Variety of techniques in an album

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leavings

leavings

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I'm in the process of recording an album now, the second that I've been a part of, but only the first by myself. When my band recorded previously, we simply found a functional setup and then recorded everything within that setup. There was enough variety in the instrumentation and sentiment of the songs that they didn't feel too similar.

Now, however, most of what I'm recording is myself and my guitar, with a few additional instruments and vocals on some of the tracks. I still feel that the songs are distinct, but I worry that I might only feel that way because I know them so intimately, and that their distinction may not be conveyed well depending on how I decide to record them.

So, I'm wondering what opinions people have about employing multiple recording techniques (mics used, placement, effects, etc.) over the course of an album. The album is thematic, all the songs relate to traveling, wandering, and the open road. Do you think it's important to use a lot of different sounds for the instruments? Will the album lose consistency if I do that? can you think of good examples of albums that have or have not used multiple techniques well? If I do decide to give each song a unique sound, is that better done in the mixing phase, or do you think the course of a song needs to be established when the song is recorded? Anything else?

Any input you have to offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Peter
 
Do what you think sounds best on every individual song. If you don't want your songs to sound exactly the same, you should try another style off playing, use different instruments, etc...
I mean the recording is just a way to put your songs "on tape". You should find a combination of techniques that sounds best for your song, and not because you don't want "this song" to sound the same as the previous one.

grtz
 
yeah man, I would experiment if you think the songs will all run together. I know what you mean. Either way, if you are writing within the same "style" of music, your own particular style SHOULD come through on each tune.
 
One nice way to add a little variety is to get different musicians to sit in on different songs. Add a special instrument to each song like a touch of organ or slide guitar that isn't on the others to help give the song a sonic identity.

A good example of an album that is all over the map with sounds and styles is the Beatles White Album. In some ways the album doesn't really flow that well because of it but they are still great songs.
 
I would burn a copy of the songs and let a second set of ears evaluate the material for consistency issues. If you can't find anybody in Ann Arbor, I'm sure somebody on this board would be glad to give you feedback. You might also set the project aside for a month, and reevaluate the material yourself with a fresh set of ears. There are also some objective ways for evaluating for consistency/inconsistency. Make a spreadsheet and for each song note: song length, beats per minute, instruments used, playing style (fingerpick v. strum etc.), song key, chords used, reverb levels, etc. Hopefully, you won't have ten songs in A-minor at 50 bpm using the chords from Dust In the Wind (sorry Kansas fans or anyone beamed here from the 70's).
 
Hey you take that back about with Dust in the Wind. Just thinking about that song makes me *choke* cry.

Leavings I don't think you can ever escape the inevitablity that the guitar & vocal phrasings you come up with will be unique to you and identify you and distinguish you from everyone else. This isn't a bad thing but obviously you don't want every song sounding the same. In addition to tempo and key the difference between songs is the rythym, and the syncopation of the riffs, the interaction between guitar and drums, the fullness or sparseness of the production, the intensity of delivery and the varying emotional content of each song
 
lemme guess, when the band recorded, it was more of a "get in there, hammer it out and be done with it" than your personal stuff is, right? and that you've been working on this longer and more involved than the band stuff, eh?

i have a problem with my intimacy with my material being too much--i think everything sucks, i look at it too harshly and i'm never happy with anything. and then 6 months go by and it hits me, "ya know, that really wasn't so bad after all". so at least i'm able to recognize this as being something i have to work/deal with, and that helps some.

it's hard making an acoustic with vocals record sound "varied" from track to track--i know that all too well. there's some good suggestions here (above). i see no problems with a "theme" or "certain sound" flowing through all the songs, but if you want to make them stand more as songs than as a collection, you can vary the pace, vary the instruments, and vary the song styles. but above all things, be true to the muse.

when i'm looking for "different" sounds, i do it in both places.....sometimes you can get cool sounds from abusing something or using in an unexpected way in the tracking stage.....and sometimes i experiment with different sounds at mixing--plugins really make that easy to do.

here's a thought, if you're looking to just "break up the monotony" of tracks that sound similar, have you considered samples or sound effects? maybe a sound of an engine or bus for a travelling song, waves for a song about the beach, a snippet of an infomercial to represent a motel room, etc. something to give a lead-in or lead-out to acoustic track. too much can go a long way, though, and it may not at all be your cup o tea. ;-)

and yeah, just post the url when you need some help.....if there's one thing people around here like to do, it's criticize.....errrr......critique. :D


wade
 
Thanks for the response everyone, and I will definitely be posting the individual tracks as I go through the mixing phase. But let me clarify my question a bit...

I don't think that the songs sound that much alike. I hadn't considered the method dwillis suggested, but now I notice that there are plenty of different keys, rhythyms, and speeds among the songs. The instrumentation doesn't change so much, but there is at least some variation.

My question isn't so much how to avoid having each track sound similar (and by similar I don't mean the same, but clearly a part of one project). The question instead is whether or not such similarity is good, something to strive for?

Thanks again, Peter
 
<< The question instead is whether or not such similarity is good, something to strive for? >>


in that case, the answer, like so many others around here, is "it depends". if it sounds good to you and works for you, then damn the torpedoes and go with it. but if you're having doubts about it, or aren't sure....then maybe it doesn't work for you. only you can decide that, really. i've heard plenty of good "examples" of cds that sound "similar" throughout (ie: Michael Houser's "Door Harp"), and cds that sound very different throughout (ie: Peter Gabriel's "Up"), yet they're both coherently flowing works of art that work on both an individual song level and as a whole, living entity. and i've heard plenty examples of ones that sucked.....or were good at one but not the other.


that's the beauty of this "home recording" nonsense is that we can make up the rules as we go. there's no one telling us what we can or should (or not) do. IMO, if it's true to the muse, and you're happy with it, then that's all it needs to be.....and the hell with everyone else. :D


wade
 
aesthetics

leavings said:

My question isn't so much how to avoid having each track sound similar (and by similar I don't mean the same, but clearly a part of one project). The question instead is whether or not such similarity is good, something to strive for?
Click to expand...

I recently mixed my first album and found myself struggling with the same question and came to the conclusion that this is partly a philosophical question that relates to personal style and taste. My tracks often have a relatively different sound because I essentially start over each time and pick out the sounds that fit my vision for the track, rather than finding one set of sounds that works and using them over and over again. It's more challenging but a good learning experience.

Guess my stuff might sound disjoint or noncohesive especially for the tracks I collaborated on, but as pointed out that's also true for major recording artists. Many of the albums I listen to have tracks produced by different people that also sound different, but in the end the artist is the cohesive unifying agent.

I agree with mr. face that for hobby-type/nonpro people it seems to be just a matter of preference; it's not too hard to imagine reasons for or against using the same/similar sounds for each track. Whatever works for you!
 
the most important thing about the cd is that you came through and were happy with it.
i don't ever really strive to sound like anything. i just kind of write.
any ways. after you record it just listen back to your songs.
if you're happy with the songs the way they site then that's what you want. if you get an idea while recording it that another sound would be cool in there (which can happen too) then don't ignore it by any means.
I personally like cds that sort of "bounce around" in styles.
loudermilk's "the red record" goes from like the whole modern vintage rock sound to some really good piano tunes among other formats.
but then there are other records like nora jones which didn't go in many directions and i still love listening to them.
i probably don't have the best advice of anyone in the world. you have some good suggestions. i just wanted to add that a band is simply just the members in a band making music whatever the styles may be. a solo artist is simply just someone writing music whatever the styles may be. in any and all directions.

but exploring musically is fun.
 
The only thing I would advise is to make your experimenting 'purposeful'. A client I once tracked wanted to try anything and everything because he really didn't have any idea what he wanted. When we were finished, he was not as excited as he should have been because he thought the songs didn't sound like he had originally intended them to.

I think experimenting is absolutely necessary, but just 'stay focused Daniel-son'

My 2 cents
 
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