Recording a whole band?

Skip_NJ · #1 02-24-2010, 03:13 PM

The singer in our band just informed us that there is a battle of the bands coming up that she'd like us to play. The event organizers want all bands to submit 2 tracks for them to hear beforehand, but we don't have anything decent recorded, the deadline is coming up, and we really only have one day and a whopping 3-4 hours on that day to record something. We're also trying to do this on the cheap. The singer's father is an honest to god pro gigging musician (bassist, keyboardist, and singer) and said he'd help us out and record us with one of those 24track all-in-one recording consoles he has. I know this isn't going to give the best results, but this is just an audition tape anyway. Our guitarist just bought an Audix DP7 drum mic pack we can use, we have an SM57 and Beta57a for the two guitarists, and some other fancy mic for the vocals. I'd probably run my bass direct. We're planning to rent out a big room at a rehearsal studio to record in so hopefully acoustics wont be too much of an issue. Considering the circumstances and the equipment, can anyone share some tips or links I should read that will help smooth out this process? I figure we might be able to pull off a cool old school vibe recording the whole band at the same time, but would we be better off recording everything seperately?

agreatheight · #2 02-24-2010, 03:19 PM

If the singer's father is a pro musician and the console is his, he probably knows how to use it. So listen to him, and have fun.

Exploiter8 · #3 02-24-2010, 03:23 PM

K.I.S.S.

Keep It Simple! Wow! With the pressure of time working against you, I would just use a Zoom H4 or similar. I don't think production value is going to impress as much much as content will. A simple cassette recording converted to a wav file burned to a CD would suffice. Just remember it's better to have a quieter mix than one that's over-modulated or distorting.

Just my 7 cents worth,

X8

mizzou541 · #4 02-24-2010, 03:29 PM

We've done that before...mic'ed the guitar amps and either put up a shield or covered with something to minimize bleed through. The trickiest part is making sure you have the drums dialed in really well because the bleedthrough there is unaviodable so you don't have as much freedom to adjust after. It is possible to make it sound ok as long as you do everything you can to minimize bleedthrough...when we've tried it, we did the vocal track live but then cut it out and did it separately at the end.

mizzou541 · #5 02-24-2010, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exploiter8

K.I.S.S.

Keep It Simple! Wow! With the pressure of time working against you, I would just use a Zoom H4 or similar. I don't think production value is going to impress as much much as content will. A simple cassette recording converted to a wav file burned to a CD would suffice. Just remember it's better to have a quieter mix than one that's over-modulated or distorting.

Just my 7 cents worth,

X8

Yeah we were actually looking for some content to load to our myspace page a while back and we just had someone record a couple of songs at a practice session (video) and the music quality wasn't horrible. Obviously not perfection but for what you need, a recording like that is probably good enough.

sirmike75 · #6 02-24-2010, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agreatheight

If the singer's father is a pro musician and the console is his, he probably knows how to use it. So listen to him, and have fun.

+1

If he is what you say he is ...he prolly knows how to use it...dont over think it...be happy with the final cut...make sure vocals are not under the music ...and or over the music most important....when you get some time and some money you should put some tracks down...the good thing about going to a studio is you dont have to finish everything right away..it can all be stored in different files and pulled up at a later date and finished..when you have more money ...if you plan on doing the band thing .."a good demo " is a must ......GOOD LUCK..have fun

etherealme · #7 02-24-2010, 04:48 PM

Best tip:

Without a recording you didn't have a chance on the bill anyway, right? So remember to keep in mind that nothing lost nothing gained if it can't be done in the time allotted. Next time you'll know that much more as a group. In other words, don't let it stress you all to the point of boiling over just to get this imperfect demo done on time.

Taking cues from the experienced person here will be an added plus. Try what he suggests first if none of you have any more experience doing any of this.

Good luck and HAVE FUN!

caribconsult · #8 02-26-2010, 02:18 PM

KISS....keep it simple... Go for a good room sound and record it with an H2. For an audition tape, your energy and excitement will overshadow heavy duty production effects.

PS: to Etherealme: Hwy 61, is that Airline Hwy in New Orleans? And a Saints emblem? Just an inquiry from a former resident of The Crescent City. Who dat?

4lPh4n0m3g4 · #9 02-27-2010, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skip_NJ

The singer in our band just informed us that there is a battle of the bands coming up that she'd like us to play. The event organizers want all bands to submit 2 tracks for them to hear beforehand, but we don't have anything decent recorded, the deadline is coming up, and we really only have one day and a whopping 3-4 hours on that day to record something. We're also trying to do this on the cheap. The singer's father is an honest to god pro gigging musician (bassist, keyboardist, and singer) and said he'd help us out and record us with one of those 24track all-in-one recording consoles he has. I know this isn't going to give the best results, but this is just an audition tape anyway. Our guitarist just bought an Audix DP7 drum mic pack we can use, we have an SM57 and Beta57a for the two guitarists, and some other fancy mic for the vocals. I'd probably run my bass direct. We're planning to rent out a big room at a rehearsal studio to record in so hopefully acoustics wont be too much of an issue. Considering the circumstances and the equipment, can anyone share some tips or links I should read that will help smooth out this process? I figure we might be able to pull off a cool old school vibe recording the whole band at the same time, but would we be better off recording everything seperately?

I think you'd be surprised at what can be accomplished with minimal gear if one knows how to get the most out of it. Quite a few classic albums, that still sound good today, were recorded on 8 tracks with minimal post production editing and effects.

Best advice I can think of is to echo, don't over think it and K.I.S. This is just a demo for a B.o.t.B's, not a commercial release or something you plan on selling or using to promote your band. If you have all the gear needed, there is no reason you need to spend more. Record where you practice.

This "demo" is just to give the judges some idea of your playing ability and genre of music, it's not a showcase of your recording skills. If your "demo" seems under par, don't worry, it wont matter if your live performance excels.