Genius Gone Insane
http://www.¯\(°_o)/¯.com
nice guys finish last, it's ok to be a cock, they'll respect you for it and play better and it'll sound better too
Things you wish you knew when you started recording bands
- Thread starter mintcheerios
- Start date
spioraid
Fancy a pint? Or two?
Learn the difference between what the client will see as "excellent professional advice" to "screwing with our musical integrity". But certainly make a list of non-negotiables, like DI tracks on the guitars, best possible takes before they are committed, i.e. all that's written above.
If they're willing to learn, fantastic. If they want you as some magician that supernaturally make Dashboard Confessional sound like Dethklok (even if you can), lay down the law.
If they're willing to learn, fantastic. If they want you as some magician that supernaturally make Dashboard Confessional sound like Dethklok (even if you can), lay down the law.
+1123989871632871387132
It's so easy just to say, "I'll fix that later." BAD IDEA!!! RESIST THE URGE!!!
Exocaster
Nozzle
- Aug 29, 2005
- 709
- 0
- 16
Then you're stuck with... having to fix it later, which is more tedious and sucks harder than sitting around while they get it right.
Move cymbals, tweak amp settings, whatever it takes to get it right before the mix. Get it from the band during tracking as much as possible, because it will not only make for an easier mix, but a better record as well all around. Some people, even on the completely amateur level are cool about this and understand that a recording is very much its own thing and you may have to change from their live setup to capture it properly. Some don't get this and may get all up in your face about it, and being able to explain that a mic doesn't hear what your ear does in a diplomatic way can be an important skill.
...and take a DI just in case. Some players really do have fantastic tone in the room and with good mic placement you'll never need it. Some don't, and you will. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
aramism
Member
few things i wish i did at first.
put some tape or some soft packing material on the headstock area of the guitar past the nut so that you don't get string ringouts. it's hard to hear but once it goes through an amp it sneaks in sometimes and is quite annoying.
make sure you point the mic capsules on OH away from the contact point of where the drummers stick generally hits the cymbal because you get these pops and it was all over the first thing i ever recorded and took me forever to pencil it out and some of them still didn't work. just observe the drummer play and take note of where his stick contact is and point it slightly away and make sure you listen for the pop in the overheads. sometimes you get lucky and can point at the area and don't get pops. judge by your ears.
these are minor points but it's usually the small stuff that you learn by mistakes.
put some tape or some soft packing material on the headstock area of the guitar past the nut so that you don't get string ringouts. it's hard to hear but once it goes through an amp it sneaks in sometimes and is quite annoying.
make sure you point the mic capsules on OH away from the contact point of where the drummers stick generally hits the cymbal because you get these pops and it was all over the first thing i ever recorded and took me forever to pencil it out and some of them still didn't work. just observe the drummer play and take note of where his stick contact is and point it slightly away and make sure you listen for the pop in the overheads. sometimes you get lucky and can point at the area and don't get pops. judge by your ears.
these are minor points but it's usually the small stuff that you learn by mistakes.
Thanks for the tips so far everyone. I was actually thinking about recording some EPs for people for free to get the word out, but is it really not a good idea? Maybe it's better to charge a small amount?
Also what do I do if people tell me things like "I don't want to double track, it's a waste of studio time" or "I don't want any compression on the recording"? I wouldn't really care if my name wasn't going on the record.
Also what do I do if people tell me things like "I don't want to double track, it's a waste of studio time" or "I don't want any compression on the recording"? I wouldn't really care if my name wasn't going on the record.
the freebie thing is a toughie...on the one hand, it's a great way to get people to agree to record with you when you have a limited body of work to present them with.
OTOH, there's a lot more potential for fucking off and not getting things done. what i would do is try to find a band that's you know is fairly talented - guys who can play an entire setlist from start to finish, whose drummer can play to a click, and who don't have totally crap gear. then approach them and tell 'em what's up...explain that you're trying to get your foot in the door with local bands, and you like what they have going on, and think that doing a few tracks for them would be really cool. i think the biggest thing is this situation is that even though you're offering up a freebie, you still have to act professional...tell them ahead of time that you still expect the drums to have new heads, guitars/bass to be setup properly with new strings, and pretty much have the rest of their shit in order - which shouldn't be too hard if they aren't paying you.
as for people refusing to double-track or let you use compression...just tell them that they aren't going to get the results that either party desires without it, plain and simple
OTOH, there's a lot more potential for fucking off and not getting things done. what i would do is try to find a band that's you know is fairly talented - guys who can play an entire setlist from start to finish, whose drummer can play to a click, and who don't have totally crap gear. then approach them and tell 'em what's up...explain that you're trying to get your foot in the door with local bands, and you like what they have going on, and think that doing a few tracks for them would be really cool. i think the biggest thing is this situation is that even though you're offering up a freebie, you still have to act professional...tell them ahead of time that you still expect the drums to have new heads, guitars/bass to be setup properly with new strings, and pretty much have the rest of their shit in order - which shouldn't be too hard if they aren't paying you.
as for people refusing to double-track or let you use compression...just tell them that they aren't going to get the results that either party desires without it, plain and simple
i agree with this alot, kudos to you
i have done that for a few people that i thought were deserving over the years, and i still manage to help out a few artists in need if i get some free time....
but free has its limitations, if its for promotional use only yes. other than that i wont do free work.......
I always say to the client "are you happy with the guitar sound" or "are you happy with the drum sound" so that they cant blame me if they're not happy later on down the line. I always make sure they have the final say. Gotta protect your ass!
http://www.myspace.com/deadrival
http://www.myspace.com/deadrival
paladin shredder
Member
If you charge them for the recording, make sure they pay you completely before you give them ANY cd with full songs (finished or not).
i learned that the hard way with the second band i ever recorded. figured since my best friend at the time was in the band that they would pay me soon... yeah, 6 months later they call wanting to record more stuff, but never paid me in full for the first project we did.
i learned that the hard way with the second band i ever recorded. figured since my best friend at the time was in the band that they would pay me soon... yeah, 6 months later they call wanting to record more stuff, but never paid me in full for the first project we did.
