Noob recording to click/grid for the first time tomorrow...any tips?

[sk8ersick666]

hey guys
First of all...HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!

So I'm recording my first metal band to a click/grid for the first time tomorrow and I'm kind of feeling clueless/nervous etc.

I've been using my friend's and their bands as recording practice for almost a year now, but everything I've been doing is straight live playing (mic drums and scratch guitar, slap some headphones on drummer and press record) I've used a click track a bunch of times but always just as a guide for the drummer/band to be in time and always with slower kind of music like pop rock, etc and never to a grid (most of the drummers I record can barely keep a beat so click track is necessary sometimes)

My friend calls me and tells me he wants me to try recording his band with a click/grid etc. I tell him he'd probably want to go to a real studio for a production of that magnitude and he tells me he tried but they are all broke..lol..so I figure what I'd give it a try, more practice for me.

I tried setting up a grid to their clicks with Cubase but I gave up because I can't even figure out how to make tempo changes so I switched to Reaper (better idea?), I was able to set up all their clicks/scratch guitars and their tempo changes to the "grid". I feel like I have everything I need..so my question is...

Am I missing something? am I going way over my head?? Is there anything I need to know about click track recording that I don't know and probably won't figure out until is too late? Was the switch to Reaper a bad idea?? Am I even making sense??

Just a noob looking for some guidance from the pros.

 

[::XeS::]

I don't understand why in the 2010, musicians wanna play 200bpm songs without click. And I don't understand why bands don't know which tempos their songs have..... it's patetic.
Today there are shitty programs like guitar pro that allows everybody to write song, parts, tempos, marks....it's very easy to write a song with these programs and they are very helpfull for the guys like us, to set projects, tempos, changes, sections,etc....
I think I'll force bands to use guitar pro in the future.

 

[Oak]

I don't understand why in the 2010, musicians wanna play 200bpm songs without click. And I don't understand why bands don't know which tempos their songs have..... it's patetic.

Heard about something called 'groove' and 'feeling' ?

 

[Line666]

Heard about something called 'groove' and 'feeling' ?

*facepalm*

 

[sk8ersick666]

...not helpful guys...not helpful..lol

 

[NicholasDWolfwood]

Heard about something called 'groove' and 'feeling' ?

If you're playing 200bpm+, I doubt you're considering "groove" and "feeling" when writing.

 

[Trevoire520]

As long as you've got the tempo and bars mapped out correctly you should be fine dude.

Heard about something called 'groove' and 'feeling' ?

ffs

JUST BECAUSE YOU RECORD TO A CLICK DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN YOU HAVE TO QUANTIZE THE DRUMS 100% TO THE GRID!

A good drummer can actually groove with the click, playing slightly ahead or behind it depending on what feel is required. If the chorus is meant to be a bit quicker than the verse then you can program that in.

The fact is, the majority of drummers are not very good at holding a steady tempo. A click track gives them an absolute correct reference so that they can keep the tempo consistent.

 

[Harry Hughes]

Heard about something called 'groove' and 'feeling' ?

Because whether or not you record to a click determines if the song has groove and feeling or not Get the fuck out of here with that nonsense man, a good song is a good song whether or not it was recorded to a click or not.
You may not like it, fine, but others do.

 

[Metaltastic]

Heard about something called 'groove' and 'feeling' ?

Ok ok, I'm sorry, I know that was lame, but I couldn't resist, Merry XMAS everybody

 

[JonWormwood]

ROFl

win.

 

[sk8ersick666]

okay...again not helpful..but thanks Trevoire for the encouragement..lol

 

[Melodeath]

I don't agree with what Oak said, but I side with his point of view. It's perfectly acceptable for bands to play without a click. I don't see what 2010 has to do with it. A lot of people just make and play music and don't care about the technicalities of it like what their exact bpm is or anything.

My band does not practice with a click, and we don't have tempo issues when we record. We've recorded with and without a click, and it goes so much faster without a click, and without any detrimental side-effects. We play steady and we know how our songs go. Trying to put a tempo to our songs has sometimes made them feel unnatural compared to just "winging" it and letting it flow like usual.

 

[egan.]

To the OP. It sounds like you are ready. Inevitably you will run into some issues but just stay cool and be pragmatic and you'll make it through. 10:1 the drummer is going to have a much harder time dealing with the click than you are. Best luck.

 

[ahjteam]

Be ready to OD on editing, because you will hate every second of it

 

[Brandon E.]

My friend calls me and tells me he wants me to try recording his band with a click/grid etc. I tell him he'd probably want to go to a real studio for a production of that magnitude

lol

 

[GMFx]

hey guys
First of all...HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!

So I'm recording my first metal band to a click/grid for the first time tomorrow and I'm kind of feeling clueless/nervous etc.

I've been using my friend's and their bands as recording practice for almost a year now, but everything I've been doing is straight live playing (mic drums and scratch guitar, slap some headphones on drummer and press record) I've used a click track a bunch of times but always just as a guide for the drummer/band to be in time and always with slower kind of music like pop rock, etc and never to a grid (most of the drummers I record can barely keep a beat so click track is necessary sometimes)

My friend calls me and tells me he wants me to try recording his band with a click/grid etc. I tell him he'd probably want to go to a real studio for a production of that magnitude and he tells me he tried but they are all broke..lol..so I figure what I'd give it a try, more practice for me.

I tried setting up a grid to their clicks with Cubase but I gave up because I can't even figure out how to make tempo changes so I switched to Reaper (better idea?), I was able to set up all their clicks/scratch guitars and their tempo changes to the "grid". I feel like I have everything I need..so my question is...

Am I missing something? am I going way over my head?? Is there anything I need to know about click track recording that I don't know and probably won't figure out until is too late? Was the switch to Reaper a bad idea?? Am I even making sense??

Just a noob looking for some guidance from the pros.

make them compose their shit in guitar pro - at least the drum tracks. Then export that midi into you sequenzer. tada. as you will see it has perfectly adapted both speeds and arrangements into your sequenzer. put on the click and make those asswipes play it over and over until it is perfect. there you go. very easy actually.

edit: use ez drummer or lm-7 or something as your vst instrument for the drums. you shouldn´t need it though. you can even plugin the guitar sequenzes onto some vst instrument and make your drummer hear them through his headphones.

 

[Mikaël-ange]

I don't understand why in the 2010, musicians wanna play 200bpm songs without click. And I don't understand why bands don't know which tempos their songs have..... it's patetic.
Today there are shitty programs like guitar pro that allows everybody to write song, parts, tempos, marks....it's very easy to write a song with these programs and they are very helpfull for the guys like us, to set projects, tempos, changes, sections,etc....
I think I'll force bands to use guitar pro in the future.

+ infini

In theory, before recording you have preproduction time and it's what is about...
Find right tempo and time signature, check arrangement...
According you already do this before start recording, where is your problem since you have your tempo map and all your marker?

I'm not a pro like lot of guys here but I follow recording rule's (same with labelling tracks, sessions... according to audio world guideline)

 

[::XeS::]

My advice is to try to record a song without a click, find the tempo, set the click and re-record it with the click, at least few bars per time.
Anyway, I think some bands can play without the click, but before this they have to learn how to play. If noob bands wanna play without a click is because they suck and not for the feeling/groove.
If a drummer wanna play without the click, he has to know what is the time and he has to be CONSISTENT! PERIOD.

 

[Mikaël-ange]

Little advice: book a session with guitar player and check each song riff by riff with him (record riff 1>search for good tempo/time signature, record riff2...etc). Simply what you need to do during preproduction

 

[MEGA DAVE]

+1 to making them write to guitar pro. i just recorded my first band to a click and they wrote everything in guitar pro and it went soooo smooth. cubase mapped that shit perfectly and any changes they needed (slower or faster click) you just click on the spot it needs to go faster or slower on the editing screen then just change the time signature accordingly on your control bar