How long do you guys take setting up for recording?

[I'm Painting Again]

This IS a great topic!!

Sometimes I can just put the mics up and Wham..and sometimes hours..depends on Budget, my state of mind and body, if there was a pre-set up or not, how experienced and focused the talent is, how the drums set they insist on using are tuned, or seting up/tuning my house kit(s)..I think 2-4 hours is a reasonable setup time for the projects most of us work on..etc..etc..etc..My personal process requires extra attention to the setup..it banks on the setup..because I don't really have the ability to do a proper mix currently..so I have to mix it as I put it down..or it will not come out well..Since I own the studio and I'm the engineer I can be fair to the specific project and give extra time when needed and manage everything..I make the rules there..

on the flip side of this in my day job as a TV engineer everything has to be done in 2 seconds flat or your gone..the real world and real media markets demand full competency of the specific job your doing..

The more you do it the faster you get(hopefully)..of course there are situations that you can't anticipate or even control..but thats life..

[cgarges]

In the "I don't give a shit about the project" realm then it usually takes longer because I use it as a platform to experiment with all kinds of goofy shit I probably wouldn't do if it were an "important" project... the idea being to try to find some new sound in there somewhere that might inspire me to start giving a shit... or maybe discover a new technique or two to be pulled out of my ass at an appropriate moment.

Hey Flecther,

It seems to me that the "not giving a shit" guys might be the ones most likely to gripe about the time it takes to get sounds? Is that frequently the case with you or not? If so, do you do anything to quell their suspicions? I've usually had the opposite sort of experiance. It's usually the cool people who are up for giving a few things a listen or at least are understanding about wanting to do so, if their budget allows.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[tactics]

My personal goal is to have the first playback of initial drum sounds 2 hours after clients walk in. Doesn't always happen, but that's my goal. I generally have some idea what the client is looking for before they come in and try to get initial mics on stands and cables out and ready before they walk in the door. A little bit of pre-show set up may not strictly be "billable" time, but I figure it looks more professional and makes the action happen faster if I put in some preperation effort. Clients seem to appreciate that they're walking into a facility that looks ready to record in.

Any chance you have to do a bit a pre-setup for this person, I think you should grab it. Let 'em know through example that you're as serious about their session as they are, and they might back off a little...

Yeah totally agree, the set up before hand is a winner.I generally have a list made up of what signal path i'm gonna start with on whatever instrument.Mics ready to place etc.
Then make changes later on if something is'nt working out how i'd like.I have everything patched through to the recorder ready to roll, so we can record straight away if need be.I like to get set up on each instrument individually then spend time listening to them as a full band to try and pull the whole sound together as they play.

[trodden]

On an average of 2-4 hours. Yeah, it all depends. I really like getting the drummer at least in the night before to set up their kit and even the other band members to drop off the gear. If not the night before, i'll talk to the drummer and ask if they'd be able to get there a couple hours early before the rest of the band shows up. Funny, usually someone besides the drummer is running late anyhow so it works out. I also have to spend the night before breaking down gear that belongs to my bandmates since we practice in the main room of the studio. That's takes a couple of hours breaking down the drums, keys, amps, and stashing everything in random places to allow comfortable room to work. Really the only negative side to using the same room to practice in as the live room, taking meticulous care in breaking down and setting back up their gear before and after each recording session. Makes rent cheaper though when everyone is contributing.

[I'm Painting Again]

In the "I don't give a shit about the project" realm then it usually takes longer because I use it as a platform to experiment with all kinds of goofy shit I probably wouldn't do if it were an "important" project... the idea being to try to find some new sound in there somewhere that might inspire me to start giving a shit... or maybe discover a new technique or two to be pulled out of my ass at an appropriate moment.

Hey Flecther,

It seems to me that the "not giving a shit" guys might be the ones most likely to gripe about the time it takes to get sounds? Is that frequently the case with you or not? If so, do you do anything to quell their suspicions? I've usually had the opposite sort of experiance. It's usually the cool people who are up for giving a few things a listen or at least are understanding about wanting to do so, if their budget allows.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

I think Fletch was talking about himself not the clients..

You (everyone) can't deny the fact that everyone at some point feels that or someway similar when they are doing a very hard job..

[cgarges]

I think Fletch was talking about himself not the clients..

You (everyone) can't deny the fact that everyone at some point feels that or someway similar when they are doing a very hard job.

Oh sure, but it's often the guys I give a shit about that make me want to really find the right stuff. That's why I was asking.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[I'm Painting Again]

I think Fletch was talking about himself not the clients..

You (everyone) can't deny the fact that everyone at some point feels that or someway similar when they are doing a very hard job.

Oh sure, but it's often the guys I give a shit about that make me want to really find the right stuff. That's why I was asking.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

I feel that way too..Lately I'm beginning to be asked to take on more of a producer's role..and that at this point in my career its really uplifting..strangers coming and asking if I will produce them and putting faith in me that way..its amazing since I'm the extremely self-critical type..that really gets me wanting to do the best I can..

BTW I purchased Mike [the bass player from Joleen(sp?)]'s music man combo recently..He said he know you from NC..hes living up here when not touring..his wife goes to a masters programme up here at SLC for writing..he said hello..

Maybe they are not..I'm not sure..If I talk to him I will say hello..

[cgarges]

BTW I purchased Mike [the bass player from Joleen(sp?)]'s music man combo recently..He said he know you from NC..hes living up here when not touring..his wife goes to a masters programme up here at SLC for writing..he said hello..

Are they married? Wow. I've known her for years and played with her band for a little while before Mike was playing with her. I actually recorded her college audition tape. I love the way she sings and the way she writes. Mike's a cool guy, although I haven't gotten to hang out with him much. He was always in like 50,000 bands down here. Good bass player in that really simple, solid bass player way. Tell him I said hey.

Jolene was a hell of a band. I worked some pre-pro on their last record for Sire.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[joel hamilton]

This depends 100% on the project. I have been printing drums within 20 minutes, I have also spent 2 hours, but hardly ever more than that, regardless of the session. I HATE long setups. If you cant get it going in an hour, what magic thing will be invented that makes you get good sounds all of a sudden?

Stuff should be setup in the least amount of time possible. No more no less. Labouring over a floor tom for an hour would make me leave the building. I would seriously have to remove myself. There are between 5 and 10 lugs on each side of the thing: make it work.

[Electro-Voice 664]

It seems to me that the pros who record all the time, have their shit worked out, and aren?t just grabbing for straws. I don?t record as much as I?d like, and when I record some band, I want to do the best I can, so they are happy and I can be proud of my efforts. Set-up time to me is the crux of the project. I want to move fast and get things rollin?, but I also want to make sure that the foundation of the entire project isn?t crap. Of course drums are the biggest issue for me too. I?ll have the drummer drop off the drums the night before and maybe tune them up that night, and again before we record. If the drummer can tune good it can be pretty fast (around an hour) if the drummer can?t tune good, I will help out and it can take longer ( 2-3 hours). When it takes longer, this is the usual situation: We will tune the drums for a while then set up the mics and get placements, then run through a song and record (either all or partially). What ends up taking time, is listening back and not being satisfied with the result?So I usually don?t have the drummer hit the snare, etc for 3 hours, but it can take a while?..It?s typically easier for me to get sounds on the other instruments, and if we?re over-dubbing we can always retrack something if it just doesn?t work?..Its always better to get it right before you hit record, knowing how to accomplish ?right? seems to be the time saver.

[Shawn Simmons]

Joel beat me to it. I was going to say exactly what he wrote. He also said it better than I could.

Damn you Joel! You're like Yoda or something. Only like... taller (I assume).

I'll also add that I try to spend as much time as possible going to band practices and shows. I watch how the band interacts, how the rhythm section works together, take notes on gear, etc. That way when the band comes in I have a really good idea of what I'm dealing with. I can make mic and preamp choices ahead of time (nothing set in stone, of course). I will know if we will need a drum tech (it always amazes me how many drummers can't tune their own drums). I will have an idea of what kind of isolation I will need (cause there is sometimes that one guy in the band that can't play through the whole song without messing up). Basically, I can be ahead of the game on day 1 and if any I get any curveballs, I'm not surprised or wasting too much time dealing with them.

shawn

[joel hamilton]

Joel beat me to it. I was going to say exactly what he wrote. He also said it better than I could.

Damn you Joel! You're like Yoda or something. Only like... taller (I assume).

shawn

My hair is like yoda, and i have green skin.

[MusicEuphony]

I am a runner at a studio and typically, an assistant hands me a mic list the day before a session and we set up all of the baffles, DIs, mics, and instruments we have then. I get all of the stuff set up how the assistant and I think is appropriate and then the next morning when the band loads in all of the instruments, all that is left is positioning of the mics around the kit. This seems to save a good deal of time.

If you're recording in your own project studio and have antsy artists, maybe you could have them load in all of their instruments and send them off to eat. Then you'll have a good deal of time for yourself to get at least all of your mics up and make sure they're all working like you want.

[I'm Painting Again]

BTW I purchased Mike [the bass player from Joleen(sp?)]'s music man combo recently..He said he know you from NC..hes living up here when not touring..his wife goes to a masters programme up here at SLC for writing..he said hello..

Are they married? Wow. I've known her for years and played with her band for a little while before Mike was playing with her. I actually recorded her college audition tape. I love the way she sings and the way she writes. Mike's a cool guy, although I haven't gotten to hang out with him much. He was always in like 50,000 bands down here. Good bass player in that really simple, solid bass player way. Tell him I said hey.

Jolene was a hell of a band. I worked some pre-pro on their last record for Sire.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

Maybe they are not married..I'm not sure..If I talk to him I will say hello..

[vvv]

Aiight, just for the bedroom studio clique:

My drums are sampled, typically more or less done like you would in Acid, so I can't really respond there. Everything else is done one instrument at a time, as I record them (one man "band" that I am, Sam.)

My guitars are amped and mic'd with Mesa, Marshall, Fender, Epi, Kustom, etc.; I usually take about 5 minutes max for each, to get a sound. Lead might take 7 minutes.

Bass is D.I.; 5 minutes or less? I have a sound I like, and just a couple of variations and bass guitars.

Keys are D.I.: after I choose the patch, 5 minutes or less? A minute or two more if I mic my stupid Casio.

Vocals take 5 minutes or so, lead or backing track.

Percussion (usually a tambo or shakers), ; however long to plug the SM58 into the Mackie.

Here's a current (default) Marshall set-up, in the hallway: