How do you record a song? What are your steps?

scdaymon

scdaymon

New member
Maybe already exists a thread like this, but I did not found it, so, for fun… and to compare our methods, and eventually learn in the process, let me ask you:
How is your method for taping a song? I mean, what are your usual paths? I’m sure it depends on many things, like music style etc, but let’s see.
Do you start by recording a guitar line (eventually with a metronome)?
Do you record the drums first?
Are the vocals the last thing you record?

My method:

After all the song is composed, and the lyrics written (sometimes, during the record I change a lot of stuff):

1 – Record a piano (strings) line, with a metronome playing (I actually record the metronome too), to be my guide track (I will not use it later on);
2 – Record the rhythm guitar, using my guide track to keep me in time;
3 – Record the Drums (or, in my case, edit them to the song, and synchronize them with the guide track. After that, I just erase the "guide track)";
4 – Add some piano (maybe), and some little things;
5 – Record the voice:
6 – Some lead guitar;
7 – Wait some days;
8 – Mix (add effects, volume control etc);
9 – Show it to my producer (my wife Eh, Eh, Eh);

So… share with us your secrets! ;-)
 
There was a similar thread a while back, but it was more to ask "do you record drums first?" than a general order etc.

For me, it depends a lot on the song/band, but as a rough guide;

Tracking ;
Guide Track (normally guitar and vocals)
Drums
Bass guitar
Guitars
Keys (if the song has them)
Vocals
backing vocals
percussion

Sometimes i'll get the vocals done straight after the bass as by that point i'll already have a basic back bone to the song with drums, bass, guide guitar, so it gives everyone a better idea of what is going on in the mix. Sometimes i'll add a quick bass guitar track to the guide track, especially if the drummer needs to lock into it for the groove. sometimes i'll get backing vocals done before the main vocals as this can sometimes help the lead vocalist get more of a feel for their parts.

Mixing ;

Find a load of reference tracks similar to the song
basic house keeping (trim ends, arrange the order of the tracks to make it easy to work with, colour coordinate groups of tracks)
Rough mix with everything in (probably takes about three run throughs)
Vocals
Kick
Snare
OH's
Bass
Guitars
Keys (if there)
Backing vocals
percussion
leave it over night (at least)

All the way through i'll refer back to the reference tracks and take breaks as appropriate. Again, the order i'll adjust things varies but 90% of the time the order above is how i work.
 
(To OP) That's what most people do who record alone....there is no secret or specific right wrong, though the general consensus is to do the rhythm tracks first and then everything else.

Click & Scratch (guitar or piano)
Add drums
Add bass
Add Rhythm Guitars

At this point the Scratch is no longer needed and the Click can still be used along with the rhythm tracks or not, it's a personal decision.

Add other instruments
Add vocals
Add leads
 
Hail Justsomeguy!!!

Curious you do the vocals mix at first?
Vocals are the last thing I mix. I'm just starting this whole thing of "Music Production" (I'm bellow amateur :D ) but I always thought that is of most importance to bring the lead vocals the most front you can.
And I guess I only get that result, by treating the vocals in the last place.

Please note that I'm not judging, like I said I'm bellow amateur. I'm just trying to understand your choice?
Do you think it's important to treat the vocals first? Guess it will depend on what kind of music you're mixing.
By the way, I'm doing some prog rock (at least that's what I intend to)...
 
tbh it's just personal preference. for years i started with the drums first and the vocals were last but always found the vocals ended up suffering. by doing the vocals first i find it does 2 things

1) i can balance the mix around the vocals which, in most cases, are the most important thing in the track
2) when i used to start with the kick first, especially when solo'd, i'd find than when i moved on to anything else everything sounded "thin". with hindsight this was because my ears had retuned themselves into the kick drum and was expecting to hear a lot of low end. when i then moved on to the snare for example, there wasn't all these low frequencies so my ears heard it as thin.

as i said, it's personal preference and there's no right or wrong way at all, it just works for me :)

Greg - where can i buy an "awesome" dial? does it have to be 10 to get the most out it or is it ok running it a bit lower at, like, 7-8? :D
 
:( one day hopefully i'll be there. i suppose i'll have to stick my "average to alright" knob, but even on 10 it still sounds like "meh"
 
I recorded this 8 bar riff one night that is just guitar and vocal. I added a drum loop, bass and bgv that same night.
I looped it and I listened to it off and on for over a year and one day came up with a way out of that first 8 bar loop.
Then for the next four days I added another distinct 8 bars. I’d invent and record a chord pattern, add an improvised lead vocal line, alter the drum loop, add bass and 4 part bgvs.
Then some days later I added a new part that included almost every instrument I own. I am still mixing this one called “Walk with me a country mile”

On another occasion I was recording drums and listening to the take when this line came to my head. I then added bass and bgvs and had a song. Mixed and done - “Postcard”

One day I was driving home and this lyric came to my head. I ran to my recorder grabbed my guitar and recorded it. It was done - “Jasker Jones”

One day I was cutting grass and I was thinking about this bully who used to harass me in school. I went to the garage and found P&P and scratched out some words. That night I recorded “Me and ol Bill Nalley”

On a trip from Cleveland to Louisville I wrote a long lyric about cell phones. Some days later wrote the rest in ¾ called “A Penny”
 
I don't have an awesome dial, just a mediocre dial. I turn that all the way up, but sometimes it gets stuck and only goes to 9.

Seriously though, everyone's workflow/creativity/songwriting/methods will be wildly different. I don't even always do things the same way from song to song. It's all about finding a workflow that gets your best performances and best tones (sorry that sounds lame like a CLA answer, but it's the truth).

I almost always just record a quick guitar and vocal track with my ideas. Then I get the drums and bass nailed down and start building guitars and stuff on top, then add vocals last. But who knows if that's the way I'll do it on my next song...always different.
 
I try to do whatever is easiest for the band to make sure they are comfortable. The project I'm working on now the band has a flakey guitarist so they practice mostly bass and kit. So I took my rig to their practice space, threw some mics on the kit and DI'd the bass and let them record as much as possible. They laid out the foundation for about 8 tracks. In the middle of that session they wanted to do some vocals, and even backing guitar. I set it up and laid it down. Now whenever the guitarist can spare the time I can play the rough mix in his headphones and he can lay down the guitars. Adapting to the band is my focus.

Typically I'd start with the pecussion and then build everything else from there. Most of the artists I work with don't use a metronome. Pain for me, but comfortable for them. If I had to do each instrument individually I'd start with the kit, then go to bass, guitar, anything else (keys, harp, etc), and finish with the vocals. Don't really have any rules I go by or anything, just play it by ear and make it work.
 
Manslick said:
One day I was cutting grass and I was thinking about this bully who used to harass me in school. I went to the garage and found P&P and scratched out some words. That night I recorded “Me and ol Bill Nalley”
Click to expand...

I must say... beautiful post my friend! I think I understood your words. I saw a lot of FEELING in those words… and I guess, above all, music is FEELING, and not just tech stuff. However, I must clear that we’re talking about the best way to immortalize your creativity. I’m sure we all may share a lot of memories that reflect the moment in which we felt the need to create a song… that little piece of your soul that you bring to this momentum... but it is of the most importance, to learn how to translate those emotional moments, so we can “share” them, and treasure them in the best possible ways. That’s the reason I’m in this forum… that’s the reason I’m trying to learn the most I can with you all my friends…
 
scdaymon said:
I must say... beautiful post my friend! I think I understood your words. I saw a lot of FEELING in those words… and I guess, above all, music is FEELING, and not just tech stuff. However, I must clear that we’re talking about the best way to immortalize your creativity. I’m sure we all may share a lot of memories that reflect the moment in which we felt the need to create a song… that little piece of your soul that you bring to this momentum... but it is of the most importance, to learn how to translate those emotional moments, so we can “share” them, and treasure them in the best possible ways. That’s the reason I’m in this forum… that’s the reason I’m trying to learn the most I can with you all my friends…
Click to expand...
Thanks,
I wrote from what I imagined to be the perspective of the bully.
 
grimtraveller said:
Every so often I wonder what this means.
Anyone care to enlighten me ?
Click to expand...

Really?!?
I will enlight you!!!
This means that I was mistaken about some words (I’m Portuguese), and that was I trying to delete them , but the text editing options of the forum do not allow the deletion of posts… just the “edit” option!!! So the option for “…….” (7 periods, are the minimum characters). So what about that? What a magic moment!!!
 
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