At least 2 and not over 3. We only go after being well prepared and I’ve never witnessed anyone record anything better than their first few takes.
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How many takes you do in a recording session?
- Thread starter Think_Bass
- Start date
My band is currently recording live off the floor audio and video in our rehearsal space.
I’d say an average of 7 takes per tune to get the best result Either the singer guitarist flubbing the vocals or the arrangement (and he wrote the songs!) or the drummer cocking up. It’s never the bass player!
The first two of three takes are pretty much warmups for the main show.
I’d say an average of 7 takes per tune to get the best result Either the singer guitarist flubbing the vocals or the arrangement (and he wrote the songs!) or the drummer cocking up. It’s never the bass player!
The first two of three takes are pretty much warmups for the main show.
I get mine in 2. One live for the drums, and one with punch ins if necessary. Last album I needed to punch in on 4/9 songs, which is why I always go hard on the live. My punch ins and over dubs take around 3-4 hours, amd then bass is done. I like some rawness to my takes too and I'm not remotely a perfectionist when time is literally money.
Wow! Thank you all for your kind answers, and for sharing your music! Always very moved and inspired by all your stories (some of them very hilarious! 
). I have learned a lot from all of you. THANK YOU!
). I have learned a lot from all of you. THANK YOU!
working for an artist's producer: i'm being paid for my skills and abilities (chops, expertise, attitude/demeanor, creative maybe, other?), but the rate is for my time, so i'll record as much as a producer wants in the time allotted. it's cool when i nail it the first time (most still want a second pass as a safety) and i get to leave early for the same money! 
recording my own band:
- some of our recordings happen live (at our gigs) = one take.
- some recordings are sessions with everyone recording at once = we usually record each tune twice (two takes).
- some sessions are with sections or individual members (to be 'assembled' later) = whatever the player needs/wants = no limit (but in practice = ~4-5 takes and/or punchins).
if i'm writing a tune at home, and preparing a demo for the band = unlimited, but i'm probably recording a few bars/sections at a time until i'm happy with the part. maybe i'll record the whole part in a take or two or maybe i'll leave it as is. if i play around with the part enough and come up with something i like better than the original = record it again.
i voted "2" but that would be for someone else's on-the-clock scenario.
that's one method some producers might use to get a bass part for a recording, but there are other methods, and different recording studio scenarios have their own flow(s). most of the session work i've done involved playing a written part, or at least starting from that. sometimes, it was: "play what's written. then we'll get a take or two where you can 'play' with the part. we'll see how it goes."
recording my own band:
- some of our recordings happen live (at our gigs) = one take.
- some recordings are sessions with everyone recording at once = we usually record each tune twice (two takes).
- some sessions are with sections or individual members (to be 'assembled' later) = whatever the player needs/wants = no limit (but in practice = ~4-5 takes and/or punchins).
if i'm writing a tune at home, and preparing a demo for the band = unlimited, but i'm probably recording a few bars/sections at a time until i'm happy with the part. maybe i'll record the whole part in a take or two or maybe i'll leave it as is. if i play around with the part enough and come up with something i like better than the original = record it again.
i voted "2" but that would be for someone else's on-the-clock scenario.
The few times I've been to a commercial recording studio, we always went in fresh off a month of cramming whatever we intended to record so it was usually a run through the list a couple of times then listen back and decide if anything needed fixing, then fix those things. I've also gone in and played with the drummer over a scratch track of vocals and rhythm guitar, with the rest of the players coming in later to do their thing. In those situations, we might do it a few different ways, but again, whatever I was there to do I knew backward, forward, upside down, and sideways before I got there.
