Drums/Bass or guitar first?

B

BudBrain

New member
Hi,

Should I be laying down a drum/bass/guitar track first? What seems to work the best for a 'newbie'?

Not got a clue where to start and can play all 'ok'.

Advice?
 
There are people who do it differently for whatever reasons, but the norm, if you like, is to do the drums first.

Where possible, I'll do drums, bass, guitars, vocals, everything else, in that order.
If there's no click, I'd strongly recommend drums first.

If you're working on your own material and using a click track, I can see the merit in nailing the guitar parts and vocals first, then working on the rest, but like anything else, do whatever fits you the best.
 
Thanks for the reply and clarification!

Not sure what I click track is (for timing I guess?), but may I ask how you record your drums (software or kit)?
 
Most of what I've done lately has required software percussion, but I've done plenty of acoustic kits too.

A click track is a digital metronome built into your recording software.
As soon as you hit record or play, it starts clicking at a set tempo.


My reasoning is, if someone records guitar first then tries drums, you'll find that gaps and sections with held chords in the guitar recording won't be perfect, and the drummer will fumble fills and what not.

With a click you are prompted. :)
 
No probs.

It is your choice, but if you're doing anything but drums first, it's a good idea. :)

Best of luck.

Welcome, btw.
 
Good advice from Steen.

Let me just add, though, that there is something called "scratch tracks". For example, if you do drums first, you have to sing the song in your head while playing the drums all the way through. Nothing wrong with that if you can do it. But you might be more comfortable drumming along to a scratch on the guitar. This scratch track is just a guide to follow while you're playing drums.

In a case like this, the guitar was recorded first, but then discarded after the drums were recorded (or you can leave the scratch while you record bass, etc...). Eventaully, you'd replace the guitar scratch track with the real guitar track.
 
While there are no rights of wrongs - I agree that if you are not working with a click - laying the drums first makes the most sense (it is hard to lay drums tracks later if the other instruments do not have solid time.

I play several instruments - however, I prefer to start with a scratch track of vocal and acoustic guitar (or vocal and piano) - so I have a song structure to follow as I track the other instruments (I always record to a click).

Once the scratch track is down I normal lay down whatever is the rhythem instrument (guitar or keys), then bass and then drums. After that I normally track the keeper lead vocal (which then allows me to lose the scratch track) and then the hamony vocals.

Once I have that much done - I can decide what support tracks I may need.
 
RAMI said:
Good advice from Steen.

Let me just add, though, that there is something called "scratch tracks". For example, if you do drums first, you have to sing the song in your head while playing the drums all the way through. Nothing wrong with that if you can do it. But you might be more comfortable drumming along to a scratch on the guitar. This scratch track is just a guide to follow while you're playing drums.

In a case like this, the guitar was recorded first, but then discarded after the drums were recorded (or you can leave the scratch while you record bass, etc...). Eventaully, you'd replace the guitar scratch track with the real guitar track.
Click to expand...
+1
That's what I do. I would start tracking with the drums, but usually the drummer has no idea how the song is going when he's the only one playing :D
 
Sometimes instead of a scratch track, I'll plug the guitarist into the headphone mix via DI.
I'll even patch a mic into it sometimes.
That way someone can play/sing along in the drummer's headphones, or even shout out cues, but they won't be recorded.
 
yeah I'm a person who does guitar first :) I've told steen this before I think but for others who are interested, I find it a lot easier because tracking it will be the first time I've heard more than one instrument together in my song, so if I build it up from guitar then I can change the drums or a part of the song a lot easier, and can find out if I've made mistakes in terms of putting them together - I find it a lot harder to change the song if the guitar part doesnt fit with the drum part as planned than the other way round.
 
Steenamaroo said:
Sometimes instead of a scratch track, I'll plug the guitarist into the headphone mix via DI.
I'll even patch a mic into it sometimes.
That way someone can play/sing along in the drummer's headphones, or even shout out cues, but they won't be recorded.
Click to expand...

I really like doing this if i'm recording a band without a click, although i normally record the extra guitar/vocal/whatever as well to create a scratch track in my DAW as well so that the next person to record can have everything in their cans.

Also, i find it does depend on the artist/project. some bands really follow the guitar or bass so i record those first to a click so that the rest of the band have something solid to follow. although, usually in these cases, i also get a scratch vocal as well as i find people find it much easier to work with vocal cues than just guitar or bass cues.

however, 9 out of 10 times i record a scratch track (vocal and guitar), then drums, then bass, the guitars, then vocals, then any extras
 
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