Recording philosophy?

[tdrake]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

I resonate with that. The times I've recorded in a traditional studio were strangely dissatisfying, because I felt like I wasn't fully in control of the final musical sound. I understand the advantages of having a team and having experts do their thing, but when I'm recording, I view everything, from the composition, the performance, the choice of guitar, the way the mics are setup, the mix, reverb, EQ, etc, to be all a fairly equal part of the final product, and I want to have control over all of them all the way thru the process if I can.

I tend to cycle thru those aspects a lot. When I go to a traditional studio, I play for a few takes, and the guy in the white lab coat :-) says "perfect, we got it", and we're done. At home, I start recording when I think I'm ready, do a few takes, and then start listening back, mixing, maybe edit a little, create a mix,... On and on.

The Beatles had that kind of luxury with their later recording, with an effectively unlimited budget, and all but living in the studio

Aye, there are the rubs.

[Howard Emerson]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

I resonate with that. The times I've recorded in a traditional studio were strangely dissatisfying, because I felt like I wasn't fully in control of the final musical sound. I understand the advantages of having a team and having experts do their thing, but when I'm recording, I view everything, from the composition, the performance, the choice of guitar, the way the mics are setup, the mix, reverb, EQ, etc, to be all a fairly equal part of the final product, and I want to have control over all of them all the way thru the process if I can.

I tend to cycle thru those aspects a lot. When I go to a traditional studio, I play for a few takes, and the guy in the white lab coat :-) says "perfect, we got it", and we're done. At home, I start recording when I think I'm ready, do a few takes, and then start listening back, mixing, maybe edit a little, create a mix, and maybe finally think "the sound's good, but that B section isn't cutting it ", so I go rework the arrangement a bit and start over. Once I'm happier, I'll try again, but maybe this time decide a different guitar might give me the vibe I'm looking for. On and on.

The Beatles had that kind of luxury with their later recording, with an effectively unlimited budget, and all but living in the studio, while the early stuff was done "white lab coat" style. Some of what Fran hears is just the state of British recording at the time, but some was that the Beatles weren't in control of their total product early on (and didn't have the experience to know what to do anyway).

Doug,
You should have known as soon as you saw the white lab coats!

HE

[alohachris]

Aloha Friends,

Good thread!

My recording philosophies have changed. I used to make recordings for sale at my gigs, often catering to the tastes of the largely tourist-based audiences I performed to for many years. There were limitations as to what I could do.

Now? I'm recording a life in music for purely non-commercial purposes, mostly to share w/ friends & family. That opens things up quite a bit.

Here are some basic tenents in my approach to recording music:

- Have fun & translate that to the listener (think John Hartford's classic live-style recording from '77 "Mark Twang")
- Provide as pure & natural acoustic sound as I can (FX to a bare minimum)
- Make sure mixes don't get too busy. No ear fatigue. The space between the notes is worth preserving.
- Don't use compression or much EQ on acoustic recordings.
- Only record what I actually play - I kinda play many instruments (but no loops or add-on's are included)

- There's more power, IMO, in live recordings. So I mic everything. Mic placement is where the mojo is for acoustic mixes.
- Make sure your room is treated so you can use some room in your miking patterns, placement & mixes.
- Capture a live performance - as if I were playing at one of my gigs.

- Be creative. I've been known to tell short stories, do impressions & tell a quick joke or two at my gigs. I try to provide similar context in my recordings - though sparingly.
- Provide a mix of songs that work together, use lots of dynamics & make sure they don't all sound the same.

- If you sing, don't be afraid to throw in an acapella song now & then
- Mix in songs from many genre's (some of mine have included a reggae mix played on solo ukulele along w/ a Bach Cello Suite played on a self-made 13-string Koa lyre using semi-traditional Japanese koto tunings.
- Pay homage to music & players that came before us. Sometimes I go back 400 years to players like lutenist John Dowland or Hawaiian chants.

- Have fun.
- Don't obsess too much with the recording process. Let it go & don't get stuck on one song for more than three takes at a time (an issue for me).
- Have real pro's do your mastering of clean, clear edited tracks. I ran out of time to learn the magic for myself.

- Know your song well before you start singing.
- Don't be afraid to try new music, gear, instrumentation or genre's of songs you know well. Experiment.
- Don't be afraid that you don't know jacksh%t about recording. I sure don't. Try techniques you've never read about being done before.

- Get recording ideas from recording sites & sources. Sound-on-Sound & Gearslutz give me plenty to try out.
- Have fun! Don't turn recording into enervating work. Laugh at your mistakes & ill-conceived experiments.

alohachris

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by Howard Emerson

Doug,
You should have known as soon as you saw the white lab coats!

HE

Kidding about the lab coats, of course. I've actually had great experiences in studios, with friendly engineers who were also musicians, comfortable environments, and I learned a lot from seeing what they did. I've also benefited from working with producer types who gave me feedback about what was good enough and what wasn't.

But I'm a control freak when it comes to music, and for me, there's no substitute for having complete control over as much of the process as possible, even if it means wearing multiple hats. For better or worse, it means I approved of and controlled the total final product. It feels more satisfying, I'm sure that it's 100% mine, and that I did my absolute best to the limits of my knowledge and ability. It also means I have no one else to blame if it falls short, but that's ok. I also actually enjoy the process, which I think is important. When I go play in someone else's studio, I feel like I'm missing out on half the fun!

[flagstaffcharli]

You guys do know I wasn't kidding, right? EMI engineers really were wearing white lab coats when The Beatles recording career began. Yikes!

Doug, I hear what you're saying. I'm a little more hands-off than you are in some respects. I like to be there to guide things, and at this point I see myself stealing lessons from the folks I work with. Quite a bit, actually.

But I definitely want to be involved in the music making at all levels.

I just listened to the whole CD, and I have to say the "control freak" thing is working well for you Doug.

Thinking about how The Beatles almost lived in the studio... Well, now a lot of us do live at our studios.

[flagstaffcharli]

A little off topic: I've been cleaning house, doing laundry, and making dinner the past couple hours. I listend to Doug's CD, then Fran's, and now I've got a couple Howard Emerson CDs kicking off. It very nicely puts this thread into some context - enjoyable context I might add.

I will not, however, be listening to my own stuff. LOL!