How much you "cheat" when recording?

maturanesa · #1 07-17-2010, 05:34 PM

do you copy/paste and edit bass parts to get a more perfect recording?

Be honest

**colcifer** · #2 07-17-2010, 05:40 PM

Demos, yes but that's it.

**Eric Perry** · #3 07-17-2010, 05:45 PM

I have done it not so much to fix mistakes, but after my parts have been recorded and I give the songs repeat listens, I have had the engineer go back and alter the arrangements of runs or fills and stuff. To fix mistakes, maybe a few times total.

Daveomd · #4 07-17-2010, 05:50 PM

I play all the instruments on my recordings so, for guitar and keys, I definitely comp parts together. I usually put the bass part down last so by the time I actually lay it down, I've demo'd the song so many times I can play the part in my sleep and do a complete take. Sometimes, though, I use different basses for different parts of the song.

basmartin · #5 07-17-2010, 06:17 PM

Yes, when I´m recording bass at home. I usually do three takes and use the best parts of them. When I´m hired for a studio job, usually I´m done after the first take, if I don´t mess up at some point. The difference is when I´m hired for a job, I´m more concentrated and focused than what I am at home...

fivestringgecko · #6 07-17-2010, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by basmartin

Yes, when I´m recording bass at home. I usually do three takes and use the best parts of them. When I´m hired for a studio job, usually I´m done after the first take, if I don´t mess up at some point. The difference is when I´m hired for a job, I´m more concentrated and focused than what I am at home...

That's my approach too. Getting hired for a job IS different, getting paid to play means you've gotta know your !@#$% and get it done.

Usually when I'm in a studio, I'll lay down the first take and then do a couple more takes so the engineer/producer has more material to work with. Second and third takes are for possibly trying something different, (sound/effect, a different line, etc.) I've had engineers mix tracks together, cross-fade between them or use all sorts of effects to create a completely different sound. Pretty cool.

At home, I do some copying/pasting/editing, more to arrange parts than fix mistakes. I usually don't record until I'm comfortable with what I'm playing. I'll lay down the different parts and then shift and move them around... "do I want to repeat the chorus here? Let's see how it sounds!" *copy paste* "Do I want an extra 8 measures of verse here? Let's try it!" *copy paste* Works pretty good. Once I get a song laid out the way I want, then I'll go back and "re-learn" the whole bass line.

5sg.

RDT · #7 07-17-2010, 08:44 PM

I've never Copied/Pasted. I have, however, as I'm sure most have, punched in different sections. I try to change each verse just a little, so copying and pasting wouldn't work.

ggunn · #8 07-18-2010, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maturanesa

do you copy/paste and edit bass parts to get a more perfect recording?

Be honest

It's not cheating. A recording needs to be as perfect as you can make it because it has to stand up to many repeat listenings, and whatever you have to do to make that happen, that's what you do.

99 and a half just won't do. Ain't gonna get it.

Joe Nerve · #9 07-18-2010, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ggunn

It's not cheating.

+1. I wouldn't use the term cheating. It's part of the recording process and simply the way it is done, now and from the beginning of recording history. It's just a lot easier now to do so people take their time and tweak and cut and paste and punch and redo and fix... and then do it again... I know a guy who's working on a CD that IMO was perfect 4 years ago. He's still tweaking it.

Quote:

A recording needs to be as perfect as you can make

-1. This is where I completely disagree and wind up getting into crap w people. I was doing some funk stuff w a band last year and the guitarist (engineer/producer) was tweaking EVERYTHING, making sure every kick drum lined up with every note, all the guitars were perfect, everything had to be "perfect" and we argued. "This is the way it's done and if you want it to compete with what's out ther you have to do it!" is what he'd say.

I urge you to listen to the first 2 songs on this page "Soul Burger" and "Stars in Her Eyes." http://www.myspace.com/thevinylstash Edited to "perfection". I never even posted them here before because of the way I feel about them.

Then either listen to my video below, or go to www.joenerve.com and listen to Britney Spears (which is more in the vein of the funk stuff). I did NOT align a single beat in either of them, and the only edits were a punch or swap of a part here and there.

The painted picture above IMO is worth 1000s of words.

bassbrad · #10 07-18-2010, 10:09 AM

Depends, much of the studio stuff I do gets comped together usually from 2 or 3 takes and an occasional punch. For my home projects it's all full takes with an occasional punch.

shawshank72 · #11 07-18-2010, 10:09 AM

I dont play the most complicated music, but I was in a studio a few months back and recorded 5 songs in 7 takes. No use of editing.

russellmania · #12 07-18-2010, 10:20 AM

If there are certain mistakes that I can't live with, I'll punch in or comp a part from another take...but rather just redo the whole thing. I'm usually happy with all my takes, and I love little mistakes on recordings anyway. keep it raw.

dulac · #13 07-18-2010, 10:24 AM

i don't do copy paste but of course sometimes i mix a few parts together

deaf pea · #14 07-18-2010, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Nerve

..."Soul Burger" and "Stars in Her Eyes." http://www.myspace.com/thevinylstash Edited to "perfection"...

Wow! I couldn't listen to more than 15 seconds of either of those, Joe . . . REALLY lacking "the soul" . . .

On stuff that I play on, I'll do whatever I think is necessary to make the song work . . .

. . . Like re-recording parts of the song that don't feel "right" . . .

but once I think that the part is good, I'll only move things around (copy and paste) if the PRODUCER asks me to . . .

Joe Nerve · #15 07-18-2010, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deaf pea

Wow! I couldn't listen to more than 15 seconds of either of those, Joe . . . . .

Neither can I. I don't play with these guys anymore. Started out as a cool thing with some cool gigs and talented dudes... this stuff did me in completely.

**jmattbassplaya** · #16 07-18-2010, 10:38 AM

I wouldn't call it cheating but that's just me.
My last recording band would actually perform everything live (minus vocals) about 3 or 4 times (everything isolated and played together essentially by eyesight and headphones) and would simply pick whatever take turned out the best, then mix up each individual part, add vocals, and then ship the track off to be mastered. We personally preferred the rawness to "perfected" tracks. Lots more soul to them, IMHO.

ggunn · #17 07-18-2010, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Nerve

-1. This is where I completely disagree and wind up getting into crap w people. I was doing some funk stuff w a band last year and the guitarist (engineer/producer) was tweaking EVERYTHING, making sure every kick drum lined up with every note, all the guitars were perfect, everything had to be "perfect" and we argued. "This is the way it's done and if you want it to compete with what's out there you have to do it!" is what he'd say.

We don't really disagree; it's all in what you define as perfection. If I fat finger or misfret a note in my bass part, I'm going to want to fix that because it becomes more and more noticeable on each listen, but I am all in favor of leaving the human feel in a piece of music. The engineer and the producer should not be the same person. One of the producer's functions should be to tell the engineer when to stop tweaking.

cnltb · #18 07-18-2010, 10:50 AM

I think most do it.
No?

Darknut · #19 07-18-2010, 10:52 AM

I do everything in 1 take ... doesn't everybody

DanRJBrasil · #20 07-18-2010, 10:56 AM

copy and paste just save studio time, but is not really necessary.
humans are not machines , you can be perfect as possible and in the editing you'll see that you are not 100% in time and in synch if the drums are edited to tempo synch perfection the bass and everything else has too, in these digital times that is really necessary