General Recording Project Tips
What Are Some General Tips for Recording My Project?
Today I had breakfast with a friend who is doing an album for charity. He’s putting together a variety of singer songwriters who are all producing their songs at different studios and he had a bunch of questions about the project, the sequencing, the producing, the engineering, etc. As I was answering his questions as best I could, it occurred to me that the answers might be of interest to you. I have probably covered little bits of this in various posts but here is the gist of my responses to him.
When producing a CD, make certain that, if it’s a cd with vocals, that the vocals don’t have to fight for the same frequency ranges. The acoustic guitar is essentially in the same range as the human voice, so make certain that whatever the guitar player is doing, it’s not in and around the same pitches that the vocalist is using. Inverting the chords, using a capo, playing single notes; any of these things can be used to move the guitar away from the vocal. If several instruments are fighting for the same frequency ranges, then it is not going to be a clear, distinct recording. Any good engineer can easily cope with this if the guitar player has to play where he wrote the song. Just duck a little of the guitar frequencies that are struggling with the vocals. This must be done discretely enough with the sound of either instrument not suffering. And don’t forget that less is more. It is easier to hear four distinct instruments than it is to hear ten. One of the benefits of recording with eight tracks was the fact that the part had to be important, otherwise there was no room for it. It forced us to be discerning.
With sequencing, it depends on what you want to have happen. You must also acknowledge that most folks simply rip the songs they want and put them in their ipods, so the sequencing is something you are probably doing for yourself and a few discerning others. That being said, make certain that you don’t have too many songs in the same tempo and / or the same key strung together. This gives the recording a sameness of texture that quickly becomes tedious and boring. You also have to make certain that they songs all work together to create a successful album. These days many folks just put their best song first, followed by their second best song, and by best, I probably mean their most accessible song. If you sequence a recording well, the songs lead into each other, the recording as a whole unfolds and the listener experiences something larger than just the individual songs; an ambience, a listening experience, a journey thru the mind and heart of the artist.
I know I’ve said this before, but just in case you missed it, it is also a good idea to begin each song on the downbeat of the tempo of the previous song. Unconsciously people are going to keep the tempo in their heads until something replaces it. If you count from the previous song’s tempo and let the next song begin on the downbeat, one, two, or even three bars later, it’s going to feel right that the sound begins there and that really helps the flow of a recording.
In the mixing, I prefer to use subtractive eq as opposed to additive eq; subtly lowering a frequency that is conflicting or sounding harsh. Keep in mind, that with digital recording, there is no room for forgiveness like there was with analog tape. If it doesn’t sound good going in it’s not going to sound good coming out. Use the best sounding instruments you can find; the best microphones, the best mic cords, the best mic preamps, etc. it all makes it easier to mix.
And it doesn’t matter how much you love a part, does it serve the song? Does it conflict with the vocalist for attention? I always end up using less than I recorded. Each song is different. Each recording is different. Ask yourself what is the most important part of this particular recording. Make certain that that is what the recording focuses on. And using the latest noise (like a gated snare from the phil Collins recordings for example) always dates a recording. Unless you can use it in some unique fashion; the same with panning. Having drum fills go all over the stereo or surround sound field is just distracting. Remember what the experience is when you are listening to live music. You are not in the middle of the band; the drummer isn’t running across the stage hitting toms that are a hundred feet apart. Only use these kinds of effects for exactly that—effect.
Perhaps as an alternative mix, or for a film or video or someplace where that kind of engineering intrusion actually serves the work and makes it more effective. I still have not bought into surround sound for music. For films, definitely, it puts you in the middle of the visual scene, but with music, we only have these two ears and we’re listening in stereo. When we listen to musicians playing to gether, they are usually in close proximity to each other. I try to make my recordings like that. I know that people are going to listen casually at first. The recording in the background or in the car player, tho this ipod thing really has created a new paradigm. I am starting to mix with headphones as well as monitor speakers, so that I have the optimum in both places. Probably with alternative mixes on the CDs til I stop making them and just do downloads, at which point I’ll do that for the downloads.
Love to hear from you regarding tips you have or questions, or even differences of opinion. That’s where we all learn. I can’t wait.
james lee stanley
in Recording
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Reader Comments (1)
James....great post and a very important topic. One pitfall I notice is the temptation to over-produce. This is most prevalent when the artist is given carte blanche in the studio. Knowing when less is more for a given song is paramount. This touches upon an earlier post about the importance of a good producer. A good producer will nip the overproduction bug in the bud. I strongly believe that Jim Messina was an important influence in the success of Kenny Loggin's first recording (Sittin' In). Jimmy knew what the songs needed, and more importantly..what they didn't need.
You could have added a string section to "All In The Game"...but you kept it simple---acoustic guitar and voice. That took the song where it needed to go. That's the key.
Take care,
I'll see you and John at tomorrow night's show.
Max