Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

Rhythm Session Coming Up: Any Advice


Recommended Posts

I just finished writing all the material for my first CD. My co-producer and I are now working on pre production and we have all the players lined up. We were originally planning on recording the entire CD with overdubs but I realize that chemistry of musicians playing together is musch better so.... My studio is in one room (`15 x `18) with a storage room where I can stick some amps. During July I am working on some acoustic treatments for the room but my concerns lie with recording a rhythm section (Bass, Drums and Rhythm Guitar). Obviously my primary concern are getting the drums to groove so I can always overdub later. I have several concerns: Should I give each instrumentalist a CD or should we have rehearsals several times before the recording dates? Should I record the bass direct and/or mic the amp? If I do record the bass and guitar amps in the storage room, how can I build some cheap isoaltion boxes? Thanks, Ernest
Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Replies 6
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Ernest, I both give the musicians a CD AND rehearse the band well. The worst situation is to be ill prepared. Make certaing the guys know what tunes, where the breaks are, dynamics, tempos well before they enter the studio. There will be enough time wasted getting a good sound, don't complicate the issue by having them learn music then too, unless the music is ridiculously simple and straight forward. I'd record the bass DI. That way you don't have to worry about leakage and isolation, which with bass is a major PITA. You CAN always come back later and get the bass with overdub/mic if really needed. This is your first CD. Less complication the better IMHO. Don't jump in over your head before you've jumped in, yet.

All the best,

 

Henry Robinett

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[b]Should I give each instrumentalist a CD or should we have rehearsals several times before the recording dates? Should I record the bass direct and/or mic the amp? [/b] my not-quite-expert opinion to both would be "both if possible." pre-production CDs for the band can never be a bad thing. rehersal can't hurt either, unless your guys charge for rehearsals. it sounds like you might not have space to record the bass amp and maintain full seperation, but if you don't need to punch anything, it could be okay. hell, the stones often recorded everything in one room with mics all over the place- they even had kick & snare coming through monitors in the room. you should be okay using bass-direct only, with the guitar amp in the closet.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its a little daunting of a task. My co producer recorded his own CD and I was very impressed with his arrangements. I`ve never recorded an album of this size so this first time is a little overwhelming. Even though I have a professional mixer and mastering engineer setup, I just feel I need to have EVERYTHING planned out before any of us get together. The instrumentalists are all friends and former band mates. They won`t charge me but how much time are they willing to give is the question? I forgot to mention that my pre production CDs have MIDI parts playing along so the drums don`t sound very convincing. I hope the drummer will be more creative so thats why I asked about sending them CDs. Peace, Ernest
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote]Originally posted by ernest828@aol.com: [b]Its a little daunting of a task. My co producer recorded his own CD and I was very impressed with his arrangements. I`ve never recorded an album of this size so this first time is a little overwhelming. [/b][/quote]Try not to let it overwhelm you. It looks complicated only because you're looking at it that way and it's the first time. Put EVERYTHING down on paper before you begin. I mean everything. Chart out all the steps and plot them on a timeline. Look at the component parts as part of a jigsaw puzzle. The sensation of complication comes because you're probably not looking, facing/confronting all the little tiny issues that make up the whole. Plus you're still trying to find answers for basic things. Or you can just have your producer worry about it all while you just remain the artist. If you try to look at the whole thing at once it gets overwhelming. Eliminate the nagging concerns. Rehearse the band as much as you can get them to without becoming a nag to the point where they change their mind about helping you. Hmm. I need to do this myself on a couple of upcoming projects. Just my two cents worth.

All the best,

 

Henry Robinett

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Should I give each instrumentalist a CD or should we have rehearsals several times before the recording dates? [b]Both. rehearse until you are 1)absolutely sure the arrangement is how you want it and 2)you can all play it perfect in your sleep backwards. Should I record the bass direct and/or mic the amp? Both. See below. If I do record the bass and guitar amps in the storage room, how can I build some cheap isoaltion boxes? got any closets, preferably on another floor and opposite end of the house? That's exactly what we used here to iso a marshall 1x12" and Mesa 4x12". We have patch points in both the control room and main room to them, (great for doing guitar overdubs sitting in the control room, dialing heads while listening to the control room monitors instead of headphones!) and mics permanently on both cabs (A 57 and 2 Sennheiser 609's on the Mesa, and another 57 on the Marshall.) We used a couple of old mattresses on the floor, R-35 insulation along all the walls, and ran 10 gauge cable to each one. For Bass, I run direct via a Behringer active DI (Yea I know I hate their stuff too, but their active DI's kick ass.) I also mic a vintage B-15-N (circa 1962) that goes into a small iso booth off the mainroom, (compare to this your storage room. Volume is rather low on this, as it sounds good at a low volume, and helps with isolation. Often the bassist plays in the iso booth (4'x8') whihc is situated next to the drums, and leaves the door open. we put some baffling around the amp and there is no problems. We can record two guitars simultainiously along with a bassist in the same room as the drummer with no trouble with bleed. We will generally stick the singer (if he is not a playing member) in another room for a scratch, but if they are also a player, I just put up a 58 and place them away from the drums, but still with visual contact. So long as they adon't scream during the soft ballad, we're fine. We can do 5 independant mono and one stereo headphone mix, so everyone hears what they want. We have 6 pr of Sony MDR 7506's and 2 pr of AKG 240's to choose from, run via a Rane HC-6 headphone amp, with enough power to make you very deaf if that is your choice, although we discourage high volume cans. So, hopefully with this info and a little enginuity, you can figure something out. Good luck!

Hope this is helpful.

 

NP Recording Studios

Analog approach to digital recording.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the info. I`m not worried about the phones mixes, I have a d8b so I have as many as 14 stereo mixes to work with which is nice. I actually ahve everything written down and I know the schedule (time line) of the project. I guess what is my main concern is rehearsing the two drummers with the bass player and myself. I`m not only co producing my own CD, I`m engineering all session. YIKES! Well preproduction is proven very fruitful. I begin some rough guitar miking scenarios with blankets and two mics. I`ll try the storage room as well and see what the best setup is. Peace, Ernest
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...