Getting an actual live performance from the key rhythmic elements, and then building the rest of the arrangement around that performance, is a good way to have your cake and eat it too. This comes back to my earlier comment that there are ways to make even a recording of track-by-track overdubs still sound like a live ensemble. This is a kind of “best of both worlds” approach-get a good ensemble feel for that all-important rhythm section, and then add in the additional arrangement elements around it. It’s not uncommon for the focus of the initial live session to be getting just the drums (and maybe bass) down as “keepers”, with the assumption that everything else will be replayed piecemeal. But then many of the parts are replaced by overdubs, one by one, to fine-tune the arrangement and fuss over details in a way that they can’t be in a live, all-in take.
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An initial ensemble recording is done, with anything from just the core rhythm section-drums, bass, rhythm guitar/keyboard-to the full ensemble, sometimes including a vocal (or at least a scratch vocal, to give the other players a better musical context). In practice, it’s logical and common to combine the two approaches. On the other side of the coin, if a part isn’t happening, sometimes musical interaction with other performers may pull a better idea or performance out of a struggling player.
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Everybody may feel more free to offer opinions and suggestions than they would in front of a larger group of players. Overdubbing allows artist, performer, and producer to work together more closely, which can enhance communication, and sometimes offer a more friendly (read: less intimidating) environment for some performers. And, of course, that’s another advantage-other than using closed-ear headphones, there’s little need to deal with leakage, allowing for better control when processing the tracks in the mix. Since there’ll be little or no leakage on overdubbed tracks, it’ll be easier to edit or comp together the recordings later. Zeroing in on just one instrument at a time (or two, as in the case of simultaneously tracking drums and bass) allows the artist and producer to focus without distraction, with attention to detail, both musical and technical, that can add that subtle something extra to the finished product. Overdubbing track-by-track offers its own advantages. And with a little care, it can, as we’ll discuss below. Despite all these good reasons to use part-by-part overdubbing in place of the live ensemble approach, very often the goal is still for the finished recording to sound like a live performance. There may not be a suitable space available or affordable there may not be enough musicians available for the session(s) the arrangements may not be finalized at the time the recording process begins the equipment (mics, console, headphones) may not be sufficient artists talented enough to record themselves as a one-man band may prefer to perform all the parts and the many artists and songwriters on a tight budget may simply need to do as much as possible by themselves. There’s still no better way to capture a group performance, but it’s not always a viable option for a variety of musical and technical reasons. The traditional way to record an ensemble of musicians was always to set them up in a room, mike everybody up, and record the group’s performance(s) as they played, preserving all the nuances of their musical interactions. There are pros and cons to both methods, of course, so let’s pick up there. Later we’ll go over the usual technical considerations, like setup and monitoring, but let’s start with these issues of overall approach first.Įver since the introduction of multitrack recording, the option to use overdubbing-recording a song piecemeal, one track at a time, as opposed to capturing all the performers playing together-has presented artists and producers with some thorny decisions. There are no right or wrong answers, but these issues will rear their heads at some point, and it’s worth spending time considering them. ~ To record all-at-once, or track-by-track (overdub)?īoth can have a big impact on the musicality of the finished recording. The two biggest ones, at least to my mind, are: Every recordist will have to deal with certain issues regarding tracking, no matter how large or small the studio.
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