Tips for the Studio...

[Bassnomer]

One of my rules of thumb: If you feel like you're playing too slow, you're right on.

I find that I have a tendency to rush when the red light is on.

 

[rufus.K]

I try not to play balls to the wall in the studio, and just be consistent in my attack, and clean as I can be. Sometimes I'll go back after the drums are tracked and play NOT so clean when it won't phuck up everyone else, but I gotta nail a clean take first.

I try to be as dry and flat with my tone as I can, and let it get sweetened later.

 

[Bass'd on a true story]

The three biggest tips (I used to work in a studio).

1. Practice to a click. Even if you won't be using a strict click in session, you could't possibly go wrong by knowing how to play to one.

2. As someone above said DYNAMICS. Make sure your attack is even. Compression is used in recording to make songs sound dynamic without the listener adjusting the volume mid song. That being said, the less compression you need, the better you will likely sound (my opinion of course).

3. Record yourself at home. Buy a cheap interface and DI your bass into it while you practice. Open up a parametric eq plugin and check to see what frequencies your bass is loudest in. Some guys with active bass turn one or two knobs so high that they will cause clipping or distortion at low volumes. This is all something that the producer will catch immediately, BUT! Do you really want to find a new tone on the spot or would you like time to find it at home? Be prepared for this.

Bonus. Yes it can be fixed in the box, but the closer it is to perfect outside the box, the more money you save. Also, things that sound good going in generally make a better finished product than things that we just try to make sound good going out.

 

[Short-scale]

I simplify my bass lines in the studio, making it easier to lay down a track that's a keeper.

 

[Buszkock]

If you are going to be tracking while wearing headphones, figure out how to do some rehearsal/practice sessions that way. Things can sound very different (enough to throw you) if you aren't used to playing with them on.

On this note that Carl brought up... I found using "semi-open" headphones really helped with my "feel" while playing with headphones on. I happen to use AKG 240's. They are popoular and not that expensive, but do a great job of allowing me to hear the clicks an clacks of my fingers which gives me a better response.

I'm excited to hear what you guys come up with in there. \m/>_<\m/

 

[thewildest]

I could think of a few more:

1. make sure that the structure, order, speed of the songs is perfectly clear (how many measures that solo will go on, what do we do to start/end, etc). It is probable that you may record the ryhthm first so you can't rely on leading melodies to understand where you are and what's next.
2. Write all of above in a book/document so everyone can have the info.
3. Record your bass both with and without effects if possible. Limit delays for post-production
4. Make sure that only band members are there, you don't need the girl/boyfriend and their noisy pet dog/squirrel to be hanging while you guys are at it.
5. Figure food and drinks during breaks, so you don't lose time finding a place
6. Bring a camera, record the situation, may come handy to do a video later.
7. Change your strings 1 week before the record, clean your equipment, check cables, make sure there is no cracking sound anywhere
8. Bring batteries, screw drivers, tape, extra cables, redundancy
9. Make sure to tune your instruments before each song.
10. Enjoy the experience!!

 

[ThatGingerMojo]

Stupid sounding advice, may come in handy...take what you will...

If money and time are an issue, pack a lunch for all band members. Pack lots of high protein granola bars that you can quickly scarf down to keep the energy high. Take a case of water to the studio, staying hydrated will keep your mind clear and focused on what needs to be done, have your coffee before the session but limit it while the session is going as it will also dehydrate. If you need to use the head do so before you start laying down your tracks, nothing is more distracting to your playing than a full bladder. Getting the part recorded in or two takes is a hell of a lot better than doing it in five or six. Get rid of distractions to keep your mind on task.

My best piece of advice...IMO, try very hard to limit the stress you are taking in to the studio, this stress will be heard on the final product as all your free grooves will suffer. Have fun with it, get into what youa re playing, dance around while recording. This wil be heard as well, and you wil sound like you really mean what you are playing.

 

[Wolfenstein666]

Excellent advice by all, thank you!

I feel pretty well prepared for the recording. I've been working a lot with all members of the band and going through every song note by note to make sure we're all on the same page.

We definitely have enough material, the album will be right around an hour when it's all said and done. We've all worked really hard with writing and rehearsing, so as stressful as the studio will be this is gonna be the big payoff.

When it's all said and done I'll be sure to post a freebee track here for my TB brethren.

 

[ThatGingerMojo]

Read this article and COMMIT to it!

Invalid Link Removed

Sat down and read this article...pure gold.. felt it was important to re-post it in case you skipped over it. Thanks for sharing.

 

[knumbskull]

all good advice so far (except the beans/cabbage)...

the only other things i can think of are:

- communication is important, especially with an engineer who might not be familiar with your songs - clarity is key. so the guy/girl may not understand if you ask to listen to "the bit right after the crunchy bit but before the stompy bit" - whereas "can we listen from 2:30 in please" will get you there a lot quicker (doesn't hurt to be polite either).

- if you spot bum notes or anything that needs fixing, scribble down a note and agree with the engineer & band when to go back and fix it. it might not be the best time at the actual time you hear it. keep it positive when critiquing others' parts.

- if tensions raise, keep your cool. it sounds obvious but things can snowball pretty fast in a time/money driven environment, especially one where all parties are heavily invested. try to keep your comments / feedback productive and solution-driven.


... sounds like you'll be fine, but worth remembering I can think of a few times in the past when my own behaviour has negatively impacted sessions, so it's worth monitoring yourself as well as others. then again you are probably less of a jerk than me...

 

[vision]

There's some great advice that has been posted. I'll add on...definitely record yourself playing before heading to the studio. Then listen to your bass part, solo, turned up so you can hear any inconsistencies. Are there parts of the tune where you aren't locked with the click? Can you hear fret noise between notes? Are there times when your fingers weren't solid in the fret so the note didn't ring out? Are you hearing the other strings unmuted and ringing out? Is your output level consistent during the whole song?

Keep on practicing while recording yourself to the click, listening with a critical ear to evaluate, and then implementing your feedback based on what you hear until it's all locked in. Then you'll be ready.

 

[Emanuel Apascaritei]

and always keep an open mind. Also, be prepared to change the settings on your bass, the tone in the studio might be diferent on the one you have always heard from your amp.

Seems that you are prepared...

Have fun and remember to play relaxed

 

[ATLbassist]

A few thoughts - as well as seconding a lot of what's been shared so far.

• Not only record your practice sessions, but share them with the producer/engineer beforehand. That person will be your collaborator - even a partial band member - while you're in the studio. Getting him/her familiar and comfortable with your material beforehand can make make the work flow more easily.
• Also communicate what you're going for in terms of sound - close mic'd or roomy? - beforehand, too. Share a list of recordings you like for a reference point.
• Go in with an idea of the order in which you want to record the songs. It's another time saver. Potential money-saver, too - The Minutemen recorded "Double Nickels on the Dime" in order so they wouldn't have to go searching all around the multitracks when it came time to mix and master.
• By the same token, be aware when things aren't clicking while trying to record. Be prepared to move on to another song and come back to the troublesome one later. This happened to my band on a session. We just weren't nailing the feel on a song; IIRC it was a more complicated one and it was early in the sessions. We spent probably an hour on it with multiple takes, but no one was feeling it, we made lots of errors and fatigue/frustration started setting in. So, we moved on to more comfortable material and came back to the song on the last day of basic tracking. Nailed it (possibly on the first take).
• Actually, that's another idea: Record the most familiar/easiest songs first so you can get warmed up.
• Bring snacks and water bottles! If you're really humming, you don't want to stop for too many breaks. Just keep them away from the equipment (and definitely ask if you can bring that stuff out on the studio floor).
• If possible, see if you can record your bass onto two tracks: one DI and one mic'ing the cabinet. It gives you / the producer more sound options in the mix. For example, using a dry cabinet signal to reinforce the fundamental while putting an effect that treats the overtones on the direct signal.

 

[Wolfenstein666]

A few thoughts - as well as seconding a lot of what's been shared so far.

• Not only record your practice sessions, but share them with the producer/engineer beforehand. That person will be your collaborator - even a partial band member - while you're in the studio. Getting him/her familiar and comfortable with your material beforehand can make make the work flow more easily.
• Also communicate what you're going for in terms of sound - close mic'd or roomy? - beforehand, too. Share a list of recordings you like for a reference point.
• Go in with an idea of the order in which you want to record the songs. It's another time saver. Potential money-saver, too - The Minutemen recorded "Double Nickels on the Dime" in order so they wouldn't have to go searching all around the multitracks when it came time to mix and master.
• By the same token, be aware when things aren't clicking while trying to record. Be prepared to move on to another song and come back to the troublesome one later. This happened to my band on a session. We just weren't nailing the feel on a song; IIRC it was a more complicated one and it was early in the sessions. We spent probably an hour on it with multiple takes, but no one was feeling it, we made lots of errors and fatigue/frustration started setting in. So, we moved on to more comfortable material and came back to the song on the last day of basic tracking. Nailed it (possibly on the first take).
• Actually, that's another idea: Record the most familiar/easiest songs first so you can get warmed up.
• Bring snacks and water bottles! If you're really humming, you don't want to stop for too many breaks. Just keep them away from the cables (and definitely ask if you can bring that stuff out on the studio floor).
• If possible, see if you can record your bass onto two tracks: one DI and one mic'ing the cabinet. It gives you / the producer more sound options in the mix. For example, using a dry cabinet signal to reinforce the fundamental while putting an effect that treats the overtones on the direct signal.

Done, done done and done.

We really tried to do our homework and prepare as much as possible. It was actually the recording dude's idea to give him a couple albums as a jumping off point for our overall sound. He seems to be pretty on top of things; in addition to that he's an old metal head, so he likes recording/listening/playing the same type of music we do, which should help.

 

[Dbassmon]

Here is my $.02 - a few things that I would emphasize that have been stated and I have found to be areas where most guys have issue.
1) play relaxed, that makes it sound musical - lighter touch with consistency. A hallmark of great studio players.
2) Avoid the Russian Dragon (rushing dragging) Rushing the fills and dragging the groove. Practice with your metronome clicking on beats 2 and 4 and record that... that will give you big insight
3) lazy time feel translates to very solid recordings - play on the back half of the beat
4) One of the most important things is getting a head phone mix and sound that lets you play rather than fight the music - if that is not right, its going to be a long session.

As far as how to record your bass, direct or mic'ed, usually that is the decision of the producer. I would not get hung up on that too much with the caveat, it has to sound great in your cans and what is being recorded.

 

[bassliner50]

It's customary to tip the sound guy.

 

[Cowboy in Latvia]

Eat lots of beans and cabbage before the session.

And don't forget the broccoli. It'll make everything go smoothly.

Seriously though, know your stage fright triggers if you have them and make sure you can work through them under pressure.

 

[Jon Moody]

Biggest thing I can think of (aside from all the other excellent advice given) is to GET A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP the day prior. No one wants to hit the studio hungover, sick or just not feeling 100%.

 

[Wolfenstein666]

Seriously guys this is all great advice, this thread should be a sticky. Thanks for chiming in everyone! Due to the response I think I'll do some live coverage when we're in there for everyone's amusement.

 

[Febs]

On this note that Carl brought up... I found using "semi-open" headphones really helped with my "feel" while playing with headphones on. I happen to use AKG 240's. They are popoular and not that expensive, but do a great job of allowing me to hear the clicks an clacks of my fingers which gives me a better response.

Which is fine if you are recording direct, but if there are any open mics in the room where you are recording, use closed headphones, as the mics can and will pick up the sound of the click from the headphones. Editing a click out of a vocal or drum track is no fun.