Recording songs in parts

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Pughbert

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Im currenty recording a song were the verses are very simple (a.guitar and vox), then theres a pause before it all kicks in with the chorus, then again the pause before going back to verse, and so on...

Im recording this song in sections then arranging it.

Is this a commonly done thing, does anyone ealse do this?
 
I personally prefer to record as live as possible but your method is certainly not unheard of.
 
I tend to do is get a solid take all the way through and then go back and do a few punch-ins to fix any problems.
 
yer, this inst somthin i always do, obviously its dont to what im recording.
 
The only problem I see with it is sync'ing it all up when you arrange it, but if you follow a click and are careful, you should be able to do it.

Metalica used to write songs that way, sort of piece-mealing different guitar riffs together to form a song...
 
Most software will allow you to do this very easily. I know that Cubase and Sonar do anyway. I've done this before when I've had someone over that just couldn't get a part right. I'd take the best one and then copy it over to where ever I needed it.
 
I do this for everything. Saves time - drop a few sections here and there, take a breather, do some more. Easier than doing a whole take and then messing up at the end, etc. Before moving to the next adjacent part, you can just start the recording of the next part on a seperate track a few seconds before you need - very simple to sync up, then mixdown if you need.
 
Pughbert said:
Im currenty recording a song were the verses are very simple (a.guitar and vox), then theres a pause before it all kicks in with the chorus, then again the pause before going back to verse, and so on...

Im recording this song in sections then arranging it.

Is this a commonly done thing, does anyone ealse do this?
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's pretty common. Mixing in sections is really common too, then taking those mixed sections and joining them together into one continuous song. It's really easy to do this with digital technology... we used razor blades and splicing tape to do it during the analog days... I've still got my cutting blocks and stainless blades somewhere... ;)
 
It's done all the time, yet a click track plays a critical role in all that. Unless you're working with bands that have the time down to the T.
 
I've done a bunch of tunes this way. Gotta 2nd the click track...it's essential. While writing/composing/laying down the pieces parts I work strictly with a click track then when it's all finished, I'll bring in a drummer to do the whole tune.
 
My friend that I'm recording with has been doing more of the recording at his house lately and he got me started with this. He will basically use two tracks to handle one "virtual track" - one track to handle the first part until a logical breaking point, then use the second real track for the next part, then go back to the first for the third part, and keep alternating until he reaches the end of the song.

By doing it this way, he/we can complete one good "take" MUCH more quickly than trying to get a few decent takes and picking the best one or two. Plus, since he/we get through a given "track" more quickly, we worry less about accidents like inadvertantly changing settings on our gear, forgetting to write down what the settings are so we can go back to them, moving on to another track and forgetting to go back to the one we passed on, etc.

It's been working pretty well for us.
 
vestast said:
Most software will allow you to do this very easily. I know that Cubase and Sonar do anyway. I've done this before when I've had someone over that just couldn't get a part right. I'd take the best one and then copy it over to where ever I needed it.
Click to expand...
I know it can be done. I was just trying to point out a possible problem. I personally don't like messing with cut and paste or punch in. I tend to just track from start to finish. I rehearse the hell out of my parts before I ever hit the record button. But that's just me. I may try to do it in sections just to learn it. If I ever get my studio off the ground, I may have to record a band like that. It would help to have that experience!
 
Click tracks, crossfades, and cutting and pasting

I recently did a project like that, and it came out very well. Use a click track, and you'll need to master crossfades! I did it in Cubase SX, and it came out very well, once I figured out the click track stuff. Also, I would recommend tracking a few kick hits, some cymbal hits, and maybe even a snare hit or two, plus some room tone (just let your tape run for 30 seconds, this can be useful in certain situations!). We found that occasionally the cymbal hits were weak at edit points, and having some clean ones to paste in helped out a lot!

(This is my first post, though I've been reading for a long time. Thanks to everyone, I've learned a lot!)
 
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johnsuitcase said:
...and you'll need to master crossfades!

(This is my first post, though I've been reading for a long time. Thanks to everyone, I've learned a lot!)
Click to expand...
I am still a newbie when it comes to mixing. I haven't learned as much as I like. I don't even know how to use crossfades (it's probably something I am doing and don't know it). Think someone could explain that to me? And for anyone else who may need it?
Thanks!
 
Cross fades, etc...

Rokket said:
I am still a newbie when it comes to mixing. I haven't learned as much as I like. I don't even know how to use crossfades (it's probably something I am doing and don't know it). Think someone could explain that to me? And for anyone else who may need it?
Thanks!
Click to expand...

A crossfade is simply fading one track out while fading another one in, so as to make a smooth transition.

In digital editing (like Cubase, my favorite), you put one chunk of audio after another chunk. Set them up so they overlap a bit. Then you create a crossfade, adjusting it so that the first chunk fades out smoothly, while the second chunk comes in fast. This way you avoid glitches and dropouts at your edit points.

I'm not sure if I'm explaining this clearly, but it's a technique that works well, and you'll need to master it anytime you're editing stuff with cymbals that ring out, or low frequency stuff like bass guitars.
 
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