Coaxing a good performance!

[-Gavin-]

So i'm currently tracking a band's EP at my studio and i'm sure that everyone here can relate to some obscure practises that ensure a really good performance from a band member!


One of my tried and tested ones for singers is give them like a mouthful of this Danish Mead i picked up in Oslo, it does an AMAZING job at lubing up the throat and can really make a scream last longer as it sorta coats the throat.



Post your obscure methods here!

 

[Polpotkin]

Our singer always eats som really dark chocolate with much cocoa before he starts screaming. It really makes a huge difference.

 

[KnifeVariable]

Our singer always eats som really dark chocolate with much cocoa before he starts screaming. It really makes a huge difference.

Haha that's what I do as well! That + any non bubbly (ie not Coke and such) sugar-filled drink - pear flavored tea is my drink of choice during rehersal/recording. And when things get really nasty (intense sessions, sometimes 4-5 hours long) chainsmoking 3-4 cigarettes numbs the vocal cords so much, they forget they're sore and in terrible pain! No kidding, drive 'em crazy I say!

 

[Familia><Publica]

Haha that's what I do as well! That + any non bubbly (ie not Coke and such) sugar-filled drink - pear flavored tea is my drink of choice during rehersal/recording. And when things get really nasty (intense sessions, sometimes 4-5 hours long) chainsmoking 3-4 cigarettes numbs the vocal cords so much, they forget they're sore and in terrible pain! No kidding, drive 'em crazy I say!

I'll send you a voice box for your 50th birthday.

 

[JBroll]

Kick balls.

Should the above fail, procure squash racquet and smack head with webbing. In resulting confusion, repeat attempt to kick balls.

Should the above fail on account of the absence of balls, punches to low abdomen and breasts will suffice. Take care not to leave permanent marks on breast(s) with squash racquet, as they may keep a waffle-like pattern for a short period of time if too much force is applied.

This will have precisely NO positive effect on your current client(s) but any customers referred to you will think twice about not giving good takes the first time around.

Jeff

 

[-Gavin-]

LOOOOL

 

[Jackal_Strain]

You know oslo is the captal in Norway right?

A good tip if you you have a nervous musician in he studio is to let him play all the way through the song a few times even if he makes some obvious mistakes. If you stop him right away, the first few times he screws up, you'll destroy his confidence in a heartbeat.
I find it funny that tracking bands include so much psychology. I'm not really a very nice guy, but in the studio I put on my happy face.

 

[-Gavin-]

You know oslo is the captal in Norway right?

Fully aware of that I go to Norway quite often cause i have a few really good friends there

Infact, spent first day of this year on a pine floor in oslo in nothing but my boxershorts with the window wide open...

 

[Ermz]

'Do it again'
'How's that?'
'Do it again'
'How's that?'
'You can do better'
'How's that?'
'Again'
'How's that'
'Again'

Until the performers either run out of money or decide that they really should've taken your advice and rehearsed the songs to death prior to recording.

The best rehearsed musicians won't need any tricks. They'll walk in, gun the entire thing in a few takes, vibe and all, and the session will fly along.

But yeah, the whole high and mighty routine aside, I agree with Jackal_Strain. You can really fuck up the process by stopping the takes as soon as a mistake is made. A discerning musician will know when he's made a mistake, so let him keep going, it gives him a chance to warm up properly and get familiar with the song.

Whatever the case, the important things are that the musician #1: feels comfortable and #2: is warmed up. A break every hour or so lets everyone's heads reset, and prevent getting stuck in a cycle of failure with a take. So many times have I had musicians get into a mindset of 'I've gotta nail this, I've gotta nail this... okay one more take... one more take..' 2 hours later, they're still stuck on the same part. You gotta know when to hang it up for a few minutes and recharge.

 

[everybody's x]

try the ol' "just run through it a couple of times to warm up" trick. Record everything, but don't let them see that you are recording it.
people play better when there's no pressure. sometimes they nail it, and you play it back and they're happy and you are happy

 

[greyskull]

port works wonders for the throat

 

[sparkyness]

Slippery elm bark.....available at most health food stores either in powder form or capsules that can be pulled apart and emptied into a cup. Add a bit of hot/warm water and stir. Home-made Throat Coat. I never record my vox without it.

 

[brandy]

That's an important thing, shurely it is funny to have some joking about the individual torture methods etc...

But i think the artist and his performance is the most important factor in EVERY recording. As well as a positive relationship between band/artist and producer/engineer is most important for long time work and success. Even if your records are sounding killer, if the band/artist is unhappy with the recording situation they/he'll never come back.

Ok, now to the magic tricks:

There are so many, every human beeing is an individual, there are general things wich seems to "work" most of the time, but a good producer has to find it out in EVERY session. Even the same person might need different things on different days...

Recently i tracked BlackMetal vox a few days in a row - we found out that milk "did the trick". We had problems with the voice (cancelt a session 4 times the last months (!) because of a inflammation... We finaly tracked the vox and found out that drinking and gargling with milk realy improved the sittuation.

Others might be fucked up after drinking milk. Tea with honey could be cool for the one, and could be destroy the other.

Psychological things is even more important. One might provide you with the best takes when you are a little rude (but still on a "funny" way) - for example "wow, now THAT take was REALY bullshit".

Others might need a more sensitive approach "hey, i like what i hear, the last take was very good, even better then the first one, but maybe we could try to do another take, wich propably will be even better? I know that you can do that".


brandy

 

[elmuchoescadawg]

I find Psychological to be the main thing. If you can establist a relationship with the performer quickly and have them trust you its just a case of using your judgement on how you know them as a person to make them feel comfortable.
I did a session with a singer recently who is a bit of a diva and is prone to tantrums but I get on really well with her, she respects my opinion and work and knows I wont take her ranting like her band will but will do everything I can for her when shes working. We did the vocals in her living room and a few small fits aside we got really good resaults.

 

[Polpotkin]

Another thing, about talkback. Have a mic connected all the time and not inly the "push-a-button-mic", because after every take the band usually starts talking about how it sounded, and the singer doesn't hear a shit, and after 30 sec he gets a 'well... do it again...'. That can be very annoying for a singer.
And tell him what you didn't like, most times he will assume that it was out of tune when it might have been something else...

 

[Jackal_Strain]

Fully aware of that I go to Norway quite often cause i have a few really good friends there

Infact, spent first day of this year on a pine floor in oslo in nothing but my boxershorts with the window wide open...

Allright!
Maybe we'll run into each other on one of your Norway trips

 

[greyskull]

yeppers
a good performance is 90&#37; psychology 10% technology

 

[everybody's x]

I find Psychological to be the main thing. If you can establist a relationship with the performer quickly and have them trust you its just a case of using your judgement on how you know them as a person to make them feel comfortable.
I did a session with a singer recently who is a bit of a diva and is prone to tantrums but I get on really well with her, she respects my opinion and work and knows I wont take her ranting like her band will but will do everything I can for her when shes working. We did the vocals in her living room and a few small fits aside we got really good resaults.

Good tip. Also "Hey I screwed up the punch (or whatever), can you do it again? Sorry!" works too. Takes the pressure off them, of course you cant do that too much they will think you're incompetent

 

[theblackmoon]

Two things I learned:

1. Always talk to the singer or drummer after a take, choose your words to make him believe that is already really good, but lets try it again to make the perfect take.

2. When you have an idea expose to the band in a way they think it&#180;s their idea, thus making them fell less unconfortable by having an "outsider" giving opinion (although they&#180;re paying you for it), specially on arrangement and/or structure issues.

Sometimes nothing works and the band are a bunch of amateurs know-it-alls that believes that soon they&#180;ll be the next band to tour the world with Slayer.

 

[joeymusicguy]

Two things I learned:

1. Always talk to the singer or drummer after a take, choose your words to make him believe that is already really good, but lets try it again to make the perfect take.

2. When you have an idea expose to the band in a way they think it´s their idea, thus making them fell less unconfortable by having an "outsider" giving opinion (although they´re paying you for it), specially on arrangement and/or structure issues.

Sometimes nothing works and the band are a bunch of amateurs know-it-alls that believes that soon they´ll be the next band to tour the world with Slayer.

i've taken many different routes to gain the band's trust, especially on projects that i am producing and am expected to create great results

lately i've been creating a relationship with "the member" of the band (you know, the guy that does everything and if it wasnt for him, they wouldn't have any songs or anything), and tell him that past projects where i wasnt 100% trusted turned out horrible. although this sounds mafia style, its actually true, and it usually works pretty good.

just dont be a nazi, listen to what they've got to say and take it into consideration at all times.

but in order to get the best performance from someone, i usually get to know them really good and act impressed if im not generally impressed, by their ability within music. and then i can say things like, "dude give me that take that i know you've got in you man. wail one out for me dude, i gotta hear it man. you blow me away!" most of the time its not hard to do because i am already impressed by them and i actually do feel like a little kid sitting in front of a legend. and i can get that emotion to come across, and sure they'll get cocky, but they'll also nail the tracks for you and be very positive about the material and situation. and then from then on its just like, WOW that was a great take dude, and they'll start getting giddy and yep, you hooked em in the good cycle.