#1661710 - 03/04/04 02:47 PM
Lone wolf recording considerations
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Kendrix
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Registered: 09/06/01
Posts: 2150
Loc: Rochester,NY,UNITED STATES
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I beleive a number of us personal/project guys record on our own (for the most part this is what I do)
There are several aspects of this worth discussing.
First is that I rarely record more than one or two tracks at any one time. This allows me to re-use a few good components ( mics, pres, comps) on the same song. My investments reflect this.
A topic Id like to get some feedback on is this:
How do you work alone and infuse your tracks with some of the "liveness" that results from real musicians interacting to each other as they play??
In my case, I sometimes re-record parts to allow a previously recorded track to " interact virtually" with a track that was recorded subsequently.
Sometimes walking away for a few hours and coming back to record a track fresh makes all the difference in the world.
Sometimes I record several versions of tracks and play mix/match section by section and stumble upon some great interactions between takes on different tracks.
How do other folks approach this?
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#1661711 - 03/04/04 03:07 PM
Re: Lone wolf recording considerations
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linwood
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Loc: Las Vegas,NV,UNITED STATES
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In my case, I sometimes re-record parts to allow a previously recorded track to " interact virtually" with a track that was recorded subsequently.
That's how I work, also.
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#1661713 - 03/05/04 05:57 AM
Re: Lone wolf recording considerations
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Philip O'Keefe
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Loc: Riverside,CA,UNITED STATES
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It's always challenging to get the feel and engery happening in the studio, especially compared to live. And when you're doing it all yourself, one part at a time, it can be even more challenging.
Re-recording a part after you've added other parts is certainly viable - I do that sometimes myself. And it's always nice if you can get someone in there with you. But I understand that it's not always possible.
Slice and dice can work - if you just run several takes and comp from those. I find punching in and out is less "feel friendly" for a lot of people. Stepping away from it can be useful, especially if you've gotten to the point where you're repeating yourself or have lost the vision.
Sometimes I'll pump myself up by listening to some classic tracks that I really enjoy. I find that it helps get me in the mood to record myself. But what works best for me (after listening to some great music for inspiration) is just dimming the lights, turning on the lava lamps, closing my eyes and just groovin' on it.
One last suggestion: Toss out the producer hat while you're playing. Don't analyze it too much while you're tracking. Throw down several takes and worry about being harsh on yourself later. I find that if you spend too much time on being analytical when you're trying to do something creative (like play) it can be counterproductive. That's why using someone who can concentrate on "just the production" can be a beautiful thing - it frees you up to be "just the artist". But if you can't have that, IMO, you need to try to find a way to "put off" making those decisions until after you've finished playing. Comps can sometimes be a good way to accomplish that.
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#1661714 - 03/05/04 07:42 AM
Re: Lone wolf recording considerations
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ozland
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Registered: 03/05/04
Posts: 54
Loc: Rye Australia
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A good question.
I do a lot of "lone wolf" type work.
Although, now I have hooked up with a drummer, and I dont have to program midi drums anymore, its a godsend.
I find, that when you are the engineer, vocalist, guitarist, song writer, coffee maker..etc...
That you can just get so 'linear'.
The only method(s) I have found that work consistently, is to use time, as your producer.
You cant always play on something, and listen back and be objective. Well I cant anyways...8^)..you need time away from it.
I tend to just do like Phil mentioned, get in lay down ideas mode. Just put down everything creative I can come up with, and come back in a day or two and sort it out. With fresh ears.
Then move on to the next aspect of the tune.
I also work on one aspect at a time, either I am engineering (mixing, setting up EQ effects etc) or creatively playing, I find if I start to think of things like EQ,numbers, db's etc, the creative juices just leak away.
I have found, that I just have to work until its done, and fight the tendency to finish up the song.
Thats the great advantage of the technology, working on a mix is as easy as "recall" comping tracks is a piece of cake, trying different arrangements is easy to.
I find, anyways, that things just take as long as they take, whereas a few years back, I would be tempted to finish something up.
take care
Wiz
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#1661716 - 03/05/04 12:11 PM
Re: Lone wolf recording considerations
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Kendrix
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Registered: 09/06/01
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Loc: Rochester,NY,UNITED STATES
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Good thought.
It can add some ambience - but doesnt really help with the "interaction" aspect of this.
I sometimes track my vox while monitoring at low levels from my main monitors.
Sometimes I can stay on pitch better this way than if Im singing while in the cans.
A side benefit is the of bleed that this provides. I sometimes cut the lows in the monitors while doing this so they dont build up -and cuase they really dont help with the pitch cues very much.
To be honest im not sure this has added that much to my mixes. However, my room sucks so....
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#1661717 - 03/05/04 07:35 PM
Re: Lone wolf recording considerations
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Philip O'Keefe
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Sure, I've done the intentional bleed thing to isolated tracks, and while it's nice for say, giving MIDI drums a more unified "feel", I have to agree with Wiz that it's not really going to do anything for the "feel" aspect of two people playing together and "off of" each other in an interactive way. But it's certainly good for some things, and you should definitely give it a try - you may find it useful in some situations, although I doubt it's going to give you exactly what you're after - at least not in and by itself.
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#1661718 - 03/06/04 12:53 PM
Re: Lone wolf recording considerations
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miroslav
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Originally posted by Philip O'Keefe:
Sure, I've done the intentional bleed thing to isolated tracks, and while it's nice for say, giving MIDI drums a more unified "feel", I have to agree with Wiz that it's not really going to do anything for the "feel" aspect of two people playing together and "off of" each other in an interactive way
Oh...we were talking about playing BY yourself. 
Kidding aside...yeah, it's very difficult to get that interaction, when you do track by track even with other people…but especially all by yourself.
Re-recording tracks might help a bit...once you start to set the vibe of the tune...and I will try the track-bleed approach to see if it helps things sit better in the mix...more cohesively...so the tracks at least SOUND like they were done by more than one person.
But...the lone-wolf approach is always going to be a challenge...especially if you are trying to sound like a live band.
I guess for more electronic/trance/dance kinda' stuff...it's not as critical.
_________________________
miroslav - miroslavmusic.com"Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important."
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