That moment when you hit record...

Zhoken · #1 09-10-2016, 02:56 AM

Almost every musician I know talks about the change that happens when you hit the record button. There's just something about knowing that this take is being etched into stone, even if you can always do another take.

I haven't done a whole lot of recording... a few trips to the studio and a lot of home recording, but as much as I might think that I have a song down pat, as much as I may have played the song a thousand times perfectly, as soon as I hit record I start doing something differently.

Maybe I play the song without fault but the spirit with which I play is different. Sometimes that's alright but often feel like I can hear the difference between when I'm playing for the pleasure of playing and when I'm playing to record.

Anyone else notice this?

EDIT: yep... I thought I was in the general section. My bad!! Moved to RECORD by M19.

RodB · #2 09-10-2016, 06:38 AM

Yes, same here! Over the years I have played in a duo sometimes, in bands, and solo. Whilst I was nervous - especially when I started out doing solo spots - I could play the way I wanted.

Not so when I record, even though I have done quite a bit in the last couple of years. I find myself tensing up, simplifying the arrangement as I go, and even missing sections of tunes I have played for years.

As you say, no real pressure in that there is theoretically the possibility to just start again, so not really explainable for me. One issue I have is that I don't have a dedicated music room - so don't practice recording / record practices, which I believe can help you get used to the 'record light'.

HHP · #3 09-10-2016, 06:42 AM

With modern digital equipment, one thing you can do is not just record a "take" but just have the recorder on as you play through your tunes as if practicing and edit them into takes later. Takes away the "hit the red button, gotta be good now" anxiety.

Mbroady · #4 09-10-2016, 06:50 AM

Mojo can go out the window when we think to much. Hitting record can put lots of pressure on you, especially if it's a paid session.

Get "out of your head"
For me it's all about....Practice your craft and learn to breath properly, regardless of if you sing or not. Im still working on my breathing and staying in touch with the emotion. it helps take me "out of my head"
I am almost at the point were I like my recordings...almost

rick-slo · #5 09-10-2016, 07:23 AM

There are recording jitters that affect playing but it is in part an illusion. People play somewhat differently every time. Most of the time they are somewhat forgiving of themselves regarding how they are playing and their ears are not in a perfectionist mode. If someone secretly recorded them and they heard the recording there would likely be surprises.

Anyway, on recording day warm up, know the piece well, and when actually recording play through the piece more than once, knowing you can dub in when necessary.

J.DrewPetersen · #6 09-10-2016, 07:35 AM

Red light fever. Depends on the day and my general state of mind- sometimes I can forget I'm recording, and digital does help compared to tape, but man the piece seems more difficult when the light goes on! Then here's the times you get an awesome take, look at the recorder, and realize it WASN'T recording....

Bob Womack · #7 09-10-2016, 08:45 AM

When I first started playing sessions each one was like walking out on stage for the first time. I got red light fever and jitters like anyone else. It was just like the first time rappelling off a 100 foot wall or taking the controls of a plane or any number of other exciting activities.

What ended that for me was repetition and recording myself. Just doing it over and over. Trying to accomplish the goal. Learning that every recording doesn't have to be monumental. That yes, humans screw up and I am human and my screw-ups are survivable. Part of that happens when you just record.

Even the top guys have their days and their days. In 1972, Joe Walsh sat down on a nail keg with his Les Paul and asked producer/engineer Bill Szymczyk for a run-through to warm up for his attempts at slide lead overdubs on "Rocky Mountain Way," which was to be his monumental 1973 "coming out" as a slide guitarist. Bill punched up playback and Joe did a rehearsal. At the end of the rehearsal, Joe pulled himself together and said, "Okay, let's record." Bill replied, "Nope, I think that last one was the take." Knowing Joe was facing a challenge Bill had recorded the rehearsal. Because Joe wasn't thinking about perfection he was as loose as a goose and created that great, greasy slide part we've come to know on his first take.

What we have to do is find a way to take command of ourselves and put ourselves back in that, "it doesn't matter whether I nail it or fluff it" mindset. That includes judging our performances and deciding when good enough is good enough. It also means forgiving ourselves and allowing ourselves to flow on the fifteenth take without counting takes or engaging in recriminations.

What I do with myself is engage in a very positive inner monologue, ie. "That was close, but let's do another. That was nearly it, but let's polish the ending a bit. You are almost there, let's try another." I think about the first time I rappelled. It was off a cliff that featured a 100-foot sheer drop, followed by a small shelf and another 300-foot sheer drop). There's this moment when you go from having your weight on your feet to having your weight on the rope, and it occurs right there on the edge of the cliff when you have to lean out. The first time you are scared spitless, looking at the drop, and knowing your life is in your hands. The guy who took me out and taught me showed how it was done and then climbed back up. Then he roped me up, stood next to me on the edge, and talked me over. He did so with a gentle voice and encouragement. I stopped at the edge, leaning out with tension on the rope but my weight on my feet, for what seemed to be an eternity, scared to move. I also afraid to fail in front of the group of people who were there at the top of the cliff to enjoy the view. My teacher quietly encouraged me, "You can do it. It is safe. It is fun once you get over the edge. We've got all the time in the world. You can do it..." And then I did it and found out that the transition between not doing it and doing it was the scariest part.

The same is true in Navy aircraft carrier landings, by the way. They are incredibly tough and dangerous to do in bad weather. Once you've trained a pilot to do carrier landings, he still has to have the confidence to make them. And that spark of confidence turns out to be a fragile, brittle thing. Damage to the plane, shortage of fuel, a near-miss in the air, combat, all these things can damage the pilot's confidence enough to threaten his ability to land his multi-million dollar plane. How do they deal with it? Do they go on the air and bark at him, "Rookie! You land that plane!" Nope. They encourage the pilot that he can do it, that he will do it. Why? Because it works. If he runs short of fuel they send up a tanker and give him a squirt. He, and they, can't afford to allow the specter of failure to rob him of his confidence.

So that is how I deal with myself when I am doing sessions. I encourage. Lather, rinse, repeat. Somehow I've always ended up succeeding... despite myself.

Bob

Yamaha Man · #8 09-10-2016, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HHP

With modern digital equipment, one thing you can do is not just record a "take" but just have the recorder on as you play through your tunes as if practicing and edit them into takes later. Takes away the "hit the red button, gotta be good now" anxiety.

Yep this is what I do.

ukejon · #9 09-10-2016, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

When I first started playing sessions each one was like walking out on stage for the first time. I got red light fever and jitters like anyone else. It was just like the first time rappelling off a 100 foot wall or taking the controls of a plane or any number of other exciting activities.

What ended that for me was repetition and recording myself. Just doing it over and over. Trying to accomplish the goal. Learning that every recording doesn't have to be monumental. That yes, humans screw up and I am human and my screw-ups are survivable. Part of that happens when you just record.

Even the top guys have their days and their days. In 1972, Joe Walsh sat down on a nail keg with his Les Paul and asked producer/engineer Bill Szymczyk for a run-through to warm up for his attempts at slide lead overdubs on "Rocky Mountain Way," which was to be his monumental 1973 "coming out" as a slide guitarist. Bill punched up playback and Joe did a rehearsal. At the end of the rehearsal, Joe pulled himself together and said, "Okay, let's record." Bill replied, "Nope, I think that last one was the take." Knowing Joe was facing a challenge Bill had recorded the rehearsal. Because Joe wasn't thinking about perfection he was as loose as a goose and created that great, greasy slide part we've come to know on his first take.

What we have to do is find a way to take command of ourselves and put ourselves back in that, "it doesn't matter whether I nail it or fluff it" mindset. That includes judging our performances and deciding when good enough is good enough. It also means forgiving ourselves and allowing ourselves to flow on the fifteenth take without counting takes or engaging in recriminations.

What I do with myself is engage in a very positive inner monologue, ie. "That was close, but let's do another. That was nearly it, but let's polish the ending a bit. You are almost there, let's try another." I think about the first time I rappelled. It was off a cliff that featured a 100-foot sheer drop, followed by a small shelf and another 300-foot sheer drop). There's this moment when you go from having your weight on your feet to having your weight on the rope, and it occurs right there on the edge of the cliff when you have to lean out. The first time you are scared spitless, looking at the drop, and knowing your life is in your hands. The guy who took me out and taught me showed how it was done and then climbed back up. Then he roped me up, stood next to me on the edge, and talked me over. He did so with a gentle voice and encouragement. I stopped at the edge, leaning out with tension on the rope but my weight on my feet, for what seemed to be an eternity, scared to move. I also afraid to fail in front of the group of people who were there at the top of the cliff to enjoy the view. My teacher quietly encouraged me, "You can do it. It is safe. It is fun once you get over the edge. We've got all the time in the world. You can do it..." And then I did it and found out that the transition between not doing it and doing it was the scariest part.

The same is true in Navy aircraft carrier landings, by the way. They are incredibly tough and dangerous to do in bad weather. Once you've trained a pilot to do carrier landings, he still has to have the confidence to make them. And that spark of confidence turns out to be a fragile, brittle thing. Damage to the plane, shortage of fuel, a near-miss in the air, combat, all these things can damage the pilot's confidence enough to threaten his ability to land his multi-million dollar plane. How do they deal with it? Do they go on the air and bark at him, "Rookie! You land that plane!" Nope. They encourage the pilot that he can do it, that he will do it. Why? Because it works. If he runs short of fuel they send up a tanker and give him a squirt. He, and they, can't afford to allow the specter of failure to rob him of his confidence.

So that is how I deal with myself when I am doing sessions. I encourage. Lather, rinse, repeat. Somehow I've always ended up succeeding... despite myself.

Bob

Great advice. And there are days when after the 15th take you just smile and walk away knowing that maybe it wasn't meant to be at that moment. That happens. On the other hand, the more you record the higher chance that you will press play and knock it down in one or two takes.

muscmp · #10 09-10-2016, 01:59 PM

i hit record and keep playing, even if i screw up. that let's me know that i haven't got it down yet and shows what i need to work on. i work on that part for a while then hit record again, and, most of the time, nail it. i usually work out everything prior to hitting record anyway, so, that rarely happens. but, no one is perfect.

play music!

SprintBob · #11 09-11-2016, 06:12 AM

Hi, my name is Bob and I'm a feartheredlightaholic.

Woodstock School Of Music · #12 09-11-2016, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

What we have to do is find a way to take command of ourselves and put ourselves back in that, "it doesn't matter whether I nail it or fluff it" mindset.

Bob

Great post this line in particular speaks volumes.

I can't tell you how many times I've told clients to run through a song so I can set levels only to press record and get a take before the "official" recording starts. Or the opposite end, after we get a take that's 90% there but could be better I'll say "Okay we've got a good take but just for the hell of it why don't we do another" this takes the pressure off them because they think they're done.

If someone is having a hard time nailing a take I take a short break and talk to them about anything but the task at hand to take their mind off it and 9 times out of 10 when they get back at it they perform it much better than when they stopped.

Personally speaking I get my best takes when I approach it from the devil may care mindset

YamaYairi · #13 09-11-2016, 06:40 AM

I have red light fever every time I record. I found that since I have started making multi-track recordings I make fewer mistakes because it is so much easier to record a patch on another track and fix a problem. It is a real stress reducer.

DupleMeter · #14 09-11-2016, 08:36 PM

Bob nailed it.

But to reiterate - because it deserves it: just keep doing it. I have found that there is almost nothing in life that does not get better the more we do it.

I've been doing sessions for almost 30 years now - you get to a point where you becomes friends with the recording machine, whatever it may be. You learn to gauge yourself before record is hit & know what you expect from yourself. It takes time and a lot of humility as you listen back to the last pass ;-)

Glennwillow · #15 10-17-2016, 09:39 AM

Even though most of the recording that I have done has been in my own studio, by myself, I still can get a little rattled by the red recording light. Most of the time, I just keep doing it until I get it down. There's no embarrassment in front of anyone else, but there is some internal frustration about "you have done this a million times, why can't you do it now?!"

Sometimes, particularly when singing, I just can't get an acceptable take for what I want on the first day. Sometimes I just have to shut everything down and come back the next day. And almost invariably the next day, I'll hit it on the first try. After all, I had put in a lot of practice the day before!

For me, one good thing about going through the exercise of recording something as close to perfection as I can get it is that the pressure from this experience really helps me in the future do a better job of performing the song live. I have learned to think about recording sessions as intense practice.

Still, I really love recording projects. I get a real feeling of satisfaction from that creative process.

- Glenn