PHASE II: RECORDING & MASTERING

(see Sound Advice 3: Studio Guidelines)

Overview of the Process

Remote or live studio recordings are head-on, meaning everyone plays at once
for improved expression and phrasing, not to mention reduced expense. In the
old days (and still today), it was straight to 2-track. Using modern multitrack,
the two principle advantages are that 1) you can shape the individual
sounds/instruments in mix/remix; and, 2) with sufficient separation (no bleed)
you can replace or repair different tracks. Nonetheless, “we’ll get it in the mix”
is the greatest delusion of modern production. Music comes from players, not
from processors. Commercial recording typically proceeds in the following
Stages.

Stage 1: Basic Tracks

These are the “rhythm” tracks - at least drums and bass, often rhythm guitar
and piano also, and percussion if critical to the “feel”.
The degree of separation required depends on the approach - whether you
expect to fix mistakes or just do another take until you get it right (often
cheaper and more effective).
It’s a good idea to do a “scratch” vocal, not just as a cue as to structure, but for
phrasing and dynamics.
Follow a dynamic map (an essential feature of your arrangement) - the contour
of volume and intensity over the course of the cut. If you flat-line the
dynamics here, certain passages will not stand up to the weight of
subsequent overdubs and sweetenings.
You or your producer should have discussed with the engineer the approach,
instrumentation, and set-up. Know which selections you want to work
on. I like to start with the easiest one first, so everyone gets loose and the
engineer settles in. Then I might go to the most challenging selection
next, always having another selection waiting in the wings should I need
to go to Plan B.
The set-up is crucial. Schedule the drummer to arrive first - he needs the most
attention and focus. If everyone else is already loading in and setting up,
the engineer will be bumping into them while he runs all the drum mics.
Be guided by your engineer’s preference for others’ arrival - he knows
what works best in his studio.
The engineer will maintain a track sheet for each cut, noting time addresses, and
endeavoring to keep the same instruments on the same tracks
throughout the whole project. This not only saves time and money in
remix, it expedites overdubs, minimizing the discontinuity of going from
one cut to the next. Here is where your lyric sheets and/or charts
supplement the track sheets and help your engineer and producer to
follow the different parts of the cut.
Make sure your people are comfortable, and especially make sure the headphone
mix is not just adequate, but inspiring. That’s the key to quality
interactive ensemble playing.
Follow the Studio Guidelines. If you get an acceptable take, make another stab at
a great one, but avoid piling up multiple takes that will require time and
money to sort through.
Often, if you get a good drum track and everything else needs to be fixed (punch-
ins) or replaced, that is a take. Both as player and engineer, I usually
take the bass direct for maximum flexibility.
Without wasting too much time or money, get “rough” mixes at the end of the
session so you can check out your progress. As an engineer, I typically
record my control room mix to two open tracks, since that mix is
already very close to the way it will ultimately sound, and it’s cheap.

Stage 2: Essential Overdubs

Having done all the basics, pick a couple of tracks and finish them out to a good
rough mix as a check on the overall approach and sound. Then you can
a plan more efficient production schedule.
Supporting keyboard, rhythm guitar or percussion tracks will fill out the basics.
Next should be featured solo and obligato instruments. If you have
planned and scheduled carefully, your personnel can knock down
associated overdubs on all the cuts in one session. Still, the trap of such
multitrack efficiency is if anything or anyone falls into a rut.
Background vocals can be recorded here, unless they must reflect the phrasing of
a final lead vocal to be recorded later.

Stage 3: Sweetening

In commercial recording, this typically refers to strings, horns or other

interesting touches. It is very tempting to use synths and samplers in lieu
of the real thing, and in the hands of good synthesists, the results can be
quite good, though never as pleasing.
I often use the percussionists and players of unusual instrument to provide “ear
candy”. Variety of sounds and textures can be an essential element to
interesting recordings.

Stage 4: Vocal Overdubs

The basics, overdubs and sweetening have all led to this critical Stage, by
providing the lead singer with the fullest and most inspirational context
within which to convey the feeling of the song and the players.
Successful commercial music is not about recording sounds, but emotions. If the
cut doesn’t evoke an emotional response in the listener, it is unlikely it
will succeed. You, your engineer and your producer should do whatever
it takes to make that possible for the singer.
Many engineers and producers feel that a good cut has four essential features:
kick drum for the downbeat, snare for the backbeat, bass locked to the
kick and grounding the harmony, and the lead vocal. Everything else is
just stuff, and quite meaningless if any of the above four elements is
lacking.
If there are true duets or ensembles involving the lead vocal, they should be
recorded together.
Good vocalists sing with the same timing and phrasing, thus making it possible
to record two tracks of the vocal and use them both, a standard trick in
commercial recording.

Stage 5: Mixdown and Remix

Refer again to Sound Advice 8: What is Good Sound?).

Your producer and engineer should already have a good sense of what needs to
done here.
Ideally, your engineer has laid out the tracks and anticipated the signal
processing in a logical and efficient manner so that certain cuts can be
mixed together. Nonetheless, quality and inspiration should take
precedence over efficiency and logic.
Your engineer will mix on large far-field monitors, smaller near-field monitors,
and speakers emulating home or computer systems at both high and low
volume levels. Take a copy with you from a mixdown session so you can
review one or more systems with which you are familiar, say, at home, in
your portable, or in your car. If they’re not right, don’t hesitate to ask
for a remix, though unless a technical error was made, you should
expect to pay for it. Nonetheless, don’t drop the ball at the 5-yard line.
Typically, your final mix will be stereo, either on the two tracks of a DAT (digital
audio tape: 16-bit/48kHz) or to a hard disk recorder for transfer to a
data CD (16- or 24-bit). You may have heard that surround sound,
especially the ever-more-popular 5.1 configuration, is the product of the
future (bye-bye CD, hello DVD), and although technically possible, the
jury is still out as to whether it is aesthetically preferable or
commercially acceptable.
It still is true, however, that the overwhelming majority of platinum commercial
product is master on ½” and 1” analog 2-tracks.