Click Track Then Add Virtual Drums

[Italy2012]

Okay I'm getting back into recording (Digital) after 3 years and found that a lot has changed for the better with DAWs, VSTs, and VSTi. I've been doing my recording in a professional studio so I've gotten used to having a drummer, engineer, and just doing my vox, guitar, and bass parts. Now I'm solo again and zero budget.

After some shopping and testing I decided on my DAW of choice for now, REAPER.
After a few minor purchases, plugins and an external HD, I thought I was ready to roll.
Wrong. It's taken me a month to figure out Superior Drummer. Although I know enough to know it will be a great benefit once I find my niche with it.

Question is.

Have any you taken the approach of recording, the guitar, bass, and vocals using the click track and then adding a virtual drum track later?

This just came to me today. Reason why I ask is because I've written a lot of songs over the past few months and would at least like to get the music recorded/click track and then circle back when I'm more fluid with SD2 and add the drum tracks. It's frustrating because when the songs flow they just flow and I've just got stacks of lyrics and a bunch of guitar and bass arrangements on a mini-recorder ready to go.

Just curious to know if any of you have recorded this way and any tips and advice.

I've already committed to starting this method tomorrow but figured I'd ask anyway.

Thanks in advance.

 

[phriq]

I have had experience doing this method, though it "can" work, it is not particularly one I would recommend. The thing I began to notice was that there tended to be a separation in the "feel" of the drums from the rest of the music. And not everything always lines up. I am not sure why, you think theoretically it would work, and for the most part it did, but some things didn't always match perfectly. If you go to Freon Productions | Free Music, Tour Dates, Photos, Videos and listen to the song "Bury Me in the Badlands" you can hear a song I recorded for a old friend of mine. Originally, it started out as just being a acoustic recorded song, but after that was done he wanted to try to make it full band, so he recorded electric and bass and then I added EZ Drummer drums over the mix.

My suggestions would be to maybe even record to not a click, but a simple drum beat without fills just a steady high hat, bass and snare combo. that way you have more reference for lining up guitar stums and what not than more than just a click that happens on the down beat of each measure. Anyway, hope this helps and it all turns out well!

 

[Armistice]

This is exactly what I do.

Not being a drummer, I do the drums last.

I do it this way because it's only when I've got the rest of the song recorded, or at least most of it, that I know how to approach the "drumming" - now I'm sure a drummer wouldn't do it this way because they understand what they're doing, but as a non-drummer, I need to have the music in place to understand what to hit when etc - especially with fills, cymbals, toms etc..

I should add, in reference to what phriq says above, that I don't use a click but do exactly what he says... record a basic drum pattern with the feel right, and use that instead, which is what I tell people to do whenever they raise the click issue...

 

[Italy2012]

Thanks for the replies. That's a great idea to use a basic drum track instead a click track. I will give it go tomorrow. Thanks guys.

 

[phriq]

Glad we could help! Good luck and let us know how it goes!