Things that you do when you suck

bachelorb

Cowboy Chord Virtuoso
Yesterday, I did about 10 takes with the guitar. Every take had something wrong with it. Little things like fret buzz or a missed fingering.... things like that. Is there a way to hide these things in the mix?

I don’t want a hit record, I just want it to sound good.
 
Yesterday, I did about 10 takes with the guitar. Every take had something wrong with it. Little things like fret buzz or a missed fingering.... things like that. Is there a way to hide these things in the mix?

I don’t want a hit record, I just want it to sound good.

I don't want to sound cheeky, but have you tried punching in? I have a pedal for that on a couple of decks. But yeah, I suck too...
 
There are a couple of ways to do this. Well, if you are using software. I don't know about analog or standalone units.

You can punch in automatically in your DAW. Set the markers and set up the software to start recording at the markers. I can tell you how in Cubase, but I don't know for all the DAWs. For sure they are similar. Run through your lead solo part, mistakes and all. Then go back and set your marker to a measure or two before a mistake. Set it to automatically punch in at the marker. Then start before that at a comfortable point. Play the part again and it will start recording at the marker. Hopefully, you don't make the same mistake twice. Or 50 times, like me. After your done recording the part, you will have to edit the start and stops of the newly recorded part to fit in with the existing part.

Another way is to record the complete lead solo several times being sure not to repeat the same mistakes. After the first try, move the part out to beyond the song. Not deleting it, but so it's not in the song. Then record again the whole lead solo again. Snip the best sections from each take and piece them together.

I think some DAWs will let you stack takes on top of each other and you can edit them together into one composite part. I'm not sure how to do that.
 
Sometimes the best thing to do is just give up and walk away!!!!

I have this personal policy that if I can’t nail the part in one or two takes, it ain’t meant to be.

Never been one to punch in. I figure if I can’t play it in a controlled studio environment, how the hell am I gonna pull it off live?
But thats just me.

At the same time though, I highly advise walking away and take a breather.
Multiple failures on recording a part doesn’t do your headspace any good.

Come back to it when you’re in a good state of mind...... might just nail it the first time! :)
 


Or...just do 5 takes...dump them into a DAW and then comp. :)

You have to stop trying to do one perfect take.
Just play...and don't think about everything that needs to be perfect during the take.
Also...small things will vanish in the mix...don't obsess over every little quirk that you hear.
 
Lots of attempts and punchins. If I'm really struggling, slow the recorder down and switch key.
On one occasion the bassline was so far beyond my ability that even that didn't help, so I broke it into two parts and recorded it over two tracks.
YouTube (I actually captured this happening on the TSR-8 for any who are interested)
 
What [MENTION=94267]miroslav[/MENTION] said.

And, yes, some things can be hidden or will simply disappear in the mix. Random noises, clicks, etc. can be [sometimes] cleaned up with editing or using something like Izotope's RX.
 
To expand on Keith and Miro's , break up the part into more manageable sections and record each separately then comp the best. Also if you break it up you can practice each section until it is relatively easy to nail during recording.
 
Hey y’all..haven’t been around here for some time.

Anyway, when I know what I want but can’t get there, I’ll often create a separate track to try capture several versions of the 2-3 bars of what’s killing me.

I definitely use hardware preamps for bass, guitar, even DI acoustic to help ‘get it there’

And lastly...walk away from it...for years if need be.just last week I dug up a project originated in Cubase 4
 
Thank you guys! I tried the multiple take thing and it works!! (I also did the walk away thing :) ). Having a DAW really helps. I can keep doing more and more takes, then I just fade in/out tracks where I messed up. Also using several tracks of my voice at once makes me sound "pitchy", but not "Oh for the love of it, get some singing lessons!!"
 
Comping is NOT a cheat or a cowards way out. There's nothing but personal pride in doing one take. My classical concert pianist friend took ages to go with this, but now it's quicker than repeating 32 bars again and again and actually getting worse! If it sticks in your gut, then accept that you did indeed play the entire solo, but just in bits - YOU still played it.
 
Comping is NOT a cheat or a cowards way out. There's nothing but personal pride in doing one take. My classical concert pianist friend took ages to go with this, but now it's quicker than repeating 32 bars again and again and actually getting worse! If it sticks in your gut, then accept that you did indeed play the entire solo, but just in bits - YOU still played it.

The funny thing is, as I'd get further into the part, I'd get more and more anxious about screwing up. One time, I made through the whole part until the last chord..... and played the complete wrong chord. :facepalm:

I am really starting to see some advantages to this analog/digital setup I'm using now....
 
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