Reocrding Vocals.

[John Q]

Is it better to record vocals as a stand alone track and then add them to the background or to record the vocals directly onto the backing track?

 

[mikeh]

I'm not quite sure what your question means - or the recording medium you are using - but since vocals are such an important part of a song (which often require various processing/effects) a vocal track should be a seperate track which is then mixed in with other tracks when the final 2 track mix is prepared.

 

[TimOBrien]

If you record things separately, you can edit them or replace them later.

Recording together means you have ONE shot at it with no chance to edit other than throwing everything away.

....that's kinda the whole point of multi-tracking.....

 

[mikemorgan]

The first one...

 

[Zarathustra]

Well, the problem with multi tracking is that you can kill the liveliness of a band just playing together. There's a vibe between musicians actually playing together that's really impossible to record as multiple tracks. If you're recording really sanitized, bubblegum pop or by the numbers rock, overdubbing, while "safer", can make playing sound kind of lifeless and dead.

I guess the main thing is if the musicians are talented enough to play along with a recording and not get thrown off by it, just do it by musical discipline rather than vibe and feeling.

I haven't been recording my band for very long, especially considering how short a time we've been playing together, but it's definitely harder to edit something if it's all in one track.

Go with what sounds right.

 

[Freudian Slip]

Well, the problem with multi tracking is that you can kill the liveliness of a band just playing together. There's a vibe between musicians actually playing together that's really impossible to record as multiple tracks. If you're recording really sanitized, bubblegum pop or by the numbers rock, overdubbing, while "safer", can make playing sound kind of lifeless and dead.

I guess the main thing is if the musicians are talented enough to play along with a recording and not get thrown off by it, just do it by musical discipline rather than vibe and feeling.

I haven't been recording my band for very long, especially considering how short a time we've been playing together, but it's definitely harder to edit something if it's all in one track.

Go with what sounds right.

You can do it live and replace it later just pump the vox threw the phones. If you have an iso booth you can use the live track or try for a better take at a later time


F.S.