how many hours does it take to record?!?!

keylolo

New member
how long does it take to record a song. ex:how many hours on vocals,background vocals,mixing and mastering. and what is a headphone mix mean?
 
Anywhere from 1 to 100,000 hours....

It depends totally on the talent, how well-rehearsed they are... mixing for me is at least 5-6 hours by the time I'm happy with it, usually a bit more...

The headphone mix is the mix your provide your talent with via headphones during overdubs.

Bruce Valeriani
Blue Bear Sound
 
Hey there,
I'd say it depends on the kinda song youre working on and how well you're prepared before you start. If you pretty much have a clear picture of your song and you play neatly and well , you can finish a song in a couple of hours. It generally takes me about 2 weeks to wrap up a song and even when im done i go back sometimes for little changes. I'm using a pretty simple equipment so i guess it depends on the nature of your studio. If i had more tracks I'd be busy with my songs 24/7. Maybe it's a good thing i dont. Whatever the case is, I'd say aim for a good mix and dont worry about how long it takes. It varys by everyone I;m sure.
G'luck
Shana
 
Recording Time

Yeah......what they said....

Varies,average time on a song 5-10+ hrs... depending on the talent and preparedness.Overdubbing,retakes,lead vocals, back up vocals,racks up time.No one is perfect.Overdub your mistakes,tick tick tick.
Perfection takes time. Take your time... no matter how long it takes to get it right. Don't get frustrated,or in a hurry, there is always tomorrow.Above all have fun doing it!

Gidman
 
Reading into your question, I'm guessing you're asking because you are thinking of booking some studio time, yes? No?

Like everybody else says, it depends. I think it goes without saying that you don't want to be rehearsing while you're on the clock. This advice helps to tighten up any recording session by keeping you on task even when time is not directly related to money. My old band tracked and mixed 5 songs in 20 hours. We let a lot of little things go which proved to be a mistake. Just a few weeks later, I found myself very much dissatisfied with the end product.

These days I don't like to try to start anything with less than a 4-hour window to get some mics placed nicely and a few tracks down, unless I'm just doing some sketchbook recording. When I get really involved with mic placement and tone and all that shit, I can take 4-5 hours to get drums alone, double that if I'm doing it alone. Haven't spent much time mixing things lately, but I'd estimate that I spend about 25 hours tracking a song if I want it to sound good. With this in mind, is it any wonder that so many of us have gotten into DIY? Of course then all the equipment concerns take up your time too. But what else were you gonna do with your weekends?
 
Huh?

I don't where you guys are coming up with these massive hours to record a song!

It only takes as long as the length of the song....;)

That IS assuming that you track it all live.....;)

AND that you mixed it while going to tape...;)

AND, we all know that the best recordings are made with one mic in the room picking everything up at the same time...;)

So, it stands to figure that the average pop song takes around 3.5 mins to record! But if you come to my studio to record it, why at $40 an hour, I will find some way to stretch that into at least 10 hours.....:D

Ed
 
IT also depends on whether you're recording everything by yourself, or if you're in a band. In my experience, it takes about 400 times longer to record something with a band, because everyone has to be happy with it, not just you. If you're planning studio time for a band, add a couple of hours to any estimate that you get, because an argument will, undoubtably, start sometime during the recording process.
 
The best studio ive been to was very proffesional to me. i know that is a strange thing to say. we had a choice of engineer and we picked based on price and what he has done that we heard. we went in with our own ideas but to a certain extent he was there for a reason. while tracking he made some decisions. he changed a couple parts, and during mixdown he added some effects and stuff. In the end it was much better then we though we could have for a demo. In truth, i believe that having someone else record for you is the in the end the best idea especially if he isnt stuck into one music type, especially yours. I know i like to record at home now. but if i had a contract i would go back to this studio probably. http://www.sugarhillstudios.com/ if you are in texas and are going to somewhere to record... gahhhhh. they are good, especially Dan Workman.
 
Yo and Ho:

I think what the sagacious Sonusman has stated is ironcally true. As one of my bosses said about his tax advisor, "when the dude comes into my shop, his meter is running." That's why most good studios only let the tape go forward; use more tape, pay more money. It's life.
When was the last time you called a plumber? Or had some medical tests run? Big bucks.

I think most of the people here spend lots of time on mixing; I know I do. I've got this one vocal by a good female friend and I've remixed that tune maybe 23 times; keep putzing with the reverb/EQ etc. And, since I just plugged in a new Lexicon Reverb, well, I'll be spending more time mixing and experimenting.

But, I like the logic and sagacity of Sonusman.

Green Hornet
 
I do rap and hip hop it takes me about 4 hours to creat the music after I'm done with that I apply effects to the music then I call in the artist doing the vocals takes about 4-5 hours depending on how deep I want the song to go.3 or 4 days later I come back and do the mixing and finnish off the song...so in total about 12-15 hours
 
i record songs by myself on a 4-track..drums are my first instrument and im best at that, i usually get it on the first take. pretty much any other instruments im happy with after one take, its the vocals i do and re-do for hours. to track all the instruments (usually drums, bass, two guitars) i spend anywhere from one to four hours. its setting up mics and eq-ing before recording that takes the most time...that of course and mixing. i'd say each song would take me about eight hours from the beginning to final mixdown. of course if i was in a studio with 64 tracks or so and all kinds of effects to play with, i could spend days on a single song. thats is of course if i had the cash...
 
I have been working on one of my classical pieces for
12 years. I listened to some of it today, and I am not
that happy with it. I think I will redo it.

Check out Brahms' Symphony #1. Took him Twenty
years. But man, he got it right.

Nuthin like Patience.
 
One thing i would like to say even though its kinda out of this subject. is your first opinion of the sound is your best. your ears get tired just like anything else in your body. believe me, if you mix or record a song, spend another 6 hours recording or mixing, then go back to the first and listen, you will hear the difference. i guess what i recommend. is first record the song, if u like the song your first 3 times listening to it. wait 24 hours to let your ears heal, then listen to it again, if theres a problem, rerecord or mix it.

another thing, dont mix the same day as you record, for the very same reason as above. your ears might be tired and you might not hear write causing you to mix badly and take more time on mixing then you really need. also, when mixing, you dont need to have your monitors blasting to hear everything, you should have listened for that stuff after you recorded it. keep the volume at a normal talking level or maybe a little louder if you prefer, but dont blast it and make your ears get tired and make you have to wait till the next day to hear better.

i could be wrong on this information but it always helps me. of course you dont always have the time to come back the next day, but im sure it helps to. besides, not only do your ears get tired, but your brain gets tired. give it a rest also.
 
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