Imagine you are a guitarist-songwriter and you need a drummer to record drum tracks on a song that you’re working on. Would you be comfortable getting the drummer to do the tracks in a studio and then sending you the wave files without ever having played with the guy in person? I did this one my last CD and I’m curious to know if anyone else works this way.
Paying session musicians for tracking
- Thread starter Simmons
- Start date
MadAudio
Damned if I do
It depends on the drummer, of course, but speaking as a multi-instrumentalist-type-dude who is primarily a drummer and has done some online collabs before...Simmons said:
Do you have specific drum parts in mind or are you leaving it all to the drummer to figure out? If it's the former, then you may find the process runs a bit quicker. If it's the latter, you may get ideas you hadn't thought of that work great (or don't).
My 2 cents.......
fraserhutch
Flypaper for freaks
You don't have an option for those of us who have on occasion hired session musicians but don't do so "all the time".
I have also been the guy hired sight unseen to do tracks.
Generally, though, word of mouth is how people get hired for this sort of thing, I think.
I have also been the guy hired sight unseen to do tracks.
Generally, though, word of mouth is how people get hired for this sort of thing, I think.
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
I can't speak for how it is elsewhere, but in my neck of the woods there's a definite stratification in the levels of musicianship and the methods of hook-up.
In general, the ones good enough to be session musicians all pretty much know each other, if not personally, at least by name or reputation. There's a definite, if somewhat loose, network between the more experienced musicians.
These are the guys and gals that one needs to tap into as a source for session musicians. The greatthing is once you can tap into it, they can be relatively easy to hire because if one guy can't do it, he can probably name 2 or three other great guys as alternatives that you can call.
These people are the type you have to go to, however, they will not come to you. They can get work without you. They are not the type to answer ads in the local entertainment paper or to pull phone numbers off of ad flyers hanging in the lobby of the local Guitar Center. They are not looking for a band or for musicians for their band; if they need that they can usually find out whats up on that scene in just a couple of networked phone calls. If they were a family there'd be so much incest and deformed babies that even a trailer park would kick them out
Unless one gets real lucky, kind of player one attracts from a "session musician wanted" ad hanging on a bulletin board or through an Internet collabration network is not typically of the caliber one would really like to have on their record. I'd say it's about a 1-in-10 shot.
That's how it is around my orbit, anyway. I can't speak for elsewhere.
G.
In general, the ones good enough to be session musicians all pretty much know each other, if not personally, at least by name or reputation. There's a definite, if somewhat loose, network between the more experienced musicians.
These are the guys and gals that one needs to tap into as a source for session musicians. The greatthing is once you can tap into it, they can be relatively easy to hire because if one guy can't do it, he can probably name 2 or three other great guys as alternatives that you can call.
These people are the type you have to go to, however, they will not come to you. They can get work without you. They are not the type to answer ads in the local entertainment paper or to pull phone numbers off of ad flyers hanging in the lobby of the local Guitar Center. They are not looking for a band or for musicians for their band; if they need that they can usually find out whats up on that scene in just a couple of networked phone calls. If they were a family there'd be so much incest and deformed babies that even a trailer park would kick them out
Unless one gets real lucky, kind of player one attracts from a "session musician wanted" ad hanging on a bulletin board or through an Internet collabration network is not typically of the caliber one would really like to have on their record. I'd say it's about a 1-in-10 shot.
That's how it is around my orbit, anyway. I can't speak for elsewhere.
G.
JahJahWarrior
New member
This is the best site for online collaborations.
http://www.artistcollaboration.com/modules.php?name=Forums
http://www.artistcollaboration.com/modules.php?name=Forums
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Jack Russell
I smell home cookin!
I haven't done this specifically, but I did it once inadvertently. It was a gas!
I had a bass, drum, rhythm gtr. track, and I asked a guitarist to come over and play a 'lead' part. He did some minimal kind of coloring, which I really liked, and did a vocal harmony track (I sang the lead). Then I had another friend come in on a different day and do another lead part, playing off the first minimal part. The two guitar solo parts were really jamming together nicely.
Then I realized that the two guitarists had not met each other in the physical world, and, now that I think of it, to this day they have not crossed paths. It was a real nice track of blended solos in the end. A real gem.
So, yes it can work very well.
I had a bass, drum, rhythm gtr. track, and I asked a guitarist to come over and play a 'lead' part. He did some minimal kind of coloring, which I really liked, and did a vocal harmony track (I sang the lead). Then I had another friend come in on a different day and do another lead part, playing off the first minimal part. The two guitar solo parts were really jamming together nicely.
Then I realized that the two guitarists had not met each other in the physical world, and, now that I think of it, to this day they have not crossed paths. It was a real nice track of blended solos in the end. A real gem.
So, yes it can work very well.
Jack Russell
I smell home cookin!
Now, would I PAY someone to record that I had not met or played with?
Hell no.
Yes, I'm a cheap-ass.
Hell no.
Yes, I'm a cheap-ass.
EdWonbass
pull the goalie
I have been working with a band that that basically hired me to play bass and help them finish up their album. The drummer has a studio as well as myself and the guitar player. The guitar player laid down the guitars and had the singer do the vocals to his parts and a click. He sent that drummer and also to me. I worked on my parts but had no idea what the drummer was going to do. The drummer recorded his parts and them they send those tracks to me and I laid my bass parts down. The process was really cool and an easy way to work although I wasn't pleased with the final mix.
I only got paid for the gigs I did, but it was a cool experience and added a little bit more to my recording resume.
BTW, if anyone on here is in need of some bass work, I would be glad to help out. No charge.
I only got paid for the gigs I did, but it was a cool experience and added a little bit more to my recording resume.
BTW, if anyone on here is in need of some bass work, I would be glad to help out. No charge.
Fletcher
New member
I've done this several times but as the guy with the studio where we create a drum track for someone else. Usually what happens is the person who is getting the drum track sends me a copy of the song without drums... I figure out what will work for the song, call the appropriate drummer to get the job done... we lay down a drum part to the client's tracks... then we lay down another for the client to go rebuild the song over [which invariably feels WAY better than when we try to fit drums into existing tracks with anything but some VERY serious musicians on the original side].
The cost for that service is usually about $400/song for the first song and $300/song for the next two. Which works out to $200/song for the drummer, $200 for me for the first song and $100 for me for the subsequent selections if I don't have to radically change the drum sound from song to song. If I do have to radically change the drum sound, or if we're talking about more than 3 songs worth of material then the price is negotiated later. That said... I am talking about "A" list session players [one guy I can get from time to time is usually $5,000/song (but he'll shoot me a few hours here and there if he happens to be in town)... has a bunch of Grammies... played with Clapton, Dylan, Keith, etc.]... the regular guys have their share of hit records, etc.
The cost for that service is usually about $400/song for the first song and $300/song for the next two. Which works out to $200/song for the drummer, $200 for me for the first song and $100 for me for the subsequent selections if I don't have to radically change the drum sound from song to song. If I do have to radically change the drum sound, or if we're talking about more than 3 songs worth of material then the price is negotiated later. That said... I am talking about "A" list session players [one guy I can get from time to time is usually $5,000/song (but he'll shoot me a few hours here and there if he happens to be in town)... has a bunch of Grammies... played with Clapton, Dylan, Keith, etc.]... the regular guys have their share of hit records, etc.
RousseauBABA
New member
i did it quite a few times. nothing serious but it worked out pretty well.