How Do YOU Start Recording a Song in Reaper?

[Bezmotivnik]

I'm still blundering about.

When you, as a largely one-man act, start a song from scratch, how do you go about it?

What do you record first? How do you organize your project so that it flows smoothly and in more or less organic form?

I'm still looking for a method that makes sense to me as a beginner.

As always, thanks for any helpful advice!

[bfloyd6969]

Well, I don't know what you as a one man act plays, but I'm a guitar player and my music is guitar based. So, basically I start with a rough guitar track idea that I wrote, and record that to a click track. I use a click track so that when I add the drums, I'm already in time. The guitar track is just a rough starter track to lay down the rhythm section. Next, I do (and spend alot of time with) the drum track. Because I am a 'one man recording band' I use drum sims. I have EZ Drummer but lately I've been using the free (and excellent) Super Drums FX. I lay down a midi drum track that fits nicely with the rough guitar track. While doing this, I may hear some alternative changes and I just lay down more rough guitar tracks to finish the drum track. Next comes the bass guitar. Because I don't have a bass guitar, this too will be midi. I have several convincing bass guitar synths (again all free) that do the job. Sometimes I use my guitar with Amplitube 2 utilizing one of their 'guitar to bass guitar' presets. Pretty much this is just throwing in an octave pedal in the chain (tuned one octave down) and turning the dry signal all the way down. Once I have my rhythm section complete, I record all the keeper guitar tracks. After that, the vocals come in and then I start mixing. This is just my 'system' and it works fine for me

[Doughboy]

for me, since I use drum software, or when I used a drum machine.....I obviously put together the drum parts first. Then A Rhythm guitar or two. Lead Vocal.....Back Ground Vocals, Bass Guitar, Lead Guitar, Keyboards if necessary, vocal adlibs.

[LCipher]

Do you mean "write a song" or "record a song"? Big difference...

[Europanaut]

Here's the typical Circle of Wings writing/recording process.


Decide on tempo.

Record clean rough gtr with click.

Add rough dirty gtr where applicable.

Add rough bass gtr.

Record midi drums played with V-Drum kit(or sometimes real drums in a local studio).

Edit drums.

Add midi keyboards.

Write arrangement map while rendering to mp3 (where verses start and end, etc).

Send to singer.

Render two more for bass player (full mix with click and my rough bass, full with click and no bass).

Send to bass player.

Bass player returns keeper bass part.

Singer returns rough vocal.

All rough gtr parts are re-recorded.

Solos recorded.

Singer comes into studio for final lead vocal.

Vocals are edited, and vocal harmonies are written.

Singer returns to studio for harmony session.

Final odds and ends are recorded (shakers, bass pedals, sfx, etc).

Additional session players are recorded (violin, oboe, etc).

Song is mixed.


Euro
circleofwingsband.com

[Bezmotivnik]

Originally Posted by LCipher

Do you mean "write a song" or "record a song"? Big difference...

Well, I was referring to using Reaper, so the second. Writing the song's never a problem; recording the song is sheer hell.

So far, the different responses are interesting. To answer one question, I am a vocalist who can do or at least fake the instruments (with enough takes to get at least one professional-quality result -- which is all that matters). I'm the least able on keys, unfortunately, as keys are so vital and currently versatile, but an OK guitarist and bassist and a pretty good percussionist.

My assumption would be that you'd want to start with a scratch MIDI drumtrack built from loops to function as a glorified clicktrack that reflected the layout of the song, then a scratch rhythm guitar track to fill that out with the chord structure, then build from that, gradually replacing the scratch tracks with the real tracks, perhaps two or three times each by the time you're done, and adding your vocal tracks, instrumental breaks, wild noise, etc.

Does that make sense as a logical plan? If not, where am I wrong?

[My eternal problem has been that scratch drum track, which means I'm really stuck in the gate. I have EZDrummer, a set of electronic drums that successfully gate it and even a SR-16 (never mind a bunch of actual drums), but I haven't yet figured out how to translate that into a properly assembled scratch track in Reaper. I'm sure it's very easy if you know how, but I don't. I've asked a few times about this here but have received no help.]

[Audiofarm]

Heya.
For me, it depends on the project all the time.
However, if I had to suggest something for the following situation:
I'm not used with the studio.
I never heard the band.
I haven't talked to the producer.
I have no info about the the project.

I would say go for what works 90% of the time for me in those situations:
1 - Set the click track.
2 - Record a rough "guide line" (guitar/bass/voice).
3 - Record the drums using the "guide line".
4 - Record the bass using the the drums+"guide line-bass".
5 - Record main harmony (guitars, electric guitars, keys, etc) using the drums+bass+"guide line-bass-guitar".
6 - Record the voice.
7 - Record everything else.
8 - Mix the song.
9 - Pre-master the song.
10 - Master the song.
11 - Enjoy.

=)

[soul&folk]

Originally Posted by Bezmotivnik

[My eternal problem has been that scratch drum track, which means I'm really stuck in the gate. I have EZDrummer, a set of electronic drums that successfully gate it and even a SR-16 (never mind a bunch of actual drums), but I haven't yet figured out how to translate that into a properly assembled scratch track in Reaper.

Use bfloyd6969's method of a scratch guitar track to a click track before you start with the drum track. That way you'll be listening to the song as you build the drum track. That's much easier than having drums alone first. That'll probably get you out of the gate!

[stupeT]

Originally Posted by Bezmotivnik

[My eternal problem has been that scratch drum track, which means I'm really stuck in the gate. I have EZDrummer, a set of electronic drums that successfully gate it and even a SR-16 (never mind a bunch of actual drums), but I haven't yet figured out how to translate that into a properly assembled scratch track in Reaper. I'm sure it's very easy if you know how, but I don't. I've asked a few times about this here but have received no help.]

Dunno EZDrummer. I solved this by using GrooveAgent in the past and now with reaper is use MDrummer. In both cases they behave more like real drummers. No MIDI loop copying required. You just tell the overall style you want to have...

In case of MDrummer you can easily refine the "click track" by adding just a MIDI note each - at the right time in your arrangement - to tell MDrummer to play an intro, break, chorus rhythm a.s.o... in MANY cases this "click track" will be very good drums for the final mix. If you want excellent drums you can always fine tune that track down to every single beat...

I found that when I start recording rough guitar ideas to a real click track my groove is worse compared to playing along a real drum groove in an appropriate style.

[taigablues]

Originally Posted by Bezmotivnik

My assumption would be that you'd want to start with a scratch MIDI drumtrack built from loops to function as a glorified clicktrack that reflected the layout of the song, then a scratch rhythm guitar track to fill that out with the chord structure, then build from that, gradually replacing the scratch tracks with the real tracks, perhaps two or three times each by the time you're done, and adding your vocal tracks, instrumental breaks, wild noise, etc.

This is more or less how I record. We always write the basic structure of the song before we start recording - recording always works out much easier if you know what you want to record (at least the basics, wee overdub flourishes are fine as an afterthought) and if you've practiced your parts.

I would tend to start from either a basic click track or a scratch drum track to then start recording rhythm guitars and bass etc and then gradually refine the drums as we go along. Drums tend to be MIDI for us so it's easy to keep altering them. We hardly ever do scratch tracks for guitars or other instruments. Practice the parts first and then record them with a minimum of punching or overdubbing required. Flows better and has a more live feel IMO.

Originally Posted by Bezmotivnik

[My eternal problem has been that scratch drum track, which means I'm really stuck in the gate. I have EZDrummer, a set of electronic drums that successfully gate it and even a SR-16 (never mind a bunch of actual drums), but I haven't yet figured out how to translate that into a properly assembled scratch track in Reaper. I'm sure it's very easy if you know how, but I don't. I've asked a few times about this here but have received no help.]

If you have EZ drummer you should be able to piece together a basic scratch drum track just by dragging the included MIDI grooves from the EZ Drummer window onto your drum track in Reaper. There you can then edit the MIDI as required to make it fit. Should be good enough for a glorified click... EZ Drummer has lots of decent grooves covering different styles built in. There has to be something there to get you started, I reckon.

[jens]

Originally Posted by Bezmotivnik

I'm still blundering about.

When you, as a largely one-man act, start a song from scratch, how do you go about it?

What do you record first? How do you organize your project so that it flows smoothly and in more or less organic form?

I'm still looking for a method that makes sense to me as a beginner.

As always, thanks for any helpful advice!

I start with what I start with... if that makes sense - it doesn't?

Well, think about it - something made the song/composition start to come into existence in the first place - be it a melody, or a rhythm, or a guitar-pattern or whatever - I usually start with that, then build the rest around it.

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by Bezmotivnik

I'm still blundering about.

When you, as a largely one-man act, start a song from scratch, how do you go about it?

What do you record first? How do you organize your project so that it flows smoothly and in more or less organic form?

I'm still looking for a method that makes sense to me as a beginner.

As always, thanks for any helpful advice!

My main axe is drums, but I also play guitars, basses, and keys. Drums is usually the *last* thing I record, because until I've recorded other parts, I have no idea what the drums should do. That said, I usually grab a guitar or bass and jam around to some ready made scratch drum groove. If I start playing something I like, I press record. I have my setup such that in order to jam, I am also ready to record, so the second things are coming together, I can capture it before I lose it.

[With an E]

Originally Posted by Bezmotivnik

I'm still blundering about.

When you, as a largely one-man act, start a song from scratch, how do you go about it?

What do you record first? How do you organize your project so that it flows smoothly and in more or less organic form?

I am a guitarist but when I pick up the guitar I always start to play solo phrases, so for compositional ideas I leave it alone.


1 I start with a good inspirational vsti keyboard patch which lets you hear chords and melodies clearly and which has a good enough attack to get a rhythmic feel going - you don't need to be a piano player

2. Try your melody, chord and rhythm ideas at different tempos - loop a number of bars and practice the piece until something good emerges

3. Then experiment with drum or percussion loops to get a specific feel

4. Stop and think about what ideas or feelings the music evokes and then work to support that with the rest of the 'writing' and arranging.

Listening to music you like and respect (either really or just in your head) at this stage is a good idea imo; thinking about what those composers were thinking about as they developed their ideas. Don't copy, but extrapolate - if they did such and such at this point in their music, how would that method translate to my music.

I find this method can create a surge of really good original ideas. The trouble for me sometimes is when the process takes me 80% of the way and I don't want to let the 'good' idea down with 20% of crap to finish......

Good luck!!

[ThePulse]

Haha when I saw that title I was seriously gonna respond with "By Pressing the Record Button" lol.

It sounds like you're bridging the means of writing and recording together. And in the case of writing a song...everyone's way is different. No one way works better than another.

But in terms of Recording/Producing...

I know I like to get my rhythm section in first and foremost (Drums, Basses and sometimes Rhythmic Guitars). Doesn't happen like this 100% of the time, but these are essential to me as they form the spine of my song body.

I then start to work in whatever main melodic instruments I hear(ed) in my head, tweaking the sounds meticulously as I go. They, to me, are the muscle structure of the song body.

After the main structure of the song is built I then start to introduce the vocals, atmospherics, reverbs & delays, accenting instruments and so forth. This would be my skin.

And then at the very end I do my mixing and mastering. This serves as that Versace suite that you thought you couldn't afford at $2500, but then one day while strolling through the mall you saw it on sale for $1250 and bought it; and then at the next function you attended you wore it, were the life of the party, and when people gave you the look...you shot one right back and said "How you doin'?"

Make it work.