Recording + Drum Programming

BrandonS

BrandonS

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Apr 5, 2003
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Hi. Sorry I've been making so many similar threads lately, but I want to get the information here once and for all, to the specific questions... I'll tell you guys what I am planning to do for the next album(s), and hopefully you can help me out. I'm looking to get a fairly thick heavy rhythm sound, and a nice, coherent acoustic guitar sound as well!

I've heard you guys say "pan 2 left, and 2 right"... well it's easier said than done. I need a bit more information than that. So I record one rhythm take for the left speaker in two waves.... I pan one of the 100 LEFT, and the other one is panned what.. 50 LEFT? The same for the right speaker too, 50 RIGHT and one 100 RIGHT? Theoretically that would have some guitar way at the edge of the speaker and also slightly in the middle... but I don't know if that's correct, please clear this up for me? :erk:

I'm planning to record the acoustic rhythms and leads with a microphone instead of plugging it in with cables. I'd like to get a traditional woody sound without the hum and bad tone you usually get from plugging them in... This should probably be recorded and panned the same way as the guitars, right?

Also planning to record a vintage organ.. It has a top set of keys, bottom set, and bass pedals. One cabinet to put the microphone in front of. I'd probably just mix it like normal keyboards eh, 100 left and 100 right stereo..?

The main vocals should be recorded Pan 0 right, directly in the middle? Layered vocals still has the middle main line, yet also includes some panned 20, 40, 60 left and right (thats a 7-part vocal harmony, bish!) and those secondary channels have a bit of reverb and are turned down a bit, eh? Any specific details you guys can share here or did I kinda think of that properly? Best way to record growls, screams, and cleans and what kind of compression to use on the vocals without getting a terrible sound? In the past I've recorded them, used noise reduction, added compression and normalized the volume to about 55%... The compression makes it sound bad at times yet without it, the volume is very inconsistent!

Last but not least, drum programming! I've been using a program that lets me put in my own kit sounds, but it is very limited by how many I can put in and I would much rather use something else. I'd been using FL Studio with FPC for programming the drums. Can you guys tell me of something, perhaps what you use? Looking for something not too complex but with great soundbanks.. And yes, THE BUDGET FOR THIS IS $0! :cry:

If I've got any more questions, I'll ask them here later!
 
Rhythm guitars, pan like one track 100 left, one 100 right, then two panned 80 left and right, with a more scooped tone. Each track should be a different take, ie record the song's rhythm 4 different times.

Acoustic should be panned pretty much same as guitars, vocals generally centre, unless there is multiple tracks, which maybe pan slightly L/R 30% at most.

Keyboard should stay centre, unless there is multiple instruments playing the same tune, which is where you might wanna pan them to seperate them out a little.

Growling/Screaming vocals I would compress a lot. Clean vocals, maybe not so much. I've just started doing vocals, and Growls wise I found compressing the shit out of them didn't change the sound all that much, but made them very consistent in level. Also I would put reverb on every channel of vocals, but not too much, use your ears here, and the same with the levels for each track of vocals, just use your ears and see what sounds best. But don't pan them too far away from the centre, as I've found this makes them less natural.

And drums wise, there is nothing I would use apart from Drumkit From Hell Superior, on a $0 budget, you will not find anything that sounds that good. DFHS is the way, save up till you can get it, basically.

I hope that answers all your questions, lemme know if there's anything else you need help with.
 
Yup, Cobhc said it pretty well.

Recording acoustic guitars is an art in itself. I've had very good results with one mic pointed at the 12th fret about 6 inches away from the neck, and one mic pointed over your shoulder so that it would be allmost where tour ear is. And I'd use the output from the guitar. You might not end up using it, but it's better to have it and not use it, than to need it and don't have it.
 
When I listen to CDs it never sounds like they've recorded the guitars 4 different times, it always sounds like just one rhythm take, with a possible guitar lead on top... Wouldn't the consistency of the tone be pretty bad if I recorded the rhythm 4 times?
 
Oinkness said:
When I listen to CDs it never sounds like they've recorded the guitars 4 different times, it always sounds like just one rhythm take, with a possible guitar lead on top... Wouldn't the consistency of the tone be pretty bad if I recorded the rhythm 4 times?
Click to expand...

It will sound like one rhythm track, but it will be 4, because they are very tightly tracked, so the really middy track and the really ballsy track will merge and sound like it's one track. You've just gotta play to a click track and keep tracking them till they're tight.
 
exactly. the trick is to get them all fairly consistent with slightly different tone, covering all the tonal properties you want. it's no good really to just copy one take to 4 tracks.
 
Yeah but I don't really write stuff that is tame enough to record 4 times and have it be exactly the same.... :cry: and I have some rhythms that are all just fast tapping parts and not actual chords... :eek:

Would it be possible to record rhythm once at 100 LEFT, and then copy it to 80 LEFT and just edit the tone in the computer? I have all my tones made in the computer anyway, heh... I've got some nice plugins though.. :)
 
Oinkness said:
Would it be possible to record rhythm once at 100 LEFT, and then copy it to 80 LEFT and just edit the tone in the computer? I have all my tones made in the computer anyway, heh... I've got some nice plugins though.. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah, but I wouldn't bother. That won't work as well as you'd think. (I've tried) You can reamp that same take into a different amp or same amp with different settings and pan THAT slightly differently for that effect. That works great!

Also, Try using two mics on the same cab for tonal difference and panning two takes L and R 90%. That's what I do for more tech death things because I like to be able to hear everything in that kind of music. The Necrophagist sound is my all time favorite technical sound, check that out! Amazingly clear for metal. Very clinical, you don't get that with four tracks. Anyway, my rambling all comes down to whether you use two tracks or four totally depends on the situation. Sometimes a combination is good. Sounds like two is right for you.
 
Oinkness said:
Yeah but I don't really write stuff that is tame enough to record 4 times and have it be exactly the same.... :cry: and I have some rhythms that are all just fast tapping parts and not actual chords... :eek:
Click to expand...
learn precision playing. so many musicians seriously lack in that department, my former self included.
 
A microphone comparison thread I read in this forum not too long ago contained a suggestion about using a different mic for rhythms than you do for leads. Ideally that would give them more natural separation in a mix and reduce how much panning and post EQ is needed.
 
Oinkness said:
Yeah but I don't really write stuff that is tame enough to record 4 times and have it be exactly the same.... :cry: and I have some rhythms that are all just fast tapping parts and not actual chords... :eek:

Would it be possible to record rhythm once at 100 LEFT, and then copy it to 80 LEFT and just edit the tone in the computer? I have all my tones made in the computer anyway, heh... I've got some nice plugins though.. :)
Click to expand...

You just need to really learn what you're recording, and tracking shit 4 times will get your chops up as well. Is your stuff any more technical and fast than Nile or Cannibal Corpse?
 
cobhc said:
You just need to really learn what you're recording, and tracking shit 4 times will get your chops up as well. Is your stuff any more technical and fast than Nile or Cannibal Corpse?
Click to expand...
Nile or cannibal corpse? Hell no! It's more around the realms of progressive rock, melodic death, and black metal... those three areas... I don't have a cab or an amp, and I only have one USB-powered microphone, so any kind of amp-micing is out of the question. What I do have is a Line-6 TonePort which sends the guitar tone into the computer where it is changed through a program (Gearbox) that I make all the special tones and effects through, and I record with the microphone-output on the toneport into the microphone-input on the laptop.

If it takes recording the rhythm twice per side, I might be able to do that, but for acoustic strumming and even tremolo full chords on heavy guitar, that might be kinda hard. :zipit: Hear some neat little demos here, diversified stuff: http://www.myspace.com/oinkness

There's a melodic death demo, uhh... soft rock(?), another soft rock tune that is kinda embarrassing but tr00, and last but not least, a space metal tune. The most recent of all of those is the melodic death one, its "Rainwound song demo 1" or something. What kind of recording per left and right would you recommend for that? And I usually have the melo-death, black metal, and progressive rock all in the same song so that could become tricky??

thanks :D
 
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