when they aren't rehearsed

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bannerj
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when they aren't rehearsed

Post by bannerj » Fri Dec 02, 2005 7:14 am

Last night we were working on some bgvs. The singer already has some issues with scooping notes and pitch on his lead vocals. I am not mixing it and have never used autotune, but there are some parts of the lead that he just couldn't improve on...so he is hoping the mixing engineer can work some magic.

The trouble last night is then when he is doing bgvs on top of his already pitchy lead, and he hadn't practiced. I ended up having to learn the part to practice with him so he could hit the troublesome notes.

We got one song done in two hours.

This reminded me of the days when I first started out and my buddy would work on a lead guitar part for three hours before he knew what he wanted to do.

How do you guys handle these situations? Its kinda mind numbing.

We are almost done tracking everything and I don't want to make a huge deal out of it because I would like him to leave feeling good about the whole experience, but I don't think I can bear another session like that.

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Post by chris harris » Fri Dec 02, 2005 7:34 am

you really kind of hope that they realize at some point, that paying an hourly rate to practice isn't the best idea.
probably the best thing you can say to them is, "that'll be $__.__" at the end of every session.
hopefully they compare that dollar amount with what they got accomplished and learn to practice on their own time.

but, yeah... there's nothing wrong with politely suggesting that the studio might not be the best place to practice. if they're on a budget, they might appreciate it.

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Post by bannerj » Fri Dec 02, 2005 9:14 am

I did tell him that that would be $40 for the two hours and hopefully that will encourage him to practice a bit more.

I just had some body contact asking me how much it would cost to record an EP and now after my issues with last night I said, "it depends on you and your band and if you guys are ready to play."

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Post by chris harris » Fri Dec 02, 2005 9:18 am

bannerj wrote:I did tell him that that would be $40 for the two hours and hopefully that will encourage him to practice a bit more.

I just had some body contact asking me how much it would cost to record an EP and now after my issues with last night I said, "it depends on you and your band and if you guys are ready to play."
yep. you should read the end rant from Albini a couple of issues ago. basically, my answer now is, "tell me your budget and I'll tell you what you need to do as a band to come in under that budget."

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Post by joelpatterson » Fri Dec 02, 2005 10:24 am

As long as everyone understands the meter's running, and the meter being running is a subtext of everything that everyone is doing even when things are zipping along and it all sounds so glorious and there's big grins all around--

then I just say to myself, here's where it goes from being the greatest job to being a tragically boring waste of time job. I still think you can convey to the guy you're on his side, together you'll work it all out, you admire his effort, pitifully inadequate tho it is, and it's still cool and fun, even when it gets tedious.

This is the same kind of thing as arguing with a maintanence guy to do something to make your life easier, it comes with the territory, and I make a real effort to shield my disgust and instead adopt a phony "we're all in this together, huh?" kind of false front. If the whole thing is really giving you a headache, tell the guy there's an unexpected maintanence chore you gotta do and go outside for a little walk. Tell him he's free to practice while you step out.
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Post by drumsound » Sat Dec 03, 2005 11:34 am

There are a couple things you can do in this situation. First grin and bare it and take the cash. Sometimes people need to realize that it costs money to work in a recording studio. Second you can have a talk with the singer and say "maybe you need to work out your parts before you come, it will save you time and be less frustrating." You might even suggest a teacher because often time lead singers don't really know how to sing harmony, yet they are the only singer in the band.

In the 'How much..." question. I NEVER give a dollar figure. I explain that I've not worked with the band and don't know how they will react in the studio. Without firsthand experience I wouldn't be able to even guess. I have also adopted the Albini line, 'What's your budget?" I explain that you can spend a few hundred and have something or you can spend more and have something else. The conversation usually takes its own path at that point.

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Post by stinkpot » Mon Dec 05, 2005 1:51 pm

bannerj wrote:I just had some body contact asking me how much it would cost to record an EP and now after my issues with last night I said, "it depends on you and your band and if you guys are ready to play."
I that or something to that effect to every band I work with. And then encourage them to be well rehearsed and ready to go.

Usually seems to help.

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