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The recording process - how do you go about it?

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OK, this question isn't really aimed at professional studio engineers - I'm a one man home studio novice so want to understand how other home studio bods go about putting their ideas to hard disk, or SSD, or whatever your preferred media is :)  Not that I don't think I can learn from the professional way of doing it, of course.

So, I have a pretty good DAW (Logic Pro X, for those who want to know), an audio interface, some instruments (mainly bass and guitar - can't play either particularly well), a head full of ideas and never enough time.

After a while of messing around with ideas I sometimes (not often) end up with a finished arrangement - all the parts seem to come together and I know what I'm trying to achieve and can 'hear' the finished song in my head (rarely do they ever sound anything like what's in my head).

So now comes the hard part - recording all of that in the DAW.  Take after take, buggered that bit up, delete and re-record etc.

This is the bit I'm interested in - how you all do it?  Do you try to record your parts in one take (I.E. say, record your rhythm guitar start to finish in one hit, as you would have to live) or do you break it up and record an intro, then record your verses, choruses etc separately from one another?

If you have repetitive parts do you copy and paste takes to different parts of the song or do you try to keep it all 'real' throughout the recording?

If you're working with drum tracks do you pick a basic pattern, record the rest of the song, and then work on the drums last or do you find that the drum track sets the feel of the song and needs more attention earlier in the process?

I'm not looking for a right or wrong answer to any of this, I have my way of doing it and it changes sometimes depending on the situation (and my own frustrations) but I'm starting to think maybe I could do it a different way which might help the creative process flow a bit better.

My 'normal' way of recording is to find a decent drum track first - stretch that out over the canvas so it's long enough for the song.  Despite being a guitarist first a lot of my ideas are very bass-centric so I'll try to record bass first, unless it's an idea for which I don't have a baseline yet.  Because I don't play bass very well I'll record it in parts, often on different tracks and then copy/paste parts around to make up the arrangement of the song.

Then I do a similar thing with the guitar parts, just for time and convenience, until I have a rough demo completed that I can play back and listen to.  When I'm happy with how everything sits in the song I then start re-recording parts and try to do it all in one hit start to finish if I can.

Then I overdub the solos, incidental parts etc where required before lastly spending an inordinate amount of time on the drums.  I've never recorded vocals......... because I can't sing!

Sometimes this works well, other times I find myself just getting wound up by it all, hence why I ask how everyone else does it.  I'm not expecting a right or wrong answer, I'm just eager to learn from other people's experience.  Also, if there's any functionality of the DAW that I'm not using that would be useful then please point it out if you think it might help the process flow a bit better.

Thanks in advance and apologies for the lengthy post :)

There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife

Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky

Bit of trading feedback here.

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Comments

  • Haych said:
    Do you try to record your parts in one take (I.E. say, record your rhythm guitar start to finish in one hit, as you would have to live) or do you break it up and record an intro, then record your verses, choruses etc separately from one another?


    Usually break it down as necessary.  Sometimes by section, sometimes by phrase.  It depends on the desired result.  If you want something super polished then you just break it down in to parts you can play cleanly and keep doing punch ins until you've got something finished.  If you want something more raw then you do a longer take.

    Haych said:
    If you have repetitive parts do you copy and paste takes to different parts of the song or do you try to keep it all 'real' throughout the recording?

    It depends on the intended aesthetic.  If you've tracked it very cleanly and tightly with no recognisable  characteristics (e.g. a bit of squeak on a string between a chord change which would stand out as being copy pasted)  then you can do some copy pasting and nobody can tell as long as you're not doing things too close to each other (copy pasting chorus 1 to chorus 2 is probably going to work, copy pasting bar 1 to bar 2 is probably going to be noticeable).  If you want something that sounds loose and raw then play it all in.

    Haych said:
    If you're working with drum tracks do you pick a basic pattern, record the rest of the song, and then work on the drums last or do you find that the drum track sets the feel of the song and needs more attention earlier in the process?

    I find it easier to treat the drums as the immovable object and build guitars/bass around them.  But any workflow you choose could work, it's all down to preference.  If you want to change something down the line then just do it, it's only really a problem if you never feel like you can finish something.
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  • spark240spark240 Frets: 2073
    edited October 2018
    Ok...big question that.....

    Im home studio as well....I usually take my idea which is never complete, stick down a drum track ( basic) add my guitars , then Bass, and maybe some keys or FX sounds, I treat this version as a notepad to try out riffs, chord changes, Bass licks whatever, then I might try some production ideas.

    Then....I listen for a while and see if Im happy with the bulk of the idea, once Im ok with it, Ill start a structured song.

    Generally a drum track first, but still basic patterns, then a guitar of some sort , I find it easier to play then Bass along with a guitar.

    Then I will start layering guitar parts, panned rhythm guitars, and fiddly licks or riffs, try and build the body of the song.

    I will often add acoustic guitars, even at low level to add another dynamic.

    The I start adding FX sounds, all those little bits that give impact, such as reverse crash, Orch. hits, reverse guitar chords on intros to chorus etc,  then probably some sequence synth parts to add some ambience.

    Of course all of the above takes me about a month in reality !

    Example...






    Mac Mini M1
    Presonus Studio One V5
     https://www.studiowear.co.uk/ -
     https://twitter.com/spark240
     Facebook - m.me/studiowear.co.uk
    Reddit r/newmusicreview 
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  • @spark240 very impressive. I'll be buying an interface soon and plan to start recording. I have one stupid newby question if you don't mind me asking: I don't have a bass; is it possible to use a guitar to simulate the bass line, perhaps with an octave lower effect? Or do I need to get myself a real bass guitar? 
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  • HaychHaych Frets: 5595
    spark240 said:
    Ok...big question that.....

    Im home studio as well....I usually take my idea which is never complete, stick down a drum track ( basic) add my guitars , then Bass, and maybe some keys or FX sounds, I treat this version as a notepad to try out riffs, chord changes, Bass licks whatever, then I might try some production ideas.

    Then....I listen for a while and see if Im happy with the bulk of the idea, once Im ok with it, Ill start a structured song.

    Generally a drum track first, but still basic patterns, then a guitar of some sort , I find it easier to play then Bass along with a guitar.

    Then I will start layering guitar parts, panned rhythm guitars, and fiddly licks or riffs, try and build the body of the song.

    I will often add acoustic guitars, even at low level to add another dynamic.

    The I start adding FX sounds, all those little bits that give impact, such as reverse crash, Orch. hits, reverse guitar chords on intros to chorus etc,  then probably some sequence synth parts to add some ambience.

    Of course all of the above takes me about a month in reality !

    Example...




    Wow!  I think I'll just give up now!  That was really good mate, the whole thing, idea, playing, mix, everything.  

    There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife

    Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky

    Bit of trading feedback here.

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  • DannyPDannyP Frets: 1667
    edited October 2018
    If you get a bass, you'll have a bass, a new skill and a better sound. 

    My personal approach to recording is:

    1 - write the whole song first - because a lot of my "I'll just get this idea down" takes turn into "that is unrepeatable brilliance and I want it to stay in" takes - and altering the song structure when you're halfway through is a ball ache.

    2 - play the whole song through to a click on acoustic guitar to get the structure down. 

    3 - drum along to that with all the fills in the right places etc.

    4 - build everything else from there, either keeping or binning the acoustic from stage 2.

    That's just what work's for me though.
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  • spark240spark240 Frets: 2073
    @MagicPigDetective - If you can play a bit of Bass I would do that, you dont need anything fancy at this level, and you can do a lot with Plugins ad FX, You could play the Bass line on guitar , transpose to Midi and trigger a Midi VST ? 

    @Haych - No !....never give up...this is quite an early idea I did and you or anyone can do this, I use lots of ideas from sites like Joe Gilder, Produce Like a pro, Johnny Geib, and others, even the simplest idea can become really good, a basic double track guitar, solid Bass and drum, and a few sparkle FX can be great !    

    Dont get hung up on the sound quality or ability to do perfect takes, if I sent you the raw tracks of my demo there would be mistakes without a doubt, but once you get going they just get lost in the mix.  

    I post my stuff up for comment quite a lot, then take on board whats said, and maybe use some of that info to better the song.

    Why not post sometime and lets get you up and running  ;-)


    Mac Mini M1
    Presonus Studio One V5
     https://www.studiowear.co.uk/ -
     https://twitter.com/spark240
     Facebook - m.me/studiowear.co.uk
    Reddit r/newmusicreview 
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  • IMC1980IMC1980 Frets: 141
    Cool subject! My process is similar to yours @Haych - put down a basic drum track that has the right feel, then track rhythm guitars, vocals and after they are recorded I will work on the final drum arrangement. Then it is time for the bass and guitar overlays/solos before editing and mixing. 

    It takes me ages; I am going to submit my entry for the second cover challenge tonight and that has been about six weeks to finish (I have been ill though), job and kids definitely make the process like moving through treacle!
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  • I always try and capture a rhythm guitar take in one continuous take (easier said than done). Songs change as they progress and i think if you’re dropping in and out, you loose the feel for the song. I can revisit odd bum notes and drop them in and out later, but the core track is there. I also think that’s a must for your Lead Vocal. The last chorus wants a bit more than you’re first chorus, if your singer is just dropping in for parts you don’t get that. 
    Everyone has a different approach, none wrong. Experiment to find what works for you and stick with it. 
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  • andy_kandy_k Frets: 818
    I just spent a couple of days building up an idea from scratch, 
    Always seem to be looking for a drum pattern that gives me a 'spark'
    then I'll find a couple of variations on that, start looping them around and stretching it out a bit.
    Once I've got maybe 32 bars or so I'll start thinking of a bass or a melody that will get me going.
    I have a template set up in reaper, with a few different drum instruments, so then I copy my midi loop to the different instruments, which can open up the sound a bit--different mapping etc, but just looking for inspiration really.
    Then I do the same with the bass, or in this case, synth, trying out a few presets, but the ideas building.
    Then when I've got something fairly substantial, I'll pick up my guitar and just work on ideas.
    That was day 1.
    Day 2 began by bouncing a few things into stems, so I can get the latency down for when I try to record some guitar. I had a lead idea that I wanted to get recorded, so I just got it done roughly, but was using 2 guitars-for flavours, and amp sims and impulses, got something in there, and then I did more bouncing and mixing to get a rough sound.
    Then I stuck the MP3 on my phone, where it will live for a while until i come back to it with more ideas.



    be kind, it is just a rough idea.
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  • FreebirdFreebird Frets: 5821
    edited October 2018
    Recording is a creative process, and there is no right way or wrong way to do it, just do what works for you. Personally, I like to mix everything up so I don't get into any set routines, and I'm always trying new random approaches to see where they take me.
    If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it.
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  • I blatantly cheat. I get the basic outline worked out using my trio+, then when I've sequenced the parts in that, my first "pass" is to split the signal from the trio into Guitar / Drums then do a second pass if I want the bassline from the trio. I play the sequence on the trio straight into my audio interface. 

    Essentially what I end up with in my DAW is a full version of the rhythm and whatever guitar parts I've looped. This then gives me a glorified click track / outline to play along to when recording other parts. I'll also sometimes do the drums over again, but because Trios timing is perfect, it's a lot easier. 

    I then add vocals, lead parts, other instruments, harmonies etc and fx / mix to taste. 

    My Trading Feedback    |    You Bring The Band

    Just because you're paranoid, don't mean they're not after you
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  • digitalscreamdigitalscream Frets: 26453
    edited October 2018
    My personal approach - if I'm doing something of my own - is to start with scratch ideas, usually on guitar. That'll be cut-and-pasted, until I've got a structure which works.

    From there, I'll put a basic drum track to it (mostly just kick, snare and hihat, in the right places to accentuate/complement the main riff and a few fills here and there). Then it's bass and any rough lead guitar.

    From there, it's a case of iterating over all of them until I'm happy with the end result, and adding any fairy dust guitars over the top to get it to the sound in my head. I'll usually have a blast through from beginning to end a few times to see where the pinch points are, and then I'll loop over those until they're right. I use Reaper, which has the bloody fantastic "take" functionality - record over something in a given track, and it simply creates a new take of the same track, which makes editing trivial. Combine that with the loop function, and you've pretty much got hands-free recording for any given section.

    What I never do is time-stretching/realignment/etc. I'm happy to make loads of cuts between takes, but everything on there has to be exactly as it was played at some point or other; it's easy enough to do, but you've got to draw the line somewhere...and that's it for me.
    <space for hire>
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  • andy_kandy_k Frets: 818
    One really great thing about Logic, for the creative process, is the drummer track.
    Set out an arrangement with markers for intro, V1, Ch1, V2, Ch2, break etc etc, BEFORE opening a drummer track, and then you'll get a full drum arrangement, instead of just the 2 default sections.
    Great if you already have a song worked out, and each section can be tweaked to suit.
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  • My personal approach - if I'm doing something of my own - is to start with scratch ideas, usually on guitar. That'll be cut-and-pasted, until I've got a structure which works.

    From there, I'll put a basic drum track to it (mostly just kick, snare and hihat, in the right places to accentuate/complement the main riff and a few fills here and there). Then it's bass and any rough lead guitar.

    From there, it's a case of iterating over all of them until I'm happy with the end result, and adding any fairy dust guitars over the top to get it to the sound in my head. I'll usually have a blast through from beginning to end a few times to see where the pinch points are, and then I'll loop over those until they're right. I use Reaper, which has the bloody fantastic "take" functionality - record over something in a given track, and it simply creates a new take of the same track, which makes editing trivial. Combine that with the loop function, and you've pretty much got hands-free recording for any given section.

    What I never do is time-stretching/realignment/etc. I'm happy to make loads of cuts between takes, but everything on there has to be exactly as it was played at some point or other; it's easy enough to do, but you've got to draw the line somewhere...and that's it for me.
    Time stretching guitars doesn’t sound good anyway.

    It’s possible to slip edit a guitar to where it’s impossible to hear it’s been done at all, but you need a decent player to start off with who was already pretty tight.

    If you’re doing a lot of cuts between takes there’s no difference between doing that and slip editing in terms of the result achieved 
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  • thermionicthermionic Frets: 9499
    @spark240 very impressive. I'll be buying an interface soon and plan to start recording. I have one stupid newby question if you don't mind me asking: I don't have a bass; is it possible to use a guitar to simulate the bass line, perhaps with an octave lower effect? Or do I need to get myself a real bass guitar? 
    It’s possible but it won’t sound as good. I’m a guitarist who started off borrowing a bass to play when I was messing about on cassette 4-tracks. Playing a real bass will give much better results, and you’ll approach it differently and come up with ideas you never would on a guitar. Pick up a used Squier cheaply, no need for an amp if you have amp sims in the DAW. 
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  • thecolourboxthecolourbox Frets: 9654
    edited October 2018
    My process from writing to finishing is:

    Work out chords and melody and any riffs in my head first. My head is a lot less predictable than strumming a guitar or plonking a piano.

    Learn it with block chords on piano first, as that's easy to transpose to my vocal pitch.

    When ready to record, I piss about aimlessly for a few hours reinstalling every bit of software I've ever bought as seems to be required every single time I load anything up.

    When it gets to stuff working enough, I'll lay whatever out that sets a guide for the structure, either basic strumming, chords as midi, drum machine as midi effectively as a metronome. Whatever the main feature of the arrangement is.

    Finessing:
    Virtual instruments first to get a basic back track to play/sing along to. Includes any piano inputting as midi or audio.

    Then guitars, rhythm and lead. I don't reamp, get the sound right first and add eq and spatial effects later if needed to fit it in. Try to do this in as close to one take as possible. Basically at my level what's the point of repeating each bar 70 times, nobody is really going to notice. People just hear "guitar" so as long as I'm happy with the notes, that's enough for me. Just copy and paste any repetitive bits

    Vocals require more takes, for two reasons - 1) because I'm a shit singer and it takes a while to warm up and get the accent right, and 2) I record every vocal three times each - 1st stood in my bedroom window with the mic on a stand on the ledge, 2nd sat at my kitchen table again with mic on the stand and listening to the 1st version on headphones as a reference, and 3rd stood up holding the mic in my hand again with the 1st version in headphones as reference. I don't usually use the first version in the final recorded piece, I usually use versions 2 and 3 together to give a double track effect. My timing is notoriously shaky when it needs to be rigid, but it is very reliably so, so if I sing the same thing twice it'll sound the same amount out of time both times.

    I record the vocals through a TC voicelive ie with effects already applied, though sometimes I remove the reverb if I want a specific effect which I'll add later on when mixing.

    Mixing: I only use headphones really though when it's feels pretty much done I'll listen to it on my phone's shitty internal speaker and through the HK Soundsticks on the TV to check it sounds similar to proper music through them, and then adjust as required.

    I use the mixing time to add stupid amounts of reverb so that it completely obscures my shit playing and singing, and often I'll add a pitch shifted octave up effect on one of the vocal takes quietly but with yet more reverb just for shits and giggles, for a bit of a shimmer effect I guess. All very well until somebody giggles and shits.

    I then offer up my proudly created musical work to friends and family who shrug their shoulders indifferently and ask me if I'm depressed again
    Please note my communication is not very good, so please be patient with me
    soundcloud.com/thecolourbox-1
    youtube.com/@TheColourboxMusic
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  • HaychHaych Frets: 5595
    Thanks all. Keep it coming, I’m learning a lot already. 

    My latset snag to the creative process is amp sims. I’ve tried everything from the built in sims that come with Logic to Helix Native (free trial) and they’re all sh!t. 

    Gonna have to invest in some new hardware I reckon. 

    There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife

    Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky

    Bit of trading feedback here.

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  • Haych said:
    Thanks all. Keep it coming, I’m learning a lot already. 

    My latset snag to the creative process is amp sims. I’ve tried everything from the built in sims that come with Logic to Helix Native (free trial) and they’re all sh!t. 

    Gonna have to invest in some new hardware I reckon. 
    Are you sure they're all shit? Or are you expecting to hear a guitar amp, when you're actually hearing a guitar amp with a mic in front?

    That's the classic mistake most folk make. The quality of the cab sim or impulse you're using is hugely more important than the amp sim.
    <space for hire>
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  • HaychHaych Frets: 5595
    Haych said:
    Thanks all. Keep it coming, I’m learning a lot already. 

    My latset snag to the creative process is amp sims. I’ve tried everything from the built in sims that come with Logic to Helix Native (free trial) and they’re all sh!t. 

    Gonna have to invest in some new hardware I reckon. 
    Are you sure they're all shit? Or are you expecting to hear a guitar amp, when you're actually hearing a guitar amp with a mic in front?

    That's the classic mistake most folk make. The quality of the cab sim or impulse you're using is hugely more important than the amp sim.
    Well that’s a good enough question I suppose. As for what I’m expecting; a usable tone to record with. Clean tones lack any depth and dirty tones all seem to sound like a fart in a bubble-bath, to varying degrees. 

    The best sounds I’ve recorded (the traditional method excluded) were from a Yamaha THR10. 

    So im thinking another hardware modeller might do a better job, or maybe a load box type thing with simulated Di. 

    There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife

    Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky

    Bit of trading feedback here.

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  • thecolourboxthecolourbox Frets: 9654
    edited October 2018
    Haych said:
    Haych said:
    Thanks all. Keep it coming, I’m learning a lot already. 

    My latset snag to the creative process is amp sims. I’ve tried everything from the built in sims that come with Logic to Helix Native (free trial) and they’re all sh!t. 

    Gonna have to invest in some new hardware I reckon. 
    Are you sure they're all shit? Or are you expecting to hear a guitar amp, when you're actually hearing a guitar amp with a mic in front?

    That's the classic mistake most folk make. The quality of the cab sim or impulse you're using is hugely more important than the amp sim.
    Well that’s a good enough question I suppose. As for what I’m expecting; a usable tone to record with. Clean tones lack any depth and dirty tones all seem to sound like a fart in a bubble-bath, to varying degrees. 

    The best sounds I’ve recorded (the traditional method excluded) were from a Yamaha THR10. 

    So im thinking another hardware modeller might do a better job, or maybe a load box type thing with simulated Di. 
    Interestingly I dislike the THR sounds yet find modellers and plug ins infinitely preferable.

    I'd not put too much faith in the load box with simulated DI either, as the cab Sim on those usually seems pretty lame. Certainly is on my jettenuator. Unless you use it only as a load and apply Impulse Responses from some other method.

    But I say this as somebody who doesn't really have much experience playing above whisper level with amps and I prefer recorded guitars to amp-in-the-room because I find once they pass a certain volume I can't hear it, I just hear noise
    Please note my communication is not very good, so please be patient with me
    soundcloud.com/thecolourbox-1
    youtube.com/@TheColourboxMusic
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