Question for the pros on tracking.

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smellyfuzz

smellyfuzz

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I'd like to discuss TRACKING in songs with drums.

1) Are the drum ALWAYS laid First ?

2) What are the ingredients of a scratch track ?

3) My band (drummer especially) are afraid of losing energy
when going to tape, I like to track one instrument at a time,
How often are other instruments (like bass) tracked with the drums ?
 
not a pro here, but ill take a stab at it.....

typically the whole bands plays together and records takes until you get the drum track you were looking for, even if its a few takes that you have to cut and paste together....its usal to have bass rhythm guitar,vocals,keys on "scratch tracks" that may/may not be re-recorded....the idea is to re-record (overdub) theparts but sometimes the energy of the live performance pulls out some great tracks....

so,
1 - not always, but it is typical

2- bass guitar vocals & other rhythm instruments (though im not exactly sure if thats whatyou meant?)

3- its common for other instruments to play while the drummer tracks to help him get the live feel
 
Yeah, it really depends on the band. Some guys are great and can jive to the tune without a band playing, and then there are those that can't do shit WHILE the band is there.

I record all of my tracks to a click and then have a drummer play to that. Its hard for a lot of drummers to handle, which tends to be a problem.

As with anything else in recording...it just depends.
 
cant even find a drummer that can follow a straight line and you want him to follow a click, much less know what a click is...

"hey, my headphones are popping....and its way off time...":rolleyes:
 
You can play along without anything else, click or other members. You just need to have a good imagination/....
 
I track guitar, bass, drums, vocals. In that order.
I use a click track as well. If you want the drums to be more creative than simple 4/4 beats and you want them to really fit in well with the song, track them AFTER the bass and git.
 
I've done it both ways i.e.

1) the drummer goes down with guide guitars etc
2) the drummer goes down last.

It depends on the track and the drummer. Some like to play last as they can then get an idea of the dynamics and they have finished feels and solos and vocals to play to, otherwise they go down as gidge said.

cheers
John
 
Gidge, that's funny, but damn is it true. In fact, of the drummers I've been giving CDs to, not one of them has taken me up on my offer to give them a mix with a click. How many of them do you want to bet CAN play to a click?

But I do think that that whole "feel of the band" thing is over-rated. I'm not saying playing with others is bad or less desirable...if I could do it I would, but I think its up to the song and the player to feel something. What I'm trying to say is that a musician should be able to pick up on emotions in a song whether there's a band in the other room or not. That's what it means to be a musician...playing with feeling. Am I right here guys?
 
We track a little non- conventional---we track to a click but, use a Midi 21 pads (Fat Kat) to track the drums-->>that way we can track live in the same room with acoustic intruments or vocals and still keep a natural feel---then simply quantize the track of drums --and any mistakes are easily rectified with the Midi sequencer-,,,,,-the Midi source is a Kurzweil rack with 10 seperate outs so we have great control at the board---but always some type of click in the phones

cjogo
 
I always do drums first with the band playing with him/her, but it's just because I don't have enough inputs to track the whole band. Then I run the recorded drums through a PA and track guitars and/or bass. Then vocals. I need to get another delta.:(

And no...I'm not anything near being "pro"
 
You need some type of guide track with bass or guitar and vocals just so the poor SOB knows where he is in the song.
 
I think a big part of the reason that drums are usually tracked first is because they require the most set up time for a good sound. If you are paying for studio time and on a budget then you want to get the hard stuff out of the way first because the rest is usually a lot easier from a setup standpoint.

If you are recording at home do it however you want. Thats why people record at home anyway.
 
i track drums first becuase the groove and the vibe will be kinda set by the drummer. the rest of the band have a better idea of the mood of the track once the drums are in the monitors.
 
a lot of people will make a click track at the speed of the song, let the guitarist and bassist lay their tracks over that, then let teh drummer put his track over that, because then the drummer can really get the feel of it all. vocals last
 
I've done it both ways as well. In my opinion, there's a huge difference in the vibe of a song recorded live and one put together track-at-a-time.
Gidge was right from the get-go: usually the entire band plays takes until the drummer is happy with his part. We do it that way because drums are the hardest to mic, isolate, and re-create, and because they are the second most important part of any song, right after the lead vocal.
I also think a real drummer should very rarely record with a click. He should be playing off the feel of the entire band. THe greatest drummers know how to lay back or push the groove. There are some old Beatles and Led Zep tunes where the tempo varies widely in one song. I love it.
Aaron
http://www.aaroncheney.com
 
Scratch track with the rythem guitar, bass drums and vocals done on one track. Then do the drum track to the scratch track,and add all other tracks, then play it quietly with a mix of the rythem instruments in the cans for the vocalists.
Then erase the scratch track, it works fine and the energy of the track that you recorded live does transfer to the cd.
 
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