recording drums last......

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Greg_L

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....well not dead last. just last before the vocals. i record all of my 'music' to a click track. all of it. i record the bass, guitars, leads, and everything before i do the drums. as long as i can hear that 'beep beep beep' im comfy with recording the music with no drums yet. once thats done, i listen to the music and the click track to record the drums. it just seems easier to me. i like to focus on on ething at a time, and i have to at least have the musical backbone laid down before i can do drums. i have no problems playing my drums to a click track and the music. am i weird? does anyone else do it this way?
 
That method works fine for me, but I find that a drum loop is easier to play along with, I like to hear the kick to let me know where I am. But recording them last allows you to throw a nice accent crash in if the guitar does something exciting during the solo (and of course there is ALWAYS a solo)
 
when I also record my own material, that is how I still do it, but I learned the hard way. Recording drums last is not the norm. I had this emo band, and I royally f**ked up, I tried getting them to record drums last. HUGE MISTAKE, AND I WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN. Now I record the drummer and a scratch guitar first. your ok recording drums last if you are able to play to a click, but dont try it with anybody else

peace
 
I've been workin it both ways and I've found that I play better drums if I have the energy of the guitars and bass etc to ebb and flow the tune.

I play everything to a click tho so maybe that makes the difference.
 
I just tried this today after seeing the drummers on drummerworld seem to be putting down their tracks last. I tracked some bass with a click then the drums. I found it a little hard, but i kinda like the idea. If it works for you, go for it!
 
I think it just depends on the skill of the drummer....I have never recorded drums last but I have worked with drummers who I dont think would have a problem with it...on the other hand...I have worked with drummers who would probably tilt their head a little like a confused puppy if you even suggested it....
 
When I'm writing my own stuff I usually start with whatever stupid melody popped into my head. I find I'm more creative that way because I'm not try to make the melody jive with the drums. However for clients, scratch drums first.
 
Greg_L said:
....well not dead last. just last before the vocals. i record all of my 'music' to a click track. all of it. i record the bass, guitars, leads, and everything before i do the drums. as long as i can hear that 'beep beep beep' im comfy with recording the music with no drums yet. once thats done, i listen to the music and the click track to record the drums. it just seems easier to me. i like to focus on on ething at a time, and i have to at least have the musical backbone laid down before i can do drums. i have no problems playing my drums to a click track and the music. am i weird? does anyone else do it this way?
Click to expand...

I do the same thing. But i just make a hi hat click track in reason for a more familiar click sound.
 
Dogbreath said:
I've been workin it both ways and I've found that I play better drums if I have the energy of the guitars and bass etc to ebb and flow the tune.

I play everything to a click tho so maybe that makes the difference.
Click to expand...

maby some rageing flute and mouth harp too.. lol
 
I do everything myself, and I'm a drummer first and foremost. But my drums go last, soemtimes even after the vocals, depending how I feel.

I do all my tracks to a simple drum machine beat, and then play the drums to all the tracks with the drum machine as my guide.
 
Depending on the song and the drummer click tracks do work but IMO click tracks take away from the artists natural flow, click tracks some times throw really good improv drummers off but other more technical drummers rely on clicks alot.
 
Good improv drummer = cant keep time?
not trying to be a smartass, just curious, as most professional recordings use click tracks.
 
It's funny you posted about click trax our drummer hates them refuses to even try to record with them saids he won't compete with a machine. I think it depends alot on your drummer because I see some drummers can't do without them and some won't use them. The way we do it is with drums,bass, and guitar and overdub the guitar and bass parts most of the time works out great for us but everybody has their own way of doing things. :rolleyes:
 
twostone said:
It's funny you posted about click trax our drummer hates them refuses to even try to record with them saids he won't compete with a machine. I think it depends alot on your drummer because I see some drummers can't do without them and some won't use them. The way we do it is with drums,bass, and guitar and overdub the guitar and bass parts most of the time works out great for us but everybody has their own way of doing things. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
A good drummer should be able to play to a click. Period. Not saying you always HAVE to play to a click. But if it "takes away from the feel"...then he needs more practice with it. Like anything else, it takes practice. A drummer who REFUSES to play to a click will never improve and probably shouldn't be in a studio.
 
Even with a click, I tend to think the recordings "groove" a little more when the drums are tracked first -- it allows the other instruments (especially the bass) to really "lock-in" with the drummer, rather than the click. It's subtle, but I think it makes a difference. YMMV.
 
RAMI said:
A good drummer should be able to play to a click.
Click to expand...
I'd take it a step further than that, even. A good drummer shouldn't *have to* play to a click.

The #1 job above all for the drummer (in 9 out of 10 music genres, anyway) is to set the rhythm and tempo of the song. If he can't do that on his own, he's not a very good drummer. Period.

Having the drummer play after the rest of the band (not including punching in individual alternate runs) is like having a driver running behind a driverless car.

G.
 
In my opinion, using a click track helps a drummer groove, it does not hurt them. "Feel" is what they do between the clicks. If a drummer can not play a groove with a click track, than most likely that is because the drummer can not play in time. The click points out his/her defects and they can't get past that hump. I have found that playing to a click gives the drummer the option to retrack drums at a later date should the need arise./ I like doing drums last, but I always set up the drums as if they were real takes, even though it may be meant for reference. In fact, I do that with most every track. You just never know when that scratch track may turn out to be "the One". In contrast to Scrubs, I have have found that often times allowing the drummer to retrack helps everything lock up even better. If not, than you should be keeping the original tracks.
 
I disagree about a drummer's lack of talent because he or she doesn't use a click track. I've known speedmetal drummers who don't use click trax, the talent lies in his or hers ability of dynamics of playing styles not if he can jam along with a click track. But I do on occasions use loops myself just to help the drummer get the groove or feel of the song.
 
i don't see anything wrong with a little tempo shifting but i do think that a good drummer should be able to hold a steady tempo when needed.
 
when i'm recording my own stuff (and therefore playing everything), i usually lay down a scratch guitar (and vocal) track to a click, and then record drums and layer the rest on top of that. the couple times i've created a drum machine part for the scratch guitar (instead of a click), i've liked what the drum machine track did for the song and left it instead. :D

i've never had a problem playing to a click track, but i've been playing drums to a metronome for 20 years now. the problem for me is getting the click loud enough that i can hear it over my punishing the drums, and keeping it quiet enough that it doesn't bleed into the mics during the "quiet" parts.

i find that recording drums last is far more difficult, as the productions tend to be "too much" to sift through. plus, like others, i find it easier to get the bass guitar to get with the kick, rather than getting the drums to gel with the bass. in the times that i've recorded drums last, i've always gone back and relaid a couple tracks (and always the bass). so now i just record the drums up front.

most of the bands i record are "inexperienced", and rarely do i make (or suggest that) the drummer use a click (i only do it if requested). usually i find that the drummers can't play to one and that trying to force them to do so screws everything up and they're best left unclicked. of course, most of the bands i record lay most of the bed tracks down "live" (with a few overdubs after the fact), and a click isn't overly necessary. plus, most drummers can more or less keep the tempo if you give it to them at the start of the song.

and the way i see it, if the drummer sucks so much at keeping a solid tempo that it interferes with the overdubs (and can't play with a click), you're pretty much screwed anyway. and at that point, it's out of your hands unless you want to grid and edit him (and they don't have the kinda money required for that nonsense).


cheers,
wade
 
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