Band Recording

[RumbleSteve]

Not bass specific, but as a whole. I'v spent some time online trying to find standard and different methods of creating "demo/Final Tracks in the home studio. Currently the idea is to preserve the "live" feel of our music by recording Bass and Guitar together to the metronome, Then the drummer enters and lays down the drums to our tracks. Next, I'll record my bass. Then the guitar tracks and solos are laid down. Sound like alot? I feel that way too. We are doing it this way because drummer had alot of issues with the metronome the last time we recorded final tracks. We we're all playing to the click isolating our instruments. Due to the issues we were having we went about it another way. My concern is that the timing will be thrown out the window because from the drums on we will not be following the metronome. I'd love to here others thoughts about this....

Also, I'd love to hear about other recording techniques used to produce a good track or "outside the box" ideas that are out there.

 

[Stewie26]

Quite frankly, your drummer is not ready to record demo quality recordings if he can't keep time to a click track. Just saying... from a guy who has thousands of hours behind the mixing console.
EDIT: The next best thing to do is track the drums and bass only at the same time. (I am assuming that you, the bass player can play to a click track here). The bass player monitors the click track and the drummer sycns up to the bass player. It might take quite a few takes and it still requires the drummer to keep a "fairly" honest tempo. If he can't do that then get a sub for the recordings.

 

[ggunn]

Not bass specific, but as a whole. I'v spent some time online trying to find standard and different methods of creating "demo/Final Tracks in the home studio. Currently the idea is to preserve the "live" feel of our music by recording Bass and Guitar together to the metronome, Then the drummer enters and lays down the drums to our tracks. Next, I'll record my bass. Then the guitar tracks and solos are laid down. Sound like alot? I feel that way too. We are doing it this way because drummer had alot of issues with the metronome the last time we recorded final tracks. We we're all playing to the click isolating our instruments. Due to the issues we were having we went about it another way. My concern is that the timing will be thrown out the window because from the drums on we will not be following the metronome. I'd love to here others thoughts about this....

Also, I'd love to hear about other recording techniques used to produce a good track or "outside the box" ideas that are out there.

Other than not being able to synch to a click track, is there anything else you don't like about the drummer's timing? If not, record him first with whatever scratch tracks he needs and let everyone else follow him, and screw the metronome. Not everyone records to a click track.

 

[RumbleSteve]

Yeah, I'v thought that myself about him. If you fully apply yourself you can do anything in my opinion.

I practice to the click every week even if i'm not recording that day week or month. Only a trio, we are all pretty novice when it comes to recording, but on the same hand, we have been learning as we go and of course, trail and error. I found a sticky in another thread that was helpful. Honestly, I'd like to have a go at recording our tracks together live but that's a hard thing to do in a space about the size of two handicap bathroom stalls side by side and only 2 inputs on our interface.

 

[RumbleSteve]

Other than not being able to synch to a click track, is there anything else you don't like about the drummer's timing? If not, record him first with whatever scratch tracks he needs and let everyone else follow him, and screw the metronome. Not everyone records to a click track.

Very rarley does he forget where the transitions are these days. This might sound familiar to lots of us but the guitar player wants everything to be perfect and sorta takes charge, often will shoot down ideas not in his head.