Standard Procedure

M

mgiles7

New member
OK, this is a total newbie question, But I think it would really help some of us budding recording geeks to know what (and I am sure there might be varied opinions on this which is just fine) Most of you experienced engineers standard procedure is concerning recording.

Example-

Find levels and mic placement
Record Tracks
Insert Effects
Eq
Master
etc... etc....

Please shed some light and wisdom on this subject for us rookies. :)

Matt
 
I dont want to be too cocky. But after 117 posts you hav'nt found the answers to some of these questions yet ???
Thats almost like asking someone to write a book !
Most of your needs for knowledge on these subjects can be found within the 100's of posts posted.
Sorry, I think the Crown Royal is starting to kick in....:eek:
 
Not sure if I qualify as an "experienced engineer" but....

Instrument tuning
Song practice- paying close attention to how I play while NOT recording.
Think about how I want the instrument to sound in the song
Mic choice and placement, and preamp choice.
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Wow, that took a long time.
Making damn sure any compression is set properly.
Setting levels.
Recording tracks.
Listening to tracks to make sure they are OK.
Swearing and shouting.
Rerecording tracks.
Listening....swearing and shouting...go back to step 2&3 because I forgot it in all that fuss. Continue from there.

Record ALL tracks, adding only enough effects to provide an inspiring mix to record with.
Set all levels to zero, turn off all effects.
Mix (levels, panning, and mix automations) all tracks without effects.
Add compression and EQ where needed.
Set up a couple reverbs for "room" sounds and vocals.
Spend a few hours trying different delays and reverbs on the lead vocals.
Mix like crazy- tweak, tweak, tweak.
Make sure my automations are exact- edit if needed.
Listen to the mix until I'm sick of it.
Have friends listen to the mix and gather comments.
Run the stereo mix through t-racks to see if I can make is sound better.
Remix to sound like that without t-racks.
Remix.
Cry because I just heard a mistake that I should have fixed a long time ago.
Remix anyway, too late to go back.
(Always save copies of old mixs if you can.)
Remix.
Proudly delcare the mix finished!
Use t-racks only to "thicken" it a tad (I wish I knew how it did that)- and bring the level up to an audible standard as my other "finished" songs.

Keep the un-t-racked mix in a safe place for later real mastering.

Put "mastered" songs on a CD to give to girls I want to impress. :rolleyes:

Feel pathetic that music is about the only impressive quality that I have. :D

Chris
 
Chris -

Thanks for the input! That was very helpful to me.

Stealthtech-

I realize that after 100 or so posts I should Know some things that I don't, But I am nuch more interested in learning and gaining wisdom (despite the simplicity) than I am about saving face or looking smarter than I really am. People don't realize how the simple things get lost on a site like this, where most come in with a little working knowledge concerning recording. If you know of a thread similar to this one or a site dealing with something like this, I would love to read it.

On with the stupid questions!!!

Chris - what is a t-rack?

Matt
 
Yeah.....I understand......My apologies....I was.....well, drinking that night....should'nt even had been here.
But anyway, T-racks is a mastering program for adding a final touch to your finished song. Made by....well I cant remember right now...maybe IK multimedia.
 
I posted this to a similar question in another forum.

Here are the proper steps to getting a good recording:

1) Forget about sounding professional and forget about the radio. With your gear you cannot get a professional sound. With your experience you cannot get a professional sound. There is more science involved here than you can imagine. On top of that, learning to record is in many ways a similar process to learning an instrument. You cannot ask "how do I play guitar professionally" just as you cannot ask "how do I make professional recordings." You do not have to have a mega loud mix to sound loud on the radio. Intelligent people do not judge music on the radio by how loud it is, and it's less irritating to turn up than it is to turn down. The radio station limits the piss out of your music for you. And while it's hard for all of us to comprehend, our music isn't going to be on the radio any time soon.

2) Record some stuff. Decide what you like about what you've recorded. Decide what you don't like. Try to develope critical descriptions of what you're hearing that are as *quantifiable* as possible. What don't you like? Why don't you like it? What was it supposed to sound like? What do you like? Why do you like it? (don't overlook that last one)

3) Start reading. The net, books, it doesn't matter. Even if you don't know what the hell you're reading, read it until you at least get some terminology down so that you can have a discussion with somebody who knows more than you do.

4) When you can actually some specific questions....start asking like crazy.

5) Buy better equipment.

6) Repeat steps 2 - 5 for the rest of your life. By the time you die, you should have made at least one nice recording.

Slackmaster 2000
 
When you are starting out just try to keep your signals hot and clean. Dont add effects or EQ unless you absolutely have to. If the source signal is bad record it again. If the instrument is bad get a different one.

You can fix some things in the mix but generally Garbage in is Garbage out.

To have a clean multi track recording you must have clean single tracks. Always make sure that your input levels are set properly and you have as strong a signal as possible. If you hear too much hiss in the track then fix it now, not with EQ in the mix. Add 8-24 tracks of hiss together and you have a heaping pile of shit.

Do not worry about ANTYHING else until you have firmly mastered the above principles.

A neuman mic thru a neve console will sound like shit if the gain stage is set up poorly.
 
Thank you guys so much! That was all great advice and I feel much more focused already about some things I want to do.

By - Slackmaster 2k
"2) Record some stuff. Decide what you like about what you've recorded. Decide what you don't like. Try to develope critical descriptions of what you're hearing that are as *quantifiable* as possible. What don't you like? Why don't you like it? What was it supposed to sound like? What do you like? Why do you like it? (don't overlook that last one)"


That especially made sense to me and just asking myself those questions helped me sort through a lot of junk i was thinking about.

Thanks Again, and keep posting if inspired!

Matt
 
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