*** NOTE - 1 day recording package does not necessarily apply to this process. ***
Because I don't charge by the hour, I want to avoid the approach most bands have of "recording live" and hoping for the best.
I like to layer each instrument piece by piece, which means not rushing the recording process. I want each instrument to be recorded to the musician's preference, and if there is doubt about a recorded track, then lets fix it.
There is nothing I detest more then to feel rushed, and accept a recording as "good enough".
How I proceed in a usual recording environment is as follows:
Start with Drums - to get the timing tracks down, then this is obviously essential. I have a studio kit that is available, which should help get the process moving quickly. Making sure that the musicians are satisfied is important before moving on; because once the drums are recorded, it becomes the foundation for all the other tracks. Many drummers ask, "Can we have a guitar playing, so I can keep track of where we are in the song?" My answer to that is "Yes, but we should keep it isolated to headphones so we do not pick it up in the drum tracks." So I recommend using a the POD Pro and/or POD Bass Pro with a headphone send, and avoid any speaker hook-ups whatsoever. These options are available in the studio.
Next the Bass - filling out the rhythm section is preferred next, but not essential. This is my approach, but sometimes it may need to be reorganized due to a musician's attendance, or due to a musical composition demand. There are many approaches to establishing the ideal sound, and whether we use an amp, or direct, or the POD Bass Pro, it can influence the overall mix. Ultimately, the decision is up to the bassist.
Guitars all Around - Part of what makes my studio "my sound" is the complete separation of two individual guitar rhythm tracks. One left, and one right. I like to use two unique guitar sounds for each track, but I am not bound to this belief; it sounds just as good to record two tracks of the same mix to be used for the left and right rhythm tracks. I record these tracks mono, because they are only heard out of one ear at a time anyways. I'm always experimenting with different techniques on this.
Licks & Solos - Next, we add all those little extras for the guitar that will "stand out". I normally advise the recording of the rhythm tracks to leave out all of these intricacies, and add them later piece-by-piece. It is much easier to play a short and difficult section of a song then to jeopardize the whole track by messing that part up over and over.
Lead Vocals - Contrary to what most people believe, this can be very grueling. Many times we will record a song in sections, sometimes doubling up a part or whole track to add fullness. This puts a lot of pressure on the vocalist; normally they do not sing for an extended period of time, and they can strain themselves very quickly if they don't take it easy. Sometimes the lead vocal recordings need to be stretched out over a week to give time for the vocalist to recuperate before returning. I've seen those who say, "I can fire this track out on the first take." and then end up spending hours on something simple.
Backing Vocals - For the most part, the harmonies and shouting that add to a song's impact are all taken care of now. I sometimes like to record a harmony twice, just to separate them left to right. Experimenting is one of the best spices here.
Finishing Touches - I am used to finishing with the backing vocals, but from time to time some small additions are requested. Depending on the request, the additions may be done in the multi-track mode, or after mix-down.
Finishing Touches - What I do now is go through the recorded tracks for each song and do the final tweaks. Then I bounce all of the separate tracks to one final stereo .wav track, and do some track conditioning. I will usually add some track compression and get the levels up to an acceptable volume.
I'll spend some evenings putting an early mix together, and provide you with a sample .mp3 to be referenced. Send me some feedback on it, and we'll shape it.
Then I burn the first cut of the new CD.
It's in your hands now - So do with it as you please.
I expect that even after taking it home and listening to it, there will be things that need to be noticeably changed. So I recommend listening to it on various stereos, and noting all the changes that you feel need attention.
Come back to the studio, and we can go through the changes before we make the second cut of the CD.
Happy now?
Remember, each recording project I do adds to my portfolio. So if you don't sound good, it affects my reputation too.
