ATTN: Guitarists/guys that record lots of bands

[TomCase]

Hello all, long time lurker.

I record the weekend warrior type bands. All the money comes out of their pockets from working some shitty 9 to 5, not from a label or band money from gigs.

I would NEVER tell a band member "sorry you don't have it, dude # 2 is gonna play your parts". I would never secretly replace anyone. I analyze each member and push them to get the best performance they can achieve. I will help them rewrite parts so it's easier to play/fits the song better. I will aggressively copy/paste, punch in, elastic audio parts so it fits.

I want repeat business, I focus on creating a vibe and a personal relationship with the band. The band chose who they brought to record. I'm not gonna tell someone they're not good enough to play on a recording.

Now if I was hired by a label or a producer, very different story.

 

[bryan_kilco]

Hello all, long time lurker.

I record the weekend warrior type bands. All the money comes out of their pockets from working some shitty 9 to 5, not from a label or band money from gigs.

I would NEVER tell a band member "sorry you don't have it, dude # 2 is gonna play your parts". I would never secretly replace anyone. I analyze each member and push them to get the best performance they can achieve. I will help them rewrite parts so it's easier to play/fits the song better. I will aggressively copy/paste, punch in, elastic audio parts so it fits.

I want repeat business, I focus on creating a vibe and a personal relationship with the band. The band chose who they brought to record. I'm not gonna tell someone they're not good enough to play on a recording.

Now if I was hired by a label or a producer, very different story.

I can agree with this. I guess it is totally possible for us to all track our parts, and if I'm going to be recording everyone, I'll just make them do it till its right.

 

[AHChris]

The tighter guy plays all the rhythms...

 

[SimonTaddio_Qc]

I'm not gonna tell someone they're not good enough to play on a recording.

It's still part of your job to say "that sucks" or "That guitar part puts Loomis to shame".
I think the more critical you'll be, the better the product will be at the end.
I'm not saying to tell the crap guitar player "Go home, you can't play!", there's always a proper way to get your message around, but you should definately record only the best player, even if that means one player gets 90% of his parts recorded by the other dude.
Of course, every band is different, so maybe things that will work for one band won't for another one.

 

[TomCase]

The tighter guy plays all the rhythms...

This is the right answer for the recording to come out the best. No argument. It just doesn't always make the best business sense. When the band breaks up and the weaker guitarist starts his new band, he's not gonna call me to record them.

It's still part of your job to say "that sucks" or "That guitar part puts Loomis to shame".

This is the biggest part of the job. It usually takes almost twice as long to get the weaker kid in the pocket. I'm not gonna sit there rippin bong hit's and tell the kid it "sounds great" and then keep his shit take. If it takes punching in every note, then so be it.

Real kick to the pants is that I charge by the project so it would be way easier/quicker to to let the stronger kid play everything.

The day i have the luxury of turning down work all this could change, but for now I'm in a small, competitive market and I am grateful for the work I get.