Dismal swami
New member
About to press record? Here are some tips and general ideas for newbies to consider prior to laying down tracks. In reality, these are habits that I adhere to during every recording session. Organization, detailed oriented rituals that have improved my recordings. They apply to both analog and digital platforms. Feel free to add your helpful habits!
Track Labeling
I create simple spreadsheets using Excel to write down and label my tracks. I've found that having those sheets printed out, instead of just on my DAW color coding/ labeling, have increased my overall productivity. Certainly, they prove quite useful during mixing or the use of subgroups/ stereo bus. Avoid headaches and confusion! Label your tracks! Essentially my spreadsheet is for 24 tracks. Tracks 1-14 single tracks, rest are reserved for subgroups or bus as needed. I always start with drum overhead pairs (1-2), snare (3), kick (4) ....of course there are more drum tracks, but I like having this quad paired together because it works well for me. All this might seem like a huge waste of time, but really it forces you to visualize and map out your recordings. It will might not deliver the most amazing gem of a tune, but it will aid your the overall organization of your recordings. Saves serious time later! Might save you serious money if you are sending your tracks for someone else to mix. Plus, better to be thinking, rather than guessing of where you will group tracks. Sad, but I've been in a couple high dollar studios, where the engineer did not label tracks, and was completely lost when it came time for rough mixing. Yeah. 1-2 minutes of preparation can save your ass later. Trust me.
TUNE your Instrument!
Tune all your instruments! Tune em again. And again. Before every guitar/ bass take tune your instrument. Sure, you might be able to correct the pitch with software, then again you might ruin an awesome take because your instrument is flat or sharp. Guitar players...Check your G string!!! Check every string! Tune!
Drummers. Tune your drums! Don't know how to tune your drums? Sure there are tons of videos that can aid in this process. Also,Have decent heads on your kit. Don't necessarily have to be brand new, in fact I kinda prefer a little wear to ensure the drums won't change too much during a long day of recording. But, whatever, if your kit sounds like complete dogshit prior to having mics in front of it; then it is fairly certain that magic will not happen once the record button is pressed. Hence, if your drum tracks suck balls from the start, your recording will suffer. Goes from idea of a record to a demo. Tune your drums!
It is OK to Rerecord !!!!
Really. It is ok to start over. Especially, if you are recording yourself and not a studio paying money to record. Countless times, I've seen band's proceed with a majorly flawed recording, even after I insisted they should give the song another shot. Some flaws can be corrected, a bunch of flaws can really ruin a good tune. No shame in starting over. Truth.
Mic Placement
Your environment will more than likely affect your sound when miking instruments or recording vocals. Acoustics and room dynamics can be your friend or enemy. Likewise, mic placement is HUGE in the sound that you capture. It is ok to have trial runs for recording. It is ok to experiment with location setup of instruments in relation to your room. And certainly, it is relevant and good to experiment with mic placement. It might improve your ear and could make your recordings much better.
Lastly, but certainly important, avoid buying tons of gear that you really do not need! Sure, upgrade a mic...buy a new amp...but don't get caught up buying instead of doing. Avoid purchasing tons of new stuff, get better with the gear you already own.
Better quality gear, doesn't always yield the intended desired results. Better songs don't write themselves. Have fun. Have fun.
Track Labeling
I create simple spreadsheets using Excel to write down and label my tracks. I've found that having those sheets printed out, instead of just on my DAW color coding/ labeling, have increased my overall productivity. Certainly, they prove quite useful during mixing or the use of subgroups/ stereo bus. Avoid headaches and confusion! Label your tracks! Essentially my spreadsheet is for 24 tracks. Tracks 1-14 single tracks, rest are reserved for subgroups or bus as needed. I always start with drum overhead pairs (1-2), snare (3), kick (4) ....of course there are more drum tracks, but I like having this quad paired together because it works well for me. All this might seem like a huge waste of time, but really it forces you to visualize and map out your recordings. It will might not deliver the most amazing gem of a tune, but it will aid your the overall organization of your recordings. Saves serious time later! Might save you serious money if you are sending your tracks for someone else to mix. Plus, better to be thinking, rather than guessing of where you will group tracks. Sad, but I've been in a couple high dollar studios, where the engineer did not label tracks, and was completely lost when it came time for rough mixing. Yeah. 1-2 minutes of preparation can save your ass later. Trust me.
TUNE your Instrument!
Tune all your instruments! Tune em again. And again. Before every guitar/ bass take tune your instrument. Sure, you might be able to correct the pitch with software, then again you might ruin an awesome take because your instrument is flat or sharp. Guitar players...Check your G string!!! Check every string! Tune!
Drummers. Tune your drums! Don't know how to tune your drums? Sure there are tons of videos that can aid in this process. Also,Have decent heads on your kit. Don't necessarily have to be brand new, in fact I kinda prefer a little wear to ensure the drums won't change too much during a long day of recording. But, whatever, if your kit sounds like complete dogshit prior to having mics in front of it; then it is fairly certain that magic will not happen once the record button is pressed. Hence, if your drum tracks suck balls from the start, your recording will suffer. Goes from idea of a record to a demo. Tune your drums!
It is OK to Rerecord !!!!
Really. It is ok to start over. Especially, if you are recording yourself and not a studio paying money to record. Countless times, I've seen band's proceed with a majorly flawed recording, even after I insisted they should give the song another shot. Some flaws can be corrected, a bunch of flaws can really ruin a good tune. No shame in starting over. Truth.
Mic Placement
Your environment will more than likely affect your sound when miking instruments or recording vocals. Acoustics and room dynamics can be your friend or enemy. Likewise, mic placement is HUGE in the sound that you capture. It is ok to have trial runs for recording. It is ok to experiment with location setup of instruments in relation to your room. And certainly, it is relevant and good to experiment with mic placement. It might improve your ear and could make your recordings much better.
Lastly, but certainly important, avoid buying tons of gear that you really do not need! Sure, upgrade a mic...buy a new amp...but don't get caught up buying instead of doing. Avoid purchasing tons of new stuff, get better with the gear you already own.
Better quality gear, doesn't always yield the intended desired results. Better songs don't write themselves. Have fun. Have fun.
Last edited:
it was there in the first one ! 
