Your tricks for recording alone

[Kapo_Polenton]

So I probably spent a good 10 hours this weekend getting my drums set up, guitars, mic/preamps ready to go and making sure everything was at my fingertips for tracking. I had one simple plan..ONE good scratch track so I can then cut drums and bass. You'd think that should be easy but playing guitar to a metronome is a whole diff ball game! First you have to find the tempo then stick to it. I was all over the place. Then trying to drum to my own guitar playing.. yikes. Then it dawned on me, I have sd3, why not just use a kick snare to grid? Then I stumbled upon metronome bpm vids on YouTube using kick and snare or a drum groove. WAY easier to lock in when you have more than a beep. Having that kick and snare just feels so much better and you never get lost.

So there's my gift to you guys if ever you struggle with this. Drums are much easier to track now because the guitar isn't going all over the place.

What tips or tricks do you guys use for recording yourself? Probably take me months to finish and then mix one tune but ya gotta have goals!

 

[Techdeth]

I always get the drums done first . That really helps the flow for me

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

I always get the drums done first . That really helps the flow for me

I thought of that.. so do you drum to a standard metronome? Don't you find it hard to drum to nothing or do you sing the guitar part in your head as you go?

 

[RaceU4her]

No tricks really. I’ll write a riff, figure out the bpm, lay down some drums to that bpm, record the guitars and bass and that’s really it. I have everything mic’d and set up where I don’t have to do anything but hit record.

 

[Mr. Chainsaw]

Yea having something for the drums, even just a looped out-of-the-box groove, helps a lot to get a foundation.

 

[NowYou'rePlayingWithPower]

Sometimes I'll use drum software/machines to play along with while recording the other instruments and then go back and add the real drums and/or changes.

 

[Techdeth]

I thought of that.. so do you drum to a standard metronome? Don't you find it hard to drum to nothing or do you sing the guitar part in your head as you go?

I record a crappy version of me playing the song . Then I program drums out and use the drums as map for the real recording. Sometimes my song changed according to the new drums I make

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Sometimes I'll use drum software/machines to play along with while recording the other instruments and then go back and add the real drums and/or changes.

That's essentially what I did using the bpm drum tracks off YouTube. Can't believe how out of practice I am because it took me over a day to think of/ remember that.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

I record a crappy version of me playing the song . Then I program drums out and use the drums as map for the real recording. Sometimes my song changed according to the new drums I make

Ok. This makes sense. A bit of work up front but if you think about how much time it saves you it's a no brainer.

 

[saxxamafone]

Unfortunately I just fired myself for not overcoming creative differences with myself

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Unfortunately I just fired myself for not overcoming creative differences with myself

I wonder how many times YJM has fired himself ..

 

[dstroud]

oh man ezdrummer all day long. I use that for everything. Drums for my solo stuff and I use it for demos for my band. So ez to make your own parts or find loops, whatever you need right at your fingertips and fast so you dont lose momentum when writing

 

[Techdeth]

Ok. This makes sense. A bit of work up front but if you think about how much time it saves you it's a no brainer.

Ya getting the drums done right first really helps me get shit done

 

[DrewJD82]

RIff idea comes first
I use a tap tempo on whatever is laying around to find the BPM
Track riff to a metronome in Logic

At that point I either start writing the drum part or I’ll keep fleshing out ideas for the song, but writing the drums generally helps me write the next guitar part and they feed off each other until I’m done writing the song. I try to leave room in every instrument for stuff like that, so I won’t write/record the entire scratch track at once, but jump around from guitar/drums/bass while keeping a scratch vocal track open for any ideas.

You might find some freedom in not making too many final decisions until you have everything in place. I’ve tracked full songs and gotten them ready for vocals only to find out after that the vocal part is really pushing for the song to be a couple BPM faster or slower and it’s enough of a difference to warrant re-tracking everything. That sucks when you’ve got everything tracked already!

Getting your monitoring levels right is a big one, too. As fun as it is to hear my guitar louder in monitors or headphones while tracking, sometimes it’s more efficient to just have a click or drums blaring in my head over anything else. If you find yourself fighting the click way too much, maybe evaluate the BPM you’re at, especially if it’s a comfortable tempo and you’re still just not nailing it. Or fuck with the subdivisions in the click, sometimes I need to hear 16ths instead of 8ths.

Lastly, I always end up re-tracking guitars to the final drum track. This is something I scoff at frequently when people start shitting on “everything is to the grid”…..it’s been that way for years with tons of albums. A capable musician can dance all over a click track; ahead of the beat, on it, off the beat and you don’t have as much information to base those decisions off of playing to a click track, so tracking everything to the final drums gives it a more cohesive feel.

Really lastly; enjoy the small wins. Celebrate when you finally nail that scratch track. It might seem stupid to praise yourself for something basic tons of other people do regularly, but if YOU haven’t done it before, give yourself a break. There’s a reason there’s a million tutorials on the internet, schools people have paid to go to to learn this stuff. If you keep yourself stoked about what you’re doing, you’ll never want to stop.

 

[Ben Waylin]

I go find a suitable drum track on the YouTube to play along with while writing.

That's how I start.

ymmv

 

[Devin]

I always get the drums done first . That really helps the flow for me

Same

 

[JimAnsell]

Unfortunately I just fired myself for not overcoming creative differences with myself

this isn't a joke lol. sometimes you need the power of collaboration to bring out your best. that is exactly why producers exist and what distinguishes them from engineers.

 

[midnightlaundry]

Still rockin' my Boss DR-5 Drum Machine.. I do the Drums first, which is the overall structure of whatever I'm working on. You just fill in the rest after..

 

[spguitar]

Drums first using GGD with a nice template for Cubase Pro 11. Sound Toys is essential for me. I have one outboard preamp that i use on guitars or vocals. Very simple setup.

 

[Metalhex]

I start with a metronome in my DAW and record my riffs to that. Then build my midi drum track around that riff.