Session notes 14-4-2009: Record-ready

Record-ready

“It's not the engineer...

...it's the band”

This mantra should be constantly looped in your head before every band production. I'm not saying the engineer doesn't count but the truth is the more ready the band is to record, the better the end result will sound. I'm not merely talking well-rehearsed bands here - this is a prerequisite. I'm talking record-oriented readiness here, ie the band rehearsing the songs with the production in mind and being in a state that they're able to deliver consistent takes when the red light gets on. Here's a few pointers on how to get the band in that state.

- After deciding how you’ll handle the tracking stage, eg drums and bass and rhythm guitar together, vocals on top of already recorded music etc, have the band member(s) rehearse the songs that way. This also applies to cases where you have to put gobos or other acoustic isolation between the band. Even in a well rehearsed band, if the members aren’t used to the particular production techniques they usually take longer to adapt and thus deliver inconsistent results.

- If you’ve got two guitarists with a U-shaped EQ curve on their amps doing the same 13.000 notes per second arpeggios, it won’t work. Mic the band up in the live room and make them use chord inversions and different amp settings/guitars etc so you get distinction and punch on the live preliminary mix to stereo. You’ll probably don’t use this mix but if you can’t get stuff punchy and clear at this stage then odds are you won’t do it later. Plus the band will hear a more finalised sound which will lead to better performance.

- Take the time to discuss song arrangement and sound colour issues with the band. Don’t expect to have the right arrangement for the song show up in the tracking stage. Make things work well together before. Have them play and occasionally make some of them stop playing – a moment of silence is always useful to let the arrangement breathe. When a musician’s instrument gets indistinct and is competing with other parts, they tend to play harder with less feel.

- Try to have the macro-dynamics of a song already in the tracking stage. For example, when it’s time for a crescendo or a chorus, don’t expect to make things stand out in mixing – tell the band to do it naturally, play a bit harder on the accent part – just like they’d do live.

- In any case, don’t let an engineering issue get in the way of the recording flow. Try to have cue mixes sorted beforehand, spare cables, mic stands ready, in a word plan out the session in advance. To deliver great takes it’s necessary to be calm and uninterrupted. And most importantly, if a production method is causing the band to deliver sub par results even after much rehearsal, dump it. A better take with somewhat inferior sound is better than an immaculate recording of a mediocre take.