Commitments before tracking???

[Grave Desire]

Hello all,

I'm new to this forum as a user but have been browsing for a while.


I was just curious as to what Inserts/effects do you guys put on your instruments before tracking, mainly the drums. For example on drums before going to tape, I usually just do some light compression and run through some Tube EQ's to warm the tone or maybe also do some minor EQing. I find it the safest way to track since I can do major editting later and still have the source material. Any thoughts or comments on what you guys do??

thanks,

-Dave

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

For me, just a little compression on vox, maybe minor verb on melodic parts just to make the singer more comfortable.

 

[Brett - K A L I S I A]

Nothing for me, except maybe a limiter occasionally if the snare is peaking the overheads in the red (though most of the time it's not even hearable, recording in 24 bits).

 

[elmuchoescadawg]

Hi, another new guy here. I generally try and record drums flat with no inserts, just the right mic in the right place on a well tuned drum. This then gives me options on mix down. Im trying to avoid gating these day and now use it more as a last resort than as a rule. I often end up compressing and adding a bit of EQ more to filter unwanted frequencies than to resculpt the sound. Hope this helps?!?!?!

 

[daver]

yeah, same with me (another newbie!), well tuned kit with good mic placement, only thing i do is touch of compression on vocals

 

[elmuchoescadawg]

Vocals are a bit different, ill crush em with a compressor if I have to. Same with a bass. Guitar i never really need to. Oh yeah EQ if I need to not just because I can!! It can be good to go to town on the EQ etc depending on what type of sound your going for.

 

[Grave Desire]

Yeah with Vocals Compression before tracking seems to be a smart move just to make sure the dynamics are under control. I usually also compress the bass, but more so it's DI track since Recording straight from the bass seems to be alot more wide as far as dynamic range.

 

[Razorjack]

Everything dry, as others others have said; Good mic placement + choice, on a good sound source.

Mixing can be the hardest thing in the world if the sounds don't fit naturally *before* mixing.

 

[Killing Angels]

Yeah, I'm with Razorjack on that, if your drum tuning and instruments aren't great and complimentary to each other well going in, you'll have a lot more work to do come mix down. You can't make a weedy guitar sound into a monster tone (or rather it's much better to be shaping up a great tone than to completely remould a bad one).

In other silly words, you just can't EQ a bunch of dogs and monkeys to sound like a herd of cows... ...