don't throw away those "almost right" takes

S

swarfrat

New member
I was experimenting with double tracking acoustic guitar. While auditioning the takes, I cracked open all four takes. Just barely, like about as much of the distorted signal you would mix in if you were trying to create an exiter effect. Obviously results depend on your takes, but it was really cool. Added a lot of depth but not quite as obvious (or as swirly or artificial) as a chorus.
 
Sure. Sloppy housekeeping has offered me lots of opportunities to double tracks or parts of tracks. I don't aspire to it as standard procedure, though.
 
LOL.
I do the same thing swarfrat, for two reasons.

If there's a chance I'll want double tracking (chorus vocals etc) I'll keep old takes, but it's also a lifesaver when the performer has gone home and you notice a noise or a mistake.
Having a few takes to fall back on for spares is always good.

I don't believe in just having one take, unless you have the time to scrutinise it there and then.
 
swarfrat said:
Why are music forums so unnecessarily ascerbic?
Click to expand...

I wasn't being acerbic, I was reporting my experience. Tons of times I've recorded various takes for a part, and then later while I was A/B'ing to see which one was the best, tried out layering them in certain places to add depth. It's almost always been an accident though, seldom planned. Like I said, it's been sloppy housekeeping, not intentional. It's happened so many times that I'm probably ready to start incorporating it as standard procedure for some tracks. You know, I was told that in the history of pottery, the first cracked glaze was an accident that the potter liked so much he figured out how to repeat his accident and it became a standard technique. Most of my recording style has been along those lines.
 
swarfrat said:
I was experimenting with double tracking acoustic guitar. While auditioning the takes, I cracked open all four takes. Just barely, like about as much of the distorted signal you would mix in if you were trying to create an exiter effect. Obviously results depend on your takes, but it was really cool. Added a lot of depth but not quite as obvious (or as swirly or artificial) as a chorus.
Click to expand...

Agree, beside that you never know when the 'almost right' will become the only 'absolutelly right' take you will have to deal with! Working with my wife in the microphones (not being her a real singer) I know what I am talking about. Mostly of times I won't have the chance to make her sing it again since to drag her to my record room is already hard enough! LoL!

:laughings:
 
I dunno what I was thinking when I wrote that either. Whatever.

What i was touting as 'novel' was the use, not as "double tracking" (as in the traditional two "identical" takes panned hard left and hard right), but adding in numerous takes as barely audible "shimmer". Some of those takes actually had some goofs that made them unusable as "up front" takes but work marvelously as thickening. (Kinda like leaving lumps in your mashed potatoes).

Despite having a home multitrack, tracks that are noisy to record end up being hoarded, simply because I can't record vocals or acoustic guitar with a toddler sleeping in the next room. Or while he's awake and playing for that matter, or he'll be in here with me "helping".
 
Most DAWs don't delete the files even if you remove them from a track. That is usually done when you go into the folder and literally delete them. Only think, depending on how your DAW names the files once they are created if figuring out what file is what. Usually if you name your track, the file name becomes the track name (##) then either wave, aiff or what ever they are using for the files.

If you don't name the track, then it is like, track1####.wav and you have no idea what the track really is.
 
I couldn't be bothered with multiple takes. I will just do the take until it's right. Sometimes people go on like that means you'll do 100s of takes searching for nirvana......that happened a couple of times in the 90s, doing 30+ takes of a piece with my mate on drums and me on bass as the piece had loads of time signature changes {apart from 4/4 and 3/4, I couldn't even tell you what they were !}, but even then, when we'd get to the end of the take, if it never felt right I just wiped over what we'd done, doing it again.
Record the take, listen, if I don't like it, do it again. I believe in committing and if I'm going to double track, by golly I'm going to double track.
Comping is one way around it but I never do that. I'm more of a sectioner than a comper.
 
I'll comp vocals, but generally for instruments, I'll keep going until I hit it ... doesn't have to be the whole song, but a verse / chorus is my minimum unit.... sounds like what you do Grim. So I never have any additional takes to play with really..
 
Goddamn I hate to agree with grim, but I do the same. Play it right all the way through. One take. No comps. I do my very best to avoid the fix-it-later mentality and ease of editing with digital. I believe in being able to actually play the part you're recording.
 
I do rhythm tracks like that (no comps) but mine are pretty basic. I like at least two tracks panned L/R for width and fullness.
I retrack if it sucks. I like to be able to play my originals live (not doing that nowadays much) but I work with that in mind.
 
that's pretty much how I end up with enough full length takes to do it. I like the idea as well, it factored in to my decision to ditch the PC and get a standalone recorder. Only the recorder keeps all those as separate files even if I just hit rewind, record play.

Since the Zoom lacks midi sync I plan to do the same with any synth parts, record the audio and do it till you get it right.
 
Yup. I'm with the 2 G's. I don't comp, I don't keep "other" takes, etc....I get a part right, commit to it, and move on. I don't even know how to do "lanes" and "takes" and all that shit in REAPER.
 
grimtraveller said:
Comping is one way around it but I never do that. I'm more of a sectioner than a comper.
Click to expand...

Armistice said:
I'll comp vocals, but generally for instruments, I'll keep going until I hit it ... doesn't have to be the whole song, but a verse / chorus is my minimum unit...
Click to expand...

Not that there's anything wrong with doing that ^^^....but it's really no different than comping.
Punching in (or doing it in sections, if you will) is basically what comping gets you, only you can do it post-tracking.
There are some people who have this notion that comping is somehow a "fake"....but really it's not, it's simply about grabbing portions from a few of your best performances and constructing them until you have a complete track.
You actually DO play each take all the way through...just like the guys who do 100 takes to get that one perfect one. ;)

Personally, I find the punch-in and section recording approach more of a PITA for getting a solid track, than just recording a few complete takes/tracks, and then comping from them into one.
Part of that comes from the fact that I'm still tracking to tape, as there's something about keeping those reels spinning once you hit REC rather than stopping throughout...:)...but even though I can do punch/section recording with the tape deck, more so it's because I think you lose some of the feel/energy when you have to do a track piecemeal.
Doing a few solid takes in quick succession yields almost identical performances, where punch/section recording might not.
 
Comping is a tool...and it works for me.....:)

I'm just pointing out that punching in or recording in sections is IMO nothing more than real-time comping....and doing 100 takes is usualy just betting on luck that one of them witll be the perfect one.

So really....what's the difference.
All this "I never edit/punch/comp" is just forum BS....everyone edits/fixes/alters their tracks in the DAW.

Besides....comping happens mostly with vocals, and maybe one or two other tracks, depending.
Most mixes are made from single, original tracks.
 
No, not everyone, and getting a take right isn't "luck". Lol. Just because you can't do it doesn't mean "everyone" has to comp their stuff together.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top