Tracking guitars BEFORE drums

[rchoi54]

I've been tracking guitars and bass before drums for my past couple projects and I can honestly say it's worked out great.
No time wasted on scratch tracks since the real tracks are already there and since I always use a click there really isn't a problem we've encountered.

I am kind of anxious about it however since it comes off as so unconventional.
Are there any problems anyone sees in this method?
I feel like I'm forgetting something ya know?

Thanks.

 

[Trevoire520]

The only problem you might get is that sometimes people play slightly differently to a click than they do to a drummer. Not really much of a problem if you're totally editing drums to the grid but if you want to keep a little groove and live-ness to it then it might not work out so well.

 

[colonel_claypoo]

did that one but probably won't do it again.
guitarist said he could play to a click but it was way off. it turned out to be so distracting for the drummer that he seemed to be constantly listening to either the click or the off-guitar.
so we ended up doing the drums to the click and then the guitars to the drums+click and for some reason it was better.

 

[jipchen]

Hey I had the same question some time ago and the answers were also pretty positive:
http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/production-tips/647902-track-guitars-bass-before-drums.html

I can't tell you how it went because we still haven't started tracking the drums, though.
We tracked to MIDI Drums and the guitars were played / edited to be perfect, so the real drums shouldn't be a problem.

 

[AndrewPGlover]

We tracked a record exactly like that. PrePro'd everything on tour and then tracked real guitar, bass and vocals to a DKFH stem. After everything was tracked and edited we went an did the real drums and then edited to the grid.

The work flow actually worked really well. If it were a looser band it probably could have turned out like utter shit, but for the modern metal sound that most bands are after it is a totally viable alternative if you have to do it that way.

 

[Leon--]

i've done that before and im doing it again,no problems at all if you have a very good representing preproduction

 

[Firaxis]

yeah the only problem i would say is that if you are trying to groove around the drums then it might not work, but as some other guys have said, if everything is to the grid it should be fine!

 

[Morgan C]

I've done this before and ended up quantizing everything (bass quantized, guitar quantized in a few spots). Partially my own fault.. I struggle to hear timing faults during tracking that are immediately obvious afterwards, but partially because most people just don't play as well to a click as they do to a drummer. Plus the groove will be all off. If its metal, and you're planning on quantizing everything anyway, then go for it. If it's a more natural, groovier band, I'd track drums first.

 

[drope934]

My drummer is quit a noob when it comes to play to a click and he hasn't too much time to track his parts so I'm maybe going to track myself to a click and then record the drums to it... but I do this way only because my drummer kinda sucks anyway and will not be able to play to a click... If you can wait to record the guitars after, GO FOR IT! Otherwise... well wtf, if you can't do otherwise just do what you can

 

[Harley Barley]

I've done this twice. once where i just randomly played some guitar to the click kinda just jammed it didnt make sure i was NAILING it just made sure it had a decent feel/groove to it then played drums to it after, and it was REALLY OFF from the click sounded.. pretty bad actually. The second time i hard edited the guitars to the grid (they were scratch) and it worked out much better. The problem just becomes that the drummer is playing to the guitar not the click and if the guitars are off the drummers off.. and then when you listen to it all played back it seems off but singled out it doesnt sound bad, its kind of a the best more rehearsed member should track something first. Tracking to midi drums would work really well tho because you are playing to the feel of drums instead of a click so putting the drums in after would work well

We tracked a record exactly like that. PrePro'd everything on tour and then tracked real guitar, bass and vocals to a DKFH stem. After everything was tracked and edited we went an did the real drums and then edited to the grid.

The work flow actually worked really well. If it were a looser band it probably could have turned out like utter shit, but for the modern metal sound that most bands are after it is a totally viable alternative if you have to do it that way.

Thanks for sharing this andrew im curious as to which album it was that was recorded like this if you don't mind sharing of course

 

[JeffTD]

It can work but it's a pain in the ass and basically requires hard quantization of everything.

You best bet is to tightly track guide gtrs, track drums and edit if necessary, and then track guitars/bass.

 

[rchoi54]

Yeah I mean I'm already used to quantizing everything. I don't really mind it either, it is slightly time consuming but it always tightens up the mix ya know?

Thank you guys so much for your remarks though, I feel much better knowing how it's gone for others!

 

[AndrewPGlover]

Harley, it was The Great Stone War.

We tracked it at my place and were on a really really tight schedule. We hadn't practiced a single note of a song before hitting the studio but had done a lot of preproduction.

(It actually helped us become a much more diligent band as far as writing. We'd prepro or midi everything in the back lounge and bounce ideas back and forth.)

Long story short we hit the studio immediately after our 2009 headline run and Art would learn the songs as tracking for each song commenced. After we had "completed" the record we went down to some fancy studio and tracked drums. My room takes some creativity for good drum tones since it is basically just a 12x10 iso room.

The record would have been impossible without Dan Castleman being incredibly understanding and willing to do things differently, but it came out pretty okay.

 

[amarshism]

I imagine it might help a touch if you settle early on with your guitar/bass tone and know you want a guitar/bass heavy mix to sculpt the drum tones under.