I just like to improvise. I never plan note for note though

[Jim Carr]

Some things can't be anticipated perfectly, others can. Doing both well gets and keeps the gig.

When I get a call, I also get specific selections of the artist's work that I am recording. Could be charts, CDs, mp3s, whatever. I prepare.

Going in, I bring one more instrument than I should need, and end up using it 1/2 the time.

Examples:

Was asked to bring Jazz, also brought 55-01. Used them both.

Was asked to bring Jazz, also brought '71 P-bass. Used them both.

Was asked to bring Sadowsky and upright, also brought Valenti Stealth fretless fiver. Used upright for 75% of tracks, and actually re-tracked 5 or 6 things done with Sadowsky after artist heard upright on one track.

To quote Ricky Nelson, "Etc., etc., etc."

Now what do you suppose is expected of me? Simply that I will be able to nail the tracks with creative appropriate bass parts first time, every time, and make any changes requested. That I will waste no one's time, and that I will have as many tricks up my sleeve as they want.

Right, don't plan. Right. Go ahead, don't. I'll get your calls.

[NickyBass]

Originally Posted by behindthenotes

are you guys meticulous planners or more go with vibe of the whole recording experience.

I think the two can co-exsist.

The more we plan ahead, the more prepared we will be to stray. It's the same reason that we practise etudes. You never know when something might come up -- or if it will come up at all -- but when it does, we can nail it.

[vin*tone]

+5