Do you record the whole song or just one section at a time?

  • Thread starter Thread starter elenore19
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elenore19

elenore19

Slowing becoming un-noob.
My experience is with a rock band type situation. I'm curious what everyone does when recording. Lets say you're recording the guitar track, do you try and do the Whole song in one take, or do you just do it section by section (of the song)?

I personally do section by section, a lot easier to hit all the notes perfect, and then I feel I have more room for tweaking little sections here and there.

So what do you guys do?
 
One take, two takes, then overdubs & punches. Generally...
 
I've been recording a little less than a year so my input may be less than valuable:

When I first started, I'd do the entire song end-to-end and a couple alternate takes. Now, as I've gotten a lot more comfortable with my equipment, I'm much more likely to record in sections (Intro, Verse, Chorus, etc.) and I might do up to 20 takes just in case something pops out that is stunningly better than any other take. This applies mostly to guitar tracks.

Vocals I handle differently. I almost always sing the entire song but I'll do maybe 5 different takes with different dynamics on each take. Then I'll chop those up and do a composite vocal.

I think a lot of people would say you lose something the more takes you do but I just don't feel that way. My thinking is, "What makes my home studio better than just going to a pro studio?" For me, the answer is that I have complete freedom to do as many takes as I want, any way that I want, and it costs me nothing.
 
First I'd recommend learning the song well enough so that you can actually play the song all the way through without too many serious flubs, before you even think of hitting the record button. How you play live? ;)

I'm right in line with Massive; do an entire take or two, pick the best of each take, then go back and redo/punch-in/overdub just those parts that *need* it.

No matter how technically tight the edits, it'll sound much smoother and more organic to keep the edits to a minimum.

G.
 
I always play the rhythm tracks straight through a couple of times (2 or 3) then do a quick edit if needed - eg if there is a dodgy bit at one section then I edit in the better part from a different take. Punching in does my head in so I only do that if I have to. Also, I gave up looping riffs years ago, I find guitar work sounds much more organic if you play everything straight through or at least in very long sections - (this allows me to get subtle harmonic variations and vibrato etc which sound great when doubled up). The only time I may patch something together would be in a very difficult solo but I would play it in as long sections as possible before editing anything (eg record in 6 or 12 bar phrases at a time) so you may only edit every 15 secs or so (if you have to). The less editing for lead guitar the better IMO - I find it's easier to nail a part than to mess around with edits anyway! Becuase I record at home I can do 100 takes if needs be to get a solo right so I just keep doing long sections untill I get what I want (I usually spend a lot longer getting my leadwork right).
 
I edit... a lot. I'm not a great guitar player so I've found that for myself things sound better if I use just the best time through a part. I use Acid which makes that editing very easy. If I record other better players I will usually have them play through the whole thing though.
 
I do things section by section, but this is largely out of sloth. If I do the whole track at once, it will take me upwards of an hour to get a single take that I'm happy with. Doing it piecemeal, I can get about three tracks worth of material in the same amount of time.
 
For me is piece by piece. Instrument by instrument. Since I have no other working band members, just a few musician friends who give input. I write and record all at the same time. Since every thing is on my DAW it's pretty simple.
I like it this way because it simplifies the whole process. It also helps me to create the song. I find it detracting if what I'm working on doesn't sound like the end result I have in my head. (EX. If the guitar needs EQ'ing it will throw me off till I fix it.)

All of these may be a culmination of bad habits, but I'm 100% self-taught on every thing I do, and because of that know no other way.
 
I play everything myself, and I always go through the whole tune on every instrument, like you would have to do in a live situation, as Glen said. Then, I go back and punch in if needed. I do all my tracks to a click track (Actually, a drum machine beat), and then record drums last.
 
We don't have much a choice with only 2 inputs and 8 tracks.

I like raw and dirty myself so if there's a minor flub...it sounds more live to me...they're only demos after all...and it's psychobilly. Sloppy as fuck!!!:D
 
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