What to lay down first? Guitar/Bass tracks or drum tracks

[txrecord]

First post so here it goes.....

I'm brand new to all this DAW stuff and itching to try my hand at recording some simple backing tracks for guitar practice/playing use. I'm pretty much up for the challenge and realize I do have a learning curve ahead of me. But hey, nothing ventured nothing gained...right?

Anyway,
My real life experience is with guitars and absolutely no experience with drums...enter EZdrummer and/or Addictive Drums (and god said "let there be VST").

Now the punch line,
The first question I have is: what order would be the easiest for a newbie "sound engineer/producer/etc" to do when laying down tracks? Assemble drum loops together from EZdrummer and then record the guitar parts around said drum track. Or, since I know what guitar riffs I have in mind, lay down the guitar tracks first and then create the drum track(s) around the guitar tracks. It's pretty much the proverbial "what came first? the chicken or the egg?" I'm sure I'm not the first to ask this question but I looked around the threads on the site and didn't come across anything relative to this subject.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Here's my gear/setup:
Gibson Les Paul/Dean ML79 through a Digitech RP350
using Cubase 4LE for my DAW needs
have EZdrummer and Addictive drums for my drum samplers but have not decided on which one to use.
Thinking of getting some kind of MIDI pad controller once I decide if recording is for me.

Didn't mention my age yet.....hint....in high school I thought I was real hot stuff blasting Ronnie Montrose and "Toys in the Attic" through my kick ass Pioneer 8 track in my car LOL.

Thanks,
Chris

[sitaring]

Hi Chris,

This is my way of doing things hehehe..

Steps:
1. I'll use guitar or keyboard as my main instrument.. Click is a must.
2. Once I laid the track, I will play the drum - i've Roland Drum (old one but with MIDI out) or my keyboard controller.
3. Edit the drum manually (i'm not a good drummer - need alot of editing )
4. Put in my bass
5. Guitar acc, string
6. Vocal
7. Backing
8. Mixing.. mastering

You may need to put in your guitar track again (the first one was a guide).

Not that expert but hope it help,

Sitaring
D(EQ) Production

[txrecord]

Thanks Sitaring

You pretty much confirmed my inclination which is to lay the guitar track down first and then work the drums around the guitar track.

Thanks again.

Chris
US Virgin Islands

[frshtrx]

sometimes I go try to have fun and stretch my approach by changing the order. I think that's the fun of the creative process. maybe it depends why you're doing it?
If I start with bass or drums the initial focus is different than if I scratch a guitar track, which changes the vibe or slant from that point forward.

[richiebee]

Do whichever order feels best to you. Personally, if it was music that relied on a heavy interaction with drums so they follow you for hits fills and riffs, I would start with a real basic drum pattern, lay down everything else, then find or edit in the right drum pattern.

Playing to a rhythm has to be more inspirational than a click!

[sitaring]

Originally Posted by richiebee

Playing to a rhythm has to be more inspirational than a click!

I totally agree, click doesn't really give you that groove

[boo]

For me it's like building a house. The drums are always the foundation, then the bass, then the guitars, etc, with the vocals last.

[tacman7]

For a lot of things I will make up a chord pattern in Band in a Box then try it in several styles then take it into cubase and turn it into a song. Quick way to have a whole band sound to try different things etc.

Sometimes if I write something around a synth arppeggio or something I'll start with that then add drums next, because it syncs to the beat on its own.
But that's more programming than recording.

I use drums as a metronome so I always have them by the time I'm recording any real time instrument, even if it's just a kick and snare drawn by hand.

[mrblitz]

In my experience, the first track laid down is sort of 'the virtual band leader.' The other instruments which follow are playing off of that first 'dude' (track).

I've definitely experienced the thing of laying down that first track - say guitar; then laying down everything else, and going back and re-doing the guitar.

There are so many ways to assemble a final recording out of multiple tracks.

At the risk of stating the obvious, varying avenues of construction will lead to different sounding end mixes.

Again, my general rule is: The first thing laid down kind of sets the tone for everything which follows.

Lay down the drums first, then play the guitar to it; or lay down the guitar first, then work the drums around that; methinks you're looking at two distinctly different end-mixes.

[brandondrury]

I prefer to do drums, guitar, bass, and then vocals mostly for the music I do.

Brandon