How should you record with your band?
One of the most common questions we are asked here is “What is the best way for my band to record“
The simple answer is – However produces the best results!
The thing is, there are many, many different ways to work with an artist/band and all of them have their own pro’s and cons.
Tempo base
The first difference is the tempo base, will you play to a click track (metronome) or will you record in free time, each of these are great ways to work and a song that works really well to a click track rarely works well without, and vice versa.
If as band you are looking to capture the feel and energy that you create live on stage, and studio techniques, and enhancements are not at the top of what you want to achieve then you really need to look at capturing an element of that feel, in the studio.
Have a look at your live performance set and see what really makes you guys sound the way you do. If you play live without any backing track, and thrive on the immediacy of pushing and pulling a tracks tempo as the track builds and diminishes, then keep this in mind in the studio. Dont assume that becuase you are in the studio you have to suddenly play to a click track and suck the life and soul out of your performance.
A well equipped studio can take your performance and make ProTools use YOUR tempo from your performance and stick to you, rather than you having to play to the computer generated click.
If, on the other hand it is imperative that the recording of your band is as tight as is imaginable, and a precise recorded work then starting off with a metronome click as a tempo base and building the track around this is the way to go.
There is no way to generalise, and assume that your band will definitely work in one way or the other, just try each way and see which feels the best. When you have the correct working practice you will know within a few minutes of a take.
Through all of this your engineer/producer should guide you as to what will work the best and will suggest way to approach this recording, using his experience he will know what is possible in the studio and know how to avoid techniques that will just waste your studio time.
If you have any questions about recording techniques and practices we would live to hear them.
Thanks for reading!