home recording workflow/mindhacks

[mukkemacker]

I'm not sure what forum to put this in because there isn't really one for high-level questions about over-all recording strategy and "mindhacks". What I'd like to hear is some general experience about how much time people tend to spend on tracking vs. editing vs. mixing, and how they structure their workflow. I work completely alone in my own home studio, so I have basically no external constraints that can help me decide when to stop doing one step and move on to another one. So I either hurry through them all and am unsatisfied with the result, or I dwell endlessly on every detail (which BTW is why I haven't posted here in several weeks...)

I've lately discovered a useful trick, of recording a bunch of takes and then taking my laptop to the café to work on choosing between them, comping them together, editing wonky bits, etc.: since I can't retrack anything there, I'm forced to commit to the tracks I've recorded. But now I find I'm spending hours and hours fiddling with the timing of every single note in my bass track. I have zero feel for when to just say it's necessary to go back and retrack it, or to just to say it's good enough.

I'd really just like to hear concretely how other people in my situation actually work and get things done. (Or is the dirty secret that no one actually ever does without constraints of time, money, impatient clients, etc.?) And I'd be very appreciative of any recording "mindhacks" like my café routine.

Thanks,
MM

[richiebee]

I often work alone, but have also worked lots with other people both as a session trumpet player and as an engineer. I've seen lots of different approaches. They're all valid.

I tend to find that people who like doing lots of takes for the perfect one end up getting bogged down in the editing process.

I like things to be perfect... many of the people I work with don't care so much. They're the ones that get finished products out quicker. They're often less precious about perfection in performance. I don't mind human performance, but some things can really haunt you... I cringe every time I hear some of the stuff I've let go to CD!

[sparqee]

Originally Posted by richiebee

I've seen lots of different approaches. They're all valid.

I tend to find that people who like doing lots of takes for the perfect one end up getting bogged down in the editing process.

That's interesting. I can see how someone who's a perfectionist in recording would also be a perfectionist with editing, but I find that if I put the time in to get a great recording then I don't spend as much time in editing. I used to cut corners in the recording phase and try and "fix it in the mix" but now I prefer to do more takes (if necessary) and spend less time editing and mixing. Besides, getting it right while recording improves my performance chops which then applies to live performance. Improving my editing chops doesn't help me one lick when I'm in front of an audience.

[richiebee]

Originally Posted by sparqee

That's interesting. I can see how someone who's a perfectionist in recording would also be a perfectionist with editing, but I find that if I put the time in to get a great recording then I don't spend as much time in editing.

I think I should have worded that differently... I meant people that KEEP lots of takes get bogged down. Being less precious over keeping everything seems to be the way to avoid getting bogged down, which is kind of what you're saying.

R.

[sparqee]

Originally Posted by richiebee

I think I should have worded that differently... I meant people that KEEP lots of takes get bogged down. Being less precious over keeping everything seems to be the way to avoid getting bogged down, which is kind of what you're saying.

R.

Oh, right. Deciding when to keep a take is the first step in editing and I much prefer to do that after hearing the take for the first time. Having to later sift through dozens of takes is a drag. The one thing I will do is sometimes relegate a "pretty good" vocal take to the "vocal double" folder. Then when I'm comping I'll decide where I might want a vocal double and I'll dig through the potential takes. Since I mix doubles pretty low in the mix I don't mind of they're just "pretty good". I can time stretch and pitch them as needed and the listener never hears them well enough to be bothered by that sort of thing.

[mukkemacker]

Originally Posted by richiebee

...people that KEEP lots of takes get bogged down

Originally Posted by sparqee

Deciding when to keep a take is the first step in editing and I much prefer to do that after hearing the take for the first time.

Thanks gents, that's already really helpful workflow advice for me. Earlier, I had been tending to...

Originally Posted by sparqee

...cut corners in the recording phase and try and "fix it in the mix"

, and I'm now trying to move towards doing more takes, but I guess I was unthinkingly presupposing that "doing more takes" entailed "keeping more takes".

Now I know this is a vague question, but: how many takes do you actually keep, on average? I'm sure it probably depends on the nature of the track---so for concreteness, let's talk about the main rhythm guitar track of a song.

I'd also like to ask if you try to record a take for a whole song at once from start to finish, or if you do a bunch of takes for verse 1, then a bunch of takes for chorus 1, etc. Again, let's take the example of a rhythm guitar for concreteness.

Thanks for your sage advice,
MM

[BillyShears]

One thing I've found useful when recording a number of takes is not listening to them straight away. For example if I do say 4 or 5 takes I'll have a mental note that the end of take 2 and 4 are probably the ones but I'll hold off on comping them until later that day or the next and go onto something else. Doing this stopped me fussing over little details that I only noticed at the time of recording. I found that takes sounded different later on than they did during recording, especially things like groove - at the time of recording it might sound like I'm playing it too stiff but when I listen back a day later it might sound fine.

As far as how much to keep, I see it like cleaning out your garage. You see stuff that you think you want but then you realize it hasn't been used for ages or it isn't really worth keeping and force yourself to let it go. Then you realize it hasn't been missed and the next time you're in that situation it is much easier to let things go.

I usually do about 3 or 4 takes if I've practiced the part. I'll usually do it a verse and chorus at a time, depending on the type of song. If its a typical type of song I'll have a go at doing it from start to finish but when recording I can't usually play a full song without making some sort of mistake

[bradzoot]

I always find another pair of ears is very useful when recording. My close friends and family were about sick of me til I discovered this forum LOL.
let people hear what you're doing and you will find it helpful.

[tacman7]

I go through much of the same. I'm not recording the song(well I am), I'm writing the song using the recording process.

Another level of choices. I don't write lyrics, I get them from lyricists, so that's something I don't have to do.

I think I'm developing the ability to choose, which is, knowing what I like, having an opinion. I used to be easy to get along with, whatever sounds good, go with the flow.
And I still do that in a collaboration forum, but for my own music, like Bush would say, "I'm the decider".

I use play order tracks in cubase. So I have a verse or chorus or transition, done 4 or 5 ways/styles. Play order allows you to jump back and forth to compare and decide.

I loop record guitar solo and vocals. 14 or 15 takes, then wait a day(like Billy said), and chop them up in pieces and get a good track. Cheating? You betcha!

I have a lot of project files for a song. Generational, as things progress so I can go back and get something I through out if I change my mind.

Getting an organized setup using templates is a big part of my workflow and it's always changing.