How do you make your clients perform best in the studio?

[skunkyfunk]

Do you really think a competent engineer and producer can make anyone sound magical in a recording?  Do you think everyone can be motivated to make a great recording?  

Or does the GIGO principle really apply?  A [gooey brown stuff] artist with [gooey brown stuff] songs with subpar talent will always sound [gooey brown stuff] no matter how great the equipment, engineer and producer is?

[KitC]

Wait until producers discover the art of autotune, then everything will be down the drain from there.

[skunkyfunk]

Wait until producers discover the art of autotune, then everything will be down the drain from there.

Contrary to popular belief, a mediocre vocal performance cannot always be saved by Autotune.  Maybe a few bum notes flat or sharp by 10-40 cents can be easily corrected.  But say your vocalist is singing way out of tune and off-key, no amount of pitch correction can help.

Anyway, it is not just the performance of the singers.  What about drummers that can't keep up with the time?  Bassists who can't stick to the beat?  Guitarists who can't do strumming right to lock to the groove of the rhythm section?

[KitC]

Contrary to popular belief, a mediocre vocal performance cannot always be saved by Autotune.  Maybe a few bum notes flat or sharp by 10-40 cents can be easily corrected.  But say your vocalist is singing way out of tune and off-key, no amount of pitch correction can help.

Ever heard of a tongue-in-cheek remark? That was meant as a joke.

While you are right that a mediocre performance cannot be saved by autotune or melodyne, I'm of the opinion that a mediocre performance should not be recorded at all; it's just a waste of time and money. A lot of foreign acts use autotune to fix a bum note especially when the singer-cum-diva suddenly develops a headache and can't do another take. Most vocal performances are comped from several takes anyway. That's often the reason why they sound different live.

Anyway, it is not just the performance of the singers.  What about drummers that can't keep up with the time?  Bassists who can't stick to the beat?  Guitarists who can't do strumming right to lock to the groove of the rhythm section?

Ahhh, the wonders of <insert your favorite DAW here>.

[skunkyfunk]

Contrary to popular belief, a mediocre vocal performance cannot always be saved by Autotune.  Maybe a few bum notes flat or sharp by 10-40 cents can be easily corrected.  But say your vocalist is singing way out of tune and off-key, no amount of pitch correction can help.

Ever heard of a tongue-in-cheek remark? That was meant as a joke.

While you are right that a mediocre performance cannot be saved by autotune or melodyne, I'm of the opinion that a mediocre performance should not be recorded at all; it's just a waste of time and money. A lot of foreign acts use autotune to fix a bum note especially when the singer-cum-diva suddenly develops a headache and can't do another take. Most vocal performances are comped from several takes anyway. That's often the reason why they sound different live.

Anyway, it is not just the performance of the singers.  What about drummers that can't keep up with the time?  Bassists who can't stick to the beat?  Guitarists who can't do strumming right to lock to the groove of the rhythm section?

Ahhh, the wonders of <insert your favorite DAW here>.

Sir, alam ko namang joke yun hehehe.  I just like to clarify for the benefit of the readers, that PITCH CORRECTION IS YOUR FRIEND, NOT AN ENEMY.  

Some egotistic wanker vocalists think "In no f***in' way am I gonna be Autotuned, especially WITHOUT my knowledge."

But ask them how much studio time they want, "Ummm... 8 hours for a lead vocal..."  

So ego-driven vocaler thinks it is ok to make a waveform collage out of 1,000 takes to have a "perfect" vocal performance.

[Sound Weavers]

Wait until producers discover the art of autotune, then everything will be down the drain from there.

I don't like using Autotune. I think singers should be able to sing.

[Sound Weavers]

back to topic.

IMHO. producers and engrs should be able to project an appropriate vibe and then maybe the artists will relax and render a natural and great performance. THIS takes time. prod & engr must know the material and the artist quite a bit to make that connection. I've seen veteran performers get shaky in the studio. I've also seen really veteran performers and recording artists make magic just about on any take - such as in a recent guitar recording sessions with Jimmy Luttrell (he only taught Jimmy Hendrix "how to play guitar behind the back")

NOW, GREAT RECORDING PERFORMANCE does not only the artists,  incompetent engineers and inappropriate equipment and setting can mess up even the greatest recording performance on earth, TOO.

Do you really think a competent engineer and producer can make anyone sound magical in a recording?  Do you think everyone can be motivated to make a great recording?  

Or does the GIGO principle really apply?  A [gooey brown stuff] artist with [gooey brown stuff] songs with subpar talent will always sound [gooey brown stuff] no matter how great the equipment, engineer and producer is?

[KitC]

Wait until producers discover the art of autotune, then everything will be down the drain from there.

I don't like using Autotune. I think singers should be able to sing.

So do I; that's why they're singers. If they can't sing, they should take up acting instead. Oops!  

Seriously, while autotune has saved many a singer's butt, I'd rather prefer that it be used in a creative fashion. Unfortunately, such creative uses have gone the path of cheesiness such as Cher's Believe and Eiffel 65's Blue. These 2 songs were quite innovative at the time of their release but the effect has been overdone to death that it's pretty much passe' now.

Autotune still has it's uses, though. In creating background vocals for a certain song, I used Sonar 5's equivalent (V-Vocal) to pitch up and down copies of a 3 part harmony of my voice to create a particularly thick chorus. I could have experimented further to change formants and stuff... maybe later. Who knows? I might try to recreate Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody using nothing but my vocals.

[KitC]

Wait until producers discover the art of autotune, then everything will be down the drain from there.

I don't like using Autotune. I think singers should be able to sing.

So do I; that's why they're singers. If they can't sing, they should take up acting instead. Oops!  

Seriously, while autotune has saved many a singer's butt, I'd rather prefer that it be used in a creative fashion. Unfortunately, such creative uses have gone the path of cheesiness such as Cher's Believe and Eiffel 65's Blue. These 2 songs were quite innovative at the time of their release but the effect has been overdone to death that it's pretty much passe' now.

Autotune still has it's uses, though. In creating background vocals for a certain song, I used Sonar 5's equivalent (V-Vocal) to slightly pitch up and down copies of a 3 part harmony of my voice to create a particularly thick chorus. I could have experimented further to change formants and stuff... maybe later. Who knows? I might try to recreate Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody using nothing but my vocals.

Ok, going back to topic; how does one create a conducive mood so that the clients just perform their best? Free food and drinks? A shot (only 1) before a take? The board is open...

[starfugger]

regardless of musical abilities, i find them performing best if they are fed proper monitors.  some like to hear themselves loud, some like them just a tad beneath everyone else.  some guitarists and vocalists like the airconditioning down because their fingers/vocal cords seem to tighten up in a cold room.  

i think it's best to explain the recording process and strategy to be used before the beginning of a session to make them understand that they are allowed to make mistakes as everyone can easily be punched-in these days (yes, even drums sometimes).  this makes them comfy somehow. it helps to orient them on how much  time will be allocated to each recording process, and show them how goals can be acheived given their particular budget.

it pays to encourage  clients regardless of their abilities, and assure them that making mistakes in the studio is normal.  i find that adding unnecessary pressure to a recording musician only aggrevates his situation or elicit a more "careful" performance, rather than a "bold" one.

incidentally, i have been in the hot seat of recording in the late 90's as a drummer.  it felt absolutely horrible when my band mates pressured me to play "faster" (so much faster in fact than what we have practiced).  since it was a three-peice band and both agreed that my playing was too "slow" i had no choice but to really push myself to satisfy their imagined tempo. i counted every second, every beat, hardly making any fills anymore.  it was an overall bad experience.  when we got home and listened to the tape, the tempo was almost a quarter faster than the real tempo of the song!  it was way too fast that they laughed.  i didn't find it the least bit funny. so whenever i see a particular band-mate giving the guy in the hot seat a difficult time, i tell him nicely to back-off a bit.  

if a recording musician keeps making more mistakes than normal, i request for a reschedule of the session.

and lastly i schedule the recording of different parts separetly whenever possible.  this ensures that every band member comes in fresh and enthused to lay down his parts.  in addition, it is easier to pick out mistakes if the sessions are exclusively dedicated.

[BAMF]

As a pro recording customer...this is my feedback (from the vocals and guitars POV only).

1. If recording the guitars, the monitoring sound of drums and backups should be turned a wee bit up. I find that I really need to hear the backbeat very well so my strumming will sync with the drums and bass.

2. When recording vocals, I'll need the drums and bass turned down so I can hear and control the nuances of my singing...say how nasal, or how loud, how growly and of course for tone control. It would also help if one puts some "karaoke-echo" to the monitor sound para feeling ba na nagko-concert kami sa araneta colliseum...nakakagana ba

My only 2 c about the matter

[starfugger]

yep bamf, i hear you big time.  this is why i am putting a small mixer in the tracking room for the client's use.  he will then be able to get a proper mix according to his needs, and insert whatever effect he wants.  

[KitC]

2. When recording vocals, I'll need the drums and bass turned down so I can hear and control the nuances of my singing...say how nasal, or how loud, how growly and of course for tone control. It would also help if one puts some "karaoke-echo" to the monitor sound para feeling ba na nagko-concert kami sa araneta colliseum...nakakagana ba

I agree with this. Most singers like to hear echo instead of reverb; must be because of our karaoke orientation.

Here's one from the trenches... I once had to track a singer who can't sing in pitch as soon as the headphones go on. Even feeding back her voice into the cans wouldn't prevent her from going out of pitch. She sang better without headphones on (damn these karaoke mics) and we had to track her with the door to the booth open so she could hear the minus 1. What to do, what to do?    Good thing it was an audition tape.

[starfugger]

yes Kit, even pro's don't use headphones in the studio sometimes. im not sure if i remember it correctly, but i think one (or some) of john mayer's songs was recorded in the control room sans headphones.  they used phasing and the mic's null point to cancel out the signal coming from the monitors.  exactly how, i don't recall.  

[KitC]

The control room thingy is to reverse the polarity on one of the monitors and to position the mic at the 3rd point of an equilateral triangle with the 2 monitors as the base of the triangle. Good rear rejection from the mic is important here as is the positioning of gobos to get as dry a signal as possible. Even though the mic is positioned at a null between the 2 monitors, and even with a low monitor level, there will always be some bleed into the mic. Too bad we never got to use this technique then due to time constraints.

[BAMF]

Haze,

The modifications you made to the studio was a real winner ! It was very inspiring, truly ! Before that I was always wondering if I was doing things right as I had to strain to hear myself over the instruments.

If you noticed, halos take-1 lahat with no micro-tone out-of-tune singing !

WAY TO GO, GIRL !

(Now I want to re-take everything with the new set-up )