How to save time in studio?

[fretlessrock]

A lot of really good advice so far. My $0.02 about the rehearsal/practice thing is that your band should be very comfortable with the songs that you intend to record. The better you know the material the more open (less freaked) you will be when and if the process gets away from live performance. Making a great sounding overdubbed part doesn't happen unless you really know how to play the material.

Definitely don't deal with drinking etc... as part of the session. It won't be like a pub gig. You will feel more pressure than usual, be asked to concentrate more than usual, have more downtime than usual, and need to come back from that downtime ready to play your best. IME, The bands that have success with this kind of "party atmosphere" project have bigger budgets and less time pressure. Also, you don't want to do anything that makes you think that your playing is better than it is. You want to hear every glitch.

Have FUN!

 

[Febs]

I figured that tuning was so elementary that I didn't need to include it.

It should be, but unfortunately, I've been in a situation where I had to overdub bass parts because the original player was simply so out of tune that the track was unusable.

 

[kraigo]

Don't stress out if your part solo'd has some timing issues (compared to a click) or your bass doesn't sound exactly like it to when you are just listening to yourself. There's a good chance that the instrument will sound perfect in regards to both tone and timing in the context of the production. Pissing yourself or someone else off by going for "perfection" on a solo'd track is time and energy wasted on everyone's part.

KO

 

[lavmonga]

Practice with metrophones. If your drummer can get used ot playing to a click before you hit the studio, you'll save yourself alot of time, disgust, and $$$$!!!

 

[kraigo]

Oh, and understand "frequency slotting". Low end eats up available dynamic bandwidth more than anything else. It usually works best if everyone has a frequency zone. Is the bass holding down the lowest of low notes or is the kick? I play both bass and drums. For me, usually the kick provides the lowest frequencies and the bass is in the low mids. Zepplin is a good example.

Alternatively, Motown and Stax had the kick with a lot more low mid, leaving the bass the low end to play in. Korn too, I think. With the old school R&B, even the bass didn't go into the nether regions: This stuff was mixed for small speakers. Even now I think it makes sense to have a set of Radio Shack Optimus speakers to sanity check your mix on.

Keep the guitarist out of the low mids. That area is taken. If you're lucky you've got a guitarist with a brain and a team attitude and this won't be a battle. Or perhaps you do a lot of unison riffs where this won't be an issue.

When I build up tracks via overdubbing, I try to get the drums right with a click or a MIDI guide track. Mostly click in the cans, guide track mixed low - I don't want a lot of outside information affecting my timing. When I've got the drums down solid, the bass falls right in. I may never listen to the click again.

I like tracking the drums with lots of click in my mix and little of anyone else if a click is being used. In fact, no one else needs the click if they don't want it. I know the track and I don't want to be swayed by the other players. If I'm going to be held accountable to the click, the click is what I need to hear the most.

I put earplugs in under the headphones (tracking drums) so I don't hurt myself.

The drummer is under the most pressure in the studio, with the most conflicting demands being placed on him. Make sure he has every tool he needs to lay down a solid foundation for you. Everything else will be a lot easier as a result.

KO

 

[kraigo]

Lastly (I think) -

+1 on the don't play it to death looking for perfection. At least for me, early on in the process (8th take, for example) the quest for perfection leads to sterile tracks.

I like to use "Keep 'em Separated" (can't remember the band name*) as an example of a great feeling track. I doubt that they spent a lot of time second-guessing themselves on that.

Nothing sucks the air out of a session faster than overworking a song. You can't AutoTune IN energy. People respond more to energy than they do to perfection. So when you sense the band is getting frustrated with a song, consider moving on to another song, or take a break, or jam on a favorite cover. Go to that place that makes you happy that you're in that band.

Geezer notes:
My favorite gig (drums) was when I'd get a track a week from a guy. I'd have that night to figure out how I was going to make that track sound different from what had gone before, mostly stylistically. From there, the drums were set up and mic'd up and I'd do two or three takes a night until I got one I liked.

I had a friend come over for bass. He'd do two or three passes at a song, two or three songs a night and I'd comp together his parts. He seldom made the same mistake twice. We were concerned with the feel and spontaneity. We already had a solid drum track and he's played bass with me for years, so solidity was built in.

I guess it all depends on how you're tracking, how much time you have, etc.

Oh, and practice.

KO

*Remembered later: The Offspring, "Come Out and Play"

 

[stedtale]

How to save time in studio?

Be prepared, overly prepared. Have your stuff down.

 

[lamarjones]

If you mean that after you have rehearsed your songs enough to be able to play them completely competently there is no real reason to keep playing them over and over again for the next three months before you record--then I agree with you. However you do have to rehearse them enough to get to that point in the first place.

.

I'd agree with this, but you have to be real about how well you know something. I know my parts very well, can play to whatever with a click, I can lay down tracks without drums to a click if need be, so making sure that I give a performance worth something when I lay it down is my biggest goal.

For others I'd say it is more important to practice the parts as much as possible if you can't instantly identify where you are and for how long and where you are to go and for how long at any given point. You HAVE to own up to this if you are going to go in there otherwise you can seriously waste time.

Tough call, but it seriously depends on what you need and where you are at in terms of preparation.

 

[kraigo]

Last note - I really mean it this time.

After the "keeper" take, do one more. Often the one after has all the creamy goodness of the "keeper", but a little something extra because the pressure is off.

KO

 

[locolobo85]

As the Who once said. Try and avoid too much quality. That's for the practice, practice, practice vs. live with your mistakes conversation taking place herein.

Just be ready. Don't waste your money and their time trying to write, re-write, or learn the music you'd like to be recording.

Let everyone do their own job. You play bass, your mates sing, play drums, guitar etc. and the guy behind the board records and mixes. A little input on the mixing is acceptable but he's the one with the ear, let him do his job. The musicians are often the most hyper critcal of their own music and sound. That's were the unbiased ear of the engineer can be of the greatest service. You chose this studio for a reason, right? Let them do their job.

And last but not least.....relax and enjoy your time there. Unless of course you're Fleetwood Mac or something.

 

[deaf pea]

...I try to check my tuning before every take.

I don't just TRY . . . I make SURE my instument is in tune before EVERY run though . . . you never can tell, the producer might be recording a "run-though" looking for that fresher, more relaxed take.

here's a pertinent quote from another thread:
"And that's why, in my relatively long career as a "studio musician" (37+ years), I ALWAYS tune whatever instrument I'm recording to the actual key of the song, so that the ACTUAL notes that I will be playing ARE in tune with the notes of the equal-tempered scale . . . you can never get ALL of the notes "in tune", but I try to at least get all of the TONIC (1 and/or 8) and DOMINANT (5ths) notes of the key to be "in tune" . . ."

 

[funkydanbass]

Know your own gear and how to pull sounds from it. Have a clear idea about what you want to achieve tonally but don't go marching into the studio with a closed mind about how it must be achieved. Be flexible and work WITH the engineer/producer. Bring a good attitude and encourage a creative environment for yourself and your band members. Don't get upset about inconsequential things.

Don't get fixated on perfection but focus on the feel, the vibe of the track. I don't know about most people, but I love recording in a good studio. Even when it's hard work it's still FUN!

On a pre-production note... If you have the opportunity to hook up a pre-production meeting with the engineer before recording make sure to play them any demo's or pre-production recordings, discuss what gear you have and what you want to achieve, DI? mic? what mic? what cab? preamp? combination of all or some?

On a practical note... It can help to have a chart of tasks that need to be achieved per track and if you're on a budget time allocated to them.

 

[bassbrad]

1. Practice, plan, practice more. If possible make some practice preproduction recordings. Have a reasonable plan to accomplish, budget for problems.
2. Know ahead of time what you will need and not need, make a list and check it thrice
3. Be sure all your gear is in tip top shape;strings, cables, set up, tubes.....: the studio has a way of bearing all flaws
4. Be sure everyone is physically and mentally healthy, rested and ready to do their thing
5. Listen to the engineer/producer be willing to learn and try something new.

 

[TobiasJonsson]

okey thanks for all the replies! It really helps.
Me and my band were visiting the studio yesterday to check things out. it were just perfekt for us and now im all exited to record