My band is going to the studio starting next weekend! I am pretty excited, as this will be the first time my bass playing will be recorded. We will be getting a pro recording for free because the guitarist/vocalist is going to IPR in Minneapolis for recording, so we are recording as a "school project" for him, but it is going to be, for us, our first record. So, the best part is really, we have months to make it great, and don't have to worry about the pocketbook running thin! Any tips would help, but this is mostly me telling anyone who will listen because I am excited!
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Recording EP!
- Thread starter IbanezBass69
- Start date
- Oct 7, 2000
- 18,619
- 38,939
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
Congratulations. I member my first time... seems like decades ago. Oh wait, it was decades ago. 
Anyhow, there are a lot of threads on this subject so I'd suggest searching a bit for tips, but I'll try and throw a few out there...
Know the material inside out and backwards. Have your drummer (and the rest of the band) practice playing to a metronome. Have fun.
I wouldn't get too hung up on anthing else as it may serve to just wrack your nerves. The studio is a different animal than it used to be, and it's real easy to fix stuff. Enjoy the experience.
Anyhow, there are a lot of threads on this subject so I'd suggest searching a bit for tips, but I'll try and throw a few out there...
Know the material inside out and backwards. Have your drummer (and the rest of the band) practice playing to a metronome. Have fun.
I wouldn't get too hung up on anthing else as it may serve to just wrack your nerves. The studio is a different animal than it used to be, and it's real easy to fix stuff. Enjoy the experience.
Yee-haw! Us, too! We are almost done with our second song. We are home recording and doing everything ourselves. Your situation sounds awesome. Are you guys going to get your album mastered?
Cheers,
Jenny Lavina
Cheers,
Jenny Lavina
Yes, we are getting it mastered. The whole 9. Since our guitarist/vox is going to school for production and recording, its all FREE as well. We knocked out drum tracks Saturday for all 7 songs. It was a 12 hour ordeal, from load-up to going to bed at 6:45 am, but I wouldn't have changed a thing about it. The drummer was beating skins for about 8 hours straight, the guy is a real trooper!
Even though you've got essentially unlimited time due to your unique situation, approach the tracking as if you are on a tight budget. I've never said "Man, I wish we had spent less time mixing this thing" before, but I've definitely wished we had settled with one of the first three takes of a tune. Even though you have months to work on it, that time will go very, very fast.
Granted, I've never had a huge budget (of either time or money) to work with for recording, but in my experience, the best sounding takes (as far as overall feel are concerned) are the freshest, and that's usually the first or second take.
Overall, have fun, relax, and don't take anything personally. The studio will likely be the first time you hear, in excruciating detail, every last note of what your other band members are playing, and vice versa. There will be a lot of "dude, I had no idea you did that there. That's so awesome!", as well as "you know, after hearing that chorus three dozen times, I'm not sure I like what the bass is doing". Just roll with it. It's a lot of fun.
Granted, I've never had a huge budget (of either time or money) to work with for recording, but in my experience, the best sounding takes (as far as overall feel are concerned) are the freshest, and that's usually the first or second take.
Overall, have fun, relax, and don't take anything personally. The studio will likely be the first time you hear, in excruciating detail, every last note of what your other band members are playing, and vice versa. There will be a lot of "dude, I had no idea you did that there. That's so awesome!", as well as "you know, after hearing that chorus three dozen times, I'm not sure I like what the bass is doing". Just roll with it. It's a lot of fun.
Oh man, it has been a lot of "whoa, that is cool!" with the drums. I admit I am nervous to have my bass picked apart, but I am sure I'll live. We got all the drums done in 8 hours, so that was good. We are hoping to get the tracking done for each instrument that fast, but we will see. I love to see the input from a fellow Minnesota resident!
Yeah, so often the first or second take just have that "thing". You can always fix little details--focus on the feel and the vibe and have a blast.
Don't hesitate to bring in a few other basses(borrow, rent, whatever) than you would typically think you'd use---ya never know. I like having at least 3-4(preferably more!) different sounding basses on hand to try on different tracks.
Don't hesitate to bring in a few other basses(borrow, rent, whatever) than you would typically think you'd use---ya never know. I like having at least 3-4(preferably more!) different sounding basses on hand to try on different tracks.
Unlimited time might end being a curse. I read once before "Done is always better than perfect". When it comes to music I agree with this 100%. No matter what, you're gonna scrutinize every note you played for the next couple of years. And there are always a dozen ways your could have played that song. Mike Mills, R.E.M. bassist, once commented that the Album-then-Tour thing was backwards. It wasn't until the end of a tour that he really figured out how he wanted to play each song.
With that said, have fun man.
With that said, have fun man.
I like both of those parts of that post especially. I know we will probably nit-pick the crap out of it, so it will take some extra effort to just say enough. And I guess I can see where Mike Mills is coming from, I know there are cool little fills or whatever that I like in songs we play, but I don't even think of them until months later.
Oh man, he looked pretty crappy by the end of his 8 hours playing some pretty brutal metal drums, but he was very happy his turn was over. He even did one song all the way through, in a single take, without stopping! I think that was the crowning achievement of his drumming career, cuz that stuff isn't easy!
