Do you record drafts?

[TBman]

I have something I'm learning and now that I have a good solid week of practicing it and its practically 100% under my fingers I thought it might be a good idea to spend the next week or so doing practice recordings (drafts) to

1. Fight red light freeze (I do practice recordings just to avoid this anyway, but usually just random stuff I make up)

and

2. Review the tune from a listeners point of view. Sometimes the day after I record and post something I wish I would have practiced the piece more. I can only spend so much time on one thing though before I get sick of it.

So tonight I recorded something at my desk just using the Zoom H5 with its built in mics and I actually saved it to listen to tomorrow for review and see where I can improve on the playing.

Does anyone else do this (besides the professionals here?)

[b1j]

I’m far from pro.

I consider every recording a draft. I’m willing to go back and retrack anything that doesn’t hold up.

I also use a simple, raw backing track to rehearse the rest of the production. Is this what you meant?

[TBman]

Originally Posted by b1j

I’m far from pro.

I consider every recording a draft. I’m willing to go back and retrack anything that doesn’t hold up.

I also use a simple, raw backing track to rehearse the rest of the production. Is this what you meant?

I just record solo guitar, so no, not a backing track.

[Doug Young]

Sure, tho it's usually just as easy for me to record with my normal recording setup, since mics are almost always setup ready to go. Sometimes a draft ends up being a keeper, more often it signals that there's a lot more work to do (or that I should give up in some cases, sigh). Sometimes I'll just use my phone for something. I've been using a metronome for practicing that has a built-in recorder, which is kind of cool for recording at that level of practice. Good for finding out if I'm actually playing to the beat!

The duets I've been doing with Teja Gerken over the past few years almost always involve multiple drafts back and forth, as we work out the arrangement. We might do a cut and paste job on an early draft to reshape the arrangement, moving sections around, or leaving holes for "we should do something different for 8 bars here", and so on. Once we have something cobbled together that seems like the right flow, then we start over and record for real, which usually goes pretty quick and easy, since we've worked the kinks out in the drafts.

[RodB]

I record ideas on new tunes or arrangements as they ‘materialise’ direct to my Zoom H5 to either capture them before they disappear. In most cases I discard them on playing back later...

My ‘proper’ setup isn’t permanent but I can leave it up whilst learning a tune or setting about recording something. I will often try different guitars, versions of a tune and mic arrangements, and many of my tunes have been re-recorded, either right away or after months, even years.

It helps with the dreaded red-light syndrome, but mostly I enjoy the process of recording often using a mixed mic arrangement and choosing how I use the tracks (limited to 3 on my PreMix 3)

[EZYPIKINS]

Haven't recorded anything in 4 years. All recording gear still packed up.

Had a bass player who had red light phobia.

He said he was afraid to make a mistake on the recording.

I pointed out, he didn't have a problem making mistakes in front of thousands of people.

At rehearsal I used to get external hard drives, hit record and let it run.

I could then go back and find things to work on.

When it came time to build the record, I ended up piecing it together, playing bass myself.

Not the best option in the world. But in my situation, turns out, the only option.

No need to be afraid or the red light. If you hit a clinker, you can fix it.

[RJVB]

I do this, but probably not often enough. It can be cruel.

I don't know if I really make more mistakes because of stage fright or that I'm just more aware of them. And often I realise I'm not actually playing what I think I am.

I do have to wait a bit before listening back, sometimes even play it while doing something where I can't stand distraction. Passages where my brain will correct things during active listening will then sting.

[rmp]

yea, I do

for me, I think the entire approach changes when recording, (too focused on not screwing up) and this more often than not leads to performance glitches.

Eventually I calm down a bit and just let the flow take over, then, it seems to go smoother.

It does get tedious tho.

[CASD57]

I should it would probably help to know what sounds good and what doesn't...like I can sing high but does it sound too thin ...I think it's a good idea for everyone to record themselves sometimes just to keep the check and balances in line...

[rick-slo]

No intentional drafts. If a recording comes out with a sound I don't care for or some other issue
such as playing tempo I will re-record. Sometimes I will record something but decide later to add
to or change the arrangement and record the new version.

[b1j]

Now I see what you mean.

Yes, my first run is a dry run. I play it back and take note of the improvements I want to make until I sneak up on the final form I’m looking for.

When I go to record in earnest, I use “record track in layers” in my DAW. Then I play the song (or more often, selected measures) on Record over and over, without stopping, until it becomes natural. Then I do 3 or 4 more runs until more than one seems decent in the moment.

I accumulate a lot of detritus this way, but there’s always at least one take that’s a keeper. I’ll keep this up until I get all the way through the song. There’s a lot of editing to do after the tracking stage, but I find that part satisfying.

Cheating? Yes.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by b1j

Cheating? Yes.

Not cheating. That's how everyone does it. Watch the Beatles's Get Back video for an early example. They're recording everything, sometimes a hundred takes, before deciding one is good enough. Sometimes the released version ends up being two takes glued together. And that was when they had to do editing with razor blades.

Now, with digital, everyone does lots of stuff to produce a final product. Doing a bunch of takes and picking the best one (or the best parts of each and comping them together) is standard practice. In the Letterman interview with Billie Eilish the other night, she showed him one of her vocal takes - something like 80 takes, with basically every word in the final edit coming from a different take. And it's not that she can't sing, it's that she's a perfectionist. She wasn't embarrassed to show that, she seemed proud of the work and attention that they put into it.

But I took Barry to meant true rough drafts, like recording a song in its early stages, before it's likely to even be ready - just to hear what you have so far. So you can hear what you have so far and make changes before you really try to record it.

[FrankHudson]

I sorta/kinda do this. Listening to recordings is key to how I assess where I'm doing OK and where I need to improve or mitigate. It's very had to do this while playing for me, and even harder to do for my singing.

I'm not always making draft recordings just to check, but while practicing I will hit record sometimes so that I can better assess what is working after I'm done playing.

[MarvinLee]

I have played music since I was 14. About 5 years ago, I started playing full time. I also started recording myself. This is something I have avoided all my life (I'm 59). Gotta say, I think it is the single best thing I have ever done to rapidly improve my playing and writing. It allows me to focus completely on what I am playing in a way that trying to listen and play simultaneously simply can't offer. Aside from deeper analysis, I also find it essential for songwriting. Many is the time I felt I had a great song idea but it later escaped me because I didn't have a recording of it at the moment it came. Not for nothing, but recording in itself is a skill, so I am a step closer to recording something that I actually feel good about. As far as I'm concerned, it is essential for maximum improvement.

m

[Dave Hicks]

I often need to work on fiddle-tune type material to get it up to speed, so I often wind up recording a slow version on my way to a faster version.

I generally multi-track, so that's a good way to find out if the parts fir together.

D.H.