Do drums has to be always 1st?

tribal said:
Do you guys use Metronome? I haven't try it out with it yet,do you think it would help my timing? I normally draw out bars cos I don't read or could write notes...
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Tribal I have Cubase LE and I just use their metronome built into the program it works find and youll find practicing to one gets you really good with timing. I usally do drums last I would like to do them first but I cant make up drum beats without someone playing the guitar and im a one man band.
 
dirtythermos said:
If you get Sonar 6, you no longer have to play in time. You can fix it all in the mix. You can record the most off-rhythm mixed-tempo mess on your guitar and then sync the drums up perfectly!

As amazing as that is, you will be a much better musician if you practice with the metronome.
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You can do that in any DAW, not just sonar.
 
DAS19 said:
I usally do drums last I would like to do them first but I cant make up drum beats without someone playing the guitar and im a one man band.
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You could always make a scratch guitar track played to the metronome, record the drums, and then record your keeper guitars.
 
tribal said:
Do you guys use Metronome? I haven't try it out with it yet,do you think it would help my timing? I normally draw out bars cos I don't read or could write notes...
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No Metronome ?!?! I use metronome 99% of the time.
100% when MIDI sequencing, 100% when multi tracking, especially for the first tracks.
10% when recording piano solo, accordion solo or something semiliar...
 
superbeatballer said:
You could always make a scratch guitar track played to the metronome, record the drums, and then record your keeper guitars.
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Hey now, that's a really great idea!


ez_willis said:
I record a scratch guitar track to a metronome, then record the drum track and build from there.
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There are reasons why drums are usually among the first things laid down, at least when professional recordings of popular music are made:

1) Having a rhythmic underpinning helps all the other instruments play better.

2) Pro drummers usually have very good time, and are largely responsible for the overall rhythmic feel. Forcing the drummer to conform to other instruments may compromise the feel factor.

3) Drums are harder to edit and overdub, because of the long decay of cymbals. They are also harder to get the exact same sound on a different day, because of the multiple mics and the their usually unmeasured exact distances from the drums. A bass player or a vocalist can come back another day and fix one note - it's harder with drums.

BUT...

It sounds like you are a long way from making professional recordings, and I don't mean that as an insult. In the case of someone such as yourself, you should feel free to try many ways of recording and see what works best for you.
 
I've been playing music (guitars) for a decade but it's true that I'm just a beginner for for serious recording based on computer, I've just found out about click, click, click a week a go from these forum so it's been really helpful. I am appreciated guys, I'm learning so looking foward to hear much a more.
 
Well, its been said so many times, I might as well offer more of the same advice...

I track drums later when they are necessary... usually I just take what i think is the basic feel of a song (swung or straight 8ths, timing, type pf pattern, etc), and create a very basic drum track using a sequencer. Drop that into the HD recorder on a track, and then record along with it. When Im done, I track drums and toss that basic fake track. Works like a charm :)
 
omtayslick said:
I lay down guitar first, using drum loops for timing. I find the loops easier to stay with than a click. Then add real drums later, and delete the loops.
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Right on...
 
I think a click or drum loop or sampled click is important.

However, it may be worth laying down a guitar first to try and work out how the click should be.

It may depend on how good you are at knowing time signatures and tempos. A click at the wrong tempo/time sig can play havoc with your original intentions .. especially if you have songs that change time sigs in certain parts.

I struggle with this, and sometimes can get everything working out great on the verse (for example) but then have to rework the chorus. There is also the question of what to do with intros, ritards etc.

It may take some experimentation or adjustment to work.
 
superbeatballer said:
You could always make a scratch guitar track played to the metronome, record the drums, and then record your keeper guitars.
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This is a great idea and by far better than the idea EZ Willis came up with. :D

I tend to do this for the most part. Sometimes I use a drum machine for a better feel or a click works OK. I need the guitar as a guide track or I will make an even greater mess trying to play drums. having the guitar keeps my place in the song. It lets me know when it is time to hit the shiny discs. I am starting to get a little better on drums but I sure would like to get decent.
Do you think practice would make me better. :D
 
littledog said:
Forcing the drummer to conform to other instruments may compromise the feel factor.
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Which is why my basic drum tracks are recorded first. You may be able to play great to a metronome but find out that the accents you are playing on do not complement the drum track you program or play later. This is especially true where the groove lies mainly in the bass and kick parts. You can lose a lot of feel if you don't fall right in the kick's path, and if your song relies on a swing pattern, you can totally screw yourself recording keeper guitar tracks without reference to at minimum a kick and snare pattern.
 
Some rhythm pros I know use some sort of groove loop, rather than just a plain metronome. Find a loop that fits the style, and play to that. You may then leave it in in some places, or just replace it altogether with whatever percussion the piece is supposed to have.

I understand the intent of the other posters, but playing legato and/or rubato music with accelerando, fermata, etc with no explicit timing master is exceptionally difficult. I had two cellists from the Virginia symphony that wanted to create a quartet (of just themselves playing in two takes) on a very rubato piece, and they found it far more difficult to do than they thought it would be, and they are exceptional players.

Poco
 
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