I just got done recording a band that had one of the worst bass players i've ever seen. He had horrible dynamics and really bad timing. I'm seriously debating just redoing his bass parts so they are in time so I don't have to spend hours editing the bass parts that he played, and then just not telling the band. I feel like that is rude, but there is no way that any of them would notice....
Have you ever re-tracked someone elses parts?
- Thread starter kool98769
- Start date
You could give them the version with your bass part as a additional version so the band can choose it. Otherwise if you simply swap it out the band is going to notice it and you could loose their trust. Also giving them the second version might get the bass player to practice more or be more concentrated while recording, when he realizes the difference.
Loren Littlejohn
Lover of all boobage.
Yes...
But he was allergic to my cat and didn't want to come back in so the band was fine with it.
But he was allergic to my cat and didn't want to come back in so the band was fine with it.
It seems to be done quite a bit around here but I personally wouldn't ever do it.
If a band has a bassist that sucks that badly I will let them know when tracking and they either go home and practise, the guitarist would track it or if they are adamant that that he has to do it and they can't come back another time then I leave it as is and everyone can hear how bad they are and I wont work with them again.
I also usually find that if a band has 1 member like this and the rest of the band hasn't realised then the whole band are usually terrible. I try and steer clear of this kind of stuff now and have declined bands for this reason. Sure it's money but in my mind it's not worth it.
If a band has a bassist that sucks that badly I will let them know when tracking and they either go home and practise, the guitarist would track it or if they are adamant that that he has to do it and they can't come back another time then I leave it as is and everyone can hear how bad they are and I wont work with them again.
I also usually find that if a band has 1 member like this and the rest of the band hasn't realised then the whole band are usually terrible. I try and steer clear of this kind of stuff now and have declined bands for this reason. Sure it's money but in my mind it's not worth it.
sk8ersick666
I need a beer...
I actually had this happen to me before.
Bass player took forever to track one song and it was literally an unmixeable mess. After finishing that one song I stopped the session and i said: "Ok, you obviously don't have written parts so I can sit here and keep getting paid by the hour while watching you improvise your parts only so I can struggle to mix you out later, or you can give the bass to your guitar player and he can just follow what he plays on guitar for the next 5 songs" He said, "I appreciate the honesty" and gave the bass to his guitar player.
After they were gone I re recorded the bass for that one song he did and never told them.
Bass player took forever to track one song and it was literally an unmixeable mess. After finishing that one song I stopped the session and i said: "Ok, you obviously don't have written parts so I can sit here and keep getting paid by the hour while watching you improvise your parts only so I can struggle to mix you out later, or you can give the bass to your guitar player and he can just follow what he plays on guitar for the next 5 songs" He said, "I appreciate the honesty" and gave the bass to his guitar player.
After they were gone I re recorded the bass for that one song he did and never told them.
C_F_H_13
Protools Guru
bahahahaha awesome.
I had literally the same scenario, and I did re track the bass player and didn't tell him....
Don't feel bad!
http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/production-tips/691202-bass-playing-metal.html
Glenn Fricker
Very Metal &Very Bad News
Talk to one of the band's guitar players about having him record the bass. Just don't tell the bass player
That way, you don't even have to learn the songs. Worked for me on a project way back in 2000 & the bass player from the group still doesn't know he never played on the record even to this day!
Aaron Smith
Envisage Audio
I retracked electric guitars for a band once, after the band went home, about five years ago. It was a five song project and I retracked about 85% of the parts, hahaha... Mostly simple metalcore riffing, but there was just no way it was ever going to be tight unless I replayed it!
It's kinda the position that i'm in. It's kinda similar, but less technical music than what my own band plays. It has really simple rhythms and is easy to pick up. They already knew i was doing a ton of editing on their stuff as they were going...which is probably bad, but we were on limited time because they took so damn long to track guitars...which didn't turn out very good either. There was a couple times where i told their guitar player to play a part again, and he literally asked me, "can't you edit it? no. its easier for you to play your own goddamn songs right.
amarshism
Member
Just got home from tracking a bass player who took 4 hrs to do two songs. Then I did two song in front of him in 10 mins. He was stoked.
Not even edited. At all.
Not even edited. At all.
dan weapon
Planet Smasher
The thing about terrible players is they don't realise how terrible they are. So if you play the parts and it sounds way different (i.e. better) than it did when they tracked, and they ACTUALLY notice - just say you edited it heaps. Because if they can't tell how bad they are then they won't have a clue about what you can and can't do when it comes to editing.
I don't see how editing a terrible take to fuckery and back is any more or less kind than just replaying someone's parts. For all intents and purposes, if you are having to super-edit tracks it's not like it's really representative of the person who "played" it anyway.
I've done it before, but not often.... it's kind of a last resort and I'd rather not hurt anyone's feelings by telling them or any of the band mates.
I don't see how editing a terrible take to fuckery and back is any more or less kind than just replaying someone's parts. For all intents and purposes, if you are having to super-edit tracks it's not like it's really representative of the person who "played" it anyway.
I've done it before, but not often.... it's kind of a last resort and I'd rather not hurt anyone's feelings by telling them or any of the band mates.
fade_2_black
Member
Yep. I'm sure a lot of producers and engineers do. When I'm working on an important project that is going to have my name on it, I'm not going to be happy with it sounding bad. I rarely have needed to redo large parts, just bits and pieces.
these days if I know I'm going to retrack it, I just take it and play it right there in front of them. No sense in wasting that much time.
Executioner213
Ultimate Meatbag
I've done it a few times....on bands I've recorded, as well as a couple for someone else. It's actually kinda funny, but it always turns out 100x better.
One band was kinda mystified how their bassist only tracked for a few hours and was done, while it took the rest of them several sessions.
He played so bad from the beginning, my buddy just went through the motions with him to let him think he tracked it all perfect...then he came and got me and we did it all over in a day.
One band was kinda mystified how their bassist only tracked for a few hours and was done, while it took the rest of them several sessions.
He played so bad from the beginning, my buddy just went through the motions with him to let him think he tracked it all perfect...then he came and got me and we did it all over in a day.
professorlamp
I are Joe
I retracked guitar and bass for one band, they didn't get told
and I retracked guitar for another who also never got told.
Both never noticed
and I retracked guitar for another who also never got told.
Both never noticed
Yes. Bass parts. Told the bassist, in the interests of encouraging practice, didnt tell the band, told the bassist not to tell the band, told the guitarists when they said 'those guitars a meaty as fuck' that 'thats called a bass guitar', hoped they might appreciate the importance of it and help the bassist along in the band and with his craft.
Tracked some guitars, too, but at the request of the guitarists.
Tracked some guitars, too, but at the request of the guitarists.
