Producer expectations when remote recording

[Zac Watson]

Hi Justin

I’ve been fortunate enough to start doing some remote bass recording from my project studio at home for a variety of singers, and I wanted to know, as someone who works as both a producer and a sessional bass player, what are your general expectations as far as deliverables for this sort of work.

Specifically I’m wanting to know things like how many takes you might send per song, are you sending just a DI track or DI and amp, and how much are you compressing/eq’ing when tracking before you send your parts off.

Also, for those of us without access to the monumental amount of gear you have, what are some basic tools one should have to make remote recording a success.

Thanks!

Zac

 

[jmjbassplayer]

Hey,
I like to provide DI and amp. I make my own comp, but I also provide all the takes. The number of takes I provide is usually around three, unless I feel I want to do multiple different approaches. All of that is of course immensely facilitated if the client also runs Pro Tools, as I can simply send them a Pro Tools session with everything organized and ready to go. Dynamics/EQ/etc. are never a fixed routine, it all depends on what I feel is necessary. Basic tools: an excellent DI, a great sounding amp, and one or two solid mics. Of course, you need good pre's, and if you like to dial in the tone before it hits your A/D, I think good EQ and compression are a must.
J