Tracking your songs: Audio snap or record to a click?

[AD Chaos]

Hello everyone

So, I was checking slip editing in Sonar (AudioSnap, they call it) - useful vid for those asking about this function in Sonar, btw

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My question being, do you guys prefer to track your own stuff (solo projects) without a click and then slip edit like in the vid, or just play all your things to a steady metronome click?
The second option is the easy one obviously, but in the past I've imported CD stuff from bands I like on the DAW (for playing the solos, transcribing something etc) and the tempo is ever changing sometimes (because of the band playing I assume).. that sort of gives it a much more 'natural flow' as things sound more 'live' that way? I dunno if I make myself clear with this-

What I do for figuring out the tempo of something I'm doing is first I record the riff (gtr, bass or kb) without a click, then match the metronome value as close to it, and then re-record the bit but with a click this time, for tighter/easier multitracking-layering later on.
However this way I'm always under the impression things end up sounding more 'squared' and somewhat lifeless sometimes (depends on the part I guess?)

I'd like to know if you consider it is that much more difficult to edit everything and multitrack if the riffs are changing tempo every bar/beat or so

Do you have opinions or suggestions on the matter?
Thanks much

 

[RedDog]

Most of the time, I like a tight foundation. Get real in depth, learn the band's song inside and out. Get a general idea of tempo, and with each passage, adjust the tempo ever so slightly with each turn of phrase. straight verse, kinda faster pre-chorus, little faster chorus, and map that tempo out. Then I'll break the click out, timed to my tweaked tempo map, and let the drummer groove on it. That's for some good mojo on a rock song. Saves me the trouble of figuring the tempo on my own and timing a click to any individual part.

Personally, on metal and I'm doing my thing, I like a supertight, almost to grid feel. Although I prefer live takes, one solid performance, it definitely Makes slip editing a hell of a lot easier.

 

[Jind]

Track to a click and use Audio Snap to tighten the performance. I agree with RedDog in trying to get the best foundation you can and then use the tools at your disposal to correct the imperfections of human performance because regardless if you use a click or not, mistakes will happen.

As always individual mileage may vary.

 

[midget donkeys]

In the past I would do as the op said for finding the tempo of a riff. Record it then play with the click timining, set up the click then rerecord the riff.

The last few months I have been practicing picking along with a click and writting riffs with the click on all the time. It has made my playing and riffs I come up with a million times better than before. That is how I know a song is well written, when I can play it start to finish to a click without fucking it up.

I don't recommend coming up with melodies while playing to a click though. I find it impossible to write them with a click track snapping at me at 200 bpm.

Also I replace the tick noise with a tight punchy kick sample since the tick tock noise makes me go insane.

 

[lolzgreg]

Record to a click, or die a terrible and painful death.

If you're doing pre-production by yourself, it isn't a band idea to get a click going for the beginning of the song, play along, and see if it feels natural. If you do something even 5 bpm too quickly or slowly, it will kill a song IMO.

You don't have to conform perfectly to the grid. Let the performances breathe a little.



Cheers!

 

[AD Chaos]

Also I replace the tick noise with a tight punchy kick sample since the tick tock noise makes me go insane.

Actually I used the default cymbal sound on Sonar and it was AWFUL because it wasn't very loud and I could never get a good idea whether I was actually hitting the strings in time or not. After watching this video of Ishahn I decided to change the metronome sound to a loud beep (not insanely high-pitched, though) and that's much more 'accurate' and easily audible: